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Miami University's Summer Undergraduate Mathematical Science Research Institute (SUMSRI) is one of two exemplary programs nationwide that have been selected as "Mathematics Programs That Make a Difference" by the American Mathematical Society's Committee on the Profession. The programs were recognized for their "outstanding work in training and mentoring students from minority groups underrepresented in the profession."
Miami's SUMSRI and the University of Maryland, College Park's Mathematics Summer Program in Research and Learning (Math SPIRAL) programs aim to increase diversity in the mathematics profession and provide students with the background and skills they need to excel in doctoral programs in mathematics and launch successful careers in the field.
Now in its 10th year, the seven-week SUMSRI program provides opportunities for an average of 15 undergraduates from around the country and Puerto Rico to conduct mathematical research, present their results at a national meeting, participate in mathematics or statistics seminars and learn about graduate school and career opportunities. Participants receive a $3,000 stipend, and their travel, room, board and supplies are paid for by the program, which is sponsored by the National Science Foundation, the National Security Agency and Miami. The program, directed by Dennis Davenport and Vasant Waikar, mathematics and statistics faculty, serves an average of 15 students each summer.
Most SUMSRI alumni have completed or are enrolled in doctoral and master's level programs, according to Bonita Porter, program coordinator. They have focused on mathematics, statistics, biostatistics, public health and computer science as well as education.
"I don't think I would have made the choice to pursue a Ph.D. without having the previous research experience that I had at SUMSRI...this experience gave me an edge in my graduate school applications," said Natalie Scala, SUMSRI 2003, now in a doctoral program in industrial engineering at University of Pittsburgh.
SUMSRI "introduced me to research and the way mathematical questions are approached...the speakers and sessions gave me much needed information about how graduate school works," said Karen Lostritto, SUMSRI 2004, currently a doctoral student in the Yale University computational biology and bioinformatics program.
For more information about SUMSRI, go to www.units.muohio.edu/sumsri.
Other Miami mathematics and statistics faculty who have been involved with SUMSRI through teaching courses and research seminars, writing grants or other support, include Tom Farmer, Patrick Dowling, Beata Randrianantoanina, Mark Smith, Dennis Keeler, Ivonne Ortiz, Reza Akhtar, Bruce Magurn, Sheldon Davis, Dan Pritikin, Fred Schuurmann, Dennis Burke and Dennis Keeler.
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