REU Site: Computation Across the Disciplines

Marquette University, Milwaukee WI

Investigators

Abstract

This REU site seeks to increase the number of students prepared to choose careers or graduate study in the computational sciences, bringing powerful computational, mathematical, and/or statistical techniques to bear on problems in science, engineering and education. It further seeks to give undergraduates with little opportunity to participate in research a chance to do so. Unique aspects of this REU site are: - Interdisciplinary faculty mentors within one blended department; - A successful model based on internal pilot programs held in the summers of 2009 and 2010; -The on-site availability of cutting-edge research laboratories, including the NSF-supported MUGrid Project and Nexos Project, which were used during the pilot programs; - Inclusion of pre-service math teachers in research opportunities. Throughout science and engineering fields, the availability of cheap computer processing power is driving increased interest in large-scale problems that were previously thought to be intractable through traditional methods. This can include developing new computational methodologies, software and/or systems, and new theoretical models. Predicting the movement of diseases, understanding the effects of large oil spills, forecasting consumer gas usage, and modeling the catastrophic effects of a volcanic eruption are just a few of the real problems that computers are being used to help solve. At the same time, ever smaller computing platforms have inserted computation into mobile, embedded, and ubiquitous realms of human experience that would have been unthinkable only a few years ago. Energy consumption of both massive computing clusters and battery-operated appliances is of great concern, and complex computer systems can now be found at the heart of everything from medical devices to the phones in most Americans' pockets. For both of these kinds of computational systems -- the big and the small -- there is a great need for practitioners with a deep understanding of computer science, modeling and statistical methods who can work across disciplines to build real, robust, and cost-effective solutions. This REU Site will bring 24 undergraduates to Marquette University over the next three years to be mentored by our interdisciplinary faculty of Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science in ways to approach the difficult computational problems that face our increasingly technological society. Our mentor research expertise lies in all of these areas, as well as in how people learn in these fields, and how we prepare the next generation of students to explore computational sciences and mathematics. Each of the computational activities concerns students becoming involved in real applications using concepts described in the classroom. They will learn how to apply these abstract concepts to particular areas. Each application has been chosen so that it is accessible to undergraduates, yet is current and useful. Many research projects are smaller versions of potential Ph.D. dissertation topics, and each student works on their own portion of primary research. Our target audience is undergraduates of all levels majoring in mathematics, statistics, computer science, or related areas. The project includes a recruiting plan targeting a population of students with little or no access to research opportunities both within and outside of the immediate Milwaukee area. Underrepresented student populations will be targeted and encouraged to apply. Our mentor pool is highly diverse in both the academic and demographic senses, and we look forward to attracting some of the most talented students in the region and the nation for a summer of computational sciences.