Directions for Mathematics Research Experience for Undergraduates

253 Pages·2015·1.45 MB·English

by  Mark A Peterson, Yanir A Rubinstein

Directions for
Mathematics Research Experience
for Undergraduates
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Directions for
Mathematics Research Experience
for Undergraduates
Editors
Mark A Peterson
Mount Holyoke College, USA
Yanir A Rubinstein
University of Maryland, USA
World Scientifc
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British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
DIRECTIONS FOR MATHEMATICS RESEARCH EXPERIENCE FOR
UNDERGRADUATES
Copyright © 2016 by World Scientifc Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd.
All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage and retrieval
system now known or to be invented, without written permission from the publisher.
For photocopying of material in this volume, please pay a copying fee through the Copyright Clearance
Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, USA. In this case permission to photocopy
is not required from the publisher.
ISBN 978-981-4630-31-3
In-house Editors: V. Vishnu Mohan/Tan Rok Ting
Typeset by Stallion Press
Email:
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Contents
Introduction ix
Chapter 1: Undergraduate Research and the
Mathematics Profession 1
by Donal O’Shea
Chapter 2: FURST — A Symbiotic Approach
to Research at Primarily Undergraduate
Institutions 17
by Tama´s Forga´cs
Chapter 3: A Laboratory Course in Mathematics 33
by Kathy Lin and Haynes Miller
Chapter 4: REUs with Limited Faculty
Involvement, “Underrepresented”
Subjects in the Undergraduate
Curriculum, and the Culture
of Mathematics 53
by Yanir A. Rubinstein and Ravi Vakil
v
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vi Contents
Chapter 5: The Berkeley Summer Research
Program for Undergraduates:
One Model for an Undergraduate
Summer Research Program at a
Doctorate-Granting University 73
by Daniel Cristofaro-Gardiner
Chapter 6: Fifteen Years of the REU and DRP
at the University of Chicago 99
by J. Peter May
Chapter 7: Why REUs Matter 125
by Carlos Castillo-Garsow and
Carlos Castillo-Chavez
Chapter 8: Integrating Mathematics Majors into the
Scientific Life of the Country 147
by William Yslas V´elez
Chapter 9: The Gemstone Honors Program:
Maximizing Learning Through
Team-based Interdisciplinary Research 167
by Frank J. Coale, Kristan Skendall,
Leah Kreimer Tobin and Vickie Hill
Chapter 10: The Freshman Research Initiative
as a Model for Addressing Shortages
and Disparities in STEM Engagement 181
by Josh T. Beckham, Sarah L. Simmons,
and Gwendolyn M. Stovall
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Contents vii
Chapter 11: Determining the Impact of REU Sites
in the Mathematical Sciences 213
by Jennifer Slimowitz Pearl
Chapter 12: The Mathematics REU, New Directions:
A Conference at Mount Holyoke College,
June, 2013 221
by Giuliana Davidoff, Mark Peterson,
Margaret Robinson and Yanir A. Rubinstein
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September 8, 2015 13:49 Directions for Mathematics Research Experience 9in x 6in b2206-fm page ix
Introduction
This volume stems from the conference called “New Directions for
Mathematics Research Experiences for Undergraduates,” held at
Mount Holyoke College in June, 2013, celebrating 25 years of the
Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program of the NSF.
The majority of the articles reflect talks given at the conference. The
conference itself is described by the organizers in the last article. The
main impression left by the conference, documented and explored in
these articles, is that the REU program in mathematics has stimu-
lated innovations in mathematics education that go far beyond the
original intent of the program. It is even possible to imagine that
the sustained support of this program by the NSF over such a long
period has begun to transform US mathematics itself.
The idea that undergraduates might do mathematical research as
a part of their education has a long history, but in the early years it
was a lonely position to take. A conference on this topic was held in
the summer of 1961 at Carleton College, documented in Undergradu-
ate research in mathematics; report of a conference held at Carleton
College, Northfield, Minnesota, June 19 to 23, 1961, edited by May
and Schuster [4]. A second conference on undergraduate research in
mathematics, held in July of 1988, also at Carleton College, gave rise
to a second volume, Models for Undergraduate Research, edited by
MSC 2010: 01A67, 01A80
ix