The UBC Mathematics Summer Reading Program (SRP) connects small groups of first-year and second-year undergraduates with a graduate student or postdoctoral mentor for to learn some advanced mathematics beyond the undergraduate curriculum.
Each week, participants work as a team to read articles and solve practice problems proposed by their mentors. At the end of the program, each student will write a short expository report explaining the project on which they worked.
The objective of the SRP is to provide students with opportunities to explore advanced mathematical topics, refine their mathematical interests, and practice skills to set them up for success in upper-year courses as well as research projects in mathematics.
The SRP is endorsed by the UBC Department of Mathematics.
You should apply to the SRP if:
You want to learn interesting topics that go beyond the typical undergraduate courses.
You think you will have fun doing math in a small reading group with peers and a graduate mentor.
You want to try writing a substantial expository article on some modern mathematics.
You want a taste of "research-level math" to get a sense of whether this is something you might like to pursue.
The SRP is intended for UBC students who have just completed their first year or second year of study. (That is, who will be starting their second year or third year in September 2025.)
Please note that we will prioritise applications from students without prior extracurricular mathematical experience.
We especially encourage applications from students from groups underrepresented in mathematics.
If you are not sure if you are eligible to participate, please reach out to the organisers.
Applications for the 2025 SRP are now closed. We plan to contact selected applicants by early April.
On the application form, you will be prompted to:
Indicate which of this year's projects you are interested in applying for, and rank them in order of interest.
Upload a PDF copy of your unofficial transcript.
Submit a short statement telling us a little about what drew you to the SRP and what you hope to get out of this experience.
There is no minimum grade average required to apply. We are asking for transcripts to confirm which courses you have taken and make sure we match you to a project for which you have the adequate prerequisites.
The only surefire way to know that someone would be a good SRP candidate is to offer them a project and let them demonstrate what they can can do. Unfortunately, we have a limited number of projects, so we will not be able to accept every applicant. We will use the statements you submit to help us select applicants who we think would benefit most from the program. What you write is only part of what informs our decision. Another part depends on the individual mentors and who they think they are best suited to work with. We would like to stress that our final decision is not an evaluation of your mathematical research potential---frankly, being graduate students and postdocs, none of our mentors are sufficiently experienced to offer such an evaluation. We hope to offer a larger selection of projects next year.
For questions about SRP logistics, contact Yuveshen Mooroogen (yuveshenm at math dot ubc dot ca).
For questions about the offered projects, contact the appropriate mentors.
Please note that while the SRP is endorsed by the UBC mathematics department, the UBC mathematics faculty and staff are not involved with organising the program or with selecting participants. In particular, the UBC mathematics faculty and staff are not responsible for answering emails about this program.
We are grateful to the UBC Department of Mathematics and the Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences for sponsoring this program.