Nebraska Mentoring through Critical Transition Points

The Department of Mathematics at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL) is pleased to announce that it received a $2.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation for its "Nebraska Mentoring Through Critical Transition Points (MCTP)" program in 2004. This program targeted two critical transition periods in the preparation of mathematicians: the transition from the undergraduate to the graduate level and the transition from the advanced graduate level to the early years of an academic position. At both of these transition periods, the program focused on interactions between non-Ph.D. granting colleges and universities (referred to as "four-year colleges" for simplicity) and Ph.D.-granting research universities. The program benefited students at UNL as well as developing mathematicians in the larger mathematical community.

Julia Set

Components of the Nebraska MCTP Program

Nebraska IMMERSE (Intensive Mathematics: a Mentoring, Education and Research Summer Experience)

Nebraska IMMERSE simultaneously provided a "bridge" program for the summer between undergraduate school and graduate school, an enrichment experience for current UNL graduate students and an opportunity for faculty in the early years of a professional academic position to receive significant mentoring with regard to both research and teaching—a sort of miniature postdoc position.

Undergraduate MCTP Scholarships

The Undergraduate MCTP Scholars program was for juniors and seniors majoring in mathematics at UNL.

Nebraska Conference for Undergraduate Women in Mathematics (NCUWM)

This weekend conference draws participants from across the country and gives outstanding undergraduate women the opportunity to discuss their own research and to meet other women who share their interest in the mathematical sciences. This conference is still active.

First-Year MCTP Graduate Traineeships

These first-year traineeships provided a stipend of $22,500 and guided students through the first year of the mathematics graduate program at the University of Nebraska.

Advanced MCTP Graduate Traineeships

These advanced traineeships provided a stipend of $22,500 and guided fourth- and fifth-year mathematics graduate students at the University of Nebraska through the process of preparing for a first job after graduate school while also giving participants time away from teaching during which they can concentrate on finishing their dissertations.

Keep Research Alive (KRA) Workshop

This workshop was held in the summer and enabled UNL Ph.D. alumni who are now early career faculty at four-year colleges to return to UNL for three weeks of intensive research collaboration.

Further information