Students need to learn so many skills before they enter the adult world and start making decisions on their own. While schools are working hard to prepare children for the future, some lessons cannot be taught in the classroom.
With this gap, it is no surprise many young people spend their first few years away from home struggling to figure out how to succeed on their own. As parents, educators, and business leaders have come together, they have realized that academic competitions are one of the best ways to teach these missing skills.
When students participate in an academic competition, they learn the real-world skills not taught in school while also putting into practice the concepts they have already touched on.
One of the abilities the next generation will need to succeed in today’s digital world is data management. Academic competitions like The Modeling the Future Challenge are swooping in to teach students this marketable tool in a fun and concrete way.
So, why is data management so important?
Data management helps us make big decisions.
Both personally and professionally, all decisions we make are based on some form of data. Think about it. When you get dressed in the morning, you may look at the expected high and low temperatures, if there is rain, snow, or sun outside, and what season it is, to decide what to wear.
While this is a simple example, each of these is a piece of data you thought about to make an educated decision. The process is no different for big decisions like making an investment, taking a job, or how many college classes to take at a time.
Teaching students how to organize and manage the data they encounter daily will help them make their own big decisions in the future.
Data management helps us see the big picture.
When small things happen over a large period-of-time, it is easy to miss their impact. However, when we take a step back and look at the entirety of any situation, it’s easy to see the effects of small repetitive actions; a great example of this rainfall in a given region. It may seem only to rain a few inches at a time, but when you look at the totals for the entire year, you can spot a surplus or deficits and make changes accordingly. These big picture realizations are the driving force behind the daily realities of our lives.
Data management is one of the best tools a business can leverage for growth.
Whether a company is large or small, they are continuously collecting data from various points; what customers buy and don’t buy, what time of year materials are available or out of stock, even what time of day they need more staff in the building.
These may seem like obvious decisions, but every one of them is based on the data someone collected and organized to guide best practice. Having good data management skills will make students an asset to whatever company or industry they decide to pursue.
Where can students learn data management skills?
Unfortunately, the formal education system doesn’t do much for teaching data science and data management. We need to look beyond the formal classroom to help with this critical real-world skill. One of the best academic competitions for teaching students data management is the Modeling the Future Challenge. In this competition, students get the opportunity to solve real-world problems by collecting and analyzing data.
Participants in the Modeling the Future Challenge won’t stop there, though. They will then use what they have learned to develop a solution that can be implemented to make the world we live in a better place. That means they will need to organize and present their data so that others can understand their concept and the outcome.
This part is crucial because students will be presenting their ideas to leading business professionals in the industries they may themselves work one day.
The Modeling the Future Challenge is the perfect balance of pushing students to learn new skills and motivate them to work hard to achieve their goals.
Registration is already open for the Modeling the Future Challenge, so don’t wait and register today!
If your ready to have fun and learn new skills along the way, head to our competitions page to see what academic competitions are coming up. Set up your account to follow competitions that excite you and stay up-to-date on all the news with academic competitions.
See more than one academic competition you would like to participate in? Upgrade to a premium account so you can track your progress in competitions, get insider information on academic competitions, access the ICS competitions concierge, and gain exclusive discounts on ICS-managed programs.”
170 teams from across the country challenged themselves with qualifying scenarios in the 2019-20 MTF Challenge. This past week The Actuarial Foundation announced the 98 teams that qualified for the project phase of the challenge! These teams have completed one or more intense qualifying scenarios to move forward. Each scenario challenged students to analyze real-world data and respond to questions including statistical analysis, trend projections, risk identification, and critical-thinking.
The qualified teams are now being connected with actuary mentors through The Actuarial Foundation’s network of volunteers. These teams will have until the end of February to complete their own modeling the future project and present a report on how they expect climate change or water access to impact the future of agriculture! See if a team from your state qualified in the list below, and don’t forget to check out the Modeling the Future Challenge website on how you can join the challenge to help model the future next year!
