Math Major Newsletter - Winter 2026 Week 11

Estimathon, Student Scholars Day, and more!

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.

Registration continues this week! Do you have a plan? Here are some things to do:

Know when your registration window opens. Hint: If you can't register for a class, it might be because your registration window isn't open yet.
Meet with your advisor to make a class plan.
Meet with a professional advisor: if you are in your first year -- including transfer -- you must do this.
Learn how to request overrides. If you need permission to join a class (like MTH 498), or will take its prerequisite during the summer, you can request an override to join the class now.

You should register for classes right away. Missing an important class can delay your graduation by a semester or even a year.

By registering now, you also help ensure smaller upper-level classes run next year. If you're excited about a math elective, register for it now!

Reminder: If you're interested in MTH 409: Real Analysis II in Winter 2027, fill out the form very soon!

Friday April 3, 1 - 2:30 pm in the PCS (MAK A-2-610). How good is your guess? Combine trivia and critical thinking in this team contest.

Bring your own team or join a team when you arrive. Free t-shirts and pizza provided!

Next Wednesday April 8: This is a day filled with student presentations and posters about their research.

Check out this special session with 6 math presentations on Wednesday April 8, 2 - 4 pm in Kirkhof Center 2263 (come or leave between any presentations). Support your friends and classmates and find out what they have been up to! Snacks will be provided.

There are many more presentations by math and stats majors, including:

Simon Vu: Option Pricing Models Using Fractional Calculus, 12 - 12:30 pm, KC 2266.

You can search for more presentations in the SSD schedule.

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

tonight! Math & Stats Club Presentation Night: Wednesday April 1, 6 pm, in the PCS.
Grad School Panel: Friday April 10, 1 - 2 pm in the PCS. Hear from seven of our recent graduates who are now in grad school. What is grad school like? What should you know?
There's an event every Friday at 1 in the PCS! The math department hosts events throughout the semester on Fridays at 1pm in the PCS (MAK A-2-610). Keep this time available so you can attend. Everyone is welcome!

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

SOC 380: Global Career Accelerator. This 6-credit online course (spring/summer and fall) complements academic studies with industry-based projects. You'll build practical experience that could also lead to internships or jobs.
Consumers Credit Union is hiring. They have a GVSU location with part-time positions.
OURS Ambassador: The Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship is looking for students to help promote undergraduate research. If you've completed a research project and want to share your excitement about research, this is a good opportunity. Includes a $1000 tuition grant. Apply by April 10.
Career & Internship Info: If you're looking for a summer internship or a post-graduation job, now is the time to do it! Here are some resources to help:
- Resources to find an internship: Handshake, the Career Center, LinkedIn and Indeed, plus the Career & Internship fair.
- The GVSU Career Center can help you find career and internship opportunities via their many events, including Career Communities and CareerLab.
- Capstone credit for your internship (MTH 490): Applied math majors who are planning to do an internship might be able to earn capstone credit! If your internship is "mathy" and meets some other requirements, you can get capstone class credit (MTH 490) for that internship. Click the link for more information. The process to get approved for MTH 490 takes time -- if you intend to apply for a MTH 490 internship capstone, email or talk to Dr. Short right away to get the process started. Don't wait!
- Unpaid Internship Support. If you find an internship and register for MTH 490 but aren't paid for it, you can apply for up to $1500. There are many details; click the link for more.
- 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.
- Employer of the Day: Informal opportunities to connect with potential employers.

Month of Math: Do you like problem solving? Sign up for free to receive challenging math problems for five weeks, starting April 13.
MI Future Educator Stipend. Applications are now open for this $9,600 one-time stipend is for students in their student teaching ("internship") semester.
MI Future Educator Fellowship. Applications are now open for 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.

Reminder: Are you interested in MTH 409: Real Analysis II? We are collecting interest in offering MTH 409: Real Analysis 2 in Winter 2027 (prerequisite: MTH 408: Real Analysis 1, which is offered in Fall 2026). This class is ideal for any math major considering graduate school. That includes statistics double-majors (it includes measure theory, often used in statistics), and anyone who just plain loves theoretical math! If you're interested in taking MTH 409, please fill out the interest form. We need to show that there's enough interest to offer the class in Winter 2027.
University of Wisconsin-Madison has a brand new Masters in Applied & Computational Math. They're still accepting applications on a rolling basis.
The 4th International Mathematics and Statistics Student Research Symposium: Saturday, April 11, 2026 online. IMSSRS is free and welcomes students to present research, explore current research topics, and connect with peers worldwide. Visit our website or see our conference flyer for more info.

Put these dates on your calendar!

April 24: Last day of classes
April 25 - May 2: Exam week
May 11: Spring classes begin

One important thing to know:

Undergraduate Research Scholar designation

Undergraduate Research Scholar transcript designation: If you’ve completed at least two semesters of research experiences (or one full summer) and have shared your work, you should apply to have the Undergraduate Research Scholar designation added to your transcript! This designation is a unique way to show future employers that you know how to dig deeply into new ideas and solve open-ended problems.

To receive graduation cords in time before your commencement we need applications by Friday April 3.