SUMMER@ICERM: Undergraduate Summer Research Program at Brown University

"Mathematical Modeling of DNA Self-Assembly" from June 12 - August 4, 2023

Organizing Committee: Leyda Almodóvar Velázquez (Stonehill College), Amanda Harsy (Lewis University), Cory Johnson (California State University), Jessica Sorrells (Converse University)

The eight-week Summer@ICERM 2023 program is designed for a select group of 18-22 undergraduate scholars. It comes with a $4,000 stipend. Providence, RI room, board, and travel funding provided for in-person programming.. When completing the application, please provide brief responses to open-ended questions.

The Summer@ICERM faculty advisers will present a variety of research projects on the combinatorial and graph theoretical properties of DNA self-assembly. By modeling nanostructures with discrete graphs, efficient DNA self-assembly becomes a mathematical puzzle. Faculty will also guide the development of computational tools which can be used to aid in answering fundamental questions that arise in this field.

Throughout the eight-week program, students will be introduced to the research topic with interactive lectures. Afterward, students will work on their projects in assigned groups of two to four, supervised by faculty advisors and aided by teaching assistants. Students will meet daily, give regular talks about their findings, attend mini-courses, guest talks, and professional development seminars, practice coding, and Tex typesetting, and will acquire skills in free software development. Students will learn how to collaborate mathematically, working closely in their teams to write up their research into a paper.

2023 Proposed Research Topics

Optimize design structures for families of graphs such as graphs with a lattice substructure and k-regular graphs.
Create, expand, and improve current software used to nd and check optimal solutions.
Determine relationships between optimizing bond-edge and tile types

See the topic details here.

ICERM provides an excellent research environment. Students, faculty, and TAs will have access to ICERM’s computer facilities and specialized software. ICERM staff will provide logistical support for students and will help build community through fun activities and events.

More program details are available at https://icerm.brown.edu/summerug/2023/

Funding Includes:

$4,000 stipend
Providence, RI room, board, and travel funding provided for in-person programming. (Brown University students who choose not to live in ICERM provided housing will waive dorm and meal funding.)

PLEASE NOTE:

Applicants must be matriculating undergraduate students at the time of the start of Summer@ICERM 2023.
Funding is available for a very small number of students who are not US citizens or permanent residents.

Students must apply via MathPrograms.org by February 14, 2023, to receive full consideration. ICERM will begin making offers between late February and early March 2023.

ICERM is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive academic global community; as an EEO/AA employer, Brown considers applicants for employment without regard to, and does not discriminate on the basis of, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, race, protected veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status.

Brown University, Institute for Computational and Experimental Research in Mathematics