REU Site: Undergraduate Research in the Mathematical Sciences and their Applications

Texas A&M University, College Station TX

Investigators

Abstract

This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2). The Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) site in the Mathematics Department at Texas A&M University will host a group of twelve talented undergraduates for research training for eight weeks each summer. The REU faculty will specifically seek talented students who have been isolated from research opportunities at their home institution, from prior hardships, or lack of resources. Students will have the opportunity to learn cutting-edge mathematical ideas from scratch and contribute to solving challenging problems underlying many real-world problems from biochemistry, engineering, and cryptography. Students will receive free housing, reimbursement for travel, and a stipend. The REU program will have three research tracks per summer. These are chosen on a rotating basis from five choices: (1) Algebraic Methods in Mathematical Biology, (2) Algorithmic Algebraic Geometry, (3) Number Theory, (4) Probability and Algebra, and (5) High-Dimensional Probability. The first track involves neural codes and parameter identifiability. The second track includes topics such as A-discriminants, tropical approximation of algebraic sets, and applications to optimization. The third track investigates questions on Dedekind sums, L-functions, modular forms, and class numbers. The fourth track involves random interacting particle systems and Casimir elements. The new fifth track will investigate objects of high complexity, for example, large matrices, tensors, and graphs, using probabilistic methods. 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.