University of California, Los Angeles, Department of Mathematics

Program ID: UCLA-GTREU24 [#1606]
Program Title: Geometry Topology REU at UCLA 2024
Program Type: Undergraduate program
Program Location: Los Angeles, California 90095, United States of America
Subject Area: Geometry and Topology
Application Deadline: 2024/03/11 11:59PM help popup

finished (2024/02/04, finished 2024/09/14, listed until 2024/06/26)
Program Description: URMs

*** this program has been closed and new applications are no longer accepted. ***

The REU is a six-week summer program offered by the Geometry and Topology group at UCLA and is funded by an NSF Research and Training Grant (RTG).

Topic: In 2024, the research topic will be Topological Data Analysis (TDA). This program provides students with the opportunity to immerse themselves in active research projects in TDA, an important branch of applied topology, under the mentorship of senior and junior researchers in the field. During the final week of the program, students will showcase the results of their research through a written report and an oral presentation. During the project, students will also be asked to write code. The mentors will outline the expected outcomes at the beginning of the summer and will work closely with the students to ensure the successful completion of the final project. In addition to hands-on research, the REU will feature informative sessions run by the mentors and other researchers on career-development topics, such as how to do research in mathematics, career prospects in mathematics, preparing for graduate school, and writing graduate-school applications.

Applicants:

The students must be US citizens or US permanent residents (green-card holders). The program is being funded by an NSF grant and this is one of the grant requirements.
The REU is designed to be local in nature, so the students must be living in the greater Los Angeles area and be able to commute to UCLA campus.
The REU is open only to undergraduate students, so students should not have already received their Bachelor's degree at the time of the REU.

We strongly encourage members of traditionally underrepresented groups to apply.

Note: Please submit only ONE reference letter

Date and Location: In 2024, the program dates are 12 August through 20 September. The expected workload is 40hr/week for 6 weeks. The REU program will be conducted in a hybrid format, requiring participants to be physically present in Los Angeles and available during business hours (10 AM – 5 PM) to fully participate. Some weekdays will use a remote format with Zoom.

Funding: Each student will be provided a $5000 stipend for 6 weeks of REU at the end of the program. No additional funding is available for lodging or transportation. Because the students are supposed to be local, they are expected to commute to campus.

Mentors: In 2024, the REU mentors are Troy Kling (PhD student, UCSB), Sarah Tymochko (Hedrick Assistant Adjunct Professor, UCLA), and Sidhanth Raman (PhD student, UCI). The program will be overseen by Mason Porter (Professor, UCLA).

Schedule: The tentative schedule is as follows:

Week 1-2: Introduction to algebraic topology, topological data analysis, and persistent homology (including use of TDA software with Python)
Week 3-4: Analysis of a data set using persistent homology
Week 5: Finalizing the analysis and conclusions
Week 6: Present the results in both a written report and an oral presentation

Application Materials Required:

Submit the following items online at this website to complete your application:

Curriculum Vitae
Unofficial College Transcript
One-page document about your research interest and career goals
Reference letter (to be submitted online by the reference writers on this site )

And anything else requested in the program description.

Further Info:

: http://www.math.ucla.edu; Department of Mathematics
UCLA
Los Angeles, CA 90095

University of California, Los Angeles, Department of Mathematics

program Description