Bryan Summer Research Program

Program Description

The Dr. Albert H. & Greta A. Bryan Summer Research Program in Mathematics is an opportunity to spend eight weeks of the summer engaging in mathematics at Simpson College. This summer, five undergraduate students will selected to work on undergraduate research projects with Simpson College faculty members. There will be two groups of two students and one research assistant to assist both groups. Each student receives a stipend and paid on-campus housing during the program. In addition, the students receive funding to present their results at a national mathematics conference.

Tentative 2026 Program Dates

  • Bryan Summer Research Program: June 1-July 24, 2026
  • Conference Presentation: August 5-8, 2026 at MathFest in Boston, Massachusetts

 

Research Topics and Faculty Advisors

There will be two research projects this summer (pending continued funding).

  • Heidi Berger (Professor of Mathematics) will lead a project on data analysis/modeling of longitudinal neurocognitive data for individuals with Down syndrome from the Massachusetts General Hospital Down Syndrome Program.
  • Ross Sweet (Associate Professor of Mathematics) and Marilyn Vazquez Landrove (Assistant Professor of Mathematics) will lead a project on classifying microscopy images.
  • The two research groups will give at least three talks at Simpson College: At the conclusion of the program in Summer 2026, at the Summer Research Symposium in Fall 2026, at the Midwest Undergraduate Mathematics Symposium and at the Simpson College Undergraduate Research Symposium in Spring 2027.  They will also travel to present at MathFest (a national math conference) in Boston, MA on August 5-8, 2026.

To apply for the program, a student must satisfy the following requirements:

  1. Plan to graduate from Simpson College no earlier than April 2028, OR be a transfer student in your first summer as a Simpson student.
  2. Declared a major in Mathematics or Data Science.
  3. Commit at least 40 hours each week for the dates listed above. A participant may take a class or have a part-time job only if approved by their faculty advisor.
  4. Participate in all required activities during and after the program, including making several presentations throughout the subsequent academic year.
  5. Attendance at MathFest in Boston, MA August 5-8, 2026 is a requirement for Bryan Summer Research Program groups.

To apply for the Research Assistant position, a student must satisfy all requirements listed above except for the graduation date. The Research Assistant must have an anticipated graduation date of April 2026-2028.

Applicants must submit paper copies of both a mathematical resume and a personal statement by 3:30pm on Friday, March 13. A description of the information that should be included in each of these documents appears below. The mathematics department will meet to review the applications and applicants will be notified by Friday, March 27.

Mathematical Resume

Your mathematical resume should contain the following information:

  • Overall GPA and your GPA in the Mathematics or Data Science major (this information can be found on your degree audit).
  • All declared majors and minors. List of the mathematics courses you have completed and are currently enrolled in.
  • All participation in mathematics department activities.
  • Participation in other relevant activities since arriving at Simpson College.
  • The name and office phone number of one Simpson College faculty member who is not in the mathematics department to serve as a reference.

Your personal statement should contain the following information and should be no longer than two pages.

  • Why should you be selected to participate in the program?
  • How would you benefit from participating in the program?
  • What special skills would you bring to your research team?
  • What are your goals for the summer?
  • What are your career plans and/or graduate school plans?
  • Briefly describe your level of interest in each project. Clearly indicate your order of preference.

Classification of Microscopy Images Uinsg Persistent Homology

Data science is a discipline that draws on a wide range of mathematical, statistical, and computational techniques, with the goal of applying them broadly in science, technology, industry. One such class of techniques is known as topological data analysis. In topology, we study geometric features that persist despite deformations to the original shape. Since data science problems can involve noisy or otherwise messy spatial data, topology provides a natural connection to data analysis.

In this project, we will investigate if one topological data analysis tool, persistent homology, can be used to classify microscopy images, while also comparing this method to other classification algorithms. Students will work in the Python programming language to implement a classification algorithm while also learning the underlying theoretical math that drives persistent homology. No prior coding experience is required.

Analysis of Neurocognitive Outcomes of Individuals with Down Syndrome

This project focuses on developing normative neurocognitive data for people with Down syndrome. We will do this using all neuropsychological assessments for patients with Down syndrome, across all ages, for the past 15+ years at the Massachusetts General Hospital Down Syndrome Program. With this historical data, we will have the ability to

  1. Summarize the normative scores for people with Down syndrome, by age
  2. Analyze per subgroup: Down syndrome + ADHD diagnosis, for example
  3. Correlate medical conditions (e.g., obstructive sleep apnea) with neurocognitive outcomes.
  4. Create a predictive model of outcomes based on characteristics of the individual with Down syndrome

This work will be done in conjunction with Dr. Brian Skotko, the director of the Down Syndrome Program at Massachusetts General Hospital.

No prior programming or statistical knowledge is required.