Focused Research Communities for Undergraduates

In the summers of 2025 and 2027, LSU will host a regionally-focused, two-week undergraduate Focused Research Community summer school or FRC Jr. The FRC Jr. will begin on a Monday and conclude the Friday of the following week (for a total stay of 12 days). FRC Jr.'s are ideal for students nearing the end of their second or third year of undergraduate study and aim to help participants both learn a new and interesting body of mathematics and develop robust communication skills.

Participants will be divided into 3 clusters, each consisting of 2 faculty mentors and 6 undergraduates, for a total of 24 participants. Each cluster will focus on learning a specific topic. Topics will be chosen to ensure that students with a range of mathematical backgrounds and maturity levels can participate substantively. Participation will be open to undergraduates at any US institution but we hope that many students from regional institutions will take part.

Each FRC Jr. will provide a number of opportunities for student professional development. In addition to training students to communicate scientific results through written and oral communication, mentors will focus specifically on developing students' mathematical fluency, i.e., gut-level understandings of what certain mathematical statements are saying and why one might expect them to be true, independent of a complete and rigorous proof. Students will also receive basic training in LATEX and mathematical software (whenever applicable).

Numerous team building activities will be incorporated into the FRC Jr., to ensure that participants have a healthy and well-rounded experience. Some examples include: a BBQ or crawfish boil at a professor’s home; a swamp-boat tour; or hike in a local wilderness area. Additionally, we hope to also involve many regional participants in our directed reading program as part of our regional undergraduate mentoring network.

More information will be available here as dates and plans for these events crystalizes.