University Park, Pennsylvania — On Saturday, August 13, 2022, Yancheng Wang of Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province, China was honored as a student marshal of Eberly College of Science at Penn State University’s summer commencement ceremony.

Wang graduated from the Eberly College of Science with a BA in Mathematics with an average of 4.0 and a Philosophy degree from the College of Liberal Arts with a minor in Mathematics and Philosophy of Science. He was a Schreyer Scholar at his Schreyer Honors College and a member of Dean’s List each semester. Wang has received numerous awards and scholarships, including the 2022 Shibley Award and He Evan Pugh Scholar Senior Award, the 2021 H. Freeman Stecker Scholarship, the 2020-2021 President’s Sparks Award, and the 2019 President’s Freshman Award. Awarded.

“This is a great honor and we appreciate this kind of recognition from the Eberle Institute of Science,” said Wang. “I am proud of this recognition and will be proud of my professors, family and friends as well. I am very lucky to have met you. Thank you to all of them.”

Wang did his honors thesis research with Jessica Conway, Associate Professor of Mathematics and Biology. His research focused on the concept of differential game theory, a branch of mathematics that explores the consequences of participant choices in competitive situations. Game theory has applications in a wide range of fields, from business to biology. Wang specifically studied a classic problem called the “Lady in the Lake” problem. This issue explores the concept of pursuit and avoidance in the form of a woman trapped in a boat on a lake while her pursuer waits on the shore. He also provided a simpler proof of the Nash Equilibrium strategy that describes situations in which each player in a game commits to a particular strategy based on the other players. He also provided a numerical approximation algorithm for the fastest Nash equilibrium strategy.

“The most important lesson I learned at Penn State is to stay active in life, no matter what,” Wang said. “I have been inspired by so many fellow students and professors in so many different fields, and they have one thing in common: they are passionate and tireless. I think that this attitude makes life more meaningful and vivid.”

After graduating, Wang plans to spend a year traveling and visiting family before proceeding to graduate school.

Wang graduated from Northland Christian School in Houston, Texas. His parents are his Qiuxia Li and his Weizhong Wang, and his host family in Houston is his Cathie and Patrick Yerian.