Students from underrepresented backgrounds are particularly encouraged to apply. We want you to participate/inspire others!
Students with heavy or challenging work loads (courses, exams, etc.) should think carefully before committing to the DRP.
We encourage you to apply as long as you have a curiosity and motivation for learning mathematics. However, applicants are recommended to have some familiarity with reading and writing mathematical proofs to get the most out of the reading.
Acceptance into the DRP is determined by a combination of factors: seniority (senior, junior, sophomore), previous coursework in mathematics to satisfy pre-requisites of projects, your interest for the chosen projects, and availability of mentors. Students should review prerequisites stated on project proposals, if any, before applying. Beyond this, having a "strong resume" does not make you more likely to be accepted.
For mentors with more than one topic listed, not all topics may be offered.
Your application should mention explicitly how you have satisfied the pre-requisites for the project. If not, you should explain why you are prepared for the reading even without the listed pre-requisites.
If you are proposing your own topic, please refer to the Guide to Project Proposals.
If you benefitted from this mentoring experience, consider nominating your mentor graduate student for semesterly departmental/school-wide teaching assistant and mentorship awards. It goes a long way for them, given their passion to help budding scientists succeed in their growth!
Come with a desire to mentor a budding mathematician and an enthusiasm to make your project a success!
We seek PhD students who are more advanced in their studies to serve as mentors. This typically corresponds to being a 2nd year PhD students and above, though this line is not strict. We encourage students—typically 1st years—to focus on coursework, exams, and gain some research experience before volunteering to mentor.
Refer to the Guide to Project Proposals for writing your proposals.
If you do not propose a topic, list your mathematical interests in the application form and other relevant fields as stated in the proposal guide. We will try to pair you with an undergraduate who proposes their own topic and/or shares similar interests with you. In either case, be prepared to contribute reading topics to your mentee, even if it is less formed.
Manage your expectations and scope when planning reading topics for your mentee. Most likely, you have spent more time on the topic then they have, so you have to adjust the pace to the student and ensure they gain meaningfully from a semester of reading.
List appropriate pre-requisites in the proposal so that the right match is found for your intended project. At the same time, do not demand too many pre-requisites, because you want to strike a balance in accessibility of the readings for mentees. (litmus test: if only a first year graduate student can do the reading with you, then the reading project is probably too hard.)
"Projects can vary widely in scope, and that’s great. The important thing is that the student and mentor agree on a specific goal soon after their first meeting. Having a specific theorem/application/result in mind gives pairings a lot more direction and keeps students from feeling overwhelmed. This also helps with choosing an appropriate resource: for many students this will be a chapter or two from a textbook, but we’ve also had very successful projects that used an online open course."
"If you make the end-of-semester talks a priority, the talks will be really, really good. Our policy now is to make sure that students have two full weeks to prepare their talks. Something I’ve noticed is that my students have often wanted to use some of this time as an opportunity to learn how to TeX. Sharing ideas is part of math; give them time to practice that!"
Tips for Giving Talks. Some tips and advice collected over the semesters. We hope you find this guide helpful as you prepare for your final presentation.
You do not need to present the entirety of what you read during the semester. In fact, just a small nugget of what you want the audience to take away is potentially more impactful!
The final presentation is not an assessment, but rather a chance for mentees to share what they learned with others. Therefore, there is no requirement or expectation that the talk cover a difficult topic. Feedback given by mentors is simply a way for presenters to improve their presentation skills.
Your weekly meeting location should be in a on-campus building/office/classroom/public location/zoom only. For example, meetings for DRP should not occur in anybody's home/dorm.