Math Major Newsletter - Fall 2025 Week 5

Auto Owners tech summit

This newsletter comes to your inbox each week from the GVSU math department. You can find past newsletters and information about previously announced events and opportunities at the newsletter webpage.

Friday!Math lawn games! 1 - 2 pm this Friday September 26.

Meet in the PCS (MAK A-2-610), then we'll move to the Kindschi north lawn together. Enjoy lawn games and refreshments with math students and faculty.

All are welcome - feel free to join or leave any time!

Find these on the calendar of math major events (add it to your calendar at http://gvsu.edu/s/25s).

new! Wednesday October 1: Mathematical Murder Mystery with the Math & Stats Club. 6 pm in the PCS. Free pizza, free drinks, free mystery! Come any time, leave any time.
Friday October 3: Applied Math Seminar: Math & Electronic Trading. 1 - 2 in the PCS.
Every Friday at 1pm in the Peer Collaboration Space (MAK A-2-610). The math department hosts events throughout the semester on Fridays at 1pm. Keep this time available so you can attend. Everyone is welcome!

Friday, October 17: Auto Owners Tech Summit, 10 am - 4 pm on-site in Lansing. Free!

Learn about job and internship opportunities from Auto Owners Insurance, while touring their South Lansing campus. Auto Owners has hired many GVSU math majors both for internships and permanent jobs -- it's worth the trip!

Registration required by October 13; click the button for details and to register.

What can you do with a math major? Check out job and salary info from GVSU alumni:

October 8: Teach in Tanzania info session! (study abroad) Information Session, 7 - 8 pm in the PCS: Future math teachers can study abroad in Tanzania, put your skills into practice, and have the adventure of a lifetime! (Plus, you can earn class and capstone credit.) Curious? Fill out this interest form to connect with us and get on our email list and learn more on the study abroad website.
Upcoming career events of interest to math majors:
- Wednesday October 1: State of Michigan Careers, 11 am - 12:30 pm in Kirkhof Pere Marquette Room. Learn about jobs in the Michigan state government.
- Tuesday October 14: Career Fair! 1 - 5 pm in DeVos Place, downtown Grand Rapids.
- Employer of the day: A new employer comes to campus every week.
Career and internship opportunities for math majors. Reminder: Internships for Summer 2026 open right now and fill fast. Apply to these quickly!
- Community-Based Work Study: If you are eligible for work study, this is a chance to earn money and make a difference in your community. See the link for a list of employers and how to apply.
Applied Math Capstone opportunities: Applied math majors should read these right away!
- Register soon for MTH 498 - Project-based Applied Mathematics (Capstone). Applied math majors who intend to graduate by Fall 2026 need to take MTH 498 this winter.
- Capstone credit for your internship (MTH 490): Applied math majors can get capstone credit for a mathy internship. The process to get approved for MTH 490 takes time -- email or talk to Dr. Clark right away to get the process started. Don't wait!
The GVSU Career Center can help you find career and internship opportunities:
- Career Communities: Tailored communication about job & internship postings, events, and resources related to the industry area you are interested in. New communities have been added for Education; Engineering, Technology, & Data; and Science and Research.
- CareerLab offers drop-in hours virtually and in-person.

ScholarshipUniverse is GVSU's main website for finding and applying for scholarships. You can search by all kinds of filters and find matches for your major, minor, or other criteria.

MI Future Educator Fellowship. A $10,000 scholarship for future educators, renewable for up to three years. There is a commitment to teach in a Michigan school as part of the fellowship. This fellowship depends on the State of Michigan's budget, which is not yet finalized.
MI Future Educator Stipend. This $9,600 one-time stipend is for students in their student teaching ("internship") semester. This stipend depends on the State of Michigan's budget, which is not yet finalized.
Unpaid Internship Support. If you find an internship and register for MTH 490 but aren't paid for it, you can apply for funding from the college! There are many details; click the link for more.

MTH 296: Introduction to Mathematical Research
Winter 2026, Monday & Wednesday 3 - 4:15 pm

Curious about what mathematical research is and how it works? Want to learn more about the life of a professor?

MTH 296 is a brand new class offered in Winter 2026. You'll take part in a hands-on research project and learn about grad school, research, and more.

This class is required for new theoretical math majors (starting 2025-26) and can be an elective for any math major. This class is ideal for anyone curious about research who hasn't yet done a research project.

See Dr. Clark if you're interested!

new! Undergraduate Mathematics Day: November 8, register by Friday October 31. The University of Dayton hosts this conference for students interested in math research. There are opportunities to give a presentation, keynote speakers, and more. Registration includes a free lunch. Interested? Talk with an advisor or mentor and register soon!
new! Kindschi Research Fellowship: Applications for Winter 2026 are due November 14. This offers funding (pay!) for 5-10 hours of research per week during a semester or an entire year, plus extra funds to support dissemination and travel. Start by talking with a potential research mentor as soon as possible.
Graduate school information: Interested in graduate school? Did you know that most math graduate programs are funded (that is, they pay you to complete a masters or doctorate)? Talk with your advisor or Dr. Clark and use these resources too.
- Finding graduate programs: Looking for graduate programs to apply to? Here are two websites that will help find and filter graduate programs that are right for you: USA/Canada Math PhD Programs GRE Requirements and AMS Find Grad Programs.
- Learning about graduate school: Want to learn more about what graduate school is and how to prepare for it? Try these sites: Grad Guide (advice on applying to graduate school), STEM Graduate Programs website (help creating resumes, applying to fellowships, and more).

Put these dates on your calendar!

Tuesday October 14: Career Fair! 1 - 5 pm in DeVos Place, downtown Grand Rapids.
October 19 - 21: Fall break! No classes.
November 7 at 5 pm: Last day to withdraw from classes with a "W" grade.

One important thing to know:
MTTC tests for education majors

Math education students: You should aim to complete your content area MTTC (Michigan Test for Teacher Certification) as soon as possible after completing your math coursework. This is typically after your junior year and before starting your TA (apprenticeship) semester.

You will need to pass all MTTC tests corresponding to your certification grade band(s) and subject area(s).

Math grades 5-12, take: MTTC #133 (grades 5-9) and MTTC #131 (grades 7-12).
Elementary teachers: there are multiple tests. Here is information for grades PK-3 and grades 3-6 .

For the full list of tests aligned with GVSU programs, and for additional resources, visit the GVSU MTTC Information page.

If you have any doubts about which test to take, ask the experts in the Office of Certification and Accreditation (OCA) for guidance!