by Susie P. Gonzalez
photos by Vadim Ponomarenko of the Math Department
at Trinity University

Aug. 19, 2003 – Nearly 70 students spent most of their summer break in the classrooms and laboratories of Trinity University – but they weren’t doing course work for a grade. Students in the fields of biology, chemistry, computer science, mathematics, and physics were conducting research to enhance their academics and broaden their experiences.           

Trinity REU group in the math building at an Austrian University.

Seven students enrolled in the 2003 Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program conducted by the mathematics department spent 10 days in June at Karl-Franzens-Universitat in Graz, Austria, before returning to the Trinity campus for a seven-week exploration of a variety of math theorems and principles.         

Scott Chapman, professor of mathematics and director of Trinity’s REU program, said he warned the students before going to Austria that it would not be a vacation, and it wasn’t. The Austrian faculty members lectured for nearly four hours every day, using terms and concepts appropriate for graduate students, he said, adding, “This part of the program had an intense academic component.” Among the lecturing Austrian mathematicians was a professor who has written the definitive volume used in the math fields of ideal systems and monoids. Despite the stringent schedule, the enthusiasm of the Austrian professors “rubbed off” on the Trinity contingent, so that when they returned to San Antonio, “They were ready to work,” Professor Chapman said.

“Their work seems to have been considerable,” he said. The papers will be submitted for publication in a research-level mathematics journal, rather than a student-level journal.

In the field of mathematics, summer research allows students to go beyond the standard classroom practice of solving a numerical problem with a known solution. “In the summer, we give them problems where we don’t know if there’s an answer,” Professor Chapman said. “The work required to solve these types of problems might be incredibly higher than doing a problem out of a book.”  To find the answer, students might have to draw upon a variety of techniques – testing many without finding a solution – and look at the problem outside its original context. Such exercises add a richer dimension to the study of math and could serve as a springboard to graduate studies in math, he noted.

Melissa Banister, who will be a senior at Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, Calif., took part in the program and said the time spent in Austria was invaluable. “It was extremely good preparation to come back here,” she said. “This was one of the best summers I’ve ever had. This is such a high quality program. The professors give you the perfect amount of free reign to solve your problem. This school is all about the students. You can tell these professors love teaching.”

Terri Moore, who will be a senior at the University of Washington, completed a second summer in the sixth year of Trinity’s math REU program. This year, she was able to learn even more because the study time in Austria provided her with a breadth of knowledge about her chosen field – algebra – along with a stack of published papers she is able to read and comprehend. “I like the (Trinity math) department,” she said. “I like the field we’re in, and I don’t think I’ve seen any math as beautiful as algebra.”

Zachary Turner, who will be a senior at the University of Houston, said he plans to pursue a doctorate in mathematics after participating in the REU program. He was a computer science major but switched to math because he’s “always been good at it. And I think people should do whatever they excel in.”

Student research in all the science fields at Trinity was made possible because of stipends from a variety of sources, such as the National Science Foundation and the Welch Foundation, said Fred Loxsom, associate vice president of academic affairs and a professor of physics.  “Undergraduate research students are a major component of Trinity University's intellectual life this summer,” he said, noting that even more students were involved in full-time research off campus or in a part-time basis at Trinity. “Research participation experiences are an essential component of undergraduate education.”

The Trinity REU group enjoying the Austrian landscape and architecture.