Center for Discrete Mathematics & Theoretical Computer Science

Program name and description:     DIMACS/NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU). The program begins with eight weeks of intensive work during the summer and can continue through the academic year. Based on interests and background, each student is assigned a DIMACS faculty member or affiliate as a supervisor. During the summer, supervisors help students choose and begin work on a suitable research problem. Selected students spend three weeks doing research at DIMACS sister center, DIMATIA at Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic. A summer stipend through National Science Foundation funds is sometimes available. Recent research topics have included computational biology (reconstruction of evolutionary trees, and DNA sequencing), computational group theory, cryptography, combinatorics, and discrete geometry.

Course number (if applicable):           Credits:    

Contact person:     Jessica Herold        Telephone:    (732)445-5928    Ext.: 

Participants:   

Aimed at undergraduates who have just finished their junior year, and are majors in mathematical sciences, computer science, or related fields. Students are recruited from the entire U.S. We aim to accept a diverse group, including both women and men, and students from large and small, as well as public and private, institutions. One of the main goals is to encourage able students to do graduate work in the mathematical or computer sciences.

Student products:    

All students are expected to give an oral report to faculty and peers, to maintain a website, and to write a short report on their summer activities. Several students/year also give a talk at a professional meeting and/or write up their results for publication in a scientific journal.