Undergraduate Research Program

The Undergraduate Research Program in C&O at Waterloo began in its present form in 1998. That was the year when the goal of the program changed from not only arranging individual research projects, but to attracting a critical mass of participants from a variety of universities, thereby providing a group learning experience including a weekly seminar series.

The weekly seminars are directed toward the undergraduate research assistants with participation by several faculty members and graduate students. They provide a regular source of interaction with a variety of people. Sessions include introductory talks and discussions on various mathematical topics and research areas. Near the end of the summer the undergraduate assistants give presentations on their own research work.

Only in a special case may a student participating in the C&O research program be permitted to take a course on campus. Approval in advance, by the supervisor as well as the faculty advisor, is required.

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Applications are invited for Research Assistantships in all areas of combinatorics, optimization, and cryptography, including algebraic combinatorics, quantum computing, coding theory, graph theory, operations research, etc. The Department is very active in research, with supervision available in all areas. Applicants do not need to specify a particular area of interest, nor have a specialized background in combinatorics and optimization. The program has been very successful in past summers, with some students co-authoring research papers and many proceeding to graduate school. This year's program will again run in co-operation with NSERC's Undergraduate Student Research Award program.

Applicants should be undergraduate students in a mathematics or computer science program, with an 'A' standing. UW Co-op students may use the URA as a co-op job. Please let us know on your application if you would choose this as a co-op placement. Additionally, if you are considering this program as a co-op term, you must inform your co-op advisor.

These awards will be for three or four months during May - August, 2012. Salaries will be at least $2,500 per month, depending on circumstances. Students from other universities may be eligible for reimbursement of return travel costs. There are normally up to 12 awards available, depending on the number of qualified applicants.

Interested individuals should send a cover letter, resume, a recent grade report, and names and email addresses of two references to:

Applying by email is acceptable. Any attachment should be a pdf file and every file you submit must include your name in the filename, i.e., MyNameResume.pdf. Be sure to include your name in the subject line of your email.

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