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CONWAY, Ark. (September 16, 2015) – ���ϲ����� 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 ���ϲ����� 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. 

���ϲ����� 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 ���ϲ�����

���ϲ����� is a private liberal arts college in Conway, Arkansas. Founded in 1876 and affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884, ���ϲ����� 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 .