Thoughts on joining a math research group?

[Navier_Stokes]

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While I am a science major, I've built strong rapport with my math professor over years, and he was wondering if I'd like to join his math research group. I am currently working at a bio lab, but whenever I come out from the lab, I am feeling depressed. I feel like I need some changes in my life.

I was wondering how you guys think of this.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

While I am a science major, I've built strong rapport with my math professor over years, and he was wondering if I'd like to join his math research group. I am currently working at a bio lab, but whenever I come out from the lab, I am feeling depressed. I feel like I need some changes in my life.

I was wondering how you guys think of this.

Do it. I did two math research projects, and they were awesome (still doing one actually). Research experience is research experience, and you will enjoy it more and get more involved if you're happy.

 

[mistafab]

Go for it. When else will you get an experience like that?

 

[aalamruad]

Do it. I did two math research projects, and they were awesome (still doing one actually). Research experience is research experience, and you will enjoy it more and get more involved if you're happy.

What is math research? Always been curious

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

What is math research? Always been curious

Depends on if it's pure or applied. My first project was applied math. Mathematical oncology actually. We essentially looked at tumor development and gene mutations from an evolutionary game theoretic perspective. It was super cool. My second project is pure math. Topology actually. People do all kinds of cool stuff, but some of it involves trying to prove conjectures or theorems, other projects involve looking at interesting problems and seeing what questions you can ask to maybe get closer to an answer. I'm essentially hunting for a simple formula to calculate the number of distinct topologies given a set of n elements.

 

[aalamruad]

Depends on if it's pure or applied. My first project was applied math. Mathematical oncology actually. We essentially looked at tumor development and gene mutations from an evolutionary game theoretic perspective. It was super cool. My second project is pure math. Topology actually. People do all kinds of cool stuff, but some of it involves trying to prove conjectures or theorems, other projects involve looking at interesting problems and seeing what questions you can ask to maybe get closer to an answer. I'm essentially hunting for a simple formula to calculate the number of distinct topologies given a set of n elements.

Wow that sounds really challenging and fascinating! Maybe I'll major in math in another lifetime

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Wow that sounds really challenging and fascinating! Maybe I'll major in math in another lifetime

Yeah. I actually hated math in high school. I didn't realize how awesome it was until I took calc 1 and calc-based physics in college. Loved it ever since. Math is so fascinating. It's got all the cool stuff of applied math like chemistry and physics, but it's not bound by physical reality, so you can do all sorts of insanity on the pure side.