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Department of Mathematics

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Research Opportunities

The ASU Mathematics Department offers several opportunities for students to enhance their educational experience, including:

Research Experience for Undergraduates (REUs)

Many colleges and universities offer this summer employment opportunity that allows students from across the nation to spend a portion of their summer at the campus of a sponsoring institution. While there, they work with faculty on a research project. For a list of institutions that offer REUs, contact Dr. Andrew J. Siefker.

Student Research Courses (MATH 4391)

The department makes available various opportunities for students to participate in research or independent study projects. These are usually most appropriate for junior or senior level students.

The simplest and most common way to start such a project is by contacting a faculty member to see whether he/she is able to supervise a MATH 4391 (research) course. Several students can enroll in the same research course and the format is flexible.

The course may entail a specific research project or may be conducted as either an independent study project or a traditional course, but only on a topic that is not covered in the standard curriculum.

These are some of our faculty members who may be interested in offering a MATH 4391 course, along with some of the topics that have been offered in the past or may be considered in the future:

Many other topics are also possible, depending on the interests of the students and the faculty supervisors.

Robert G. and Nona K. Carr Undergraduate Student Research Scholarships

Undergraduates who have completed 72 credit hours are eligible to apply for a Carr Undergraduate Research Scholarship. These scholarships are offered university-wide on a competitive basis and provide a stipend of $2,000 for an academic year, during which the recipient undertakes a significant research project under the supervision of a faculty member.

Students who receive this scholarship are expected to make a commitment of time and effort to their project that is far greater than what would normally be expected in a regular research course. A formal presentation of results is made in the spring at the ASU Carr Student Research Scholar Symposium. Many students also present talks or papers at professional meetings.

Problem Solving

The Mathematics Department encourages all students to participate in our informal problem-solving seminars. Problems are selected from various math journals. If solutions are obtained, they are written and submitted for possible publication. This is a good way for students to acquire valuable skills and learn some mathematics of a different sort from what is usually covered in classes.

Students whose solutions are published have their work prominently displayed in our Rogues Gallery (a.k.a. bulletin board). For more information, contact Dr. Charles Diminnie or Dr. Andrew J. Siefker.

The National Mathematical Contest in Modeling (MCM)

This contest is an opportunity for students to solve a “real world” problem in a nationwide team competition. For more information about the contest, contact Dr. Karl Havlak or visit the Mathematical Contest in Modeling Web site.

Putnam Exam

The William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition is administered annually on the first Saturday of December. This competition is open to all regularly enrolled undergraduate students who have not yet received a college degree. The examination tests originality as well as technical competence and places a special emphasis on abstract reasoning.

A list of the top finishers is given to all participating institutions and graduate schools in the United States and Canada. For full details, contact Dr. Charles Diminnie.

Math Lab Tutoring

Students interested in gaining some teaching experience while making a little money can help out in our “Math Lab” by tutoring students in freshman and sophomore level courses. The experience gained can be a valuable asset when looking for a first job or applying for admission to a graduate program.

Carr Undergraduate Research Scholarships

A sampling of mathematics research projects that have been funded by the program:

  • Halley Newman, 2007-08, “A Probabilistic Algorithm for Computing Coastline Length.” She developed a Monte Carlo approach to dealing with the classic problem of measuring the length of complicated curves. Her work required concepts from several areas, including fractal geometry, probability and computer science. Halley is now in medical school.
  • Shivam Pandey, 2005-06, “Application of Fuzzy Logic to Develop a Heuristic Data Mining Algorithm.”
  • Adam Johanson, 2004-05, “Random Matrices and the Zeros of the Riemann Zeta Function.” He used his experience in both mathematics and computer programming to explore a connection between the fields of number theory, dynamical systems and random matrix theory. Adam is now employed as a programmer/analyst for USAA in San Antonio.
  • Paul Dawkins, 2003-04, “Intuition vs. Formalism.” He analyzed a classic foundational problem involving the tension that exists between what seems intuitively true and what can be proved. His exploration provided an opportunity to study Turing computability, randomness and the complexity of formal mathematical statements. He presented his results at a mathematics conference in Rhode Island and went on to be a mathematics graduate student at the University of Texas in Arlington.
  • Abhiram Shandilya, 1999-2000, “Braess' Paradox in Computer Networks.” He presented his results at both the spring meeting of the Texas Section of the Mathematical Association of America and at the Summer Mathfest at UCLA. Following a research internship at Argonne National Laboratory, he entered the graduate program in computer science at the University of Rochester.
  • Mayank Upadhyay, 1995-96, “Using Neural Networks to Model Chaotic Dynamical Systems.” He presented his results at the annual Conference on Applied Mathematics in Edmond, Okla. After graduating from ASU, he went to graduate school at Stanford University and later went to work for Sun Microsystems.