Caltech Math Club

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RESEARCH

SURF

This is the program to apply for if you want to stay at Caltech and/or be paid well and/or are an international student and have visa restrictions. To get a start on your project, decide on a topic and approach an appropriate faculty member. You don't have to come up with your own research question, but the topic should be more specific than, say, "topology." Be sure to contact faculty as soon as you have an idea: not everyone will be available in the summer. Despite the rumors, many freshmen complete SURFs in mathematics, so don't hesitate to apply if you are interested.

It is true that math SURFs can be difficult to obtain, because there is no lab group to pick up the bill. This means you should pay careful attention to your proposal to ensure funding. Some successful proposals can be viewed here: proposal 1, proposal 2, proposal3.

REUs

REUs (Research Experiences for Undergraduates) are available at various schools throughout the country and vary in length and pay. The REUs are particularly designed for undergraduates and as a result the topics are such that many participants publish at the end of the summer.

Some sample REUs:

• There used to be something here, but the link died.

Research for the NSA

This option requires that you are a US citizen!

 

If you're looking for a research topic, try some of the journals in the library. Many are intended for undergraduates. It might also be helpful to have a subscription to some of these magazines (e.g. Mathematics magazine published by the MAA).

Some published papers by Caltech undergraduates:

• Basha, Stephanie, Jayce Getz, Harris Nover and Emma Smith, Systems of orthogonal polynomials arising from the modular j-function, J. Math. Anal. and App. 289, Issue 1, 1 January 2004, 336–354.

• Wilson, Trevor M., A continuous movement version of the Banach — Tarski paradox: A solution to de Groot's Problem, J. Symbolic Logic 70, iss. 3 (2005), 946–952

We would like to add links to any papers published as a result of undergraduate research projects (Caltech students and/or SURF participants).

CONFERENCES

Once you've completed you're research, look for opportunities to present it! The Caltech Math Club hosts a regular undergraduate seminar; contact someone, perhaps Vera, if you would like to give a talk. Outside of Caltech look for appropriate conferences. Some suggestions are listed below:

• Nebraska Conference for Women in Mathematics (Registration deadline: January 26