Bob Gaines Undergraduate Research Fellowship
in Mathematics
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS
The Bob Gaines Undergraduate Research Fellowship has been established to support undergraduates majoring in Mathematics, Computer Science, Biology, Engineering, or Economics, who actively pursue research under the guidance of a Colorado State University Mathematics faculty member. Dr. Gaines joined the Department of Mathematics faculty in 1967 and was Chair for 20 years. He was Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs when he died suddenly at the age of 59 years on April 29, 2001. He was a consummate scholar and teacher. The fund was established in recognition of his lifelong dedication to student learning and achievement.
The goal is to give undergraduates an opportunity to work one-on-one with faculty on mathematics research. Awards are up to $1,000. Additional funds may be available for travel expenses, if the student presents results at a professional meeting. Interested students may already be actively working on research, but this is certainly not required. Students wishing to take advantage of this opportunity should find a Mathematics faculty member to sponsor their research and support their application.
Student eligibility requirements:
- Enrolled as a full-time student majoring in Mathematics, Computer Science, Biological Science, Zoology, Engineering, or Economics at Colorado State University. Preference will be given to students with sophomore or junior status.
- Have the support of a research mentor who has a regular faculty appointment in the Department of Mathematics at Colorado State University.
- Suggest and then carry out a research project in mathematics.
- A recipient must enroll for 3 research credits in the year the work is done.
Applications should consist of:
- A completed application cover page - download the Word Cover Page or PDF Cover Page.
- A description of the planned research in the student's own words. Students should write in a clear and simple style understandable to someone with a mathematics background but no particular expertise in the topic area. The essay should describe simply what the work entails, why it is important, and why the student wants to do it. Keep it brief, not more than 2 pages.
- A letter of support from the research mentor, describing the merits of the proposal, qualifications of the student, plans for disseminating the results (e.g. meetings, publications), and the professor's mentoring plan for the student (e.g. meetings, workshops, courses, etc.);
- A copy of the student’s academic transcript (an unofficial copy from RamWeb is fine). There is no minimum GPA required for this award.
Criteria used by the Selection Committee include:
- Quality of the student's description of the research.
- Strength of the faculty mentor's letter of support.
- Student’s academic record and potential for research.
Finalists may be interviewed to determine the awardees.
All application materials must be submitted to the Gaines Fellowship Selection Committee, College of Natural Sciences, 117 Statistics, Campus Delivery 1801 by March 2, 2009. Direct inquiries to Dr. Donald Mykles, Associate Dean, College of Natural Sciences (Donald.Mykles@ColoState.edu).