General Information: The Directed Reading Program (DRP) is designed to pair undergraduate math students with graduate student or postdoc 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.

The goal of DRP is to cover material that is not typically covered in a standard undergraduate math course.  Projects are generally based on reading through either a book or a research article.  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.

The number of student applicants typically exceeds the number of mentors who are available to participate in the DRP.  In order to accommodate as many students as possible into the DRP, some students may be paired together in a single reading group under a single mentor.  We will never exceed 3 students per group.  In these situations, all students that are paired with the mentor would be working on the same reading project and the mentor would meet with all of the students together during each meeting.  If mentors have any reservations about mentoring a large group, they can note this in the application.

If there is a particular student that you have previously worked with or would like to work with during the DRP, then you can request specific students that you would like to work with during the DRP.

Requirements: During the IAP, the student is required to meet with their mentor on campus at least 3 times per week to discuss their reading project. Mentor should be able to clarify points of confusion, highlight subtle points, and explain how things fit into the "big picture."  The student is expected to independently work for approximately 4 hours between meetings. All but 3 meetings should be in person; 3 meetings can be over Zoom to accommodate travel.  In the late afternoon on January 31, 2025, the group of DRP participants will meet and, each DRP student will give a short talk on their reading project. All DRP students and mentors are required to attend these presentations.  There will also be a kick-off meeting on the evening of December 12, 2024.  During the kick-off meeting, students and mentors will meet and select reading topics for the DRP.  Dinner will be provided!  All DRP students and mentors are expected to attend the kick-off meeting.