The primary objective is to stimulate talented undergraduate students to pursue graduate work in sciences and mathematics by providing accessible and challenging research problems in basic mathematics. Five faculty members will be involved in the three year program. Three faculty mentors will coordinate the effort each summer. Students will work in groups of two or three with one faculty mentor. Students will make presentations of their progress during weekly seminars. Each student will submit a written report at the end of the program. Students will be encouraged to publish their work and make presentations at professional meetings. Every effort will be made during recruitment process to attract applicants from students in under-represented groups. The students will be provided stipend, housing costs, meal allowance, and support for travel to the REU Site, and travel support for conference presentations. Central Michigan University will provide access to classrooms, the campus library, computer labs, notebook computers, printing and copying services, and recreational facilities. To complement the research experience a number of social enrichment activities have been planned. The intellectual merit of this project is based in the challenging mathematical problems students will attempt to solve. The students will tackle unsolved problems whose solutions (or partial solutions) will improve human understanding of the very structure of mathematics. The broader impact of the proposed project include training undergraduates in research in basic mathematics, increasing the participation of women and minorities in science and math activities, and involving undergraduates as young professionals in the broader disciplinary field.
