Groups, Graphs, and Geometry

University Of North Carolina At Asheville, Asheville NC

Investigators

Abstract

"Groups, Graphs, and Geometry," hosted at the University of North Carolina, Asheville, provides eight talented college math majors with the opportunity to engage in original research in mathematics. Faculty possessing substantial experience in mentoring undergraduate research projects lead this summer REU program. Students focus on problems which lie at the intersection of several related fields of mathematics (group theory, graph theory, and geometry), and a number of the projects have practical implications as well as theoretical ones. For instance, several of the students in past years of the program have investigated models for communication networks, relationship networks, and other dynamically changing structures. The program does more than give participating students an authentic research experience. It also trains them in professional skills such as library research, abstract-writing, and technical communication. Furthermore, through their participation in the program, the students are ushered into the mathematical community as they meet and consult with top researchers in the program's focal fields and are given support and encouragement to attend and present at regional and national conferences. By these means the students are set on a path leading to successful careers in mathematics.