A Winning Formula:Honors Education + Undergraduate Research  = Innovation

Jupiter, FL (September 8, 2009) – The students at Florida Atlantic University’s Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College were hard at work this summer.  Seven of the Honors College junior and senior students in the mathematics program participated in various Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) summer programs. These programs, sponsored by the US National Science Foundation, are extremely competitive and each provides 6 to 12 outstanding and highly motivated undergraduate students with a unique opportunity for summer research.  Typically, students work in a specialty area of the host institution for eight weeks, and each student is associated with a specific research project, in which he or she works closely with the faculty and other researchers.
            William Severa, an Honors College senior concentrating in mathematics, participated in the REU “Algorithmic Combinatorics on Words,” a program at the University of North Carolina Greensboro.  William’s topic was “Abelian Repetitions in Partial Words.”  He found the summer experience to be a great opportunity to do research on his own.  “Working independently on original topics is really exciting.  It was great to not only do math but to create new concepts and theorems.  Also, meeting and working with other qualified students from around the world was fantastic.  It was interesting to see the differences in educations, ideals, practices fostered by the different schools.”
            Robert Lang, a junior concentrating in mathematics with a minor in economics, attended an REU at Brigham Young University where he spent thirty to forty hours a week examining mathematical problems and developing conjectures that he and his peers then attempted to prove.  His team eventually submitted a paper to be published in the Electronic Journal of Linear Algebra, and they concluded their program by presenting independent research at the Mathfest conference in Oregan.  Of the eight members from that REU that attended the conference, six of them, including Robert and his partner, received awards for their research and presentations.
            “Mathematics and research aside, the whole experience was very rewarding. Everyone involved in the REU had a wonderful time. BYU was able to organize numerous social events that included taking us hiking through the mountains, white water rafting, and jet skiing. In addition, all of the participants in the program worked really well with each other and we have definitely formed friendships that will last a lifetime. I am truly grateful for this experience and would recommend it to anybody.”
            Stephen Rowe, a senior with a double concentration in mathematics and physics, was accepted to the Matrix Analysis and Frame Theory REU group at Texas A&M University where he worked under Dr. David Larson, a well-known operator algebraist.  “It was a fantastic experience that helped me to confirm my suspicions that I wanted to be a pure mathematician and do research in the field of Functional Analysis and Operator Theory. I was able to set up my own problem and do my own independent research, study whatever I want, and explore and invent new topics independently, or cooperatively if I so chose.”
Stephen’s ultimate goal is to get a Ph.D. in Pure Mathematics, possibly at Texas A&M University.  He believes that the Honors College has been a tremendous help to him, particularly because of his close relationships with the faculty.  “The Honors College’s fantastic faculty, specifically Dr. Hõim, has been absolutely invaluable in helping me find my field of interest and she has given me so many independent studies and classes that have been incredibly helpful to me. At other schools, I might have a larger course catalog with more classes to choose from, but I wouldn’t have the wonderful independent studies and small classes that the Honors College has provided me.”
            Dr. Hõim, an Associate Professor of Mathematics at the Honors College, is really proud of the outstanding work that her students did this summer. “Almost every Honors College student who participated in this year’s REU program came back with a publishable manuscript. Ultimately these papers will be published in internationally acclaimed leading mathematics journals.  Many of these students have decided to enlarge their summer research topic into their honors senior thesis. I am excited to work with them and I’m looking forward to a great group of outstanding honors theses next spring.”  That’s the type of innovative research that helps make honors education such a winning formula.

Byline: Tamara Howard