About the Program

The University of Connecticut’s summer program brings together a small group of undergraduates to explore what it is like to do research in pure and applied mathematics. Over the course of 10 weeks we follow research projects from beginning to end, starting with reading about the project, writing proofs/programs, and performing calculations, and ending with writing up results. In the past many of our projects have culminated in published articles and conference talks.

As part of the National Science Foundation’s Research Experience for Undergraduates initiative, our focus is to show students who may be interested in math and science what it is like to pursue a career in scientific research. We try to maintain a high ratio of mentors to students — about 1 to 2. Our mentors, consisting of faculty and PhD candidates, are here not only to guide students through research, but also to give a peek into what life is like in graduate school and beyond. This happens through a high amount of individual attention and through group meetings and discussions, where we share ideas and experiences.

Funding

Our program has received funding from the NSF as well as from the University of Connecticut. In particular, we acknowledge the use of NSF grants REU Site: Fractals and Stochastics at UConn DMS-2349433 (2024-2027), REU Site: Mathematics REU at UConn DMS-1950543, REU Site: Differential Geometry, Mathematical Physics, Mathematical Finance, and Mathematics Education DMS-1659643, DMS-1712427, REU Site: Mathematics REU at UConn DMS-1262929, DMS-1700187, DMS-1660031, DMS-1613025, DMS-1405169, DMS-1361934, DMS-1254567, DMS-1106982, DMS-1101377, DMS-1007496, DMS-1001859, DMS-0806103, DMS-0505622, and the University of Connecticut Summer Undergraduate Research awards (SURF).

Projects

We organize a wide variety of projects, carefully selected to fit interests of students and mentors. In recent years, interest in analysis and stochastics in non-smooth rough domains has increased rapidly. This is not only because of the mathematical interest, but also due to an increase of applications. Many of our projects are concerned with connections of new mathematical ideas to sciences such as theoretical physics, computational biology, and others.

Seminars

In relation to the REU program, in summer we host a series of seminars. These seminars range from educational to researchers explaining their ideas to discussions about research life to a panel on graduate school life and applications.

Undergraduate Research Symposia

We hosted 3rd and 5th Northeast Mathematics Undergraduate Research Mini-Symposia and our students participate in many events outside UConn, such as The Young Mathematicians Conference (YMC) at the Ohio State University and the Joint Mathematics Meetings (JMM) of the AMS and MAA.