Mathematics

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Honors Project Course Information

MATH:498—Senior Honors Project: Mathematics (1–3 credits; may be repeated for up to six credits)
Prerequisites: Permission of Instructor

Directed study for senior student in the Honors Program. An introduction to research problems in mathematics and applied mathematics under the guidance of selected faculty.

General Comments

The purpose of the Honors project in Mathematics is to provide you with direct research experience in mathematics or applied mathematics. The following guide provides specific departmental requirements, expectations, and advice to prepare you to participate in the honors research experience in the Department of Mathematics.

The Department of Mathematics recommends that in the fall of the junior year,you seek out a faculty sponsor for your honors project and decide on a mentor/research project early in the spring semester. Sponsors for mathematics honors projects are generally faculty from the Department of Mathematics, but it is possible to find a sponsor from a different department. It is important to obtain permission from the Mathematics department’s Honors Faculty Advisor before beginning projects outside the Mathematics department. Summer internships have also been used as honors projects, but permission must be obtained before the project begins.

The Honors College requires that students and sponsors fill out the honors project proposal form on the Honors College web site in the beginning of their senior year. However, the Department of Mathematics strongly recommends that students have found a sponsor, and in many cases begun their research, far in advance of this deadline. It is important to begin the process of determining a project as early as possible because research projects may span several semesters.

Advisors and sponsors should set clear parameters with respect to expectations for the completion of your honors thesis. You should be sure to ask the potential sponsor how long the proposed research is expected to take to finish, how many honors thesis credits you should take and in which semester/s.

A formal written paper is required. There are no length restrictions on the paper, but 8–10 bibliography listings are expected, and all equations must be neatly typed. The goals of the writing process are to provide you with experience in

• Conducting library and/or internet searches of mathematical bibliographies;
• Reading and understanding mathematical ideas on your own, with a little guidance;
• Answering mathematical questions in a research setting;
• Writing problem statements, mathematical work, and conclusions using a format and style suitable for publication.

You may also be asked to present their work in a poster presentation hosted by the Honors College or the University.

Timeline and Schedule

In general, the grade for the project is usually based upon completion of the written paper. An honors project in mathematics or applied mathematics is usually 2 or 3 credits, and generally spans two semesters. Expect to spend up to 10 hours per week working on your project. For projects that extend past one semester, you will receive the grade of in progress (IP) for the first semester and subsequent semesters until the project is finished.

The process begins with the submission of the research proposal to the Honors College. Each proposal will identify the faculty sponsor and two faculty readers. The role of the readers is to give feedback and suggest changes for the final project. As a result, the readers and your sponsor should be provided copies of your thesis in its final stages at least 8 weeks before grades are due (for spring graduates this would typically be the first week of March). You should expect to make several iterations of changes after your readers give you feedback on the project – that is a normal part of technical writing. You should be prepared to provide your sponsor and readers with a final draft for review at least three weeks before grades are due. The completed project must be signed by all readers and submitted according to the deadlines set by the Honors College.

If the project sponsor believes that progress toward completion of the research and final written results has not been demonstrated by the 8 week deadline, or if any reader feels that significant additional work needs to be done prior to completion, the sponsor can recommend delaying graduation.

General Guidelines

• You must receive a grade of "B" or higher on your Honors Research Project to graduate as an Honors Scholar. If you do not achieve this grade you may still meet the requirements to graduate as an undergraduate student in your major. Please contact your Honors Advisor for more information.
• When there are multiple students involved in an Honors Research Project, each student should be included as authors on the final report, even if they are not part of the Williams Honors College. Every student should receive the proper recognition for thier contributions.
• Every committee must be composed of a Sponsor and two Readers. More information on these roles is available here.
• Students expecting to work on an honors project involving the use of human subjects should be aware that such projects may need to be evaluated by the University of Akron Institutional Review Board (IRB). The IRB reviews all proposals for research involving human participants to insure appropriate ethical and safety standards are observed. Depending on the nature of the proposed research, IRB review and approval may be required prior to moving forward with your study. In the same way, any research involving live animals will require review by the University of Akron Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (ACUC). Please communicate with your project sponsor regarding the need for IRB or ACUC consideration as it relates to your specific project. Information concerning research applications and review procedures can be obtained via the University of Akron Office of Research Administration (ORA).