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

工业数学和统计的WPI REU计划通过介绍他们在工业环境中进行研究，为数学科学的学生提供了独特的教育体验。它为具有强大数学背景的学生提供了许多职业可能性的一瞥。学生们组成团队，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，确定问题并制定对公司有直接价值的解决方案。他们与一位指导老师密切合作，以数学方式制定问题，并保持对项目核心数学的明确关注。工业问题很少适合一个数学领域，这一事实是研究经验的重要组成部分。许多项目需要结合经典分析、建模、统计、优化和计算机编程。REU项目中完成的项目结果对工业合作伙伴和这些公司的研究和开发具有直接的重要性。此外，为REU计划开发的项目经常被修改以用于中学数学课程，以提高学生的动机并产生对数学科学职业的兴趣。该计划为学生提供了在标准本科课程中没有遇到的挑战，并培养了传统教育课程中并不总是发展的技能，例如(a)几个层次的沟通，包括阅读，写作，口语和听力；(b)提出问题是一个相互作用的渐进过程；(c)与多元化团队合作的能力。WPI REU工业数学和统计项目自1998年以来一直存在，从那时起，我们已经与来自美国31个州和波多黎各的99所不同大学的130名学生合作；130名学生中有59名是女性。在过去12年里，有99所大学参加了REU项目，其中一半的大学不提供数学博士课程。我们总共参与了由17家不同公司赞助的37个不同的工业项目。REU项目的学生通常会继续攻读数学和其他领域的研究生学位，他们也会从事金融和工业方面的职业。该站点由国防部与NSF REU项目合作提供支持。

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.