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College of Arts & Sciences
Texas A&M University Mathematics

Ideas for Directed Reading Program Interdisciplinary Projects

The Directed Reading Program (DRP) gives undergraduates the opportunity to:
  • work one-on-one with a graduate mentor for the semester,
  • learn an area of mathematics not covered in any course, and
  • gain valuable presentation skills.
Undergraduates also register for the 1-credit-hour Math 285.

Requirements

The DRP pairs undergraduate students with graduate-student mentors for an independent reading course. Undergraduate participants are expected to:
  • meet once per week with the graduate-student mentor,
  • work independently for approximately three hours between meetings, and
  • give a 10- to 15-minute talk on their project at the end of the semester.

Testimonials from Participants

  • "One-on-one communication with my mentor was most valuable to me, since that level of engagement is usually not possible in mathematics courses where there are many other students."
  • "I would love for this to become a required course for Math Majors, it was really helpful and I enjoyed the one-on-one aspect of it."

DRP Activities - Fall 2023

  • Kick-off event (August 31 at 5:15 [grad students] and 5:30 [undergrad students] in Blocker 306)
  • A presentation on "How (not) to give a talk", plus a tutorial on Overleaf and Beamer (Tuesday, November 7 at 5:00pm in Blocker 302)
  • Final presentations by undergraduate participants, DAY ONE (Wednesday, November 29 at 4:30 pm in Blocker 624)
  • Final presentations by undergraduate participants, DAY TWO (Thursday, November 30 at 5:00 pm in Blocker 624)
The Fall 2023 participants and their mentors:
  • Victoria Abell (mentor: Luis Aceves )
  • Kamilia D. Aguilar (mentor: Tanuj Gupta )
  • Luke Brenner (mentor: Thomas Winckelman )
  • David Cates (mentor: Tushar Pandey )
  • Samuel Hernandez (mentor: Seth Gerberding )
  • Mikayla Hill (mentor: Agniva Dasgupta )
  • Catherine Huang (mentor: Jordan Hoffart )
  • Jennifer Mackenzie (mentor: Yung-Chieh Hsieh )
  • Noah Maiorino and Jackson Schwedler (mentor: Chris Pecoraro )
  • Joshua Rojas (mentor: Erik Davis )
  • Abhinav Sairam (mentor: Erik Davis )
  • Landon Ueslmann (mentor: Seth Hoisington )
To participate in Spring 2024, see below.

How to participate (undergraduates) - Spring 2024

We encourage applications from any undergraduate who:
  • has completed a year-long calculus sequence, and
  • is interested in learning interesting mathematics outside of the classroom.
[NEW] we are offering (in addition to the usual DRP experience) a number of interdisciplinary projects that you can work on in teams of two (with a grad student mentor).
  • A list of project ideas is here.
  • If you have any questions about these projects, don't hesitate to contact Prof. Matthias Maier (maier@tamu.edu).
We warmly welcome applications from first-generation college students, women, and members of underrepresented groups in STEM.

To apply to participate in Spring 2024: Applicants will be notified around October 31. (Feel free to contact the organizers at any time!)

How to participate (graduate students) - Spring 2024

To be announced (by email)!

DRP Activities - Prior Semesters

Organizers

The DRP is organized by Jordy Lopez and Angelique Morvant, with faculty mentor Anne Shiu.

Please reach out to any of us with questions!

Resources

Project ideas from other DRPs can be found at the websites of the DRP Network, the Maryland DRP, and the University of Texas DRP.

Acknowledgment

The DRP is generously supported by several organizations: