This U.S.-Czech cooperative effort supports a limited exchange of students from the United States and the Czech Republic within the basic context of the National Science Foundation's Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program (REU). The U.S. organizer is Fred S. Roberts of Rutgers University's Center for Discrete Mathematics and Theoretical Computer Science (DIMACS). His counterpart is Jaroslav Nesetril of Charles University's Center for Discrete Mathematics, Theoretical Computer Science and Applications (DIMATIA) in Prague. The planned REU program for undergraduate students: 1) features combinatorics, logic and complexity theory, and computational geometry and 2) involves U.S. and Czech faculty mentors who oversee junior participant's directed study and research. This award permits three international REU sessions, one held each summer during 1999, 2000 and 2001. Both sides share costs.
Collaboratively, Roberts, Nesetril, and appointed faculty program coordinators will manage a DIMACS-based international REU program that accommodates five U.S. students for a total of nine weeks. To facilitate project definition and research initiation, paired mentors and students begin communication via Internet prior to each REU session. During the first six of nine weeks, Czech faculty and two Czech students participate at the Rutgers site in DIMACS' domestic RUE program. Next, five U.S. students who have been selected competitively for this international "research experience for undergraduates," go with the DIMACS mentor to spend three weeks in Prague for the DIMATIA-hosted phase of the program. There the U.S. participants join Czech mentors and student counterparts to work on predetermined projects and attend tutorials as well as a special midsummer workshop. Results should produce a number of jointly authored scientific papers, student presentations suitable for scientific meetings, and potentially long-lasting professional networks.
The overall intent of this U.S.-Czech undergraduate exchange is to add an international dimension to the standing objectives for REU programs which encourage career choices in math, science and engineering. Success will mean that the future careers of these junior participants are enhanced by exposure to research excellence abroad and early experience with collaboration in an increasingly global research enterprise.
Such international research experience for undergraduates, anchored by two centers of excellence, fulfills the program objective of advancing scientific knowledge by enabling experts in the United States and Central Europe to combine complementary talents and share research and education resources in areas of strong mutual interest and competence.
