Hope College will host an REU program for six undergraduates in mathematics in the summers of 1999-2002. Publicized widely, at least half of the students will be from outside of Hope College. Students will typically work in groups of two with one of three faculty mentors. Projects will be chosen from algebra and analysis.
Primary goals are to help talented students develop as mathematical researchers, to promote mathematics research as a career, and to have the participants achieve significant mathematical results in partnership with a faculty mentor. Moreover, students will be encouraged and partially funded to present their work at professional meetings and in published form.
The program will be eight weeks. Student pairs will be given their own project or problem to solve. After introductory lectures given by the faculty researchers, students will be set loose to tackle their own problems which will initially involve reading background material and library research. Students will generally meet with their faculty mentors daily. Toward the end of the project, students will write and present papers on their research.
