REU Site: Research Experience for Undergraduates in Industrial Mathematics and Statistics

工业数学和统计的WPI REU项目通过引入他们在工业环境中的研究，为数学科学的学生提供了独特的教育体验。它提供了一种对具有强大数学背景的学生开放的许多职业机会的一瞥。学生们以小组形式工作，解决直接来自当地商业和工业的问题。学生与公司代表密切合作，以确定问题并制定对公司有直接价值的解决方案。他们与一名教师导师密切合作，以数学的方式表述问题，并将重点明确地放在项目的核心数学上。工业问题很少适合于一个数学领域，而这一事实是研究经验的重要组成部分。许多项目需要经典分析、建模、统计、优化和计算机编程的某种组合。在REU计划中完成的项目的结果对工业合作伙伴直接重要，并影响这些公司的研发。此外，为REU项目开发的项目经常被修改用于中学数学课程，以提高学生的动机并激发他们对数学科学职业的兴趣。该项目为学生提供了在标准本科课程中没有面临的挑战，并培养了传统教育项目中不总是发展的技能，例如：(A)在几个层面上的交流，包括阅读、写作、口语和听力；(B)将问题表述为一个互动的、进化的过程；和(C)与不同团队合作的能力。WPI REU项目工业数学和统计自1998年以来一直存在，从那时起，我们与来自31个州和波多黎各的99所不同美国大学的130名学生合作；130名学生中恰好有59名是女性。在过去12年来参加REU项目的99所大学中，有一半没有提供数学博士课程。我们总共参与了由17家不同公司赞助的37个不同工业项目。REU项目的学生通常继续攻读数学和其他领域的研究生学位，他们也在金融和工业领域寻求职业生涯。该网站由国防部与NSF REU项目合作支持。

The WPI REU program in Industrial Mathematics and Statistics provides a unique educational experience for students of the mathematical sciences by introducing them to research in an industrial environment. It provides a glimpse of the many career possibilities which are open to students with a strong mathematical background.The students work in teams on problems that come directly from local business and industry. Students work closely with a company representative to define the problem and develop solutions of immediate value to the company. They work closely with a faculty advisor to formulate the problem mathematically and maintain a clear focus on the mathematics at the core of the project. Industrial problems rarely fit into one area of mathematics and this fact is an important part of the research experience. Many projects require some combination of classical analysis, modelling, statistics, optimization, and computer programming.The results from the projects completed in the REU program are of direct importance to the industrial partners and impact research and development at these companies. Further, projects developed for the REU program are often modified for use in secondary school mathematics curricula in order to improve student motivation and generate interest in careers in the mathematical sciences.The program provides challenges to students not faced in standard undergraduate programs and develops skills not always developed in traditional educational programs, such as (a) communication at several levels, including reading, writing, speaking, and listening; (b) problem formulation as an interactive, evolutionary process; and (c) the ability to work with a diverse team.The WPI REU Program in Industrial Mathematics and Statistics has existed since 1998 and, since that time, we have worked with 130 students who have come from 99 different U.S. colleges in 31 states and Puerto Rico; exactly 59 of the 130 students were female. Of the 99 universities that have been represented at the REU program over the last 12 year, half of them do not offer a PhD program in mathematics. Altogether, we have worked on 37 different industrial projects sponsored by 17 different companies. Students from the REU program often go on to pursue graduate degrees in mathematics and in other fields, and they also pursue careers in finance and industry.This site is supported by the Department of Defense in partnership with the NSF REU program.