REU Site: Multi-mentored Mathematical Research Experiences for Undergraduate Students at Towson University

Towson University, Towson MD

Investigators

Abstract

This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2). This award supports a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program in the Towson University Department of Mathematics. Each summer, nine undergraduate students will participate in an eight-week research program, with students split into three teams each containing three students. This REU program will promote undergraduate research by providing authentic research experiences for both underrepresented students and students who otherwise may not have mathematical research opportunities. In addition to being exposed to a wide range of research areas in mathematics, the REU participants will benefit from multi-mentoring by a diverse group of faculty members, as well as numerous professional development opportunities. The multi-mentoring approach will not only benefit the REU participants; it also will benefit the mentors and build capacity within the mathematical community. Through a series of research experiences and professional development activities, the REU participants will build a strong mathematical foundation for future study and work. The faculty mentors have crafted nine research projects on topics in the mentors’ areas of expertise (applied mathematics, combinatorics, graph theory, group theory, number theory, and probability) and part of their active research programs. Each project contains open problems and previously unexplored avenues of research, and it is anticipated that some products will be suitable for publication. As a result, this REU program will also advance knowledge within the field of mathematics. Moreover, the REU research projects will develop students’ interests in attending graduate school and/or continuing to engage in research after their REU program has concluded. 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.