REU Site: Rose-Hulman Undergraduate Research Experience in Mathematics

Rose-Hulman Institute Of Technology, Terre Haute IN

Investigators

Abstract

The "REU Site: Rose-Hulman Undergraduate Research Experience in Mathematics" builds on the successes of the REU program at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, with a greater emphasis on providing a strong research experience for students who would otherwise not have access to similar opportunities. More specifically, this REU program will concentrate in recruiting locally to cultivate talent in the Midwest region, especially from underrepresented minority groups. Each summer, eight or nine undergraduate students will work on research projects in various areas of mathematics. After completion of the eight-week program, the students will have had a taste of mathematical research, in terms of successes and frustrations, and will be well-poised to decide whether to pursue further study and a career as a research mathematician or in other STEM professions. Students will also gain training in necessary professional skills, such as mathematical writing and oral presentation skills through workshops offered throughout the summer. Participants will be encouraged to maintain contact with faculty members for mentorship as they continue along their professional careers. Each summer, two or three faculty members will each mentor a group of three or four undergraduate students in mathematical research. The teams will work on problems from areas including mathematical biology, financial mathematics, cryptography, and topology. The problems are accessible without a need for extensive background, and many use computational software to generate examples and conjectures, then follow up with analysis, proof, and generalization. Participants complete a technical report, give several formal presentations, and most give one or more presentations at conferences or their home institutions after the program ends. Specific topics will vary year-to-year, but may include 1) predicting and understanding RNA structures from context-free grammars, 2) discrete logarithms and security, 3) topological properties of spatial embeddings of graphs, 4) RNA secondary structure matching models, 5) data analysis on utilizing mobile payments data in developing countries to enhance social mobility. The website for the program is available at: http://www.rose-hulman.edu/mathREU/. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.