Conference: Nebraska Conference for Undergraduate Wisdom in Mathematics

The 29th Nebraska Conference for Undergraduate Wisdom in Mathematics (NCUWM) will be hosted by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln from Jan. 29-31, 2027. The 30th and 31st conferences will take place in late January or early February in 2028 and 2029, respectively. The mission of NCUWM is to support undergraduate mathematics majors who wish to attend graduate school and to encourage them to identify possible careers using mathematics. All undergraduates are welcome to apply. We focus on undergraduates in particular for two reasons: First, there has been a notable decrease in attainment of STEM bachelor s degrees in recent years, and second, undergraduate students are switching out of math majors at a higher rate than almost any other field. NCUWM counteracts these trends by inspiring undergraduate participants to pursue mathematics and supporting their professional growth. The conference program includes plenary talks by prominent mathematicians, three panel discussions, small group conversations focused on a range of topics, and undergraduate research presentations in talk and poster sessions. Various networking opportunities throughout the program connect participants with peers and role models. Held annually since 1999, the conference has grown from 53 undergraduate participants to over 250 each year. In total, more than 5,700 undergraduates have attended NCUWM in its 28-year history. In addition to professional development opportunities, participants learn cutting-edge mathematics from plenary speakers and from one another. Many attendees have conducted independent, original research projects, and the conference program includes a poster session and talks by undergraduate participants scheduled in parallel sessions. The three panel discussions focus on careers in mathematics, choosing a graduate program, and random bits of advice. The design of the conference centers on the research-supported assertion that developing a broad mentoring network can be incredibly important for recruitment and retention in STEM fields, and results of formal evaluations have corroborated the broad impact the conference has had on its participants. As further evidence of impact, many past undergraduate attendees have returned to NCUWM as panelists or faculty attendees, bringing students of their own. The conference webpage is available at https://math.unl.edu/ncuwm/. 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.