Message from the Chair

Graduate students are the next generation of mathematical scientists and academics, whose training is the goal of our graduate program. Contributions of graduate students, like those of the faculty, underlie all of our work: They serve as teaching assistants (TAs) in undergraduate courses, participate in outreach activities and, as they make progress in our program, become active researchers. You will find in this newsletter reports on last year's activities and successes such as new VIGRE and GK-12 grants, a striking increase in the number of Math majors, our most recent win in the Mathematical Contest in Modeling, and the award of the 2004 Dean's Medal in Science to Terri Moore.

The typical Ph.D. in Mathematics takes five to six years to complete and presents unique challenges. There are relatively few graduate fellowships or research assistantships in mathematics; the student serves as a TA for most of the time. During the first year, the student has to adapt to working as a TA while learning a large amount of core graduate mathematics. Then one has to choose a research area, choose a Ph.D. advisor and make the transition into research. Finally, there is the task of becoming an independent researcher. Despite these challenges, or perhaps because of them, it is often an exciting and rewarding experience — it certainly was for me — as one goes from studying advanced mathematics to functioning as an independent researcher. The article by our Graduate Program Director, Tom Duchamp, describes how we advise and support students as they meet the challenges.

In recognition of these challenges, the Division of Mathematical Sciences at the National Science Foundation introduced the VIGRE program. The UW was among the first group to be awarded a VIGRE grant five years ago. Our application for a second grant placed at the top of this year's VIGRE competition on the basis of our achievements, particularly in graduate education and research. Our new five-year VIGRE grant will fund eight to ten graduate fellowships during each year of funding.

Recruitment of excellent students is essential for the success of our program. At the UW, we face the problem that TA salaries lag behind those of our competition. Four years ago our department introduced a "support plan" that guarantees almost every incoming Ph.D. student a supplementary stipend for five years, subject to satisfactory academic progress. The plan relies on resources made available to us on a year-to-year basis by a diverse collection of supporters such as the ARCS foundation, Microsoft and the UW Graduate School. VIGRE fellowships have been a critical component. The task facing us, as we enjoy another five years of VIGRE support, is to put in place permanent sources of funding that will enable us to continue the support plan when the grant expires.

The department has worked hard during the past seven years to build a vigorous graduate program. Our graduate students are smart and dedicated and, as they train in our program to become working mathematicians, make vital contributions to the every element of the department's mission. We are very proud of them.

Selim Tuncel