2019-20 MTF Challenge Qualifying Teams:
Team Name | School or Organization | City, State |
Acton Boxborough Team | Acton Boxborough Regional High School | Acton, MA |
NDBeSmarTigers | Notre Dame High School | Belmont, CA |
Mathmagicians | Whitney High School | Cerritos, CA |
Accurate Actuary | Whitney High School | Cerritos, CA |
Math Modelling | Hamilton High School | Chandler, AZ |
Payton – Team 2 | Walter Payton College Prep (Chicago Public Schools) | Chicago, IL |
Payton – Team 1 | Walter Payton College Prep (Chicago Public Schools) | Chicago, IL |
Cream of the Crop | Student Team | Clarkstown, NY |
Blue Devil Hedge | Columbus High School | Columbus, GA |
CHS Visionaries | Columbus High School | Columbus, GA |
Squad-ratics | iSTEM Geauga Early College High School | Concord Township, OH |
Minute Men | iSTEM Geauga Early College High School | Concord Township, OH |
High Voltage | iSTEM Geauga Early College High School | Concord Township, OH |
Alge-bros | iSTEM Geauga Early College High School | Concord Township, OH |
10% Rule | Monta Vista High School | Cupertino, CA |
Science Bound | Science Bound | Des Moines, IA |
Central Academy A | Central Academy | Des Moines, IA |
Central Academy B | Central Academy | Des Moines, IA |
Unicorn 5 | NC School of Science and Mathematics | Durham, NC |
Unicorn 1 | NC School of Science and Mathematics | Durham, NC |
Unicorn 4 | NC School of Science and Mathematics | Durham, NC |
Purple Potato Donkey | NC School of Science and Mathematics | Durham, NC |
HHS Streaks! | Harrisonburg High School | Harrisonburg, VA |
Falcons | Kalani High School | Honolulu, HI |
Dolphins R Us | Arkansas School for Mathematics and Science | Hot Springs, AR |
ASMSA | Arkansas School for Mathematics and Science | Hot Springs, AR |
Booravo | Booravo | Irvine, CA |
Paxon Eagle | Paxon School for Advanced Studies | Jacksonville, FL |
Paxon | Paxon School for Advanced Studies | Jacksonville, FL |
Jericho A | Jericho High School | Jericho, NY |
Jericho B | Jericho High School | Jericho, NY |
Don’t Spill The Beans | Kalaheo High School | Kailua, HI |
[redacted] Consulting | Kalaheo High School | Kailua, HI |
GSMST-Team 3-5 | GSMST | Lawrenceville, GA |
GSMST-Team 3-3 | GSMST | Lawrenceville, GA |
GSMST-Team 7-10 | GSMST | Lawrenceville, GA |
GSMST-3-2 | GSMST | Lawrenceville, GA |
GSMST-Team 3-1 | GSMST | Lawrenceville, GA |
GSMST-Team 7-11 | GSMST | Lawrenceville, GA |
GSMST-Team 3-7 | GSMST | Lawrenceville, GA |
GSMST-Team 3-4 | GSMST | Lawrenceville, GA |
Atoms | High Technology High School | Lincroft, NJ |
LAHS Team A | LAHS Math Modeling Club | Los Altos, CA |
LAHS Team B | LAHS Math Modeling Club | Los Altos, CA |
MVHS Math Modeling #2 | Mountain View High School Math Modeling Club | Los Altos, CA |
Alphabeta | North Hollywood High School | Los Angeles, CA |
Math Matters | Milton High School | Milton, GA |
Mathigators | Everglades High School / Miami Dade College | Miramar, FL |
Mountain View High Math Modeling Team | Mountain View High School Math Modeling Club | Mountain View, CA |
Team Rocket | Hunter College High School | New York, NY |
team pepe | Hunter College High School | New York, NY |
HCHS | Hunter College High School | New York, NY |
Glenbrook North 1 | Glenbrook North High School | Northbrook, IL |
Wheatley WildCalcs | The Wheatley School | Old Westbury, NY |
Casti Corn | Castilleja School | Palo Alto, CA |
The Bean Team | Castilleja School | Palo Alto, CA |
ESAD | Castilleja School | Palo Alto, CA |
Wayzata Blue | Wayzata High School | PLYMOUTH, MN |
Wayzata Gold | Wayzata High School | PLYMOUTH, MN |
Five Guys Burgers and Math | Richard Montgomery High School | Potomac, MD |
🙂 | Richard Montgomery High School | Potomac, MD |
Bulldog Warriors | Winston Churchill High School | Potomac, MD |
Perfectly Phat Pandas | Wootton High School | Potomac, MD |
Green | Independent | Redmond, WA |
Cutwrongs | Maggie Walker Governors School | Richmond, VA |
Calcoholics | Maggie Walker Governors School | Richmond, VA |
The Wurst | Maggie Walker Governors School | Richmond, VA |
McGERM!! | Maggie Walker Governors School | Richmond, VA |
Crystal Math | Maggie Walker Governors School | Richmond, VA |
Joshua n’ Co. | Maggie Walker Governors School | Richmond, VA |
Zim Boys Never Broke | Maggie Walker Governors School | Richmond, VA |
America’s Next Math Models | Lick-Wilmerding High School | San Francisco, CA |
Tigers | Lick-Wilmerding High School | San Francisco, CA |
Lick-Wilmodeling | Lick-Wilmerding High School | San Francisco, CA |
√-1 2^3 ∑ Π (I Ate Some Pie) | Lick-Wilmerding High School | San Francisco, CA |
Proof School | Proof School | San Francisco, CA |
St. Ignatius Blue | St. Ignatius College Preparatory | San Francisco, CA |
ZOOM | East Side Union High School | San Jose, CA |
MANEssentials | East Side Union High School | San Jose, CA |
Team Darius | East Side Union High School | San Jose, CA |
Static Function | Santa Teresa High School | San Jose, CA |
QLS Math | Quarry Lane School | San Ramon, CA |
Team Geicko | West Ranch High School | Santa Clarita, CA |
Team REKT | West Ranch High School | Santa Clarita, CA |
Maria Carrillo Pumaths | Maria Carrillo High School | Santa Rosa, CA |
Zoomers | Academy for Information Technology | Scotch Plains, NJ |
Cookies ‘n Cream | Academy for Information Technology | Scotch Plains, NJ |
Water | Academy for Information Technology | Scotch Plains, NJ |
SuperBoyz | Academy for Information Technology | Scotch Plains, NJ |
1blair | Montgomery Blair High School | Silver Spring, MD |
Waukee APEX – Foxtrot | Waukee APEX | Waukee, IA |
Waukee APEX – Tango | Waukee APEX | Waukee, IA |
Westtown 3 | Westtown School | West Chester, PA |
Westtown Moose 1 | Westtown School | West Chester, PA |
Westlake Modeling | Connecting for Kids | Westlake, OH |
Differentiation Nation | Yorkville High School | Yorkville, IL |
Team Stemmet | Yorkville High School | Yorkville, IL |