Students Complete NSF Research Experiences Across the Country

Two Eastern Connecticut State University students participated in Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs) funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) this summer. Mathematics major Haley Knox ’18 and Catherine Falvey ’17, who double majors in mathematics and economics, conducted research at Iowa State University and California State University respectively.

Knox’s project was titled “Ordered Multiplicity Inverse Eigenvalue Problem for Graphs on Six Vertices.” Alongside a team of undergraduate and graduate researchers, her project was in the field of mathematics known as combinatorial matrix theory, which is a mix of linear algebra and graph theory.

“It was a wonderful experience to live in Ames, IA, for eight weeks!” said Knox. “I enjoyed working in a group, and am grateful to have been able to join a new community in the middle of the country without financial burden. I learned a lot this summer and highly recommend that undergraduates studying mathematics apply for an REU before they graduate.”

Falvey’s project was titled “Probabilities Concerning Sets of Matrices.” At the Channel Islands campus of California State University, her team-based project involved linear algebra, number theory and abstract algebra.

“I am honored to have been able to work under a NSF grant,” said Falvey. “I gained valuable research experience as well as insight into working on a team. It was a change of pace from the typical semester because we focused on answering only one main question, and we worked on it every day. It gave us an idea of the ups and downs that come with doing research.”

Written by Michael Rouleau

Categories: Fellowships, Undergraduate Research