REU Site: MathILy Early Scholarly Training (MathILy-EST)

Mathematical Staircase, Inc., Chicopee MA

Investigators

Abstract

This award will provide three years of support for the REU Site program managed by Mathematical Staircase, Inc. to increase the depth of the mathematical workforce by offering a seven- to eight-week summer research program for students early in their mathematical careers. Students belonging to groups underrepresented in mathematics are especially encouraged to apply. This program will serve 6 early undergraduates each year and be run on the same campus as MathILy (serious Mathematics Infused with Levity), a 5-week very selective program of inquiry-based educational experiences for highly talented high-school students. MathILy-EST (MathILy Early Scholarly Training, pronounced "mathily-est") focuses on students who do not have other research opportunities, and will (a) train students in the mathematical thinking needed to conduct research, (b) increase participant persistence in the educational pipeline, (c) provide mentoring for students and early faculty research supervisors, and (d) provide cross-pollination with MathILy by proximity and by holding regular joint activities. This REU Site program will give MathILy-EST participants early experience in active acquisition and creation of mathematical knowledge, which will in turn enable them to succeed in traditional mathematics classes. Training in software use, CV construction, presentation skills, and writing will give participants the informal knowledge and career skills needed to be competitive in the STEM workforce. Cross-fertilization between MathILy-EST participants and MathILy students and instructors will be significant: High-school participants in MathILy will see REU participants as mathematical role models and short-term future selves. They will see the processes of research happening around them and gain perspective on the mathematical enterprise. MathILy students and MathILy-EST participants alike will expand their networks beyond usual class cohorts to students of different ages. The creation of peer networks along with mentoring of participants will increase their persistence in acquiring further mathematical education and research experience. The existence of the MathILy-EST REU will prompt faculty discussion with first-year college students of summer opportunities that use their technical expertise, and thereby catalyze more fruitful advising for first-year college students within their home departments. MathILy-EST participants will produce, present, and publish original research. The program targets exceptional first-year college students, with second-year and entering college students also considered for participation. The mathematical focus of MathILy-EST will change each year. The projects will be drawn from the following topics according to mentor availability: combinatorics of paperfolding, word length in the integers (additive number theory), free boundary problems (discrete PDEs), continuous-time game theory, and combinatorial representation theory. MathILy-EST REU students will present their research progress to each other on a regular basis, with feedback provided on their research methods and presentation skills. Students will be asked to record work in writing (in LaTeX) weekly, to provide practice in writing formally and fodder for paper drafts once research has progressed to the point of publication. At the end of the MathILy-EST REU program, the director will make plans with students, including sub-goals and timelines, for dissemination of their research results. This will include discussing potential local (MAA) and national (JMM) conference presentations and paper submissions. More details are available at http://www.mathily.org/mathilyest/index.html 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.