REU Site: Research Experiences for Undergraduates in Mathematics at Indiana University

Indiana University, Bloomington IN

Investigators

Abstract

Continuing a tradition dating back nearly fifty years, the Department of Mathematics at Indiana University will offer an intensive summer research experiences for talented undergraduates. A keystone of our program is the high level of participation from our internationally recognized faculty. These faculty help develop students to the point of being able to successfully tackle challenging open problems in mathematics. By providing a well-balanced and structured environment together with milestones for both oral exposition at our research conference and written reports of results, the IU REU lays the groundwork for student success in their projects. Participant success is further encouraged by the fostering of an intense and collaborative work environment, and most importantly through the regular working sessions with mentors. In addition to the abstract problem solving skills and intellectual stamina gained by the participants, their professional development is further enhanced through LaTeX workshops, tours and demonstrations of libraries and Indiana University's extensive computational resources which are made available to participants, regular research presentations by faculty members, and similar opportunities. Our program continues to emphasize the recruiting of talented women, minorities and first generation college students, and their success is a key component of the metrics we use to evaluate and continually improve the effectiveness of our model. The Indiana University REU program provides an immersive environment with a strong mentorship-oriented approach to research. Eight students will work one-on-one or in small groups with faculty members, spending eight weeks on our campus tackling carefully selected research problems. Typically, these problems are unsolved, accessible, and mathematically significant. Topics in pure mathematics are chosen from a broad swath of mathematics including: geometric group theory, combinatorial topology and knot theory, logic, complex and symbolic dynamics, tilings of surfaces, aspects of category theory and several more. Topics in applied mathematics are drawn from areas in computer science such as recursion theory or homotopy type theory and areas of mathematical biology and chemistry from polymer organization and cell function to phylogenetics. Housed together in a dormitory and sharing common office space, students benefit from being immersed in mathematics collectively and from the spontaneous collaboration that naturally follows. Regular presentations by local faculty give the group a broader and deeper understanding of mathematics as a whole. Students disseminate their findings by giving brief presentations at a statewide undergraduate mathematics research conference, giving an hour-long formal lecture to peers, faculty, and graduate students, and writing a formal self-contained research report detailing their findings. Some of these reports are expected to develop into peer-reviewed research papers. Ultimately, our program significantly helps prepare participants to be the leaders in today's highly technical workforce, whether in academia or industry.