Math Major Newsletter - Fall 2025 Week 6

Math mystery, Electronic trading, 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.

Tonight! Mathematical Murder Mystery with the Math & Stats Club. 6 pm, Wednesday October 1, in the PCS

Free pizza, free drinks, and free mystery! All are welcome - feel free to join or leave any time.

Friday! Applied Math Seminar: Math & Electronic Trading
Friday October 3, 1 - 2 pm in the PCS

Learn about Dr. Andrew McConvey's experience as a quant trader at Goldman Sachs, and his career path from math to finance. NO prior knowledge of finance is needed.

Everyone is welcome. Free pizza, too!

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

Friday October 10: Math Circle: Diagonals Rule! 1 - 2:30 pm in the PCS.
Monday November 17: Statistics Career Day. All day in Kirkhof. Includes a keynote, breakout sessions, and employers. Math students are welcome! Free registration is required (or $5 for a box lunch).
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!

Tuesday October 14: Career and Internship Fair, 1 - 5 pm
DeVos Place Convention Center, downtown Grand Rapids

This is GVSU's biggest career event of the year. Tons of employers are looking to hire for internships and jobs. If you're even thinking of maybe looking for something -- start here!

Big hint: Many employers like to hire math majors for their communication, collaboration, and analytical skills. Even if an employer doesn't list "math" as a preferred major, it's worth talking with them about possibilities.

Before the fair, check out the free drop in Career Fair Prep sessions with resume reviews, tips, and guidance:

Wednesday October 8, 12 - 2 pm, 200 STU (Valley campus)
Thursday October 9, 2 - 4 pm, DeVos Knowledge Market (City campus)

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:
- today! 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.
- 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.
- 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.

Nebraska Conference for Undergraduate Wisdom in Math (NCUWM): This is a conference we attend each year with GV math undergrads and we always have fun! It’s a great place to give a talk or poster if you’ve been doing research, or a great thing to go to if you’re curious about opportunities in math.

We plan to apply for funding for NCUWM, so this opportunity should be little to no cost for students.

Dates: Jan 30 – Feb 1, 2026

Location: Lincoln, Nebraska

Who Should Attend: All undergraduate math students. Women are especially encouraged!

What to Do Next (soon!): Contact DocK (keoulaur@gvsu.edu) if you’re interested! Registration is open 10/1 to 10/17, so we need to act soon!

MTH 296: Introduction to Mathematical Research Winter 2026, Monday & Wednesday 3 - 4:15 pm - time may change if needed. This 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. It's 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. Talk with Dr. Clark if you're interested!
University of Dayton 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!
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 & Internship 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:
Math Department LinkedIn Group

The math department has a LinkedIn group! Use this link to join: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14229318/.

We created this group to help connect GVSU math students, alumni, and faculty to network and share opportunities in mathematics. Whether you plan to go into teaching, get a job in industry or government, or go to graduate school, building a network and maintaining relationships will be very important to your success! LinkedIn is a great place to look for jobs, network, and stay in touch.

Alumni say that LinkedIn is a key way to find internships, jobs, and make connections. Create a LinkedIn profile, if you don’t already have one, and join the GVSU Mathematics Department group!