This is an application to be a student in the Directed Reading Program (DRP) at UT Austin during the Summer 2021 semester. Make sure you read the following details in their entirety before applying:

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NEW THIS SEMESTER:

Dates: This summer DRP will begin May 31. It will end with a VIRTUAL SYMPOSIUM on JULY 16th & 17th.

Stipend: We can offer a 1K stipend plus 50 dollars for supplies. However, you must be a US citizen, national or permanent resident.

We understand that not everyone has access to a perfect internet connection nor is in the Austin time zone, so, if you think you would be unable to participate in the virtual symposium, do not worry -- IT WILL NOT AFFECT YOUR APPLICATION. Later in the semester we will send out an email to gather information on the symposium and begin discussing alternatives on a case-by-case basis.

The program will be VIRTUAL. As noted above, due to internet limitations there is some flexibility in how the meetings will happen. If your internet connection supports video calling, your meetings will be hour long Zoom video calls, where you can use a tablet to write, use your phone as a document camera, etc. If your internet does not support video calls, you can do voice calls and supplement these calls with emails and other written communication throughout the week. However, the individual must be at a higher level of mathematical experience for these voice calls to be meaningful, and we must be able to find a mentor comfortable with that. We will do our best to pair you in such a way as to minimize any penalty for internet issues. YOUR ANSWERS TO THE TECHNOLOGY QUESTIONS ARE EXTREMELY IMPORTANT FOR PAIRING, AND WE NEED YOU TO ANSWER HONESTLY.

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The Directed Reading Program (DRP) is designed to pair undergraduate math students with graduate student mentors in order to undertake independent study projects in a mathematical topic of their choosing. Undergraduate students may apply for the DRP and, if accepted, will be assigned an appropriate mentor. We do our best to pair students and mentors who have similar mathematical interests.

Projects could be based on reading through a book or an article, but are not limited to such things. The goal is to cover material that isn't typically covered in a standard undergraduate math course. Mentors and students will choose their projects together based on the student's interests.  More details about choosing a project will be provided after the program has started.

Requirements: The DRP student is required to have an hour-long meeting twice a week with their mentor to discuss progress towards the goal of the project. Approximately three hours of independent work by the student is expected between meetings. At the end of the semester, there will be a DRP virtual symposium, where each student will give a 15-25 minute presentation on the semester's work.