CONWAY, Ark. (September 16,
2015) – Hendrix College student William O’Brochta’16 won an Excellence in
Student Exposition or Research Award and earned a cash prize for “Rational
Decision-Making Models of Conflicts in the 1990s,” his presentation at this
year’s MathFest in Washington, D.C.
O’Brochta, a double major in
mathematics and politics, researched the applicability of different
game-theoretic models in predicting decisions made in political conflict
resolution.
Using decisions made during
the Bosnian War to test the feasibility of different models, he hopes to
continue his research by testing his results with more recent conflicts.
O’Brochta was mentored on this
project by Hendrix mathematics professor Dr. Duff Campbell and politics
professor Dr. Kim Maslin.
“William came up the project
idea on his own,” said Campbell. “It’s a very nice application of game theory
to international relations.”
MathFest is an annual national
meeting of the Mathematical Association of America and Pi Mu Epsilon. O’Brochta’s
award was provided by the American Mathematical Society.
Hendrix was also represented
by Gary DeClerk’15 and his presentation, “Factoring Groups using
Generalizations of the Direct Product.” DeClerk was also mentored by Dr.
Campbell.
About Hendrix College
Hendrix College is a private
liberal arts college in Conway, Arkansas. Founded in 1876 and affiliated with
the United Methodist Church since 1884, Hendrix is featured in Colleges That Change
Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think about Colleges and is nationally recognized in numerous college guides,
lists, and rankings for academic quality, community, innovation, and value. For
more information, visit www.hendrix.edu.