Learning more about CUSP

The Computation for Undergraduates in Statistics Program (CUSP) prepares students to be fluent in the languages of computing, mathematics, and statistics. It was established under the Computational Science Training for Undergraduates in Mathematical Sciences (CSUMS) program and funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to provide a rich applied computational statistics research experience to a diverse population of undergraduate students.

The ten-week program runs from early June through early August each year. During this period, three to four teams consisting of two to three students work collaboratively with a program faculty mentor, graduate student mentors, and outside advisors. Dr. Eric Laber and Dr. Brian Reich lead CUSP this year. In the daily life of CUSP, the seven senior students attend a research meeting or lecture that centers on computing in the morning, then work for their project for the rest of day. The participants have a poster presentation to show their results in the end and will also present at conferences in a few months.

This year’s projects analyzed the accuracy of breathalyzers, the spread of white-nose syndrome in North American bats, and modeling hurricane evacuations using smile mold optimization. Click here for more information on the CUSP projects.

by: An-Ting Juang