The Directed Reading Program (DRP) gives undergraduates the opportunity to:
  • work one-on-one with a graduate mentor for the semester,
  • learn an area of mathematics not covered in any course, and
  • gain valuable presentation skills.
Undergraduates also register for the 1-credit-hour Math 285.

Requirements

The DRP pairs undergraduate students with graduate-student mentors for an independent reading course. Undergraduate participants are expected to:

  • meet once per week with the graduate-student mentor,
  • work independently for approximately three hours between meetings, and
  • give a 10- to 15-minute talk on their project at the end of the semester.

Testimonials from participants

  • "One-on-one communication with my mentor was most valuable to me, since that level of engagement is usually not possible in mathematics courses where there are many other students."
  • "I would love for this to become a required course for Math Majors, it was really helpful and I enjoyed the one-on-one aspect of it."

DRP Activities - Spring 2026

  • Kick-off event (Wednesday, January 14 @5:15 for grad students and 5:30 for undergrad students in Blocker 302)
  • A presentation on "How (not) to give a talk", plus a tutorial on Overleaf and Beamer (Wednesday, March 25 @ 5:30 pm in Blocker 302)
  • (Optional) Practice presentations (Monday, April 20 in Blocker 302)
  • Final presentations by undergraduate participants, DAY ONE (Wednesday, April 22 in Blocker 624 and 628)
  • Final presentations by undergraduate participants, DAY TWO (Thursday, April 23 in Blocker 624 and 628)

How to participate (undergraduates) - Fall 2026

We encourage applications from any undergraduate who:

  • will be a sophomore, junior, or senior during the semester of the program,
  • has completed a year-long calculus sequence, and
  • is interested in learning interesting mathematics outside of the classroom.

[NEW] we are offering (in addition to the usual DRP experience) a number of interdisciplinary projects that you can work on in teams of two (with a grad student mentor).

  • A list of project ideas.
  • If you have any questions about these projects, don't hesitate to contact Prof. Matthias Maier (maier@tamu.edu).

We warmly welcome applications from first-generation college students, women, and members of underrepresented groups in STEM.

To apply to participate in Spring 2026:

How to participate (graduate students) - Spring 2026

To be announced (by email)!

DRP Activities - Prior Semesters

Organizers

The DRP is organized by Bingheng (Benjamin) Yang and Crystal Farris, with faculty mentor Anne Shiu and Matthias Maier

Please reach out to any of us with questions!

Resources

Project ideas from other DRPs can be found at the websites of the DRP Network, the Maryland DRP, and the University of Texas DRP.

Acknowledgment

The DRP is generously supported by several organizations: