REU Program Details:

Purpose:
The purpose of the program is to give ten motivated and talented students an opportunity to learn the process of doing mathematical research and to learn more about mathematics as a discipline and profession.

Dates:
The 2008 program is tentatively scheduled to run from Monday, June 23rd, through Friday, August 15th. Applications received by February 20, 2008 will be considered for the initial round of offers.

Eligibility:
Participants must be United States citizens or permanent residents and should be returning to their undergraduate institutions for at least one semester. Preference is given to those graduating between 12/2008 and 12/2009. Women and minority students are strongly encouraged to apply.

Benefits:
Participants receive a total of $3,750 in compensation ($2,500 stipend, $530 travel allowance, $720 housing allowance). In addition, 12 units of academic credit (quarter system) are earned. During the program, we make a point of discussing graduate and career opportunities. We do our best to offer advice and support after the program and have been able to sponsor or arrange for several students to present their results at professional conferences.

Research Projects:
The students spend a large portion of their time working on research projects. A few students come with their own project, but most work on projects suggested by the staff. Often students work jointly on a project, and students are encouraged to assist with each other's projects. We view computers as valuable experimental tools in mathematics, but our final goal is always to give a proof or mathematical explanation of patterns observed.

In general, projects emphasize research with a good level of scholarship. We are aware of the time constraints and do not expect the projects to result in professional publications. But we do require that each student or team of students submit a written report before leaving. All reports can appear in our preprint series, although we may require revision.

Other Activities:
Students attend a seminar in which they must speak at least once. A variety of guests give seminar talks on a wide range of mathematical topics. There is usually at least one ``mini-course'' consisting of four or five lectures in a row treating one topic not usually covered in the undergraduate curriculum. Students share offices in the mathematics building and have computer and library access. We have afternoon ``teas'' and a few non-obligatory social events as well.

The Staff:
The program is directed by Dennis Garity of the mathematics department. For the summer of 2008, four faculty members will be directing projects: Nathan Gibson, Yevgeniy Kovchegov, and Donald Solmon from the Mathematics Department and Paul Cull from the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department. Paul Cul is a co PI on the grant.

Details on Potential Projects:
Additional details on potential research projects and faculty supervising the projects is available at the project description page, .