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Undergraduate
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Undergraduate Research OpportunitiesBackgroundThere is a broad spectrum of possibilities for undergraduate research in Mathematics at ASU. Research might be funded and/or it might be for course credit. It might be an individual project, or it might be a component of a much larger project. It might also be built into a regular catalog course. The basic goal of research is to discover new things. In undergraduate mathematical research, sometimes these things were already known to the mathematical world at large, but not known to the researcher at the start. Sometimes, the discoveries are in fact new world. Working mathematicians need to focus on the latter. Both types of research are good experiences for undergraduate students. Projects may also involve computations related to open questions in mathematics, or involve topics in mathematics education.
NSF Summer Research Experiences for UndergraduatesThe National Science Foundation funds math departments to run summer Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) sites. There is a competitive selection process. Students who are selected spend the summer at the REU site. Normally, students attend an REU site at a University different from where they are enrolled during the regular school year. They are compensated for travel expenses, and room and board for the trip. Once at the REU site, faculty supervise the research. They may have students working individually, or in small groups. Usually, sites will have particular areas of mathematics studied for the research. By the end of the summer, the students will have written final reports on their research. Many present their findings at a special poster session at the large joint annual meetings of the math societies (AMS, MAA, SIAM). Each site has a person you may contact for more information on the application process, and how that site is run.
NSF Research Experiences at Home InstitutionsThe National Science Foundation also funds certain faculty to supervise undergraduate research experiences in conjunction with the faculty member's research grant. Availability at ASU varies over time. Watch for posting in the Undergraduate Math Office, and on the math major e-mailing list for opportunities.
Research with ASU Math FacultyResearch can be conducted under the supervision of a faculty member in the ASU Math Department. If the faculty member's research is supported by external funding, there may be some support available for students. In other cases, the research may warrant course credit. A student may arrange to do research with any faculty member in the Math Department at the rank of Assistant Professor or higher. Below we list some of the Math Department faculty who have projects suitable for undergraduates.
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