Undergraduate Research and Internships

Holly Abrams, Alex Edwards, Erin Sherman, Madisson Russell, and Joseph Semler presented research and competed in the Math Jeopardy competition at the 2022 MAA Southeast Section Conference at Berry College.            

Student Research Grants

Austin Peay State University awards Student Research Support Grants (formally Undergraduate Research Enrichment Funds) of up to $2000 to student-faculty teams in support of scholarly and creative activity.  The Department of Mathematics and Statistics is proud of its recipients.  They are

• Christine Jator - with Dr. Sumen Sen in 2024 on "Food Insecurities in a Blooming Rural Town: A Statistical Analysis"
• Samuel Whitaker - with Dr. Ramanjit Sahi in 2024 on a "Study of Heat Waves in Phoenix"
• Megan Oelgoetz - with Dr. Ramanjit Sahi in 2024 on a "Time Series Model to Predict Gastrointestinal Illnesses in Tennessee"
• Olayinka Ugwu - with Dr. Ramanjit Sahi in 2024 on a "Study of U.S. Crude Oil Prices and Geopolitical Factors"
• Monsuru Durojaiye - with Dr. Ramanjit Sahi in 2024 on "Quantifying Credit Risk in the Lending Industry"

• Joseph Semler - with Dr. Samuel Jator in 2021 on "Rational-Logarithmic 4th Order Method and Application to a First-Order Pantograph Equation"
• Madisson Russell - with Dr. Ramanjit Sahi in 2021 on "Forest Preservation via Statistical Analysis"
• Sara Grey - with Dr. Brad Fox in 2020 on "The Gender Gap of Doubt: Investigating Student Self-Efficacy in Mathematics Assessments"
• Isac VanWormer - with Dr. Brad Fox in 2020 on "Domination Numbers of Graphs and Their Applications"
• Derrick Jator - with Dr. Ramanjit Sahi in 2020 on "Value-at-Risk: Benchmark for Portfolio Value"
• Kindyl King - with Dr. Samuel Jator in 2017 on "Fractional Calculus in Analyzing Hepatic Fibrosis"
• Ryan Honea - with Dr. Matt Jones in 2017
• Jordan Taylor - with Dr. Samuel Jator in 2015
• Paul Watkins - with Dr. Ramanjit Sahi in 2015
• Krissy Knight - with Dr. Fola Agusto in 2014
• Andrew Kerr - with Dr. Samuel Jator in 2013
• Casey McKnight - with Dr. Matt Jones in 2011
• John Salter - with Dr. Samuel Jator in 2010

All full-time undergraduate students with the support of a faculty mentor are eligible to apply on the Office of Student Research and Innovation website.

Research Experiences for Undergraduates (Summer REUs)

Interested in a really, really great summer job?  A summer REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) can be the experience of a lifetime.  REU participants typically spend several weeks at a host university working with a faculty mentor and other undergraduate students on a research problem.  Most living expenses are typically covered and most programs pay a stipend.

Programs are competitive, so students are encourage to apply to several and to apply early.  Most applications are due in early Spring, but some are due in late Fall.  Here is a link to the official National Science Foundation REU site:  http://www.nsf.gov/crssprgm/reu/.

The AMS (American Mathematical Society) also maintains a list of REU's.

The Office of Student Research and Innovation at APSU can help you locate REU's which match your interests and can assist you with the application process.

Previous students who participated in REU's:

• Christine Jator - Data Science for Social Good hosted by Southern Methodist University in 2023
• Madisson Russell - Mathematical Biosciences hosted by the Ohio State University in 2021
• Nathan Nickelson - Arctic Amplification at the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 2018
• Emily Stark - Social and Decision Analytics Laboratory at Virginia Tech in 2016
• Elisha Hall - Biomathematics and Bioinformatics at Fisk University in 2014

  Malori Cloys working on undergraduate research involving neighborhood-prime labelings of graphs, a discrete math research project conducted with Professor Brad Fox  

Undergraduate Research on Campus

Instead of traveling to another campus to conduct research during the summer, you can work with APSU's very own professors on exciting research projects.  Students can work side-by-side with a research mentor throughout the summer with one of many active researchers in areas such as Numerical Analysis, Graph Theory, Knot Theory, and Statistics.  No need for applications or deadlines; just find talk to a professor whose field is of interest to you about starting an undergraduate research project.

Your work could result in a presentation at a regional or national conference including the MAA Southeast Sectional Meeting, the Nebraska Conference for Undergraduate Women in Mathematics, or the Joint Mathematics Meetings, or potentially as a published research article.

