Research Initiation Award: Toward Understanding Persistent Homology in Topological Data Analysis

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HBCU-UP’s Research Initiation Awards provide support for STEM faculty to pursue research activities to further their research capabilities and effectiveness and help enhance research and teaching at HBCUs. This award to Clark Atlanta University has the potential to advance topological data analysis that significantly improve health outcomes, train undergraduate students in computer programming and data science, and produce advanced technology education modules for courses. This project is significant in that the results may have broad applications to a number of fields and the work is necessary to advance the potential of topological data analysis, which focuses on how spaces are organized, structured, and connected. The project will train undergraduate HBCU students in data science at the intersection of geometry and topology. The project aims to produce results that will lead to the development of practical mathematical tools to advance our understanding of persistent homology by bolstering its connection to statistics and machine learning. Once these tools exist, they may be applied to a diverse set of applications, including economics, biology, medicine, politics, chemistry, and image analysis; thereby increasing public engagement with mathematics. The research and educational activities proposed in this project aim to provide opportunities for students from minoritized groups to engage in multidisciplinary research and become competitive, well-suited candidates for graduate school and ultimately, the workforce. This project will positively contribute to and encourage the retention of students from historically underrepresented groups in mathematical sciences.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.