The finals displayed a wide variety of industrial and societal challenges where mathematicians make a difference. In the BSc-category, Wendy Flikkema (NHL Stenden Hogeschool; ChipSoft Nederland) won won the prize for her research on optimizing patient transport within hospitals. Roos van Andel (CWI and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) won in the WO Master category for her research on optimizing the deployment of mobile stroke units.
The other finalists explored hydrogen blending in natural gas networks (Larson Beemster), a vision-based measurement system for a cutting machine (Donny Vermeer), automated emissivity estimation (Wouter van Seggelen) and a mathematical metric called ‘homomorphism distortion’ (Martin Carrasco). This broad range of applications was further highlighted in the talks from the sponsors. As such, the finals event is a yearly showcase of what mathematics can deliver. At the same time, it is also a way to welcome a new generation of applied mathematicians.
The award is organized by Math4NL on behalf of the Dutch Platform for Mathematics.
