This eight-week summer program, supported by the National Science Foundation, aims to give its participants a clear understanding of the world of mathematics, primarily through firsthand experience. The dates of the 2014 program are  June 15-August 9. Participants are grouped into research teams, led by a graduate student and the program director, and given added training by several experts. Teams engage in original research, of significant interest and potential impact. Participants receive a generous stipend ($5000 for undergraduates), room and partial board.  The application deadline is March 3. For more details and to apply online, visit the San Diego State University REU program page.

2014 Project: Arithmetic of Numerical Semigroups

The general area of study will be Number Theory, specifically Numerical Semigroups. A numerical semigroup is an additively closed subset of the nonnegative integers, such as {0,3,5,6,8,9,10,11,…}. We are concerned with arithmetic properties, such as what the irreducible elements are (3,5 in this example).