As a student at Furman, you’ll have opportunities to move beyond your textbooks and put your learning into practice. A number of our students conduct original research and find real-world internship opportunities that pave the way for good jobs after graduation.
Research & Internship
Student Research Projects
Many of our students have the opportunity to explore a variety of real-world and theoretical applications of advanced mathematics through student research experiences. Students work closely with professors on a creative research endeavor, enhancing their problem solving and presentation skills throughout the process. Often this leads to opportunities for students to present their work at conferences and publish findings in a research journal. Areas of recent research interest include optimization, analytics, and graph theory. Furman students interested in doing research with mathematics faculty in summer 2022 should attend the research and internship information meeting at 5:30 p.m. on November 8th, 2021. Applications will be due in late January 2022.
Recent Student Research
- “Disney in a Day: Time Dependent Traveling Salesman Problem Applied to Theme Parks,” Rahul Isaac, Danny Rivers, Dr. Liz Bouzarth, and Dr. Kevin Hutson, Summer 2014.
- “Optimizing Socioeconomic Balances in Schools: An Assignment Problem in Greenville, SC,” Lattie Reddoch, Dr. Liz Bouzarth, and Dr. Kevin Hutson, Summer 2015.
- “Modeling Pulmonary Fluid Flow Created by Metachronal Waves in Cilia,” Zack Miller, Mary Lib Saine, Dr. Liz Bouzarth, and Dr. Kevin Hutson, Summer 2017.
- “Modeling Bacteria and Antibiotic Interactions with Cellular Automata,” Emma Kuntz and Dr. Sarah Frick, Summer 2018.
- “Dynamically Scheduling NFL Games to Equalize Strength of Schedule,” Andrew Cromer, Jamie Fravel, Dr. Liz Bouzarth, Dr. Ben Grannan, and Dr. Kevin Hutson, Summer 2018.
- “Small Data Sets in Medical Research: Pituitary Adenomas at the Greenville Health System,” Jordan Brown, Kate Causey, Danny Rivers, Dr. Liz Bouzarth, Dr. Kevin Hutson, and Dr. Tom Lewis, Summer 2015.
- “Using Social Media Analytics to Find Upsets in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament,” Courtney Gale, Molly Petersen, Tucker Smith, Dr. Liz Bouzarth, Dr. John Harris, and Dr. Kevin Hutson, Summer 2017.
- “Analyzing Upsets in College Football Bowl Games,” Andrew Hartley, Ella Morton, Maddie Preston, and Loise Ruffle, Dr. Liz Bouzarth, Dr. John Harris, and Dr. Kevin Hutson, Summer 2018.
- “The Phony Express: A Problem in Dynamic Programming,” Carol Lewis and Dr. Tom Lewis, Summer 2016.
- “Analysis of Flow Free,” Jamie Fravel, Liam Simkins-Walker, Dr. John Harris, and Dr. Tom Lewis, Summer 2017.
- ”Investigating the Use of Rehearsals to Help Teachers with Algebraic Generalization,” Alex Doxey and Dr. Casey Hawthorne, Summer 2017.
Research Experiences for Undergraduates Beyond Furman
Professors in the Mathematics department can also help you apply for Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) programs hosted by various universities throughout the U.S.
Internships
The internship office at Furman helps students find the kinds of real-world experiences they’ll never get in the classroom. Quantitative skills come into play in a wide variety of disciplines, so you will be marketable when looking for an internship that will put your knowledge to work. Be sure to check out Summer Internship Fellowship program, which provides paid fellowships to successful internship applicants. You can even develop your own internship if there isn’t one that matches your desired career.
The combination of research and internship experiences along with our liberal arts approach to learning provides you with a desirable combination of theoretical understanding, critical-thinking skills, and hands-on experience that employers seek.
Recent Student Internships
- Alchemation, New York, New York, Alex Doxey, Summer 2018.
- Department of Defense, Fort Meade, Maryland, Lattie Reddoch, Summer 2016.
- CURE International, Dominican Republic, Kate Causey, Summer 2016.
- Competitive Sports Analytics, Atlanta, Georgia, Eli Stutzman, Fall 2015.
- Division of Biomedical Statistics and Informatics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, Kelly Cercy, Summer 2014.
- Coastal Futbol Alliance, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Hart Zwingelberg, Summer 2014.