The Emerging Scholars Program-REU will build on the 30-year record of success of Emerging Scholars Programs (ESPs), helping underrepresented freshmen and sophomores who graduate from those programs to prepare for the mathematics major, for future more advanced REU experiences, and for graduate school. St. Mary's College of Maryland boasts a thriving mathematics program and years of success in working with underrepresented groups early in their careers making it an ideal location to host twelve students for this six-week, summer REU.
Applications for the program will be solicited from more than 30 ESPs around the country, specifically targeting underrepresented minority students who have excelled in the first two semesters of Calculus. Participants will attend morning seminars designed to prepare students for the rigors of proof-based mathematics courses, and will investigate research questions in Game Theory, Knot Theory, and Graph Theory during the afternoon. Additional social and academic activities will help prepare students for futures in mathematics and mathematics-intensive careers. The four goals of the program are to help these students 1) enroll in and succeed in proof-based math classes; 2) declare and succeed in math majors or minors; 3) apply for and attend REUs for more advanced students; and 4) attend graduate school in a math or a math-related field.
The original proposal for the ESP-REU sought to increase the number of students studying mathematics at the undergraduate and graduate levels by giving students, especially those from historically underrepresented groups, an early research experience. Over the past three years we have hosted 36 students at St. Mary’s College of Maryland for six-week summer research experiences. Following their freshman or sophomore year, and some with only two semesters of Calculus under their belts, these bright young thinkers tackled unsolved problems in knot theory, graph theory, discrete dynamics, discrete optimization, and applied optics. The primary goal of the ESP-REU was to retain these students in STEM majors, in mathematics majors, and eventually see many of them through to graduate school in mathematics. This strategy follows the best research on STEM retention which indicates that early research experience in a supportive, multi-cultural environment can help propel students from underrepresented groups (including women, minorities, and first-generation college students) forward through the STEM pipeline. By tapping into Calculus-based Emerging Scholars programs at different institutions and recruiting promising young students through other means, we attracted over 150 applicants each year. In keeping with the philosophy of Treisman’s Emerging Scholars model, we did not necessarily seek out the most accomplished students, instead combing through recommenders’ letters to find bright, promising students who faced significant hurdles. Because of our focus on students early in their college careers, most of the ESP-REU participants (including the first cohort in 2011) have yet to complete their undergraduate degrees. However, most of them are on track to reach at least some of the goals we set forth. In our annual survey of participants (to which 32 of the 36 participants responded), 97% (31/32) either had or planned to take an Introduction to Proofs course. Of those who had already completed such a course, 87% (27/31) earned an A or B. 72% (23/32) either had or planned to declare a mathematics major, with an additional 19% (6/32) working toward a mathematics minor. The 2011 cohort included 5 sophomores and one community college student. Of those six participants, five have completed undergraduate degrees in mathematics. Two of those are currently enrolled in graduate programs in mathematics. Of the 24 participants in the first two cohorts, 25% (6/24) have gone on to attend another REU (five in math, one in another field). Of all ESP-REU participants, 59% (19/32) are currently enrolled in or plan to pursue graduate work in mathematics and 53% (17/32 with some overlap) plan to pursue graduate work in a mathematics-related field. Despite the mathematical inexperience of our targeted population, the ESP-REU participants have proven a number of important results, presenting their work at numerous conferences around the country. These results included: (2012, Applied Optics) Designed a new catadioptric sensor that captures a nearly 180 degree field of view with minimal distortion. (2012, Graph Theory) Created a self-stabilizing algorithm for finding a minimal double-dominating set on certain classes of graphs. (2013, Knot Theory) Improved the known bounds on the forbidden numbers of dozens of virtual knots and all classical knots. Proved a new result on the forbidden numbers of connected sums. (2013, Graph Theory) Create a self-stabilizing algorithm for finding a minimal liar's dominating set on path graphs. Over three years, the ESP-REU staff worked tirelessly (and with minimal compensation) to provide mathematics research opportunities for students, many from underrepresented groups. These participants’ success in undergraduate mathematics - and future success in graduate mathematics and STEM fields - serves as a testament to providing early research opportunities in a supportive environment.
