Office of University Communications 

NSF grant to fund undergraduate research program in math

SPRINGFIELD —This summer, nine undergraduate students from throughout the United States will have the opportunity to work one-on-one with three members of Missouri State University’s mathematics faculty to develop and execute original research projects as part of a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Drs. Les Reid and Cameron Wickham, professors of mathematics; and Dr. Jorge Rebaza, assistant professor of mathematics, recently received a continuing NSF grant for $275,696 to fund the program for the summers of 2007, 2008 and 2009. According to the NSF, there are 47 REU math sites nationwide. Missouri State University is the only such site in Missouri.

Missouri State’s two-month REU initiative is important, Reid said, because there’s a belief in the field of mathematics that undergraduates are not equipped to conduct original research. He and his colleagues are prepared to challenge that idea.

“Our basic goal of this program is to begin with intensive courses, get the students started on their projects and then gradually back off,” Reid said. “Hopefully by the end, we’ll be sending some of the results to refereed journals.”

This type of research experience is definitely a plus when it comes to applying to graduate school, Wickham said.

Students are free to develop their own projects, but the faculty has several ideas in mind to help move them in the right direction.

Rebaza said he would like to help students research the math behind search engines like Google and Yahoo. “We hope they can learn why Google is successful and perhaps come up with their own ideas on how to improve the algorithms.”

Wickham’s specialty is algebra. Students working under his tutelage might research some topics related to cryptography, patterns and codes.

Students who apply to the program must currently be a junior or a senior, have a GPA of at least 3.25 in mathematics and be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. The application deadline is March 9. Those who make it into the highly selective program will receive a $3,200 stipend, a travel allowance of $400 and will live on Missouri State’s Springfield Campus.

“There’s this excitement of doing something new yourself,” Reid said. “You are the one to go out there and find your own answers. That’s a benefit in anything you do.”

More information and an application can be found at: http://math.missouristate.edu/reu/.