REU Site: Undergraduate Research in Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, and Statistics at Lafayette College

Lafayette College, Easton PA

Investigators

Abstract

This award supports a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Site in the Department of Mathematics at Lafayette College. The REU Site will operate for eight weeks in the summer and one week in the academic year in each of the years 2022, 2023, and 2024. Each year, mentors from the Lafayette College mathematics department and from institutions in the surrounding Lehigh Valley will lead ten students chosen from across the United States on innovative research projects in various fields in mathematics, applied mathematics, and statistics. Students will be guided in developing a variety of skills important in the research process, including literature review, critical thinking, mathematical writing, and oral presentation. Summer activities will include talks by renowned guest speakers, instruction in navigating post-college experiences, and discussions of issues of social impact and diversity in the mathematical fields. Students will also develop important social skills, leading to productive partnerships in research and society. The summer experience will culminate in presentations at the Joint Mathematical Meetings and the preparation of articles for submission to high-quality journals, introducing students to the opportunities the mathematical fields offer with direct personal exposure. Both faculty and mentors will grow through the experience as skills for research and mentoring are fostered, leading to the promise of continued success at their home institutions and beyond. Three projects will be offered each year, appropriate for students with varying levels of mathematical background and a diversity of interests. The pool of projects ranges from statistical concepts to applied mathematics including modeling radiotherapy treatment and the volatility index for the stock market to theoretical projects in graph theory, fractals, and combinatorics. A mentor will work daily with three to four students on one of these projects, helping students to develop independent research habits and skills appropriate for successful mathematical research. The experience will lead to tangible products that are presented at meetings and conferences or in refereed journals as well as to the development of both students and mentors as skilled active contributors to mathematical research. In addition, the site will advance goals in diversity in the mathematical fields indirectly through education and directly with partnerships with students and faculty from HBCUs from the Baltimore area. All participants---students and mentors alike---will actively contribute to new knowledge in the mathematical fields. 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.