(Left to right and by the numbers)
Associate Professor of Mathematics Margaret Robinson goes over some
problems with mathematics whizzes Jason Slemons '00 of the University
of California, Berkeley, and Jennifer Ross '00 of Wellesley College,
students who are participating in MHC's Research Experiences for
Undergraduates Summer Mathematics Institute.
They look like a typical group of college students--some sporting funky hair styles and mod jewelry, others wearing college sweatshirts. But when they gather in a seminar room in Clapp, the conversation is anything but typical--revolving around everything from zeta functions, to the mathematicians these young people admire most, to the negativism some of the female mathematicians have experienced through the years from teachers and male peers. Some of the best young mathematical minds in the world, these students have come from as close by as Longmeadow, and as far away as India, to spend the summer at MHC absorbed in cutting-edge math research at MHC's REU Summer Mathematics Institute.
The MHC program and twenty-three similar institutes held throughout the country receive funding from the National Science Foundation's Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Program, the goal of which is to cultivate the next generation of mathematicians. The NSF also has institutes devoted to other disciplines, including astronomy and engineering. Thanks to a five-year grant from the NSF, MHC will bring fifty mathematics undergraduates to its math department for advanced research between 1998 and 2002. Since 1988, the College has held eleven summer mathematics institutes, delving into research problems drawn from number theory, algebra, mathematical physics, and statistics.
By stressing collaboration and stimulation, the institute simulates the research environment of such famous research institutes as Princeton's Institute for Advanced Study and Lawrence Livermore Laboratory. The eleven participating students this year, who began living and working together at MHC on June 14, have been divided into two research groups, each advised by an MHC faculty member. One group will focus on exponential sums and local zeta functions and is led by Associate Professor of Mathematics Margaret Robinson. The other team, overseen by Professor of Mathematics, Statistics, Computer Science, and Physics Mark Peterson, will research models of turbulence. Each student receives a $2,500 stipend for the eight-week program.
The first week of the institute was devoted to mapping out the scope of the research. Now, each group meets with its professor at the beginning and end of the day to review progress. Every afternoon students gather to enjoy tea, relax, and discuss math. The students will also visit a corporate research lab, joining up with Worcester Polytechnic Institute's REU group. The program also includes peer presentations and guest lectures, some of which are given by institute graduates. "The institute demonstrates to students that they can make a living at mathematics, and the mini-institute environment really gives them the exposure to the mathematics profession that they need," says Robinson. "We usually have all but one student from each summer go on to pursue advanced degrees in math."
"I have learned as much math by talking with other people here as I have from books and classes," says Clark University senior Emily Clark, who is considering whether to pursue graduate studies in physics or math. "Getting a sense of what math research is like will help me make my decision," she says. About to enter her senior year at Wellesley, Jenny Ross has already completed a math major and wants to "change the stereotype about mathematicians being dorks." "You can be cool and be great at math," she says. Ed Dubois, a senior at Pomona College, spent last summer doing research one-on-one with a faculty member, but chose the REU program so he could have "a group research experience."
Each research group this summer will complete at least one report on its findings. At Mount Holyoke, many groups have produced two or three reports, depending on individual interests. On a fairly frequent basis, student reports have been readied by faculty for publishing. A handful have been submitted to journals and published, and all reports have been presented at national conferences.
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