The Directed Reading Program

The Directed Reading Program (DRP) is a one-on-one mathematics mentoring program that allows undergraduates to work on semester-long independent reading projects under the guidance of graduate students. The first DRP was founded by two graduate students at the University of Chicago in 2003 and has now spread to over a dozen institutions across the United States.

The Goal

The goal of the DRP is to broaden participation in mathematics and allow undergraduates to explore topics in higher level mathematics. At its foundation is informality: we understand that the classroom environment can be limiting, while formal research projects for credit with APMA faculty might seem daunting, especially for students who have never worked on a research project before. The DRP allows students to explore and discuss new mathematical concepts in a stress-free, casual environment.

The Program

The Division of Applied Mathematics (APMA) first offered the Directed Reading Program to undergraduates in the Fall 2018 semester and plans to offer it every fall and spring semester. Participants are typically paired off with mentors early in the semester and meet with their mentors once per week to discuss progress. All participants are required to give a brief 10-minute presentation of their work to their peers at the end of the semester.

Deadlines

We solicit applications for the fall semester in early September and the spring semester in late January.