Undergraduate Complexity Research (UCR): Difference between revisions

Revision as of 19:20, 18 February 2020

Undergraduate Complexity Research (UCR) 2020

2020 UNDERGRADUATE COMPLEXITY RESEARCH
June 7 - August 15, 2020

Program Overview

The Santa Fe Institute (SFI) Undergraduate Complexity Research (UCR) program focuses on computational and mathematical modeling of complex systems, often paired with the analysis and collection of diverse domain-specific data. The program aims to empower the next generation of mathematically and computationally sophisticated researchers.

SFI research involves a mixture of computational simulations, mathematical modeling, and the analysis of data. Applications are in fields as diverse as ecology and economics but with the unifying theme of complexity science. Drawing on SFI’s research strengths, the UCR program offers a guided introduction to the analytic and computational tools to interrogate complex systems, and experience in applying those tools to a novel research question under the guidance of SFI mentor(s).

In particular, UCR participants will gain experience:

• Designing a mathematical model of a physical, biological, or social system

• Identifying opportunities to solve this model exactly or approximately

• Coding and running simulations of the model

• Recognizing assumptions behind a given mathematical technique

• Assessing applicability of a given modeling approach to the system of interest

• Designing computational experiments with an understanding of uncertainty and noise

• Comparing results to theoretical predictions and real-world datasets

• Exploring a model’s parameter space

• Formulating new hypotheses based on the results of the simulations

• Synthesizing results of models or simulations to support or refute hypotheses

UCR participants are in residence in Santa Fe for approximately 10 weeks, from June to August, 2020. The majority of this time will be spent working on a independent research project under the guidance of SFI mentors. Prior to arriving at SFI, participants are asked to complete SFI's online course “Introduction to Complexity.” Throughout the summer, participants will attend skills tutorials, topical lectures, research seminars, group discussions and professional development workshops. 

The REU program at SFI is one of the weirdest places that you can spend your summer, and it is the type of opportunity that can be offered no where else on this Earth. You will be stretched intellectually and welcomed into the SFI family with open arms. Your fellow REUs will help show you new ways of thinking and together you will create a summer that will be some of the best months of you life. -- 2018 REU

Support: Housing and a meal plan will be provided, at no cost to the student, in double-occupancy rooms with shared bathrooms at a nearby college in Santa Fe. Modest living stipends will also be provided to interns during their stay, along with some support of round-trip travel expenses from the home institution. Because Santa Fe lacks a full public transportation system, we encourage those interns who can bring their private transportation to do so.

Eligibility: For the purposes of this program, an undergraduate student is one who is enrolled in a degree program (part-time or full-time) leading to a bachelor's degree. Students transferring from one institution to another who are enrolled at neither institution during the intervening summer may participate. College seniors graduating in Spring 2018 are not eligible. High school graduates who have been accepted at an undergraduate institution but who have not yet started their undergraduate study are also eligible to participate. Strong mathematical skills and experience with a programming language are favorably considered. Students from all backgrounds in the physical, natural, and social sciences are invited to participate. Applicants are welcome from any country. International students will need to be sponsored on an F-1 visa by their home institution (contact your international office at your university to inquire about CPT/OPT status). Women and minority students are encouraged to apply.

For further information about the program, please e-mail education@santafe.edu, or call (505) 946-2726.

The Santa Fe Institute REU Program is supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Number ACI-1358567, Arizona State University, and the Santa Fe Institute.

Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation or Arizona State University

@@ Line 12: / Line 12: @@
 '''Program Overview''' <br>
-The ability to mathematically model complex systems has become a prerequisite to successful science in any field. Writing a simulation is not enough; career scientists today should be able to analyze results, recognize statistical regularities, formulate conjectures, and pursue possible proofs about why these conjectures are true. This hands-on summer program will give you a toolbox for understanding and using mathematical modeling in complex systems and your discipline.
+The Santa Fe Institute (SFI) Undergraduate Complexity Research (UCR) program focuses on computational and mathematical modeling of complex systems, often paired with the analysis and collection of diverse domain-specific data. The program aims to empower the next generation of mathematically and computationally sophisticated researchers.
-The Santa Fe Institute’s Undergraduate Fellowship uses an integrated approach. The program is transdisciplinary, with problems, methods, and data sets drawn from across science. You will move back and forth freely along a spectrum of methods learning how to: <br>
-<br>
-- Design a mathematical model of a physical, biological or social system<br>
+SFI research involves a mixture of computational simulations, mathematical modeling, and the analysis of data. Applications are in fields as diverse as ecology and economics but with the unifying theme of complexity science. Drawing on SFI’s research strengths, the UCR program offers a guided introduction to the analytic and computational tools to interrogate complex systems, and experience in applying those tools to a novel research question under the guidance of SFI mentor(s).
-- Identify opportunities to solve this model exactly or approximately<br>
-- Code and run simulations of the model<br>
-- Analyze your simulations’ running time and memory use to improve their efficiency<br>
+In particular, UCR participants will gain experience:
-- Test results against theoretical predictions and real-world data sets<br>
-- Formulate new conjectures based on your results and try to prove or disprove them<br>
+•	Designing a mathematical model of a physical, biological, or social system
-<br>
-This program is of special interest to you if you’re from computer science (CS), pure and applied mathematics, and physics, and we also welcome applicants from chemistry, quantitative biology, and social science. We aim to build your capacity for computational and mathematical modeling, and train you within a group who will support each other in building a wide range of skills. For example, CS students can help mathematics students with their programming, mathematics students can help physics and CS students with their theoretical analyses, and biology or social science students can help others to ground their models in reality. We want you to recognize that what may be easy for you can be intimidating to others and vice versa; we want to help you build knowledge collaboratively to become fearless about learning new skills and acquiring tools and techniques beyond your current comfort zone.<br>
+•	Identifying opportunities to solve this model exactly or approximately
+•	Coding and running simulations of the model
+•	Recognizing assumptions behind a given mathematical technique
+•	Assessing applicability of a given modeling approach to the system of interest
+•	Designing computational experiments with an understanding of uncertainty and noise
+•	Comparing results to theoretical predictions and real-world datasets
+•	Exploring a model’s parameter space
+•	Formulating new hypotheses based on the results of the simulations
+•	Synthesizing results of models or simulations to support or refute hypotheses
 [[Image:2018 reu lunch 158.jpg|450px|{border}]]
-Participants are in residence in Santa Fe for approximately 10 weeks, from June to August, 2020. Your main work will be a small-group research project working with SFI mentors. Prior to your SFI residency you will be asked to complete SFI’s MOOC “Introduction to Complexity.” You will also attend tutorials on fundamental topics related to complexity science and professional development throughout the summer.
+UCR participants are in residence in Santa Fe for approximately 10 weeks, from June to August, 2020. The majority of this time will be spent working on a independent research project under the guidance of SFI mentors. Prior to arriving at SFI, participants are asked to complete SFI's online course “Introduction to Complexity.” Throughout the summer, participants will attend skills tutorials, topical lectures, research seminars, group discussions and professional development workshops.
+''The REU program at SFI is one of the weirdest places that you can spend your summer, and it is the type of opportunity that can be offered no where else on this Earth. You will be stretched intellectually and welcomed into the SFI family with open arms. Your fellow REUs will help show you new ways of thinking and together you will create a summer that will be some of the best months of you life.'' -- 2018 REU
 <br>
-"Over the summer I studied scientific papers and books in order to gain the background information that was needed to do my research project. I did a lot of programming as well. However, the most memorable part of the summer for me was the atmosphere at the Santa Fe Institute. I was surrounded by fascinating ideas and immersed in lively debates daily!"<br>
--Ronnie Garduño, 2011 REU cohort <br>
 [[Image:2018 reu student monolith.jpg|450px|{border}]]

Undergraduate Complexity Research (UCR): Difference between revisions

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Revision as of 19:20, 18 February 2020