We strongly encourage students to participate in research projects. Topics for independent studies often come from the students, either from a topic mentioned briefly in a class or from discussions of possibilities with the faculty. Here are some of the recent topics that have been explored.
Mathematics of Business: Eric Lee studied different factors influencing the success of brew pubs in San Diego.
Mathematics of Gambling: Heather Cook studied optimal strategies in a new variant on a card game, Blackjack Switch.
Mathematics of Biological Rhythms: Morgan Heckman developed models of circadian rhythms in spiders.
Mathematics of Networks: Aaron Jackson studied food deserts in the Roanoke Valley.
Mathematics of Voting: Anna Stauffer studied gerrymandering and ways to prevent it.
Mathematics of Sports: Jake Beardsley studied the effect of foul trouble on basketball team performance.
Mathematics of the Heart: April Saul studied the use of chaos theory techniques in analyzing the dynamics of the human heart rate.
More examples of independent studies can be found at this link.