Claremont Colleges Mathematics REU Site

Pitzer College, Claremont CA

Investigators

Abstract

The five undergraduate Claremont Colleges, Claremont McKenna, Harvey Mudd, Pitzer, Pomona, and Scripps, will jointly sponsor this Research Experiences for Undergraduates site. Each summer, five Claremont faculty will engage 10 undergraduates in an 8-week program of mathematics research and other mathematical and social activities designed to expose them to professional careers in mathematics. Students will work in groups of 3 or 4 with one or two faculty advisors on an original research project. Two or three topics will be selected each summer from different areas of mathematics such as low-dimensional topology, knot theory, combinatorics, group representations, number theory, statistics, dynamical systems, mathematical modeling, and optimization problems in computer architecture. Weekly mathematical activities will include seminars, workshops in research related skills (such as library research, TEXnical writing, oral presentation, and computational methods), and discussions of career opportunities in mathematics. Frequent social activities will allow participants to interact with additional Claremont faculty and non-REU Claremont students also involved in summer research projects. Students will give a final presentation of their project, produce a written paper possibly suitable for publication, and, after the summer is over, be encouraged to present their work at a meeting of one of the mathematics professional societies. Funds specifically for this purpose will be available. Participants will be selected nationwide. Prerequisites will vary each year with choice of topics for that year. Women, minorities, and other groups traditionally underrepresented in professional mathematics are especially encouraged to apply.