All mathematics majors are required to write and present a senior thesis as a capstone to the mathematics degree. The project will be developed under the supervision of a mathematics faculty member, though students are expected to display self-motivation, independence, and maturity in their work and to take responsibility for their own learning and organization. The project must involve either learning mathematics/statistics/math history beyond the student’s undergraduate experience or an advanced application of techniques to which the student has already been exposed, in a new context or with a new data set, and explaining the theoretical underpinnings of the ideas. The deliverables of this research project will be a paper, a 15- to 20-minute presentation to the department community, and a poster on the project, all due in block 7 of the student’s senior year for spring graduates, earlier for winter graduates.

The paper should include substantial explanation of mathematics as well as historical/cultural/scientific context that is appropriate for the topic. There must be multiple scholarly sources. All results and techniques should be properly cited, to the original source when possible. In some cases, students may prove new mathematical results, and such contributions, if any, should be clearly identified. However, there is no expectation that a thesis will contain original math. The paper should be written in a style appropriate for the discipline. Excellent examples of mathematical writing can be found in Mathematics Magazine and The American Mathematical Monthly, in American Statistician and Statistical Science for statistics, and in Historia Mathematica for math history. The paper should be 10-25 pages (not counting tables, diagrams, or other graphics). Beyond this, your advisor will work with you to determine the exact parameters of the paper. The paper should be self-contained and accessible to a CC math graduate. Examples of good thesis possibilities include:

• Reading a research paper, explaining results and context, and working out new examples.
• Applying advanced stats techniques to a new data set and explaining underlying mathematics.
• Developing a mathematical model from existing literature, explaining underlying mathematics, and applying to new setting.
• Examining a historical mathematical document and explaining its mathematics, historical context, content, and implications for later development.
• Researching a mathematician’s life and their mathematical contributions, placing in historical/mathematical context.
• Generating data to support an existing conjecture/make a new mathematical conjecture, or proving new mathematical results.

The presentation should be targeted at a general math major audience, and should include any essential background as well as the main points of the research project. Power Point or Beamer should be used for slides when appropriate. Your preparation must include at least one formal practice run of your talk, with your thesis advisor or a member of the departmental distinction committee in attendance.

The poster will be presented in a poster session. For guidance on preparation of scholarly posters, please see the Resources for Math and CS Majors Canvas page. Posters must be submitted to the Department by the advertised due date to enable printing in time for the block 7 poster session.

Expectations of Students
During junior year, students must talk with at least three mathematics professors about possible thesis projects. Students will submit their top three project ideas in order of preference on a Canvas Quiz that they will receive during blocks 6 or 7 of the junior year. In block seven students are assigned their thesis advisors; students should consult with this advisor and discuss the project, and also the block in which it would be appropriate to enroll in MA499: Senior Thesis.

Students are expected to meet regularly with their faculty advisor to determine the topic and scope of their thesis work, as well as an appropriate timeline for completion of benchmarks, and to receive guidance on work in progress. Faculty advisors exercise final approval over the topic and scope. Though faculty advisors may request specific meeting times or a particular meeting schedule with an advisee, it is the student’s responsibility to proactively schedule meetings with the advisor with sufficient notice, to meet any deadlines agreed upon with the advisor, and to come to meetings prepared. It is also the student’s responsibility to meet all Departmental deadlines, and to provide the advisor with questions/drafts with enough time to receive answers/feedback and make appropriate changes.

Expectations of Advisors
Faculty members must respond to student requests and be available to meet regularly with their thesis students during the agreed thesis block, and intermittently throughout the year. Faculty members must provide guidance on topic and scope of project, work with students to develop benchmarks and deadlines, and give reasonably timely feedback as the work is completed.

While the main themes for the thesis will typically be explored and in large part completed during the thesis block, time beyond the thesis block may be desirable for a student to complete their writeup. A student may elect to take a second thesis block (as an independent study), if their schedule allows and their thesis advisor agrees. While faculty advisors are expected to support the completion of the thesis, by reviewing drafts and guiding the student to a more complete understanding, faculty advisors are not required to provide a second block of supervision in their oversight of a senior thesis project.