Summer Research Opportunity

For most of your educational life, you have focused on learning what’s already known—whether in mathematics, chemistry, history, or literature. Just as Euclid wrote The Elements to give his readers the background knowledge necessary to pursue their own questions, at Westmont we hope that your education prepares you push out the boundaries of knowledge, to make your own contribution to our understanding of the world.

Your courses at Westmont may have provided you with some training to do original research in the history of mathematics.

If pursuing such research interests you, read on.

Beginning December 1, 2011, Prof. Patti Hunter will be accepting applications for a position as a student summer researcher for summer 2012.

Under Prof. Hunter’s supervision, the summer researcher will do research on the life and work of Gertrude Cox (1900-1978), the first department chair of a university statistics program in the United States. The research will involve (among other things):

• Using the secondary literature, learning about the history of university statistics education and research in the U.S. in the first three-quarters of the 20^th century;
• Using the secondary literature, learning about the history of women in science in the 20^th century;
• Reading through approximately 8 linear feet of archive material from the Cox Archives;
• Choosing an aspect of Cox’s life and work on which to focus the investigation;
• Producing a research paper of publishable quality.

See http://www.westmont.edu/~phunter/coxbio.pdf for a brief biography of Gertrude Cox.

Qualifications:

• Successful completion of MA-9 (Calculus I), or MA-4 (Mathematics in Western Culture) or MA-5 (Introduction to Statistics) (grade of B or better), or a comparable mathematics course;
• Successful completion of MA-155 (History of Mathematics) or an upper division history course (grade of B or better);
• Demonstrated ability to write well;
• Demonstrated ability to think analytically about history;
• Ability to work independently.

Benefits and Responsibilities

• Student will work the equivalent of 25-30 hours per week for 7 weeks;
• Hours and weeks will be negotiated based on student’s and Prof. Hunter’s schedules;
• Pay will be $8.50 per hour;
• Housing at Ocean View will be provided.

Course Credit: It may be possible to begin the research in the spring of 2012 and earn 1-2 units of academic credit (no pay).

Major Honors

If the relevant requirements are met, the student may choose to extend the summer research into a major honors project during the senior year. (See http://www.westmont.edu/_offices/registrar/academic_policies/honors-programscourses.html)

To apply:

By email to phunter@westmont.edu, send a brief explanation (2-3 paragraphs) of the reasons for your interest in the position, indicating which mathematics and history courses you will have completed by the end of the spring semester, 2012.

Have one of your current or past faculty members from a department other than the Mathematics and Computer Science Department email me a recommendation. The recommendation should address your abilities to write well, think analytically, and work independently.

If you meet the basic qualifications, you will receive a writing assignment (1-2 pages) based on some published reading to complete over the Christmas break.

Applications will be reviewed beginning December 1, 2011, continuing until the position is filled. At the latest, the position will be filled by March 1, 2012.