Senior Mathematics major James Pangelinan (left), sophomore mathematics major Ihmar Aldana, and senior mathematics major JunHao Ren participated in the Pacific Undergraduate Research Experience in Mathematics (PURE) Program at the University of Hawaii in Hilo over the summer. From left to right: Pangelinan (left), Aldana, Chair of the Mathematics and Computer Science Division Dr. Grazyna Badowski, and Ren.

 

Three University of Guam mathematics majors from June to August participated in the Pacific Undergraduate Research Experience in Mathematics (PURE) Program at the University of Hawaii in Hilo founded by the National Science Foundation.

Seniors James Pangelinan and JunHao Ren explored concepts of pure mathematics such as abstract algebra in an eight-week residents program while sophomore Ihmar Aldana researched the application of mathematics to neuroscience in the five-week interns program.

“We are proud of our students,” said Dr. Grazyna Badowski, chair of the Mathematics and Computer Science Division. “They were selected from almost 400 qualified applicants for this program whose acceptance rate is 8 percent.”

Badowski said at the end of the programs, the students presented their research to their peers, students from around the United States.

Aldana will give a presentation on his research on how the brain organizes space and the summer program as a whole at 4 p.m. on Friday, September 4 in Room 200 in the Science Building on the University of Guam campus.