UW News

June 3, 2004

Three UW math departments win $3 million grant

Three UW mathematical science departments have received top billing in a National Science Foundation program designed to bolster mathematics as it relates to student research and fellowships, and have won $3 million in funding over the next five years.


The departments of mathematics, applied mathematics and statistics pooled their strength to win the award from the NSF’s Division of Mathematical Sciences under a program called Vertical Integration of Research and Education.


“This is a very big deal,” said Selim Tuncel, mathematics department chair. “In the context of funding available for the mathematical sciences, $800 thou-sand a year is quite significant.”


The grant will provide money for undergraduate research, graduate fellowships and postdoctoral fellowships, Tuncel said. It will also help to integrate programs, both within and among the three departments and prompt increased collaboration with the Pacific Institute of Mathematical Sciences, a Canada-based group that works to build partnerships among the mathematical communities of Western Canada and the U.S. Pacific Northwest.


In addition, Tuncel said, a number of UW sources will provide funding to enhance the research and education that the grant supports.