Endowment supports summer undergraduate mathematics research

Each summer, the “Summer Math Scholarship” is awarded to one UB Mathematics major. The scholarship allows the recipient  to pursue individual research with a faculty mentor. The six-week, full-time, summer program provides a stipend of $3,000. The following academic year the research will be writtenup into a senior honors thesis. Applications are due each Fall. To apply for the scholarship, consult with your faculty mentor.

In the Fall the student begins the application jointly with a faculty mentor by writing a description of the proposed research and the hoped-for outcomes. The mathematics department’s undergraduate studies committee will select the scholarship winner. During the Spring semester that student will register for an independent study, including literature review and discussion of research tools. The following academic year the research will be written up into a senior honors thesis.

The award supports mathematics majors who wish to pursue summer research but, for financial reasons, are forced to find a 'regular' job instead. It allows such a student to have a year-long, one-on-one research interaction with the faculty mentor without sacrificing financial stability. Such experiences are enormously valuable for students considering graduate school in mathematics.

The Summer Math Foundation, Inc. of Amherst, NY funded the first program in 2017, and simultaneously established an endowment to support the program for future summers. The foundation also supports the preparation of a research tools guide book for use by the scholarship recipients.