PIMS Experimental Mathematics Labs (VXML/XML)
Beginning in the 2024-2025 academic year, PIMS is working toward supporting more in-person programs at its member sites, so will be transitioning the VXML program to a program providing support to these local XML activities. Calls for new XML projects at these sites will be conducted locally. Students wishing to participate in a local XML should visit the the XML at their PIMS site below.
PIMS also hopes to expand this list of local XML sites and can offer, in addition to financial support for stipends and lab events, administrative support by sharing draft project solicitation and application forms, and consultation on best practices for XMLs. For more information, please complete the Start a New XML form.
How it works…
Research problems are proposed by a faculty member or postdoc at a PIMS member (or affiliate member) university, and a project team consisting of the mentor, a graduate student and 2-4 undergraduate students are formed to work on the problem. Teams commit 6-8 hours per week to work on the project and to meet to discuss their discoveries. Students typically use a mixture of computational tools such as CoCalc or Jupyter, to work on the problem and collaborate with each other.
At the end of the year an open-house event is aranged where discoveries can be showcased and any results presented. Finally, a written report is prepared by the project members as a record of their work.
The Axioms of XML
The VXML strongly believes in Federico Ardila-Mantilla’s axioms:
- Axiom 1: Mathematical talent is distributed equally among different groups, irrespective of geographic, demographic, and economic boundaries.
- Axiom 2: Everyone can have joyful, meaningful, and empowering mathematical experiences.
- Axiom 3: Mathematics is a powerful, malleable tool that can be shaped and used differently by various communities to serve their needs.
- Axiom 4: Every student deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.