Students Participate in Math Research Program

Funded through the Mathematical Association of America

Students involved in the research program worked on analyzing the snake cube puzzle. (Photo by Anthony Bosman)

Five students from three Adventist universities spent their summer at Andrews University participating in a National Research Experience for Undergraduates Program in mathematics. They worked with Anthony Bosman, PhD, chair of the Department of Mathematics, to analyze the snake cube puzzle. The research involved making and proving mathematical conjectures about the puzzle using tools from graph theory, topology and combinatorics, as well as running a computational analysis of various solutions to the puzzle and its variants.

The student researchers included Camilo Alvarez and Trey Matus from Andrews University, Gio Maldonado from Union Adventist University and Marinela Cruz from Southern Adventist University. Jamie Shepard, a student from Andrews University, served as a research peer mentor for the other students.

This is the third year that the program has run at Andrews University under professor Bosman’s leadership, although this is the first summer that it has expanded to include students from peer universities. The program is funded through the Mathematical Association of America, which has provided nearly $100,000 in funding over the past three summers, covering the students’ housing expenses and providing each one with a stipend.

Cruz states, “One of my greatest motivators for participating in research this summer came from my interest in pursuing a PhD following my undergraduate studies and, thus, wanting to gain research experience. Although sometimes the results obtained were unexpected or deviated from the original goal, I discovered that this is the complex way in which mathematics research works, and I was able to learn much by pursuing a variety of questions and searching for answers to them.”

In addition to providing students with a funded research experience, the program also included professional development talks that encouraged the students to consider pursuing graduate school and exposed them to a variety of career opportunities. The summer program has emphasized serving students from underrepresented backgrounds in mathematics, creating opportunities for them to access the growing demand in mathematical careers. Student participants have gone on to present their summer research results at regional and national conferences, including the Joint Mathematics Meetings and Young Mathematicians Conference, and have submitted their findings for publication in peer-reviewed journals.

“I loved having the opportunity to interact with and learn alongside mathematicians who are in similar situations as I am,” says Alvarez. “It opened me to the idea of doing research as a career, which I had never considered before.”

Bosman comments, “We have graduates who participated in the program who are now pursuing doctoral degrees at some of the nation’s top mathematics programs, such as at Brown University and UCLA, as well as students who are pursuing a variety of other careers in technology, engineering, medicine and music.” He affirms, “While challenging, mathematics research trains students to think precisely and deeply, developing them into thinkers who can better serve humanity and love God with all their mind.”