School of Arts and Sciences
Department of Mathematics

The Directed Reading Program (DRP)

The Directed Reading Program (DRP) will pair an undergraduate with a graduate student to work on a joint reading project during the term. The program is modeled on something started at the University of Chicago over 15 years ago. At other universities, and at Tufts in the past, the program has been a huge success at helping students interested in mathematics get exposure to beautiful topics beyond the classroom, as well as connect peers and mentors. The DRP runs for a full semester and is offered in fall and spring semesters.

For Undergraduate Students

The projects span many fields of math, and we have intentionally kept the background required minimal for many of them. If you are interested in a topic outside of the ones currently suggested, please let the organizers know!

If you participate, we'll purchase a copy of the book you will be reading for you and your mentor. You should expect to spend about 3-5 hours each week on your project: one hour meeting with your mentor and the rest on independent work. At the end of the semester, undergraduate participants will give a short presentation on their project at the DRP Symposium held each semester.

Please note: Undergraduate students who are math majors or are on the undergraduate email list will receive information about the DRP project proposals and application information. Students not on this email list may contact the graduate student organizers (Bryan or Torie) expressing their interest.

For Graduate Students

DRP Mentors are responsible for proposing possible reading projects, meeting weekly with their mentee, and overseeing end-of-semester presentations. The time commitment is fairly low, usually 1-2 hours per week for the graduate student. The department will purchase a copy of the book for you and your undergraduate, but keep the cost of the books low. This is a great opportunity to get some mentorship experience and do some math outside of your research or usual coursework!

Current Graduate Student Organizers

Current Faculty Advisor

Timeline

  1. Graduate students will be solicited for project proposals approximately 2 weeks prior to the semester starting.
  2. Undergraduates on the math undergraduates email list will be notified of project proposals the first week of classes.
  3. Undergraduates will have approximately 1 week to apply.
  4. Matching mentors and mentees will happen shortly after.
  5. There will be a welcome meeting approximately the following week for undergraduate students who are accepted for that semester.
  6. Mentors and mentees will meet for approximately 9-10 weeks reading an advanced text.
  7. The symposium where undergraduates will present what they learned that semester will take place the second to last or last week of classes. All faculty, staff, graduate and undergraduate students are invited to attend. Undergraduate outreach is an important part of the work that the department does, so coming out and supporting the undergraduate mentees would be a great way participate in outreach.

Application Process

We are planning to run an iteration of the Directed Reading Program (DRP) this spring; mentor applications are now open!

The DRP pairs graduate student mentors with undergraduate mentees. Over the course of a semester, the undergraduate mentee works through part of a math book/paper/notes with the guidance of a graduate student mentor. The DRP culminates in short presentations given by all the mentees at the end of the semester.

DRP Mentors are responsible for proposing possible reading projects, meeting weekly with their mentee, and overseeing end-of-semester presentations. The time commitment is fairly low, usually 1-2 hours per week for the graduate student. This is a great opportunity to get some mentorship experience and do some math outside of your research or usual coursework!

If you’d like to participate as a mentor, please fill out the DRP Mentor Application form.

To be considered, you must complete the application by Monday, January 20, 2025.

Some things to consider:

  • You must complete the DRP Mentor Application form and propose projects/source material, including a brief description of the project. Please list any prerequisites for the project as well. What you write will be advertised to the undergrads. There are examples in the DRP Mentor Application form.
  • Remember that you are pitching your topic to undergraduates.
  • The department will purchase a copy of the book for you and your undergraduate, but keep the cost of the books low. As a reminder we can get some discounted books via Springer MyCopy, SIAM, and the AMS.
  • You can propose multiple projects, but in the end can only mentor for one of them.
  • You are expected to spend 1-2 hours per week preparing to meet with your mentee, an hour per week meeting with them, attend occasional events, and oversee the end-of-semester presentation.

Please consider applying to be a mentor, it is a great experience! Feel free to reach out to Torie Cristante or Bryan Rust with any questions.