About the Mathematics Program
Research Opportunities
Get a taste of what research in mathematics is like, develop your mathematical intuition and learn about different fields of math! You'll get to work closely with mathematicians and other students who like mathematics, and even present your research at meetings or conferences. Research looks great on your resume whether you are applying for a job, or for graduate school. And best of all, you can get paid to do it.
You can work with a Westminster math professor during the semester or summer on a topic of your choosing, or participate in a summer REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) at one of many programs across the country.
To work with someone at Westminster, just talk to them directly and tell them what you are interested in doing. If you don't have any ideas, ask us! Here are some recent projects:
- Lexi Pasi and Diandre Ryan - Mas worked on numerical solutions of higher order differential equations with reproducing kernel solutions under Richard Wellman's guidance, and presented their work at the Joint Meetings of the AMS in Baltimore in January 2014.
- Matt Wentzel, Lexi Pasi and Kirkwood Donavin found differential equations with reproducing kernel solutions under the guidance of Richard Wellman. Lexi presented her work at the Joint Meetings of the AMS in January 2013.
- Sarah Martin Dorich conducted research on the arrow polynomial of periodic virtual links under the guidance of Sean Raleigh, and presented her talk "Algebraic and Combinatorial Invariants of Knots" at the AMS Central Section meeting in St. Louis, MO in October, 2013.
- Sean Groathouse analyzed optimal strategies for the Colonel Blotto Game under the guidance of Janine Wittwer in the summer of 2012.
Current Student Resources
Scholarships
S-Cubed
Computer Science, Mathematics, and Physics program students graduating by 2022 can apply for the S-Cubed scholarship sponsored by the National Science Foundation. Recipients benefit from mentoring from industry professionals, support to attend a national conference, and collaboration with a strong cohort of peers.
On-Campus Math Help
Math, Physics and Computer Science Tutor Center
On-Campus Activities—Get Involved!
- QUARC
- Putnam Competition: This is an undergraduate national exam given every December. We offer a 1-credit preparation course during the fall semester. Contact Jonas D'Andrea (Meldrum 274) for more information.
- Mathematical Contest in Modeling (MCM): This is a 96-hour international, undergraduate, team competition held every February. We welcome participants from any majors. We begin preparing for this contest in late October. Contact Janine Wittwer (Foster 321) for more information.
What Can I do with a Math Degree?
- WeUseMath.org: Get more info on all things math related, including a long list of careers that require math.
- Math Matters, Apply It!: Explore a great series of mathematical topics put together by the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics.
- Actuarial Science: Get the information you need to learn how to get into a profession that consistently ranks near the top in terms of job satisfaction.
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5 Unique Careers in Mathematics: Explore interesting career paths accessible to those with a degree in mathematics.
Professional Organizations
Mathematicians have a wide variety of interests, so there is a correspondingly wide variety of professional organizations to support those interests! Most of these organizations have very inexpensive student memberships - always a good thing to consider. They also have very helpful websites with a lot of resources for students about careers, graduate schools, and so on.
- Mathematical Association of America (MAA): The MAA's mission is "to advance the mathematical sciences, especially at the collegiate level."
- American Mathematical Society (AMS): The AMS focuses more on advancing research in mathematics.
- Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM): AWM's mission is "to encourage women and girls to study and to have active careers in the mathematical sciences."
- National Association of Mathematicians (NAM): NAM is dedicated to "promoting the mathematical development of underrepresented American minorities"
- INFORMS: The home of data analytics, operations research, and management science
- American Statistical Association (ASA): If you're interested in statistics, be sure to check out this one.
- Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM): Great things here about applied math of all sorts
- Society for Mathematical Biology: Just what it says!
- Society of Actuaries (SOA)
- Casualty Actuarial Society (CAS)
Summer Opportunities
It's great if you can spend at least one summer during college doing research or an internship related to your major. We offer research opportunities on campus - just talk to any math faculty member. Applications for funding are due in March. Alternatively, there are many opportunities for research and internships off campus. See the links below for just a few of these, and talk to any math faculty member for more ideas. The earliest deadlines are in October, but most are January/February.
- Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs): These summer research programs hosted at colleges and universities across the country combine high-level research with great graduate school and career exploration opportunities.
- Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships (SULI): This program provides internships at any of 17 DOE national labs, involving state-of-the-art research. Internships are available for all technical majors.
- National Security Agency Internships: The NSA employees the most PhDs of any organization in the country. If you're interested in national security issues, this is the place to go! The deadline for the Director's Summer Program is October 15, so this is one to think about early in the fall.
Meet the Faculty
Spencer Bagley
Associate Professor
Bill Bynum, MA
Associate Professor
Jonas D'Andrea, Ph.D
Professor
Sean Raleigh, Ph.D
Professor
Bianca Thompson
Associate Professor
Janine Wittwer
Professor