REU Site: Iowa State University Mathematics REU

Iowa State University, Ames IA

Investigators

Abstract

The Department of Mathematics will host the summer program Iowa State University Mathematics Research Experiences for Undergraduates three times over five years. The goals of the ISU Math REU are to provide a supportive environment where students can discover the excitement of mathematical research, to increase the number of US citizens including women and minorities receiving Ph.D.s in the mathematical sciences, and to produce high quality research suitable for publication. The REU will conclude with a symposium of student presentations; each team also prepares a final report. Many teams submit papers for publication and most REU students present their work at national conferences. Participants will be provided a stipend, accommodation in University student housing, and some travel and meal expenses, and will have the opportunity to participate in social activities for REU students. Women and minorities are particularly encouraged to apply to this REU. Each year the program is offered, twelve students will be selected to spend eight weeks working on research projects in teams as part of active research groups at ISU. The projects are in a variety of mathematical areas, representing the diverse research interests of the ISU Mathematics Department, such as matrix theory, graph theory and combinatorics, modeling and numerical analysis, and probability. Current and previous projects are described in more detail on the website http://orion.math.iastate.edu/reu/. The ISU Math REU also serves to develop the next generation of undergraduate research leadership by involving ISU junior faculty in both mentoring and co-directing the REU, welcoming ISU postdoctoral fellows and faculty at area colleges as additional research mentors, and by selecting graduate research assistants who are interested in college teaching.