VIGRE: Department-Wide Infrastructure: Widening the Pipeline for Mathematical Sciences

9977354本系实施Vigre计划的主要目标是扩大对数学本科生、研究生和博士后研究员的培训，使他们能够(A)开展最高水平的数学研究；(B)与广泛的社区进行有效的沟通；以及(C)在教学和研究中使用现代计算技术。预期的可衡量结果包括：(1)受过良好培训的本科生继续深造数学科学的人数大幅增加；(2)研究生完成数学博士学位所需的时间显著减少；(3)通过博士后培训培养出一流的研究数学家。欧洲顶尖大学有分层的研讨会制度，鼓励本科生、研究生、博士后研究员和教授积极参与。我们关于垂直整合研究的建议是对这一模式的修改，研究研讨会发挥了关键作用。我们的六个核心研究小组目前每个小组都有一个专门的研讨会；大约一半的演讲者来自系外。参加这些“高级”研讨会的有普通教师、博士后教师和高级研究生。我们建议每个参与的研究小组与上层研究小组一起举办一个新的“下层”研讨会。低级别研讨会的参与者将是本科生和初级研究生，他们将获得课程学分，以及高级研究生、博士后研究人员和永久教职员工。学生们将在项目上合作，他们将利用研讨会作为他们结果的报告机制。为了扩大较低级别研讨会的参与人数，我们在本科课程中引入了一个加速选项，以鼓励成绩优秀的大二学生参加较高级别的课程，这些课程传统上由三年级和四年级学生参加，这些课程是开始研究的先决条件。参与这项研究的学生还将在他们的初中和高中阶段参加至少三个学期的较低级别的研讨会。最有能力的学生将被邀请参加更密集的暑期研究研讨会；Vigre奖将允许我们向这些本科生支付研究津贴。在一项相关的倡议中，该系开发了一项五年制的理学士和理科硕士学位课程，将于1999年秋季开始。较低的研讨会是我们扩大本科生接触数学研究机会计划的一个关键特点。高级研究生和博士后教师将帮助参加下级研讨会的学生进行研究项目；同时，他们自己也将通过上级研讨会得到高级教师的指导。我们认为，不同层次的研究人员之间的这种互动是各方重要的学习经历。数学系积极参与校园内的跨学科研究和教育活动。这些是通过建立跨学科项目、联合任命、联合研讨会、合作研究和对学生的共同建议来培养的。涉及的科学领域包括材料科学、分布式参数控制、机器人控制和大规模科学计算。我们预计，Vigre奖将使我们能够通过我们的研讨会系统来扩展这些重要的活动，这非常有助于跨学科研究。德克萨斯农工大学位于College Station的本科生招生人数是美国所有单校区大学中最多的。数学系每年教授超过25,000名学生，肩负着相当大的责任。发展和保持多样化的学生群体是数学系和德克萨斯农工大学的优先事项。人口预测表明，到21世纪初，德克萨斯州的学龄人口将由大多数非白人儿童组成。迫切需要挖掘德克萨斯州不同种族的人才库，这些种族在数学专业和毕业生中的比例历来偏低。我们建议极大地扩大与德克萨斯A&M大学系统中姐妹大学的现有合作安排，使它们可以充当我们研究生课程的“支线”学校。来自这些机构的学生将在获得地区大学的学士学位或硕士学位后来到大学站校园。我们将与这些姊妹院校的教师合作，帮助他们构建课程，为学生在我们的博士项目中取得成功做好更好的准备。通过Vigre计划，德克萨斯农工大学数学系将通过提高选择从事数学研究的学生的质量和数量来满足全国的需求。

9977354The department's primary goal in implementing a VIGRE program is to broaden the training of our mathematics undergraduate and graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to enable them (a) to carry out mathematical research at the highest levels; (b) to communicate effectively with a broad community; and (c) to use modern computational techniques in their teaching and research.Expected measurable outcomes include (1) a substantial increase in the number of well-trained undergraduate students who will seek further study in the mathematical sciences; (2) a significant decrease in the time graduate students take to complete a Ph.D. degree in mathematics; (3) an increase in the number of first-class research mathematicians produced through our postdoctoral training program.Top European universities have a stratified seminar system that encourages active participation from undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and professorial faculty. Our proposal for the vertical integration of research is a modification of this model, with research seminars playing a key role.Each of our six core research groups currently runs a dedicated seminar; approximately half of the speakers are from outside the department. These "upper" seminars are attended by regular faculty, postdoctoral faculty, and senior graduate students. We propose that each participating research group run a new "lower" seminar in conjunction with the upper one. Participants in the lower seminar will be undergraduate and beginning graduate students, who will receive course credit, as well as senior graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and permanent faculty. Students will work collaboratively on projects, and they will use the seminar as the reporting mechanism for their results. To expand the number of participants in the lower seminar, we are introducing an accelerated option in our undergraduate program to encourage strong sophomore students to enroll in upper-level courses, traditionally taken by juniors and seniors, that form a prerequisite to beginning research. Students involved in this research track will also enroll in the lower seminar for at least three semesters during their junior and senior years. The most able students will be invited to participate in the more intensive summer research seminar; the VIGRE award will allow us to pay these undergraduate students a research stipend. In a related initiative, the department has developed a five year combined B.S.-M.S. degree program, which will begin in Fall 1999.The lower seminar is a key feature of our plan to broaden the exposure of undergraduate students to mathematical research. Senior graduate students and postdoctoral faculty will help the students enrolled in the lower seminar with research projects; and at the same time, they themselves will be mentored by senior faculty through the upper seminar. We view this interaction of researchers at different levels as an important learning experience for all parties.The Department of Mathematics is heavily involved in interdisciplinary research and educational activities around the campus. These are fostered through established interdisciplinary programs, joint appointments, joint seminars, collaborative research, and co-advising of students. Scientific areas involved include materials science, distributed parameter control, robotic control, and large-scale scientific computation. We envision that the VIGRE award will allow us to expand these important activities through our seminar system, which is highly conducive to interdisciplinary research.Texas A&M University in College Station has the largest undergraduate enrollment of any single-campus university in the United States. The Department of Mathematics, which teaches over 25,000 students annually, has a considerable responsibility. Developing and maintaining a diverse student population is a priority of both the Department of Mathematics and Texas A&M University. Demographic projections indicate that the school-age population in Texas will consist of a majority of non-white children by early in the 21st century. There is a critical and urgent need to tap into the talent pool among the various ethnic groups within Texas that are historically under-represented among mathematics majors and graduates. We propose to greatly expand existing cooperative arrangements with sister universities in the Texas A&M University system whereby they can act as "feeder" schools for our graduate programs. Students from these institutions will come to the College Station campus after obtaining a bachelor's degree or in some cases a master's degree at a regional university. We will work with faculty at these sister institutions to help them structure their curricula to better prepare their students to succeed in our Ph.D. program.Through the VIGRE initiative, the Department of Mathematics at Texas A&M University will address a national need by increasing the quality and quantity of students who choose to pursue a career in mathematical research.