From April 26-27, the MORE (Mathematics — Opportunities in Research and Education) workshop drew 55 undergraduate students from around the region and encouraged them to consider careers and continuing education in STEM.
This unique workshop connects math, data science, and security through talks, hands-on activities, and engagement with graduate students and postdoctoral researchers from the Virginia Tech Department of Mathematics.
“What differentiates MORE from other conferences is that students do mathematics together at the workshop,” said mathematician Gretchen Matthews, one of the conference organizers. “This year, they performed data analysis and evaluated the appropriateness of cryptographic schemes for various scenarios, all in teams supported by Virginia Tech graduate students and postdocs. We emphasize that today’s complex problems necessitate a variety of approaches and that there are many ways to contribute to their solutions.”
“Always make sure your résumé is up to date, because you never know what opportunities await you."
-Favour Adesoye, Virginia State University
"I love math, and I'm generally surrounded by a lot of people who don't like it. It’s really nice to be around some math people and learn about new things."
-Rose, New River Community College
"I learned a lot, actually. Make sure I know who I am, and to be confident being in a room where I don't feel like I'm qualified to be."
-Jevida, Fayetteville State University
"It's nice to be at a thing all weekend where everyone was interested in math."
-Xavier, Univeristy of Maryland
"There's a recognition that math can be challenging, but when something is challenging, that's when I lean into it."
-Will, Northern Virginia Community College
"During interviews, share something you learned about yourself and how you tailor things, rather than just talking about your education or your research."
-Izzy, Virginia Military Institute
The workshop was co-organized by Virginia Tech and Clemson University and supported by the National Science Foundation, Virginia Tech’s Department of Mathematics, the Academy of Data Science, and the College of Science Broadening Participation in Science, along with the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative.