This project focuses on increasing the participation of highly qualified underrepresented minority students from our region (San Fernando Valley, Ca.) in Mathematical Sciences Ph.D. programs. This will be done by addressing two transition points in the academic life of those students. One is the temporal transition from high-school to college to Ph.D programs, the other is the intellectual transition from general course work to independent work and research. Built upon three cornerstones: aggressive recruitment, strong mentoring, and continuous assessment, this project will identify and prepare talented and motivated high-school and undergraduate students to succeed in mathematical sciences careers through a series of high-quality, personalized activities. These include summer institutes, weekly seminars, honors Calculus for high-school students, advanced mathematics course work and undergraduate research projects for math majors, and problem-solving sessions. With these activities and under the guidance of the faculty involved in this project, students willacquire the maturity needed for initiation to mathematical discovery, and will also broaden their vision of mathematics.
By identifying talented and highly motivated students from minority groups, by addressing critical issues in their lives and choices, and by providing a solid mathematical education to them, this project will make a significant contribution to increasing the quantity, quality, and diversity of the Mathematical Sciences workforce. The resulting increase in numbers and quality of minority students from our region (particularly Hispanic/Latino students) entering Ph.D. math programs will do much to lift other students' aspirations and encourage them to pursue careers in Mathematics or with a heavy mathematical component. This change will positively impact the quality of mathematical education offered in their high schools and in our institution's (CSUN) undergraduate program. In particular, this project will alter the intellectual atmosphere among faculty and students in the institutions involved and will have beneficial repercussions beyond the time-frame covered by the project itself.
