Program Description
In a world saturated with data, undergraduate students in mathematics and statistics are in high demand by both industry and graduate programs. Students from these fields possess the tools needed to extract meaningful information from noisy data and make fundamental contributions to many scientific fields and aspects of our society. To help prepare students to meet these challenges, we propose the Directed Research for Undergraduates in Mathematics and Statistics (DRUMS) REU program at North Carolina State University (NCSU). The overarching goals of the summer research program are i) to get more undergraduate students with diverse backgrounds interested in graduate degrees in mathematical and statistical sciences and ii) to provide research opportunities that can generate high-quality outputs.
DRUMS recruits a talented and diverse group of students from across the country each year to engage in an intensive research summer research project under the supervision of NCSU faculty. Projects span applications in disease modeling, physiology, extreme weather events, and finance, using and developing mathematical and statistical tools facilitating the integration of data with models. The research agenda is paired with an ambitious professional development plan that includes career guidance, training on communication and research skills, and seminars on maintaining a respectful environment. DRUMS will produce a diverse cadre of UG researchers with technical and soft skills eager to pursue graduate programs in STEM fields.
DRUMS is supported by the National Security Agency (H98230-20-1-0259 and H98230-21-1-0014) and the National Science Foundation (DMS#2051010).