Professor Adam Sheffer of the math department.

This REU program, sponsored by the National Science Foundation, brings together several Weissman colleagues dedicated to paving more inclusive pathways into the study of math. It is co-directed by me and Professor Pablo Soberón Bravo, and supported by Professors Anna Pun, Matthew Junge, and Guy Moshkovitz. Under our collective guidance, students spend the summer doing research work in mathematics. But this summer research is just the beginning: we do a lot more and stay in touch with the participants for many years, supporting them as they continue their careers. Over 80% of the program alum continue to PhD programs and many land in prestigious institutions.

One of our main goals is to increase the number of women and underrepresented minorities in the mathematical community. Thus, we are committed to taking at least 50% women or non-binary participants each summer. For a math program, this represents a very high percentage.

We also love to support students who seem to have huge potential but have not had many opportunities to demonstrate it. Some of the most satisfying moments in the program are when a student who comes from a relatively unknown college continues to a PhD program in a place like MIT or Harvard. It really makes us feel like we made a difference.

We created a network of professors from a wide variety of institutions across the country. Each winter, we send a reminder email to all these professors, asking if they noticed any promising students from underrepresented minorities who might benefit from an REU. We send a personal invitation to each student about applying to our REU, saying that we are also happy to chat with them over Zoom about REUs or anything else.

The program is gradually becoming more popular. For the 12 spots we had in the summer of 2023, we received about 750 applications, most of which look great. The acceptance process is quite depressing, since we have to reject so many amazing students.

The program started with NSF funding and most of the funding still comes from NSF. However, at some point we were approached by the company Jane Street Capital. They heard good things about the program and very kindly wanted to contribute some funds. We use these funds to offer a few spots for international students. Such students usually have very limited opportunities, not being able to participate in NSF-funded program. It’s great to be able to provide them with an option. In 2023, we had one participant from Mexico, one from Barbados, and one from China (all from US colleges).

In January after the program ends, we go with most of the participants to the Joint Mathematics Meetings, the largest math conference in the world. There, the participants present their work. We also encourage them to participate in other mathematical events around the country.

Dr. Adam Sheffer

Associate Professor, Math Department

Director, Computer Science Program