An exciting new award opportunity will be available to students taking part in The Actuarial Foundation’s Modeling the Future Challenge (MTFC) starting this year!

The Climate Resilience Award, sponsored by the Sempra Foundation, empowers high school students to tackle one of the most pressing challenges of our time: climate change. This initiative encourages the next generation of problem-solvers to step beyond theoretical ideas and examine how their mathematical analyses could be implemented into practical, community-centered climate resilience solutions.

With the guidance of teachers, as well as mentorship from top actuaries, data scientists, and climate science experts through the MTFC, students who apply mathematical modeling to help communities become more resilient to natural disasters and climate risks will be eligible to receive this distinction.

The Climate Resilience Award tasks students to analyze climate-related risks in a community or region and develop actionable strategies to mitigate or manage these risks. From wildfires and heatwaves, to floods, storm surges and sea level rise, students will use data to develop recommendations that could make a real-world impact.

 

Qualifying for the Climate Resilience Award

To be considered for the award, MTFC teams must:

1. Select a community or region and identify climate risks that threaten people or property.
2. Analyze data and create mathematical models to assess these risks.
3. Develop recommendations to mitigate or manage those risks in a meaningful way.

Teams wishing to compete for the Climate Resilience Award will submit a special addendum to their main MTFC project report. This addendum will include responses to several implementation-related prompts, explaining how their ideas could be transformed from analysis to real-world action.

This is not a requirement for participation in the MTFC, but is an opportunity for those teams interested in climate change and climate resilience related projects. All other project topics are still eligible for the MTFC awards.

 

Climate Resilience Awards and Recognition 

Up to 3 teams will be recognized as finalists and invited to present their projects to a panel of Climate Resilience experts at the MTFC Symposium. One team will be announced as the winner during the MTFC Symposium award ceremony!

 

Prizes

Each Team member will receive a part-time, paid summer internship with a $1,500 stipend (up to $7,500 for a five-student team).

The 10-week Summer Implementation Internship is a 5-10 hr/week commitment designed to help students refine their project and guide their recommendations toward real-world implementation. Over the course of the internship, students will:

1. Meet bi-weekly (virtually) with MTFC administrators to review progress.
2. Participate in 2-3 mentorship sessions with climate resilience leaders and professionals.
3. Conduct a final presentation of the refined recommendations to public stakeholders—including government officials, city council members, FEMA leaders, and other decision-makers working in climate resilience.

This unique internship experience will provide students with hands-on exposure to how mathematical modeling can influence climate resilience planning and real-world collaboration with experts and local leaders. It’s an incredible opportunity to build the skills needed to lead in a future shaped by climate challenges, and a standout addition to any resume!

 

Inspiring Change

The Climate Resilience Award encourages students to bridge the gap between data analysis and community action. With climate-related risks growing every year, this initiative aims to nurture the next generation of problem-solvers and inspire young STEM innovators to develop sustainable solutions for their communities.

We look forward to seeing how your students tackle climate change during the 2024-25 Modeling the Future Challenge!

For more information about the Climate Resilience Award, visit: https://www.mtfchallenge.org/climate-resilience-award/

About the Modeling the Future Challenge

The Modeling the Future Challenge, a program of The Actuarial Foundation, is a real-world competition for high school students combining math-modeling, data-analysis, and risk-management into one exciting competition! To compete, students conduct their own research project modeling real-world data to analyze risks and make recommendations to companies, industry groups, governments, or organizations.

 

About The Actuarial Foundation

The Actuarial Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization committed to changing lives through math education. Established in 1994, our mission is to unleash the power of math education and transform futures by leveraging the talents and resources of the actuarial community. Our vision is a future where everyone experiences confidence and opportunities available through math proficiency.

 

About The Sempra Foundation

The resilience of energy systems and communities is critical in today’s world. Sempra Foundation, fully funded by energy infrastructure company Sempra, recently selected The Actuarial Foundation’s Modeling the Future Challenge for a grant to help launch the Climate Resilience Award. This new award will expand the competition into summer internship phases, allowing students to conduct research projects focused on climate-related challenges.

The Sempra Foundation was founded in 2007 by Sempra, a San Diego-based energy infrastructure company. The Sempra Foundation with its conviction in advancing social progress, has a long history of supporting disaster relief efforts — including wildfires, hurricanes, and earthquakes — and they continue to support people and communities in need.