Although undergraduate research in mathematics at this university has a long history of success, the department has never had a computer laboratory for this purpose. Research students have had to use workstations in faculty offices, graduate students' offices, and secretary offices when the machines were not being used by others. Often, students have to surrender workstations before they are finished with them. The move of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics to a new building in October of 1995 has further reduced the access to workstations previously used by undergraduates, but also provides the department with the opportunity to create a state-of-the-art mathematics computer laboratory for undergraduate research. The new building has been outfitted with a large computer laboratory featuring workstations for computation and visualization, word-processing, electronic literature searches, and Internet access. Both Sun and Silicon Graphics workstations are being implemented, as they both provide unique features that have played an important role in undergraduate research projects.
