Research
Undergraduate research is typically one of the first steps students take if they are interested in choosing mathematics or computer science as a profession. Besides allowing them to establish a strong working relationship with a faculty member in their field of interest, undergraduate research teaches them how to communicate their results, both through publishing in peer-reviewed journals and by making formal presentations at the School of Arts & Sciences’ annual Student Symposium and at national and international conferences.
The primary goal when conducting research is to solve previously unsolved problems, to prove new theorems or to develop new applications. In the process, students gain a much deeper understanding of their subject area and become more engaged in their education—working hard to get to the bottom of a nagging question as opposed to simply working for a grade.
The first step to finding the right research opportunity for you is to find a professor whom you enjoy working with and whose work interests you. He or she will be able to help you find appropriate opportunities in your field of interest. The School of Arts & Sciences, together with the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, offers a number of research opportunities to students at every stage of their academic careers. You can:
- Participate in an independent study project if you’d like to cover material not covered in your regular coursework
- Apply to the honors program in math, computer science or mathematical economics and complete an honors thesis
- Apply for a summer research fellowship through the School of Arts & Sciences
- Apply for a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Undergraduate Research Fellowship
- Apply to participate in the LURE Program
There are also a number of nationally competitive opportunities to students:
- REU Programs (Research Experiences for Undergraduates)
- DOE ERULF Summer Program (Department of Energy, Energy Research Undergraduate Laboratory Fellowship)
- Director's Summer Program, National Security Agency
- Summer Mathematics for Women (Carleton College and St. Olaf College)
- SPWM (The George Washington University)
- Summer Research Program for Undergraduates at Cornell University
- RIPS Program (Research in Industrial Projects for Students)
- SUMSRI (Summer Undergraduate Mathematical Science Research Institute)
For students who successfully complete a research program, the School of Arts & Sciences offers travel grants to support those students who would like to travel to regional and national conferences and meetings to present their findings.
Independent Study
Pursuing an independent study program is a great way to explore a topic of particular interest while earning academic credit. The best way to arrange an independent study is to begin talking to professors who study topics about which you’re interested in learning more. Once you have found a professor to work with and have decided on a topic, submit an independent study application to the department so that you can receive credit for the course.
Topics mathematics students have pursued in the last several years include:
- “Mathematical Biology” with Dr. Della Fenster
- “Topics in Difference Sets” with Dr. James Davis
- “General Point Set Topology” with Dr. Van Nall
- “Measure Theoretic Probability” with Dr. Bill Ross
- “Medial and Boundary Geometry: Applications of Laguerre Geometry” with Dr. Michael Kerckhove
- “On Conway’s Generalization of the 3x + 1 Problem” with Dr. Garry Greenfield
- “Boundary Behavior of Laplace Transforms” with Dr. William Ross
- "Numerical Methods for Schrodinger's Equation" with Dr. Kate Trapp
- "Statistical Methods," "Biological Statistics" and "Survival Analysis with Dr. Jason Owen
Topics computer science students have pursued in the last several years include:
- "Data Warehousing" with D. John Hubbard
- "Artificial Intelligence" with Dr. Arthur Charlesworth
- "Security in Distributed Volunteer Computations" with Dr. Douglas Szajda
- "Digital Image Processing" with Dr. Barry Lawson
- "Ecological Niching in an Interactive Simulation" with Dr. Gary Greenfield
- "Using Genetic Algorithms to Investigate Hierarchical Distributed Volunteer Computing Platforms" with Dr. Barry Lawsom
- "Simulating a Virtual Economy" with Dr. Barry Lawson
