REU Site: Investigations in Combinatorics, Geometry and Knot Theory

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The REU Site: Investigations in Combinatorics, Geometry and Knot Theory will engage a group of eight undergraduate students in significant mathematical research for eight weeks during the summers of 2009-2011. During the summer program participants will increase their mathematical maturity and independence by immersing themselves in research. They will choose a research topic introduced by experienced faculty mentors, conduct background reading and relevant literature searches, collaborate with their peers, consult with their mentors, give formal presentations, make independent discoveries, design and present a poster for their project, and write a journal-style paper. As a result of these activities, participants will have had a comprehensive and cohort research experience. After completion of their summer projects, student papers will be posted on the program's website and/or submitted to professional journals. Moreover, participants will be encouraged and supported in their efforts to present their results both at their home institutions and at relevant professional meetings. Being introduced to the mathematical community at large in this fashion will further serve to prepare participants for careers in mathematics. One of the most effective ways to create and sustain a diverse, vibrant, and prepared mathematical workforce is to engage talented students in meaningful research experiences early in their careers. The overarching goal of this program is to help achieve the goal of maintaining such a community of mathematicians. The program's commitment to diversity, aggressive recruiting, and broad dissemination will help ensure a continued diverse population enters the mathematical community. Involving students in research and in the community at large not only prepares them for careers, but also introduces them to the exhilaration of doing mathematics. The final outcome of this program, then, is more than the immediate advances and discoveries found in the context of summer research projects. It is a new generation of diverse, prepared, enthusiastic, and talented mathematicians who will be contributing members of the community for years to come.