Math Major Newsletter - Winter 2026 Week 3

Tea-time, T-shirts, 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.

Tea time! This Friday January 30, 1 - 2 pm, in the PCS: MAK A-2-610

Join us for tea, cookies, and conversation. Everyone is welcome - come any time, leave any time.

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

Join the Math team! The team meets every Tuesday, 10 - 10:50 am, in MAK A-2-173. Do you like problem solving? Want to meet other math majors who like to think logically and creatively? GV Math Team members solve a wide range of math problems from various Math Competitions and Journals. Students talk and work together, with guidance from professors as needed. See the Math Team flyer for details and contact Professors Feryal Alayont or Clark Wells for more information.
Math circle: Better questions! Friday February 6, 1 - 2:30 pm, in the PCS. Join us to explore a fun strategy game -- how quickly can we solve the puzzle?
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!

Math T-Shirt Design Contest: Design a GV Math shirt! Your design could be GV themed, a math joke, or both!

Send your design as a .png file to Dr. Keough at keoulaur@gvsu.edu by February 9.

All students will be eligible to vote February 11-February 18. Shirts will be available for purchase later in the semester. The winner gets a free t-shirt with their design!

Note: be careful about adapting the GV logo, the t-shirt will need to be approved by University Marketing (some info here, if you aren’t sure, contact keoulaur@gvsu.edu).

The math department offers two scholarships, with applications due on March 1st:

Mathematics Department Scholarship: Math major or PCKET with math concentration; 45+ credit hours completed; 3.2 GPA; and a few more requirements.

Donald and Barbara VanderJagt Scholarship: Math major, PCKET with math concentration, or CS major with math minor; 3.0 GPA; and a few more requirements.

Apply for both at https://gvsu.scholarshipuniverse.com/

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

Employer of the Day: Informal opportunities to connect with potential employers.
Internship Info! If you're looking for a summer internship, 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.
- 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.
soon! OURFA²M² is the Online Undergraduate Resource Fair for the Advancement & Alliance of Marginalized Mathematicians. The 6th OURFA²M² Conference will be held on February 7-8, 2026. It includes "crash courses" on math topics, resource presentations, stories, and panels from professional mathematicians. Check out their website for more info and also subscribe to OURFA2M2's incredibly useful monthly newsletter.
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.
Lathisms Scholarship: Scholarship open to Hispanic/Latinx students. Apply by February 27.
The GVSU Career Center can help you find career and internship opportunities via their many events, including Career Communities and CareerLab.

MathPath Summer Camp Counselors: MathPath is a summer camp for middle school students who love math. We are looking to hire camp counselors. Counselors receive room and board (living on a college campus), travel reimbursement, and regular pay as well.

Questions? Ask Dr. Clark (he helps run the camp)! Applications are due February 15.

Volunteer at the Math in Action conference! Math in Action is a mathematics education conference for pre- and in-service teachers that is hosted and run by the GVSU math department. Its success depends on students like you, who volunteer to help out during the conference.

Volunteers at Math in Action get free registration to the conference and a free meal in exchange for working approximately 4.5 hours on Saturday, February 28. As a volunteer, you will have the opportunity to meet and network with current teachers, administrators, and other pre-service teachers from around Michigan, and to learn about the innovative things they're doing in their classrooms.

Questions? Contact Dr. Taylor Short, volunteer organizer. Register to volunteer by February 13.

soon! Teach in Tanzania. Explore the rich culture and beauty of Tanzania while teaching and studying issues in education in the US and Tanzania. Learn from and interact with teachers and students in a different culture. Can count as your math capstone and other class credit as well. Final application deadline is February 1.
soon! AWM Student Essay Contest: Interview and write a biography of a woman or other person in an underrepresented gender identity who has a mathematical career. Prizes include money, publication, and an AWM membership. Submissions are open now and are due February 1.
Budapest Semesters in Mathematics Education is a 6-week summer program in Budapest, Hungary, where mathematics educators study problem-solving, creativity, and mathematical communication. Designed for pre-service teachers! Applications are due April 1.

Summer research program opportunities: Here are a few that we've learned about recently:
- Kindschi Fellowship: Applications for Summer 2026 are due March 20. Provides financial support to students pursuing rigorous, independent scholarship during the academic year, mentored by a faculty member, up to $5000 plus travel and supplies funding. Talk with a mentor soon!
- Student Summer Scholars (S3): Applications for Summer 2026 are due February 6. Apply with a mentor to be funded for a 12 week, 40 hour per week summer project. Pay is $5000 plus some travel funding too. There's also a Modified S3: Similar to S3, but half time and half pay. Talk with a mentor soon if you're interested!
- soon! STEM Education REU at Middle Tennessee State University: This is a paid summer research program focused on STEM education research. If you are interested in education and research, this is a great opportunity! Applications are due February 2.
- SIAM-Simons Summer Undergraduate Research Program: Summer research in applied math at five different sites. Applications are due February 6.
- TechBio REU at University of Pittsburgh: A research program for those interested in computational biology and math-biology applications. Applications are due February 13.
- Check out this list of Summer REU programs to find many more opportunities.
new! Michigan MAA Conference: March 27-28 at SVSU. This is the Michigan meeting of the Mathematical Association of America, one of the largest professional groups for mathematicians. This is an excellent place to present your research work! See the website for registration details.
Rose-Hulman Undergraduate Mathematics Conference: Saturday March 28 at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (Terre Haute, Indiana). This is a good place to share your work and meet others interested in research. Register by February 27 to get first consideration for travel funds!
The 4th International Mathematics and Statistics Student Research Symposium (IMSSRS) will be held virtually on Saturday, April 11, 2026. IMSSRS is a free conference welcoming students to present research in the mathematical sciences, explore current research topics, and connect with peers worldwide.The abstract submission deadline is March 27, 2026. While presenters must be students, all are welcome to attend. Please visit our website or see our conference flyer for more info. This year’s program features a plenary by Dr. Katherine B. Ensor (Rice University) titled “The Critical Role of Statistical Thinking, Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow.” The program also includes a panel discussion, “Life After College,” on career paths for mathematical science graduates, with audience Q&A.

Put these dates on your calendar!

Thursday February 19: Winter career fair, 1 - 5 pm, DeVos Convention Center.
March 8 - 14: Spring break!

One important thing to know:
All about letters of recommendation

Many scholarships, research programs, and internships ask for letters of recommendation. These are really important, and they take a long time to write.

If you'd want a professor to write a recommendation, ask them as early as possible (1 month or more in advance)! It's best to ask in person of by email first. Don't just send them the recommendation without asking first.

This means that if you're applying for the Math Department or VanderJagt scholarships, you should be asking professors for recommendations right about now!

When you ask, explain what you're applying for, why you're interested in it, when the letter or application is due, and why you're asking this professor. Include any instructions from your application that the recommender should know (e.g. what are they supposed to address in the letter?) They may ask you for more information too, like a resume or a copy of your application.

It's best to ask professors who you've taken one or two classes from, or those who know you especially well due to an extracurricular activity.

If you have any questions about the newsletter, suggestions for things to add, or general advising questions, please email me!

David Clark

clarkdav@gvsu.edu

Mathematics Advising and Engagement Coordinator

GVSU math social media