The purpose of Kent State's Math REU program is to give talented and motivated undergraduates an actual research experience in the nurturing atmosphere of the Kent State Mathematics department. In Summers 2013-2015 students will work on projects arising naturally in the faculty's research. Every summer, there will be a general theme that will unify all the projects. Some of the possible themes are linear algebra, theory of convex bodies, and group theory. A general theme creates a context for all the projects and allows for better communication between students from different groups. The projects will require only a limited background, which will allow the students to get right to work extending their knowledge of the subject while doing actual research. Although the projects that will be suggested to the students in each particular year will be all related to one theme, their motivations will come from a variety of fields, including ring theory, Lie algebra, algebraic geometry, coding theory, number theory, and operator theory. All projects will deal with unsolved research problems and some of them will lead to publications in refereed journals.
The emphasis of the program is on independent work under close supervision of a project advisor. Students will speak about their progress in a weekly REU seminar. There will also be a weekly colloquium series where faculty members or departmental visitors will give expository lectures that will introduce the students to various exciting topics in mathematics. Informal gatherings will be a regular and important part of the program. One of the aims is that the students get to know each other on a personal level, and bond into a cohesive group that stays in touch after the program finishes. Further information regarding the program can be obtained by visiting the program's website www.math.kent.edu/~soprunova/reu/ or by contacting Dr. Jenya Soprunova at soprunova@math.kent.edu.
