REU Site: DIMACS REU in Algorithms from Foundations to Applications

This project builds on the long-running Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program at DIMACS, the Center for Discrete Mathematics and Theoretical Computer Science at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. The program provides a rich scientific and cultural experience to ten outstanding undergraduates each year mentored by faculty from several Rutgers departments and DIMACS industrial partners.

The scientific goals of the project are mainly focused on algorithms and complexity, emphasizing the traditional strengths of DIMACS in theoretical computer science, applied in settings that include social networks, DNA analysis, prediction markets, and others. Student research spans both theory and applications showcasing algorithms in big data analytics, privacy and cybersecurity, bioinformatics, machine learning, and analysis of algorithms for streaming and privacy. In addition to involving mentors from different areas and even different disciplines, the program integrates activities with nearby industry partners, it recruits graduate students who act as assistant mentors, and combines with other Rutgers undergraduate research programs to add cultural diversity and an international element, through partnership with the European-funded CoSP program which is led by the Department of Applied Mathematics in Charles University, Prague.

The program immerses students in a unique multidisciplinary environment for conducting research on the design, analysis, and use of algorithms. A carefully planned schedule offers students a rich research experience that combines one-to-one mentoring with seminars, workshops, field trips, and other activities for a broad and enriching scientific experience. The program makes a special effort to recruit members of groups underrepresented in computer science as well as students from institutions with limited opportunity for undergraduate research, through contacts with minority-serving institutions and announcements to relevant mailing lists and websites. In addition to leading to scientific papers and talks, new collaborations are developed with mentors, graduate student assistant mentors and program coordinators. Involving graduate student assistant mentors and postdocs develops the mentoring skills of junior researchers, while offering the REU participants the ability to directly observe graduate student life. An important goal of this program is to build awareness of graduate school and the breadth of options for post-graduate careers and research. In this way, the program informs the students on choices about further education and future careers, and gives them the foundation and confidence to pursue these choices.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.