REU Site in Applied & Discrete Mathematics

Michigan State University, East Lansing MI

Investigators

Abstract

This REU will provide an intensive eight-week summer research experience in mathematics for nine promising and talented undergraduates who are completing their first or second year at a college or university. The program will provide a platform that stimulates interest in the mathematical sciences through research on accessible open research problems in discrete and applied mathematics. The research topics are taken from dynamical systems, games on graphs, statistics, combinatorics and random walks. Students will learn to read research articles, to formulate conjectures, to construct examples, to program simulations, to generalize and/or simplify proofs, and to disseminate their discoveries. Students will present their progress on a weekly basis to the entire group of REU participants. The results of their effort will be shared with the mathematical community through conference presentations and publications in appropriate journals. Seven faculty members will be involved in the three year program. Each year three faculty members will serve as mentors. The intellectual merit of this REU is based on engaging undergraduates in research in mathematics. The students will quickly acquire mathematical sophistication and will have taken serious steps towards a career as a successful scientist in the mathematical sciences. The program will include presentations by external speakers on topics of current mathematics research, graduate opportunities and careers. The program's focus on first and second year students will provide an atypical opportunity for students at an earlier stage of their studies in mathematics. Additionally, recruitments at minority institutions, public universities and smaller liberal arts colleges will be conducted. Both aspects will contribute to the effort to retain promising and talented students with a strong interest in mathematics