Research Experience for Undergraduates

Mathematics REU: June 16 - August 8, 2025

We encourage qualified applicants to apply for summer 2025!  Follow the instructions on the NSF Education and Training website to apply.  We will begin reviewing applications in January 2025, and applications will continue to be accepted until all positions are filled. Please direct all inquiries to Dr. Maddie Dawsey (mdawsey@uttyler.edu).

Mentors and Subject Areas

Dr. Maddie Dawsey – Integer Partitions

In number theory, an integer partition is a way of writing an integer as a weakly decreasing sum of positive integers, and the partition function counts the number of partitions of each integer.  For example, one partition of 5 is 3+2, and there are 7 different partitions of 5.  The partition function has lots of interesting size, divisibility, and asymptotic properties and is applicable to many other areas of mathematics, including combinatorics, algebra, and representation theory.  We will explore various properties of partition functions for partitions whose summands are restricted in certain ways.

Past REU projects include: REU 2022.

 

Dr. David Milan – Inverse Semigroups

We will study various ways to build inverse semigroups having useful algebraic properties. We will be particularly interested in inverse semigroups associated with directed graphs and symbolic dynamical systems, as well as building connections to the theory of C*-algebras.

Past REU projects include: REU 2022, REU 2019, and REU 2018.

 

Dr. Ivan Ramirez Zuniga - Mathematial Modeling of Bacterial Interactions

This project aims to explore the mechanisms behind interactions between bacterial species that cause respiratory infections in children. We will develop and calibrate mathematical models using data from the scientific literature, starting with theoretical models based on in vitro data to simulate bacterial interactions in controlled environments. These models will allow students to conduct in silico experiments, addressing questions of cooperation, competition, and infection dynamics. Students will estimate parameters from the literature and use the models to test hypotheses. If time permits, the models will expand to include in vivo data to study bacterial behavior within a host.  Numerical simulations will be conducted with tools like Python, MATLAB, and R.

 

Program Benefits

• A stipend of $5,600 for the eight-week program.
• Some travel funding to Tyler and partial funding to attend a national conference.
• Free on-campus housing at the Patriot Village or Eagle's Landing apartments, only a short walk from the mathematics department facilities in Ratliff Building North.
• Work daily with faculty during the research experience.
• Learn how to write and typeset a professional mathematics article using LaTeX.
• Learn how to prepare and deliver an excellent talk on mathematics.
• Participate in fun team-building social activities. Past activities have included:
  • Outdoor activities (disc golf, soccer, and a picnic at Tyler State Park).
  • A swamp boat tour of Caddo Lake.
  • A trip to Dallas to visit the arts district and watch a baseball game.