About my guests
Dr. Suzanne L. Weekes, Ph.D., is Chief Executive Officer of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) and Professor Emerita of Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
She leads SIAM, an international professional society dedicated to advancing applied mathematics and computational science — the tools that power innovation in data science, engineering, technology, and scientific discovery. SIAM supports educators, students, researchers, and industry professionals through conferences, publications, and programs that connect mathematical thinking to real-world challenges. Dr. Weekes earned her Ph.D. in mathematics and scientific computing from the University of Michigan.
Before becoming SIAM’s CEO in 2021, she spent more than two decades on the faculty at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, where she held multiple academic leadership roles. She is a Fellow of the Association for Women in Mathematics and a recipient of the Mathematical Association of America’s
Deborah and Franklin Tepper Haimo Award for Distinguished College or University Teaching. She has also received national recognition for excellence in mentoring and for leading programs that broaden participation and expand career pathways in the mathematical sciences.
Dr. Christopher Musco is an Associate Professor of Computer Science at New York University. He joined NYU after completing his Ph.D. in computer science at MIT. His research focuses on applying mathematics to the design and analysis of efficient randomized algorithms for problems across computational science, data science, and machine learning. His work has been funded by the US Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation, including an NSF Early Career Award.
In addition to research, Prof. Musco teaches courses at NYU in algorithms and machine learning. Prof. Musco competed in the SIAM M3 Challenge in 2008 as a high school student. His team made it to the final event in NYC and received an honorable mention. Participating in the Challenge was a formative
experience, inspiring Prof. Musco to major in applied math as an undergrad and influencing his path into research.
After finishing his Ph.D., he reconnected with the M3 Challenge team in 2018 and volunteered, first as a judge, and most recently as a member of the Problem Development Committee and Lead Technical Computing Judge.
About the M3 Challenge
MathWorks Math Modeling Challenge is an entirely internet-based math modeling competition with no registration or participation fees. High schools and sixth-form schools in the U.S., England, and Wales are eligible to enter teams of 3-5 students. Register your team by February 20, 2026. $100,000 in scholarships is available this year! Learn more at https://m3challenge.siam.org/.
Modeling Resources for Students (https://m3challenge.siam.org/resources/)
- Free MATLAB licenses (https://m3challenge.siam.org/learn-technical-computing/)
- Practice problems (https://m3challenge.siam.org/resources/sample-problems/)
- Math modeling handbooks (https://m3challenge.siam.org/what-is-math-modeling/modeling-handbooks/)
- Webinars (https://m3challenge.siam.org/resources/2026-webinars/)
- Videos (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0C3D55F2E8B6A33B)
Modeling Resources for Educators
- GAIMME Report (Guidelines for Assessment and Instruction in Mathematical Modeling Education) https://www.siam.org/publications/reports/guidelines-for-assessment-and-instruction-in-mathematical-modeling-education/
- Teaching Math Modeling Video Series (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kobCknsU_Co&list=PLf_ipOSbWC86v1GZY94CmszMFCBdxGtDA)
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About Rachelle
Educator, AI Strategist, Keynote Speaker, Consultant, Attorney, & Author
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