Lab Structure

Each Davis Math Lab project begins as a proposal from a department faculty member, designed for undergraduate-friendly mathematical research that may include computation, experiments, and visualization. Once a project is approved, the Lab forms a team with a faculty mentor, a graduate student mentor, and 2–4 undergraduate researchers.

The full team meets every two weeks to set direction, review progress, and plan next steps. Graduate and undergraduate members typically meet more frequently for hands-on work and mentoring. Undergraduate researchers are expected to contribute about 3–4 hours per week.

At the end of the quarter, each team shares its results in a poster presentation at the Lab’s open house.

Faculty mentor

Faculty mentors guide the intellectual direction of the project and help set goals, standards, and milestones. They meet regularly with the full team, provide research context and feedback, and ensure the project stays on a productive and educational track.

Graduate mentor

Graduate mentors provide day-to-day supervision and hands-on support. They help undergraduates translate big-picture ideas into workable tasks, offer mathematical and technical guidance (including computation/visualization when relevant), and keep the project moving steadily between full-team meetings.

Undergraduate students

Undergraduates work in small groups under the mentorship of both a graduate student and a faculty member. They contribute to the research each week, develop independence in problem-solving and communication, and present their results to the department at the end of the quarter. Students are expected to enroll in MAT 199 and commit at least 3 hours per week to their project.