Undergrad Research Program Puts Math into Perspective

Mason News August 8, 2012

By Catherine Probst

Emily Altadonna holds a conductor/resistance board she made for her research project as part of the Research Experience for Undergraduates  this summer. Photo by Alexis Glenn

Determining how aneurysms rupture, analyzing financial market models, creating a simulation of an aircraft wing — these are just a few examples of projects that undergraduate students from around the country worked on this summer at Mason.

The students were part of a multidisciplinary undergraduate research program, formally called aResearch Experience for Undergraduates (REU). Funded by the National Science Foundation, the program was hosted by Mason’s Department of Mathematical Sciencesand ran from June 4 through Aug. 3.

The goal of the nine-week program was to educate students about how mathematics can be used to solve real-world problems in fields such as engineering, science, medicine and education. The program also helped K-12 math teachers develop their problem-solving and research skills, which will translate into more effective teaching in the classroom.

“There is a great need in this nation to increase the next generation of undergraduate students in the STEM workforce,” says Padmanabhan Seshaiyer, professor of mathematical sciences and director of the REU program. “By introducing students …

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