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Research and Internship
Opportunities for Math Majors

Research Experiences

One opportunity that you have as an undergraduate mathematics (or computer science) major at Truman is to participate in a research experience. Indeed, the Capstone Integrating Experience is a way the University makes sure you leave here having experienced the joys and frustration of research.

If you're curious about what research in mathematics is like, a safe way to satisfy your curiosity is to participate in a summer research experience like those I've listed below. If you want to turn your Capstone into this type of experience you should start early. Otherwise, you won't get a true sense of the nature of research. If you start early enough, you can apply for a Truman Undergraduate Research Stipdend Award. These awards fund student research and allow them to stay in Kirksville during the summer to do their work.

In summary, there are several ways that Truman helps you experience what research is like:

Want a research experience outside of Kirksville? You're in luck because there are tons of opporunities for you. Here is a list of some summer research experiences for undergraduate mathematics majors. Each program has different prerequisites (usually in terms of course-work or school standing) so read their announcments for that information.

It's worth noting that summer research experiences can be (more than) a starting point for your Capstone Integrating Experience. Consult your favorite matheamtics faculty member for more information.

Forums for Presenting your work

After you participate in a research experience and write up your results, you will want to share what you learned with a wider audience. One way to do this is to present your work in the form of a talk or a poster session at a professional conference.

Below is a list of meetings that invite undergraduate mathematics majors to present their work.

There are other regional and national forums for presenting your work. I will add more as I discover them.

Publishing your work

In addition to sharing your work at conferences, it's a good idea to share the written report of your work by publishing it somewhere. It's also a thrill to find out that a 'prestigious' publisher thinks your work and writing merit publishing, but if you don't have the energy to court publishers and only want to post your work on a web site, it's a thril to see that people have downloaded your work.

Here is a short list of places you could publish your research report.

Internships and Co-Ops

If you're not curious about research in the mathematical science, but you want to use your mathematical skills when you get a job after graduation (knock on wood), an internship or co-op might be what you're looking for.

Internships and co-ops give you a safe way of exploring careers and building a work history that you can leverage when you apply for your first real, full-time job after graduation. They also provide you with a way to gain experiences that you can't acquire at the University; sometimes these experiences are prerequisites for the job you're dying to land after Truman.

It's never too early to begin looking for an internship. Start looking for on after your freshman year. What you learn through that exprience and that intership will improve your chances of landing a bigger and better internship for the following summer.

Here's some info on internships and co-ops.

 

Keep in mind that it is possible (if you arrange things ahead of time) for you to use a summer intership or co-op as the basis for your math Capstone.

Wednesday, 02-Feb-2005 11:05