CURM Grant

I received a Center for Undergraduate Research in Mathematics (CURM) mini-grant to supervise research of four undergraduate students in the 2018–2019 academic year. This is a joint effort with Bennett College. I am looking for two motivated UNCG students. Another group of two students from Bennett College will be supervised by Dr. Ajanta Roy.

The students will work on a research project in mathematical biology over the entire academic year. I will train the students in all aspects of conducting research and communicating the outcomes.

What students will gain from this program

Undergraduate research has been long recognized as a high-impact experience in higher education. Participating in a research project as an undergraduate student has positive effect on learning, attitude, and career choices.

The students who are chosen to participate in this program will acquire (or improve) the following skills:

  • performing meaningful literature search to investigate the background of a research problem
  • constructing a mathematical model from a real-life problem
  • solving the mathematical model and translating the mathematical results into the context of the real-life application
  • overcoming setbacks inevitable in any inquiry-based project
  • working in a team
  • preparing and delivering great presentations
  • writing a publishable scientific paper
  • constructing a strong resume

Compensation

Each student participant will earn a $3,000 stipend. The money will be paid as follows:

  • $1,000 at the beginning of the Fall 2018 semester
  • $1,000 at the beginning of the Spring 2019 semester
  • $500 after presenting the outcomes of the research at a conference
  • $500 after submitting the final report (i.e., polished draft version of a paper for publication)

Expectations

The students are expected to work for at least 10 hours each week during the academic year on the research project.

The students are expected to meet with mentors weekly to report on their progress.

The students are expected to have a strong work ethic and to not give up when difficulties arise. Working on an open-ended research question is never a straight road to success; hurdles and setbacks are bound to happen on the way up. The difference between success and failure at research lies in motivation and perseverance. I am looking for students who have strong motivation to succeed.

The students are expected to maintain a workplace free of sexual harassment and discrimination in any way against other participants of the project on account of race, religion, creed, color, national origin, sex, age, and mental or physical handicap.

Prerequisites

The only prerequisite to be eligible for this project is Calculus I. You do not have to be a math major.

Also, since this grant is sponsored by the National Science Foundation, the students must be US citizens or permanent residents to be eligible for funding.

Project description

The research project for this program is related to my ongoing investigation of game-theoretic models of infectious diseases. It is motivated by the following simple question: Can an infectious disease be eradicated through voluntary participation in personal protective measures, such as vaccination?

Individual-level vaccination (or other personal protective measure) decision can be modeled by game theory since the strategy of a given individual depends on what the rest of the population does: if a sufficient proportion of the population is already immune, then even the slight cost or risks associated with vaccination can outweigh the risk of infection. The students will construct a game-theoretic model of an infectious disease of their choice, and solve the model by finding the optimal (equilibrium) level of personal protection in the population. This outcome of the game-theoretic model will then be compared with the herd immunity coverage to conclude what would happen if the population adopts selfishly optimal strategies.

Interested?

If you would like to be considered for participation in this project, then please get in touch with me* as soon as possible. I plan to finalize the two-student UNCG team by the end of April 2018.

I will be happy to answer any of your questions if you need more information about the logistics of the program or details of the research project, including samples of past student projects of similar nature.

*The two-student UNCG team has been finalized.