Overview
ISU mathematics department offers 5 major sequences for undergraduate mathematics majors that are designed for different career goals in mind: Mathematics, Statistics, Math Teacher Education, Data Science and Computational Mathematics, and Actuarial Science. We also have a track for accelerated Masters program in Mathematics. Currently, we have about 350 majors and 50 minors in our department.
This page has some useful links and videos about ISU’s mathematics department.
A panoramic view of mathematics for high school students
In this presentation (aimed at high school students), I address the following questions.
- What is mathematics?
- Why should one study mathematics?
- What are the perks of pursing a career in mathematics?
- What is unique about ISU math programs?
Illlinois Summer Research Academy in Mathematics
This is a one-week virtual math research camp at ISU which has been designed for high school students who are interested in mathematics. Our main goal is to help students discover mathematics using a guided self-discovery approach.
Students will work in groups on projects assigned to them in geometry and number theory. They will engage in discussions, computations, proofs, and will also learn new mathematics. At the end of the week, they will present their research to ISU’s Mathematics department in a research seminar.
Jeff Barrett and I ran the 2020 ISRA online and we are planning to do it again. Interested high school students are encouraged to apply. Visit our ISRA page for application details.
Putnam Mathematical Competition
Putnam is widely acknowledged to be the toughest math competition for undergraduates in the US and Canada. I am in-charge of the Putnam Mathematical Competition at ISU. If you are an undergraduate student who enjoys solving challenging math problems, you should definitely take part in Putnam. For more information visit ISU Putnam homepage and contact me if you are interested.
Here are some pictures of the ISU math department’s Putnam teams. Some of these students went on to pursue a Ph.D. in mathematics (UIUC, Purdue, and Iowa State University).
Undergraduate Mathematics Colloquium
The undergraduate colloquium in mathematics at ISU is an excellent series for students who wish to broaden their mathematical horizons. Students will learn why mathematics is beautiful and also unreasonably effective.
The colloquium will feature talks on a variety of topics in mathematics, from algebra, number theory, and discrete mathematics to actuarial science, statistics, and biomathematics. The talks promise to be interesting and accessible to undergraduates, whether they are math majors or not.
We bring in guest speakers in academia and industry. Check out the schedule.
Undergraduate Research in Mathematics
The introduction to undergraduate research course is offered as MAT 268. This undergraduate research experience in Mathematics is a means by which students can pursue an advanced study in mathematics by participating in an on-going faculty research project.
Students gain experience in research methodology and benefit from one-on-one interaction with faculty. These experiences are typically opportunities for hands-on research.
Students present their research at the University Research Symposium at the Bone Student Center and also in the departmental seminars during the Spring semester.
Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU)
The Illinois State Math REU has been offered every summer since 2007. We typically offer an eight-week summer research experience for eight undergraduates majoring in secondary education in mathematics and for four in-service secondary mathematics teachers. The undergraduate participants will be recruited nationwide with an emphasis on institutions that serve primarily minority populations. Participants will explore several research topics in Discrete Mathematics with an emphasis on experimentation, conjecture, careful justification, and clear reporting.
The main objective of the project is to provide research opportunities for the participants, helping them become highly-qualified teachers who can meet national demands for increased student proficiency and can adapt to the changing needs of our technological society. An additional objective is to showcase positive teaching role models for the pre-service participants. Visit our REU page for more details.
Honors in Mathematics
I am the honors director in the department of mathematics. If you are an undergraduate mathematics major in the ISU honors program, you may be eligible for getting a departmental honors. Check this document for details and let me know if you are interested in this program.
Resources for students
- AIM textbooks: American Institute of Mathematics (AIM) has an excellent collection of free open-source mathematics textbooks.
- SAGEMATH: Sagemath is a great open-source software for mathematical computations. You can install the software to work offline. But if you want to do a quick calculation you can use either use sagecell or do computations on the cloud using cocalc.
- LaTeX: This is the gold standard for mathematical typesetting. It is best if you can install the software (you will need both backend and frontend). Or, if you want do it online, I recommend overleaf.
- Weusemath: Weusemath.org is a great resource for students looking for career paths in mathematics and related fields.