NSF Award
1559911
The REU program at the Department of Mathematics, Missouri State University will consist of three eight week long research training projects in the summers of 2016, 2017, and 2018. Each year, it will provide research opportunities in mathematics for twelve undergraduate students from across the nation, especially targeting students from Missouri and neighboring states. Missouri State University believes a rich diversity of people and points of view enhances the quality of learning; as in our previous REUs, special consideration will be given to students coming from traditionally underrepresented groups. The target population consists of talented students from institutions where opportunities for undergraduate research in mathematics are limited. The main goals of this program are to help the students develop their full potential to do research in mathematics, to expose them to the intellectual excitement involved in research, to enable them to be creative and to think independently, and to encourage them to pursue graduate studies. <br/><br/>The research topics will include higher codimension bifurcations in models of neuronal systems, dynamics of networked connectivity models of waterborne disease epidemics, properties of graphs associated to groups, finite point configurations, additive combinatorics, convergence of polygons and polyhedrons, and image processing on hexagonal and triangular domains. Students will work in small groups, and will meet daily with their mentor. Regular progress reports and a final presentation will be given to the entire body of participants. Support will be provided for students to present their results at regional and national conferences. It is expected that some of the research will result in publications in peer-reviewed journals. Students will leave the program with a deeper understanding of mathematics and mathematical research, improved oral and written skills, and a new network of friends and colleagues.
