Kathleen Ryan, Ph.D., (above) assistant professor of mathematics, recently earned a $20,000 grant from the Center for Undergraduate Research in Mathematics (CURM).
The grant will be used for Ryan to conduct research with four DeSales undergraduate mathematics majors: Caroline Accurso ’19, David Siy ’18, Nicholas Speranza ’18, and Henry Wickus ’17. Each student will receive a stipend to work 10 hours per week throughout the 2016-2017 academic year.
The students will work on one of two projects proposed by Ryan. Both projects involve working on unsolved problems in Graph Theory, which is Ryan’s field of expertise.
The center will additionally cover the costs of all members of the research team to travel to the CURM Student Research Conference at Brigham Young University during the Spring 2017 semester to present the results of the research.
“Chipping away at such problems is a completely different experience than solving textbook problems and is precisely the type of experience that employers and graduate schools seek out in candidates,” says Ryan. “Thus, it is no surprise that research can impact the course of a student’s life and can open up doors to a flood of opportunities.
“My hope is that via this project, our students will grow in mathematical confidence and abilities, will discover the beauty of mathematics on an even deeper level. I am really excited to work with them and to see where this research leads.”
Located at Brigham Young University in Utah, CURM helps undergraduate students throughout the United States to be excited about the mathematical sciences, to complete their undergraduate degree and learn essential research skills, and to prepare them for success in graduate school and their careers.
Since its inception, CURM has provided financial support to 348 undergraduate students mentored by 110 professors from more than 79 universities and colleges nationwide.
“The students in our department constantly amaze me. In my opinion, they are the cream of the crop,” says Ryan. “By doing research in pure mathematics, they will have the chance to apply their talents and skills to problems that have not yet been solved.”