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All Things Considered
Tom Crann and Ngoc Bui

Team of three Minnesota high schoolers among nine finalists in international math competition

three young men in suit and tie
(From left to right) Karn Kaura, Alex Wu and Curtis Ying in New York for the M3 Challenge finals.
Courtesy of Christin Winkler

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A group of three Minnesota high schoolers just came back from New York where they competed Tuesday as one of nine teams to make it to the finals in an international math competition.

A test of math skills and creativity, the M3 Challenge asked students to create a plan to address issues of affordable housing and homelessness in select cities for this year’s contest.

three young men sit at a table
The Blake School team presented their proposal to a panel of judges. Their solution focused on transitional housing to address homelessness in Seattle, Wash.
Courtesy of Christin Winkler

More than 3,000 students on 655 teams across the United States and the United Kingdom participated. They were given 14 hours to come up with a proposal for a real-world city using math modeling. The winning team gets $20,000 in college scholarships.

While the team from Minnesota did not win the challenge, Curtis Ying, a senior from the Blake School team that made it to New York, said the experience has motivated him to study applied math in college.

For the full interview with Curtis Ying, click play on the player above.