Imagine spending a summer in a beautiful, 安静的, rural setting in which the days are mild, it stays light until well after 10 p.m., and where you are 15 minutes from a major metropolitan center (Grand Rapids, MI) and also only 20 minutes from gorgeous Lake Michigan beaches. 现在想象一下, 在这个神奇的地方, you get to spend your time engaged in honest mathematical research. This is the environment in which students have been active in recent years in the GVSU REU program.

每年夏天, the Mathematics Department at Grand Valley State University invites eight students from across the country to participate in our REU program. Students from as far west as California, 东至缅因州, 远至佛罗里达, and as far north as British Columbia have participated in our program. Past REU participants have gone on to graduate programs at Yale, 密歇根州立, 康奈尔大学, 内布拉斯加州, 爱荷华州, 范德比尔特, 俄勒冈州, 和其他地方. Other alumni have accepted jobs in government and industry, including positions at the National Security Agency, 通用磨坊, 和美联储. The first summer program took place in 2000. 从那时起, programs have occurred every summer since 2002, with a brief hiatus in the summers of 2020 and 2021.

We begin each Monday with breakfast provided by the faculty. 整个星期, teams of students work on their projects, meeting every weekday with their faculty mentors. Approximately every other week, each team gives a 20 to 30 minute presentation about their research. 在这个星期的中间, there is "Group Fun" activity, which can be miniature golf, 一个电影, a minor league baseball game, 或者别的什么, depending on the students' interests. At the end of the week, a guest faculty speaker gives a seminar talk on his or her research.

Dissemination is an important component of any professional work. 在节目中, students give several talks on their research, including talks at a statewide REU conference and at MathFest (the summer meetings of the Mathematical Association of America). Students also write weekly reports on their accomplishments, which are eventually combined to create a final technical report. This final report can serve as a starting point for creating a manuscript to be submitted to a journal.

Presentations of results continue past the conclusion of the eight-week REU program. The REU faculty at Grand Valley maintain communication with our REU students and coordinate with faculty at their home institutions to encourage students to give talks on their work at departmental seminars and at regional and national meetings.

在节目中, participants travel to visit a department that houses a graduate program in mathematics (such as 密歇根州立 University), where they have the opportunity to interact with graduate students and faculty. All participants speak at the SUMMR (Summer Undergraduate Michigan Mathematics Research) Conference, which brings together students from several undergraduate research programs within the state of Michigan. 夏天结束的时候, students and faculty have the opportunity to travel together to MathFest (in Philadelphia, PA(2022年). 在MathFest, each research group gives a talk on their research to an audience of students and faculty from programs throughout the country. Past REU students have been honored with a number of awards for their talks at MathFest. (见 the 新闻、笔记、奖项 page 欲知详情.)

Funding from the National Security Agency 和博天堂官方 allows us to provide a generous compensation package for our undergraduate participants. 除了…之外 GVSU校园内的住房 (in air-conditioned apartments) and a $800 food allowance ($100 per week), participants in the 2022 program will receive a $5,400年津贴. Additionally participants will be reimbursed for up to $300 for travel to GVSU, and travel and registration is covered for the SUMMR Conference and MathFest.

2020: REU Students picking fruit for Group Fun

2018: REU students presenting at MathFest in Denver, CO

2015: The REU students in Washington, DC for MathFest

2012: The REU group at the SUMMR conference at 密歇根州立 University

2013: Mini-golf for group fun

2010年:博士的演讲. Bob Connelly of 康奈尔大学 University

2009: Math Jeopardy success at MathFest

This REU program has been supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Security Agency (NSA), 和博天堂官方. To learn more about the NSF's role in REU programs, visit the NSF REU主页. For a list of NSF-sponsored REU programs, visit this link: NSF-sponsored math REU programs.