Overview:
One of the most beautiful ideas generated by modern science in the past few decades is the concept of neural nets, a computational framework that imitates the workings of the human brain. These networks have been used to understand the outcome of scientific experiments, make weather prediction and political forecasts and even aid mathematical research. In this program, we are going to take a comprehensive approach to neural nets, with focus on both the theoretical and applied aspects of this beautiful emerging discipline. To this end, we are going to develop the basic theory of neural nets in the mornings, followed by intensive programming sessions in the afternoons. We are looking for participants who are equally excited about the pure and applied aspects of data science- those who are just as willing to delve into the mathematical intricacies as they are to write complex code to implement the resulting ideas.
The program is particularly focused on recruiting participants who are women and members of underrepresented groups.
In addition to the research aspects, the program will also have an outreach component. A small group of middle school students from the inner city Rochester schools will be exposed to mathematical explorations using python. The participants in the program will be asked to assist in this wonderful and rewarding process.
Structure of the TRIPODS REU program:
The Tripods REU program is conducted under the auspices of the Tripods NSF grant. The Principal Investigator at the University of Rochester is Mujdat Cetin, and the Principal Investigator at Cornell is David Matteson.
The basic structure of the REU is the following. The participants are going to be selected in the last week of February 2022. They will be asked to learn the background material prior to the start of the program. To this end, they will be provided with notes, videos and computer code that will give them the necessary skills for the research phase of the program. Regular (hybrid) meetings will be held starting in March 2022, to reinforce the material. Early in May 2022, the participants will be given a description of the research projects, and they will be asked to make a preliminary selection within a few weeks, at which point they will begin hybrid meetings with their research group. The composition of the research groups will remain in flux until the first few days of the program in July 2022, to give the participants an opportunity to explore several different groups and get a better feel for the projects.
The program is going to run for four weeks, July 18-August 12, 2022. The program will run in person in Rochester, NY. Fifteen (15) Tripods NSF participants will be accepted and each is going to receive a $1600 stipend for successfully completing the program. The application procedure is described below. The application deadline is February 21, 2022.
Once the preliminary phase of the program starts in late April, 2022, after the selection process is finalized, a variety of study materials will be placed on the following website: Tripods2022 Study Materials.
Structure of the STEM FOR ALL 2022 program:
Several mini-courses in a variety of areas of mathematics are going to run July 18-August 12, 2022. These will be announced in the coming weeks and months. Each mini-course is going to focus on computational aspects of one or more of the advanced undergraduate courses at the University of Rochester. A broader question that is going to be asked is, how can modern data science techniques contribute to the understanding of a given set of concepts in mathematics, and vice-versa. A limited amount of financial support for STEM FOR ALL 2022 participants has been secured from University of Rochester. If you need financial support to participate in the program, please indicate this in your application.
TRIPODS/STEM FOR ALL 2022 TEAM: (this list will increase in the coming weeks and months)
Coordinator: Alex Iosevich, (University of Rochester), co-I of the Tripods NSF grant
Co-organizers: Ayla Gafni (University of Mississippi), Alex Iosevich (University of Rochester), Mandar Juvekar (Boston University), Scott Kirila (Parker Avery), Steven Kleene (University of Rocester), Azita Mayeli (CUNY), Yujia Zhai (University of Nantes), Charles Wolf (University of Rochester), Emmett Wyman (University of Rochester).
Faculty mentors: Yesim Demiroglu (CalTech)
Industry advisory panel: Georgiy Arutyunyants, Ph.D. in Mathematics (Parker Avery), Michael Mugo, Ph.D. in Statistics (Walmart), Erin Terwilleger Ph.D. in Mathematics (Parker Avery), Daili Zhang, Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering (Walmart)
Mini-courses (July 18-22): We are going to run four crash-courses on linear algebra, probability, basic inequalities and multi-variable calculus. You will be provided with the resources to implement at least some of the concepts you are going to cover in python. You will be expected to go over the material and work on the python implementation every day after the lectures.
Linear Algebra (Week 1)
Instructor: Ayla Gafni
Time: 1.00-2.30 p.m.
Probability (Week 1)
Instructor: Emmett Wyman
Time: 10.00-11.30 a.m.
Basic inequalities (Week 1)
Instructor: Alex Iosevich
Time: 8.00-9.30 a.m.
Multi-variable calculus (Week 1)
Instructor: Steven Kleene
Time: 3.00-4.30 p.m.
Schedule:
First week: 8 a.m. - 4.30 p.m. Mini-courses (see above)
Second, Third and Fourth weeks: 8 a.m. - 9.30 a.m. mini-courses, and research the rest of the day!
Special events:
Industry Advisory Panel (see above): Wednesday, August 10, 1.00 p.m. EST
Tripods/StemForAll2022 Projects and Supplementary Materials
The following are the requirements for applying to the TRIPODS REU 2022: (the application deadline is February 21, 2022)
i) The applicant must be a U.S. Citizen or a permanent resident. If you are not a U.S. Citizen or a permanent resident, you can still apply to this program under the auspices of STEM FOR ALL 2022 (see below)
ii) The applicant must be an undergraduate student at the University of Rochester, Cornell University, or a college or university in the Rochester area
ii)i Good knowledge of linear algebra and multi-variable calculus
iv) Good knowledge of mathematical analysis at the level of Rudin's "Principles of Mathematical Analysis" book or equivalent
v) Good knowledge of elementary probability, including moment generating functions, central limit theorem and related concepts
vi) Proficiency in python programming, including knowledge of numpy and other computational packages
vii) Willingness to prepare for the program diligently by reading the introductory materials and carefully going over the python code depository that will be prepared ahead of the program
To apply, please send an email to urstemforall2022@gmail.com by February 21, 2022 with the subject heading "Application to TRIPODS REU 2022" containing the following information:
i) Official college transcript
ii) One letter of recommendation from a mathematics instructor, preferably from an upper division course, and one from a computer programming instructor. The letters should be emailed by the letter writers directly to urstemforall2022@gmail.com.
iii) A page-long statement describing your interest in the program and future plans.