California State University, San Bernardino, one of 23 campuses of the largest public university system and a designated Hispanic Serving Institution, hosts this REU in Mathematics. The program provides the opportunity for eight undergraduate students, primarily from groups underrepresented in mathematics, to carry out guided independent and collaborative research in a residential environment. For eight weeks during each of the summers of 2002 through 2004, participants will increase their level of mathematical independence by completing well-designed research projects.
The objectives of the REU in Mathematics at CSUSB are to Get undergraduates actively involved in, and enthusiastic about, mathematical research, Move students towards mathematical independence and maturity, and Encourage participants to pursue careers in mathematics in either academia or industry.
Effective recruitment is essential to achieving these objectives, and minimum requirements for participants include a course in Combinatorics or Discrete Math as well as a class that requires proofs. Participants will be chosen in March of each year, and the program will run from late June through mid-August.
Research projects will be taken from topics in Combinatorics and Knot Theory, with a group of students working in each field. Projects within a given field will be chosen so that significant mathematical interaction occurs between students working in the same field. Moreover, participants will work closely with experienced faculty advisors to complete background reading related to their topic, give presentations on relevant material, and begin writing a journal-style paper. As the summer progresses, students will perform their own literature searches, make independent discoveries and conduct creative mathematical research. In addition to regular presentations and paper assignments, each student will create a poster describing their results, give a twenty-minute final presentation to the campus community at CSUSB, and complete a journal-style paper about their project. Thus participants will have a comprehensive research experience, as well as having communicated mathematics visually, verbally, and in writing.
Field trips that introduce participants to careers and graduate school in mathematics have been scheduled. Recreational trips will also be taken in an effort to maximize moral and minimize monotony.
Upon completing this program students will have actively experienced mathematical research, increased their level of mathematical maturity, and have been introduced to career paths that involve mathematics. The result is a student that is better prepared to pursue a career in mathematics and more aware of the available career options.
For further information regarding the REU in Mathematics at CSUSB contact Dr. Joseph Chavez by phone at (909) 880-5363, via e-mail at jchavez@csusb.edu, or visit the web site www.math.csusb.edu/reu.