Students that participate in supervised research activities with an APSU faculty member that go to present their work can register for MATH 490H: Independent Study with High Impact Practices that counts as up to 5 hours of honors credit as a recognition of your achievements.  Participation in an REU or in an internship (see more below) also can earn credit through this course.

In addition to the grant recipients listed at the top of the page, the following students have conducted undergraduate research with a mentor in our department, many of which have earned credit through our High Impacts Practices course MATH 490H:

• Caleb Jared - with Dr. Kelly Buch in 2024 on Models of Thousand Cankers Disease
• Benjamin Bruyns - with Dr. Brad Fox in 2024 on Evaluating the Fairness of Montonic Voting Methods in RCV Elections
• Jackson Lewis - with Dr. Daniel Mayo in 2023 on Mathematical Models of Computer Viruses
• Sage Patten and Briauna Bonney - with Dr. Brad Fox in 2023 on Odd Graceful Labelings of Prism Graphs
• Emily Ender - with Dr. Kelly Buch in 2023 on Mathematical Models of Tumor Growth
• Laina Skaggs - with Dr. Ramanjit Sahi in 2021 on the Statistical Analysis of Waterborne Illnesses and Precipitation
• Holly Abrams - with Dr. Brad Fox in 2021 on the topic of Odd Prime Graph Labelings
• Tate Williams - with Dr. Ramanjit Sahi in 2020 on Predictive Analytics in Baseball
• Holly Abrams - with Dr. Brad Fox in 2020 studying the Mathematics of Gerrymandering
• Derrick Jator - with Dr. Ramanjit Sahi in 2020 on the topic of the Logistic Regression Model in Life Insurance
• Zachary Marlow - with Dr. Ramanjit Sahi in 2019 studying Portfolio Risk Analysis
• Courtney Frazier - with Dr. Ramanjit Sahi in 2019 on Connections of Molecular Symmetry with Mathematics
• Joseph Mathews - with Dr. Sumen Sen in 2017, research paper was published in STEAM-H: Science, Technology, Engineering, Agriculture, Mathematics, & Health
• Malori Cloys - with Dr. Brad Fox in 2017, research paper was published in Pi Mu Epsilon Journal
• Kindyl King - with Dr. Samuel Jator in 2017, research paper was published in Mathematical Problems in Engineering

Mackenzie Carr posing with a class at the Brown Basic (Elementary) School in Clarendon, Jamaica during her study abroad trip in January 2023. 

Study Abroad Programs

If you want to study math while seeing the world, you can apply for one of several study abroad programs that will broaden your horizons geographically and mathematically.  The Budapest Semesters in Mathematics features 8-week summer or 15-week academic year programs that allow you to take upper-level math courses in the beautiful and historic capital of Hungary.  The Math in Moscow program is another terrific opportunity to study and conduct mathematical research with high quality students and professors in Russia.  The APSU Math Department can provide funding support to help our students take part in these unique experiences.

For a great learning experience without the international travel, there are great programs such as the MASS (Mathematics Advanced Study Semesters) Program at Penn State or the Junior Year for Women at Smith College.  These are excellent opportunities to study math at an advanced level and prepare you for future research experience or graduate school while keeping you closer to home.  More information on these programs or other opportunities can be found here.

Our students that have participated in study abroad programs:

• Mackenzie Carr - Study abroad course in Jamaica during Winter Term 2023
• Quincy Gordon - Study abroad course in Jamaica during Summer 2022
• Sara Gray - Study abroad course in Jamaica during Wintermester 2019
• Katherine Kreuser - Budapest Semesters in Mathematics in Summer 2017
• Emily Stark - Budapest Semesters in Mathematics in Summer 2015

Internships

Internships are another great opportunity to further your education, develop your mathematical skills, and prepare yourself for a career after graduation.  They can be great sources of income during the summer break as well as providing valuable experience that will help set you apart from other graduates when entering the job market.  See below for some resources for information about internship opportunities.

• Purdue University Professor Richard Penney's List of Math Career Resources
• SMART (Science, Mathematics, And Research for Transformation Defense Scholarship for Service Program)
• The Washington, D.C.-London Internship Program
• AMS's List of Internship Opportunities

APSU mathematics or statistics students that have completed internships:

• Mackenzie Carr - CVS/Aetna in Summer 2022
• Kindyl King - U.S. Department of Energy in Summer 2018
• Ryan Honea - Electrolux R&D in Springfield, TN in Summer 2017
• Sabrina Nieves - HCA Healthcare in Summer 2017