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Undergraduate Research and Internships

MAASE 2022

Holly Abrams, Alex Edwards, Erin Sherman, Madisson Russell, and Joseph Semler presented research and competed in the Math Jeopardy competition at the 2022 MAA Southeast Section Conference at Berry College.            

Undergraduate Research Enrichment Funds Program

The Undergraduate Research Enrichment Funds (UREF) grant program, formerly known as the Presidential Research Scholars Program prior to 2018, awards up to $3000 to student-faculty teams in support of scholarly and creative activity.  The APSU Mathematics department is proud of its recipients.  They are

All full-time undergraduate students with the support of a faculty mentor are eligible to apply on the Office of Student Research and Innovation website.

Research Experiences for Undergraduates (Summer REUs)

Interested in a really, really great summer job?  A summer REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) can be the experience of a lifetime.  REU participants typically spend several weeks at a host university working with a faculty mentor and other undergraduate students on a research problem.  Most living expenses are typically covered and most programs pay a stipend.

Programs are competitive, so students are encourage to apply to several and to apply early.  Most applications are due in early Spring, but some are due in late Fall.  Here is a link to the official National Science Foundation REU site:  http://www.nsf.gov/crssprgm/reu/.

The AMS (American Mathematical Society) also maintains a list of REU's.

The Office of Student Research and Innovation at APSU can help you locate REU's which match your interests and can assist you with the application process.

Previous students who participated in REU's:

Malori Cloys Research

  Malori Cloys working on undergraduate research involving neighborhood-prime labelings of graphs, a discrete math research project conducted with Professor Brad Fox  

Undergraduate Research on Campus

Instead of traveling to another campus to conduct research during the summer, you can work with APSU's very own professors on exciting research projects.  Students can work side-by-side with a research mentor throughout the summer with one of many active researchers in areas such as Numerical Analysis, Graph Theory, Knot Theory, and Statistics.  No need for applications or deadlines; just find talk to a professor whose field is of interest to you about starting an undergraduate research project.

Your work could result in a presentation at a regional or national conference including the MAA Southeast Sectional Meeting, the Nebraska Conference for Undergraduate Women in Mathematics, or the Joint Mathematics Meetings, or potentially as a published research article.

Students that participate in supervised research activities with an APSU faculty member that go to present their work can register for MATH 490H: Independent Study with High Impact Practices that counts as up to 5 hours of honors credit as a recognition of your achievements.  Participation in an REU or in an internship (see more below) also can earn credit through this course.

In addition to the UREF recipients listed at the top of the page, the following student have conducted undergraduate research with a mentor in our department, many of which have earned credit through MATH 490H:

Mackenzie Carr in Jamaica

Mackenzie Carr posing with a class at the Brown Basic (Elementary) School in Clarendon, Jamaica during her study abroad trip in January 2023. 

Study Abroad Programs

If you want to study math while seeing the world, you can apply for one of several study abroad programs that will broaden your horizons geographically and mathematically.  The Budapest Semesters in Mathematics features 8-week summer or 15-week academic year programs that allow you to take upper-level math courses in the beautiful and historic capital of Hungary.  The Math in Moscow program is another terrific opportunity to study and conduct mathematical research with high quality students and professors in Russia.  The APSU Math Department can provide funding support to help our students take part in these unique experiences.

For a great learning experience without the international travel, there are great programs such as the MASS (Mathematics Advanced Study Semesters) Program at Penn State or the Junior Year for Women at Smith College.  These are excellent opportunities to study math at an advanced level and prepare you for future research experience or graduate school while keeping you closer to home.  More information on these programs or other opportunities can be found at http://www.maa.org/programs/students/semester-and-summer-programs

Our students that have participated in study abroad programs:

Internships

Internships are another great opportunity to further your education, develop your mathematical skills, and prepare yourself for a career after graduation.  They can be great sources of income during the summer break as well as providing valuable experience that will help set you apart from other graduates when entering the job market.  See below for some resources for information about internship opportunities.

APSU mathematics or statistics students that have completed internships:

Contact Us

Department of Mathematics
and Statistics
Maynard Mathematics and
Computer Science Building
Room 205
931-221-7833

Dr. Jackie Vogel
Mathematics Education Professor and Department Chair

Dr. Matthew Jones
Statistics Professor and Graduate Coordinator (Predictive Analytics)

Dr. Ramanjit Sahi
Mathematics Professor and Graduate Coordinator (Mathematical Finance)

Dr. Jennifer Yantz
Mathematics Professor and Graduate Coordinator (Mathematics Instruction)

Dr. Audrey Bullock
Assistant Professor and Coordinator for Secondary Mathematics

Jamie Gaither
Administrative Assistant

 

Research with Middle College Students

Three Middle College high school students have recently conducted research with math professor as part of the APSU's Peer (Partners Engaged with Emerging Researchers) Program. Emily Ender did research with Dr. Kelly Buch within mathematical biology, and Sage Patten and Camryn Patten are working with Dr. Brad Fox with the area of graph theory.

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