EDT: Montana Partnership for Enriching Mathematical Knowledge and Statistical Skills (MT PEAKS)

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The MT PEAKS program will broaden the training of doctoral students in the mathematical sciences so that they are equipped to pursue career paths beyond the traditional academic tract and are able to recognize opportunities to apply mathematics and statistics to solve problems in a variety of settings. The project is a collaboration between the Department of Mathematical Sciences (MathStat), the Montana multi-university Materials Science (MTSI) interdisciplinary doctoral program and business, industry and government (BIG) partners. MT PEAKS program activities consist of three main pillars: interdisciplinary research project activities involving a BIG-inspired project and MTSI lab rotations, an internship experience with a BIG partner, and preparatory coursework and professional development activities. MT PEAKS students will apply their mathematical and statistical skills in the context of a year-long research project developed through collaboration with an advisory team of MathStat and MTSI faculty and a BIG partner. They will also participate in summer internships with BIG partners. The program will produce a broadly prepared workforce of PhD mathematicians and statisticians ready to apply their technical skills and multidisciplinary exposure to help address a myriad of regional, national and global challenges outside the traditional academic environment. This project is co-funded by the NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) Program, which is dedicated to effective training of STEM graduate students in high priority interdisciplinary research areas through comprehensive traineeship models that are innovative, evidence-based, and aligned with changing workforce and research needs.Coordination of the lab rotations, the interdisciplinary research project, and the BIG internship is a hallmark of the MT PEAKS program. Lab rotations will expose MT PEAKS participants to a variety of sophisticated large and bench scale instrumentation, experimental protocols, lab safety practices, and team dynamics. MT PEAKS students will be trained by MTSI doctoral student mentors on the use of lab equipment needed for experimentation and data collection related to their lab projects. MTSI mentors will be chosen so that their research focus complements the MT PEAKS participant's lab project. The interdisciplinary research project will include a component that involves the collection and analysis of experimental data and technical information from a core group of MathStat and MTSI faculty and a BIG partner. BIG partners will provide students with internship experiences that foster growth in communication and teamwork skills, as well as an increase in students' recognition of the ubiquitous nature of mathematics and statistics in the modern technical workplace. Students will also participate in professional development workshops to enhance networking and other professional skill sets. Results of graduate training aspects of MT PEAKS will be disseminated through online media and educational journals.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.