Research Training Program
We invite incoming master’s degree students in mathematics to apply to be project leaders in a research exploration course for early undergraduates. We especially welcome applications from those interested in mentoring students from groups traditionally underrepresented in the sciences. Participants will receive a $3000 stipend for summer 2025, and thesis-track students are eligible for additional funding in summer 2026.
Graduate participants will arrive on campus in July 2025 to take a 600-level graduate course and receive leadership training. For summer 2025, the graduate course is MTH 683: The Real Line, but students need not have a specific interest in analysis in order to apply. Through the leadership training program, you will learn strategies for success in research and develop skills for being effective mentors. These strategies focus on cultivating a growth mindset, which is the belief that abilities can be developed through appropriate effort.
The research exploration course for early undergraduates will take place in spring 2026, and graduate project leaders will receive course credit. Since participants will earn academic credit for MTH 683 (taken in summer 2025), this will not impact progress towards graduation.
A few quotes from our 2023 participants:
“Summer 2023 gave the project leaders a chance to become close friends and that was definitely beneficial throughout the fall and spring semesters.”
“I think some of the most important benefits to me from the program were getting to meet/work with some of the graduate cohort ahead of the first semester (which really helped me adapt and succeed in my graduate classes last fall), developing a research project that was at the appropriate level for students, and learning to work through challenges that came with leading my group of undergraduates.”
“The social activities were a great way to get to know everyone else in the program and made moving to a new place much less lonely.”
Click here for the application form.
Questions? Contact Dr. Abbey Bourdon (bourdoam@wfu.edu).
This program is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.
