WDRP - Washington Directed Reading Program

About WDRP

The Washington Directed Reading Program (WDRP) is a new initiative from the Mathematics Department, which launched in Fall 2018. WDRP is modeled after successful Directed Reading Programs (DRPs) at other universities around the country.

This program will pair interested undergraduate students with mathematics graduate student mentors to embark on a quarter-long independent reading project. We typically have about 10 project pairs each quarter, however this can vary depending on funding and the number of available mentors.

The main components of the program are as follows:

  • Start-of-quarter kickoff event, including an introduction to the program and time to mingle with other undergraduate and graduate students.
  • One-on-one weekly meetings between undergraduate student mentees and graduate student mentors, to discuss the readings.
  • Mid-quarter event with undergraduate students only, to connect with students working on other projects.
  • End-of-quarter presentations by undergraduate students on topics selected from their readings.
  • WDRP Seminars, mentee networking opportunities which include a 20-minute talk by a graduate student.

In addition, 2 credit (CR/NC) as Math 398 is available to undergraduate students participating in and successfully completing the program. Note that you will not be able to sign up for this credit until after you have applied for and been accepted into the program, at which time we will provide further information about enrolling.

For more information about applying to the WDRP, please see the “Applications” tab above.

Please note that we invite students from all mathematical and personal backgrounds to participate in this program. The main function of the directed reading program is to introduce undergraduate students to mathematics outside of the classroom environment and help them gain skills in critically reading mathematics texts and communicating mathematical material. These skills can be gained in various ways, and there will be projects catered to various levels of mathematical experience.

In addition, we hope that the WDRP will further community building in mathematics at the UW, and we particularly encourage women and members of traditionally underrepresented minority groups to apply.