REU Site: Research Experience for Undergraduates in Applied and Computational Mathematics

The Research Experience for Undergraduates in Applied and Computational Mathematics at the University of Central Florida will provide a group of ten undergraduate students with the opportunity to conduct research projects on mathematical issues arising in applied and computational mathematics for ten weeks for each of three summers. Students will work closely with faculty members on a variety of research projects that have applications in medical imaging, financial engineering, and mathematical biology. Mini-courses, developmental seminars, career and graduate school preparation workshops, social and recreational activities, and an REU symposium are some of the opportunities that will be offered during the program. The REU projects aim to address important questions in applied partial differential equations, computational mathematics, financial engineering, and mathematical biology. Each of these tracks will be led by a faculty expert on the theme who will closely mentor students throughout the project duration. The REU mentors will endeavor to foster collaborations across the research tracks. Some of the projects include: free boundary mathematical models, questions pertaining to smoothness of solutions, inverse scattering problems related to medical imaging, equation-based as well as data-based models arising from financial mathematics, and complex mathematical models on epidemiological problems. Independent of the research track, students will be exposed to powerful mathematical ideas and methods. Some of these projects are expected to lead to quality peer-reviewed research articles. Ultimately, the program intends to prepare students for careers in academia or industry that require a rigorous mathematical foundation. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.