Applications are invited from undergraduates who are gifted in mathematics and interested in undertaking a study/research project during the 2007–2008 summer vacation.

The vacation scholarship program is intended primarily for students enrolled in third year mathematics or statistics courses, and planning on continuing their studies in these fields. However, applications from exceptional first or second year students may be considered. Visa difficulties prevent us from offering these scholarships to students who are not residents of Australia or New Zealand.

The purpose of the program is to introduce students to mathematical research. The project of each successful candidate will be supervised by a member of staff of the School.

The research interests of School members cover a wide area of mathematics and statistics, including algebra, analysis, category theory, geometry, differential geometry, combinatorics, coding theory, automata, singularity theory, chaos, topology, knot theory, number theory, ordinary and partial differential equations, dynamical systems, astrophysical and geophysical fluid dynamics, geomagnetism, relativity, financial modelling, portfolio analysis, textile mechanics, medical ultrasound, biomathematics, neural networks, statistics, probability, theory of non-negative matrices and ergodicity, permutation tests, exchangeability, design of experiments, time series.

The scholarships are generally tenable for up to 6 weeks. Successful candidates will receive an allowance of $350 per week.

Applicants should write to

    Dr Donald Cartwright,
    School of Mathematics and Statistics F07,
    University of Sydney,
    NSW 2006

• Full name, postal address, email address and telephone number(s) (including mobile number)
• Date of birth
• University and course in which currently enrolled
• A copy of the applicant's official academic record
• Letters of recommendation, in sealed envelopes, from two people who are familiar with the applicant's academic record. For applicants from Sydney, it is sufficient to give the names of two lecturers familiar with the applicant's record.
• Some indication of the area of mathematics or statistics the applicant would like to pursue in a research project would be helpful. This may be quite a broad area, such as Applied Mathematics, for example, or may be quite specific.
• Any constraints on the time over the summer period when the applicant could do the project.