Join us in celebrating the finalists of the 2024-2025 Modeling the Future Challenge! Throughout the school year, these students have learned new mathematical and data science techniques, conducted their own open-ended research projects, applied their analytical skills to real-world problems, and developed data-driven predictions and recommendations through math modeling and risk analysis.
This Season, the Challenge introduced a regional structure. Our five University Partners have worked with us to put on some outstanding virtual events to announce our Finalist teams, and we can’t thank them enough! These universities, all known for their prestigious actuarial science programs, have helped building camaraderie between teams in the thick of the competition as they’ve supported the next generation of STEM experts.
Out of the 135 teams who moved on to the Project Phase, only 15 could emerge as Finalists. These teams have all demonstrated innovative thinking and exceptional analytical skills in their race to the top.
Northwest Region – Hosted by University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Team Illuvia – Saratoga High School, CA
Studying the impact of California wildfires on air quality.
Team Member: Kirby Fung
Coach: Yang Li
Team Fibonacci Finders – Valley Christian, CA
Investigating red tides.
Team Members: Kelly Liu, Amanda He
Coach: David Gonzalez
Team SC Data Raider 2 – Silver Creek High School, CA
Analyzing financial losses from cybersecurity breaches..
Team Members: Nandita Raj Kumar, Shreya Chittipeddi
Coach: Imani Butler
Southeast Region – Hosted by Auburn University
Team Pose 28 – Alabama School of Fine Arts, AL
Exploring how climate change affects bird migration patterns.
Team Members: Prisha Sharma, Srihansi Sagi, Dania Alzoubi, Harini Chakilam, Monisha Bommu
Coach: Cecil Flournoy
Miscalculation Team A – Everglades High School, FL
Modeling the economic and infrastructural consequences of hurricane impact.
Team Members: Ayan Singh, Mikelangelo Mutti, Thomson Tang, Stella Agren
Coach: Alberto Dominguez
Miscalculation Team B – Everglades High School, FL
Investigating the future of crop yields and food security under climate change.
Team Members: Khaled Eldabbas, David Farina, Leo Shee, Lethaniel Leveille
Coach: Alberto Dominguez
New England Region – Hosted by Bentley University
Team Da Two Bananas – Ward Melville Senior High School, NY
Evaluating the health risks of extreme heatwaves in Long Island.
Team Members: Amanda Liang, Sarah Wu
Coach: Jie Yang
Team Galaxy Munchkins – Newton North High School, MA
Analyzing the obesity epidemic.
Team Members: Qiaorui (Sherry) Zhang, Venkat Tatituri, Justin Yee, Viana Kazemi, Alex Kuai
Coach: Michele MacDonald
Team Posse Possumus – Phillips Academy, MA
Machine learning-driven wildfire risk analysis.
Team Members: Shengdao Ke, Edward Zhang, Wooba Song, Paige Zhu, Angela Zhao
Coach: Khiem DoBa
Northeastern Region – Hosted by Trine University
Team The Unit Vector – Adlai E. Stevenson High School, IL
Studying county-level drug overdose mortality.
Team Member: Shreyas Dandavate
Coach: Ken Heard
Team Number Ninja – South Brunswick High School, NJ
Investigating the factors contributing to wildfires in Hawaii.
Team Member: Pranav Yogeswaran
Coach: Kurinchi Arumugam
Team NextGen Innovators – Bridgewater-Raritan Regional High School, NJ
Enhancing grid resilience in coastal communities.
Team Members: Divyansha Nashine, Nandini Kuppachi
Coach: Neena Choubey
Southwestern Region – Hosted by California State University, Fullerton
Team DVS1 – DVS Data Science Club, CA
Understanding the root causes of chronic absenteeism in schools.
Team Members: Benjamin Chan, Gabriel Brown, Zirak Engineer, Calliope Chan
Coach: Justin Mitchell
Team C3-G2 – West Ranch High School, CA
Examining the impact of absolute droughts on U.S. Midwest annual corn yields.
Team Members: Brandon Chang, Omkar Guha, Kent Gao
Coach: Michelle McCormick
Team Skibidi Statistickers – University High School, CA
Forecasting groundwater depletion.
Team Members: Timothy Chen, Aryan Mukherjee, Justin Wu, Minerva You, Stella Lee
Coach: Karen Hsieh
In addition to these teams, three teams were also selected as Finalists for the Climate Resilience Award!
Team CalMichMizz – Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, IL
Modeling urban heat resilience in Chicago.
Team Members: William Guo
Coach: Jenna Lee
Team NextGen Innovators* – Bridgewater-Raritan Regional High School, NJ
Enhancing grid resilience in coastal communities.
Team Members: Divyansha Nashine, Nandini Kuppachi
Coach: Neena Choubey
*Also a Regional Finalist
Team TKC – Zionsville Community High School, IN
Loss forecasting for climate risks concerning the Texas electric grid.
Team Members: Tianle Liang, Kieran Rosenfeld
Coach: Lei Liang
This information has been generated by high school students in connection with a competition sponsored by The Actuarial Foundation and the Institute of Competition Sciences solely for educational purposes and has not been validated, tested or otherwise confirmed and may not be accurate. Accordingly, this information may not be (i) used or relied upon for any reason, (ii) cited or quoted in a way that would imply accuracy, or (iii) presented as fact.