REU Sites: Summer Program Advancing Techniques in the Applied Learning of Statistics (SPATIAL-Stats)

American University, Washington DC

Investigators

Abstract

This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2). The Summer Program Advancing Techniques in the Applied Learning of Statistics (SPATIAL-Stats) at American University, in Washington, DC is an 8-week summer Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program hosting 6 students to work collaboratively on research problems in statistics and applied mathematics. The program is designed to raise the level of mathematical and statistical understanding for undergraduate students and engage them in creative activities, thereby keeping them in the mathematics and statistics pipeline. Students will learn how to conduct scientific research for publication and how to effectively communicate mathematics and statistics research to a general audience. The program focuses on diversifying the mathematical sciences to allow for different views and experiences to help solve world problems. Specifically, the program aims to address the shortage of underrepresented mathematical and statistical scientists by strengthening students’ mathematical foundations to enable higher aspirations in STEM fields. The research goal will be accomplished first by providing students with intensive 3-week lectures in the fields of statistics and mathematics, focusing on both computer skills as well as theoretical foundations. The students will then spend the remainder of the program actively engaged in research on one of three projects which cover topics including Riordan Arrays, random walks and trees, and the effects of spatial correlation on empirical likelihood. Students will continue to be mentored after the conclusion of the summer program to support the presentation of their work at national conferences as well as submission of a peer-reviewed journal article. Students will also participate in networking activities to meet leading researchers across the country. The program will run in conjunction with the Summer Program in Research and Learning (SPIRAL), and together these students will participate in field trips to local research agencies and industry to discover applications of mathematical and statistical research. Students participating in SPATIAL-Stats will interact with other students with different racial/ethnic backgrounds with the intention of understanding the importance of excellence and diversity in STEM. 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.