Program |
Mission |
Support |
Application |
Travel |
Schedule |
REU Problems |
ABOUT THE REU PROGRAM
Sponsored by the National Science Foundation REU (Research
Experiences for Undergraduates) and the Department of Defense ASSURE
(Awards to Stimulate and Support Undergraduate Research Education), the
Department of
Mathematics at Texas Tech University will host a REU program on a
multidisciplinary undergraduate
research program in computation and control of biological and
biologically inspired systems.
This program will support eight-ten
undergraduate students and a K-12 teacher each year. The program is
scheduled to be held between June 04, 2007 to July 27,
2007.
This 8-week summer research
experience will provide the
participants with a unique experience of how mathematics
can be applied to understand the qualitative and quantitative behavior of
a biological or bio-like
system.
The proposed REU program will consist of interesting and
challenging projects each year
arising from computational
modeling, systems & control,
geometric modeling, and applications of complex analytic
methods.
Through these
research problems, we hope to encourage students and teachers to learn by
discovery as opposed to
passive listening. This will be accomplished by employing
non-traditional forms of active learning such as cooperative learning,
simulation-based research
and experimentation. This eight-week summer program will
also include the following activities: lecture series on topics;
mentoring club; guest colloquium;
student seminars; computational laboratory and;
scientific & social tours. The REU site will involve ten qualified
faculty who have excelled in their research
accomplishments, have guided graduate and undergraduate
research, and have been involved in K-12 outreach activities. The site
will also involve two
graduate students each year who will serve as mentors for
the participants.
The REU program is highly multi-disciplinary and Texas Tech University is
committed to excellence in this direction. Applicants must be
junior or senior undergraduate students who will be completing their
junior or senior year by
June 2007. Students with a strong background in advanced calculus,
linear algebra and differential equations are eligible to apply. Women
and underrepresented minorities are particularly encouraged to apply.
MISSION OF THE REU PROGRAM
- To expose highly qualified undergraduate students and a K-12
teacher to the elegance of advanced mathematics
- To expose students and teachers to renowned faculty members from
mathematics, engineering and medicine
- To provide a unique experience of how mathematics is applied to
understand the qualitative and quantitative behavior of a biological
or a bio-like system
- To provide hands-on-experience on state-of-the-art mathematical
methodologies and tools for scientific visualization
- To enhance the experience of K-12 teachers in problem-solving and
open-ended exploration in high-school mathematics classrooms
- To nurture the intellectual growth and development of graduate
students and to provide them with a valuable experience of mentoring
- To encourage women and under-represented minorities to pursue
careers in interdisciplinary areas that bridge the biological,
mathematical, and computational sciences
FINANCIAL SUPPORT
Every
selected student participant will be provided a stipend of $2,400,
free on-campus housing and meals, and a travel allowance up to $500. The
participants are expected to arrive Texas Tech University campus on June
03, 2007 (Sunday) and depart on July 28, 2007 (Saturday). Please note
that under the rules of the program, only U.S. Citizens and permanent
residents are
eligible to receive stipends and support for housing and travel costs.
APPLICATION PROCESS
The application process consists of two parts. First, each applicant must
submit an Online
Application. Here they will submit some background contact
information, names of the two or three references, and list their choices
for the REU projects. After submitting the
online part, an application packet containing
the following materials:
must be mailed directly to:
Padmanabhan Seshaiyer
Texas Tech University REU Program
Department of
Mathematics and Statistics
Box 41042, Texas Tech University
Lubbock, TX 79409-1042
Please note that the deadline for the application is
March 30, 2007 .
Please make sure that the online part and the rest of the application
material (Statement of Purpose;
Letters of Recommendation; Official College Transcript) are received
before the deadline for your application to be considered for a review
process. The final eight-ten participants will be notified by April 23,
2007. Outstanding students who complete their application early
may request an early decision on the admission to our REU program.
TRAVEL
Flying to Lubbock : Service to Lubbock
International Airport include Southwest Airlines, Continental Airlines,
American Airlines, and Delta Airlines. For more information on LIA or
the City of Lubbock, visit the Lubbock Convention & Tourism
Bureau . Available transportation service from LIA, located
approximately 15 minutes from the conference hotels, includes City Cab
(806) 765-7474, Yellow Cab (806) 765-7777, Royal Cab (806) 749 5333, VIP
Royal coach Private Service (806) 795 3888, Limousines of Lubbock (806) 743
5466, Lone Star Limousine (888) 286 5466, White Knights Limousines (806)
799 3366.
Driving to Lubbock : Centrally located
between Dallas, Texas, and Albuquerque, New Mexico, Interstate 27
connects the city of Lubbock with two east-west interstate systems, I-20
and I-40. State highways 82, 84, 87, and 114 also provide easy access to
cities throughout the region. The following numbers may also provide more
information: Emergency Road Conditions - (806) 745-4411, Texas
Department of Transportation - (806) 745-4411, Tourist Information -
(800) 452-9292.
Things to do in Lubbock :From dinner on Buddy
Holly Avenue to family
entertainment at the the Science Spectrum and Omnimax Theater you may be
surprised to find all there is to see and do in Lubbock, Texas. Lubbock
has a rich musical history and you are sure to find fantastic local
talent any night of the week. And don't miss the chance to learn about
the history of the region at the National Ranching Heritage Center. So
come to Lubbock, open your mind and expect the unexpected!
REU WEEKLY PROGRAM SCHEDULE
The students arrive on June 3, 2007 to Lubbock. First day events include
welcome, introduction, presentation on expectations of the program, tour
of the campus and introduction to library research. The REU participant
will be expected to use the times not alloted to discuss and engage in
research under the
guidance of a faculty mentor. A special mentoring club
consisting of
eight graduate students has been set up for the REU program. Each REU
participant will therefore also have an opportunity to interact with these
graduate student mentors during the program, to discuss their research and
progress. Besides this, special social events will be arranged during the
events for all participants of the program.
REU PROBLEMS
The participating faculty in this program are Dr. Padmanabhan
Seshaiyer, Dr. Wijesuriya Dayawansa, Dr. Roger
Barnard, Dr.
Akif Ibragimov, Dr. Lawrence Schovanec, Dr. Alex Solynin, Dr. Magdalena
Toda, Dr. Ram Iyer, Dr. Brock Williams and Dr. Jerry Dwyer.
The research areas (A, B, C, D) along with specific projects for the REU
program are mentioned below. Please use this information to indicate your
interests in your application form.
Computational Modeling (Area A)
- Fluid-Structure
interaction for modeling blood flow through the arteries
- Nonlinear
Computational Mechanics of Intracranial Saccular Aneurysms
- Dynamic Model of Atherosclerotic Lesion
Initiation
Systems and Control (Area B)
- Control of the Human Eye Movement
- Random
Matrix Theory of Circularly Symmetric Matrices
- Stabilization of Solitary Travelling
Pulses in a Bimemetic Mems Array
Geometric Modeling (Area C)
- Minimal Surfaces as Membranes
and their Computational Modeling
- Mathematical Problems Associated
with Micro Air Vehicles
- Modeling and Simulation of the Compound
Eye
Complex Analysis and Applications
(Area D)
- Perturbations of Conformal Maps,
and its Application to Modeling Semi-arid Landspaces
- Circle
Packing and Brain Imaging
- Computation of
the radius of univalence of polynomials and some elementary functions
If you would like more information on the program, please send an email
to math.reu@ttu.edu.