# Update from the Division of Mathematical Sciences

With this article, the management team of the Division of Mathematical Sciences (DMS) at the National Science Foundation (NSF) would like to provide an update about recent program activities from the DMS and an outlook for the future. The DMS plays a critical role in providing about 64 percent of all U.S. federal support for basic research at the frontiers of discovery in the mathematical sciences. It also supports training through research involvement of the next generation of mathematical scientists, conferences and workshops, and a portfolio of national mathematical sciences research institutes.

Here we call attention to four recent funding opportunities that we find particularly newsworthy. Two are calls for development of large-scale interdisciplinary research centers/institutes that involve collaboration between mathematical scientists and researchers from other scientific areas, and two are calls for activities to enhance and broaden graduate education in the mathematical sciences.

### 1. Transdisciplinary Research in Principles of Data Science

The Transdisciplinary Research in Principles of Data Science (TRIPODS) program aims to bring together the statistics, mathematics, and theoretical computer science communities to develop the theoretical foundations of data science through integrated research and training activities. Phase I will support the development of small collaborative institutes. Phase II (to be described in an anticipated future solicitation, subject to availability of funds) will support a smaller number of larger institutes via a second competitive proposal process. All TRIPODS institutes will involve significant and integral participation by all three communities.

### 3. Mathematical Sciences Graduate Internships

By means of this activity, the DMS aims to provide opportunities to enrich the training of graduate doctoral students in the mathematical sciences through summer research internships in nonacademic settings. The DMS has partnered with the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), which is managed by Oak Ridge Associated Universities for the Department of Energy, to establish the Mathematical Sciences Graduate Internship program.

The immediate goal of the program is to arrange and support internships for approximately 40 students annually, primarily at U.S. National Laboratories. The program is intended to introduce doctoral students in the mathematical sciences to important applications of mathematical or statistical theories outside of academia. The internships are aimed at students who are interested in learning about such applications, regardless of whether they plan to pursue an academic or nonacademic career. Interns will not only gain experience in the diverse uses of advanced mathematical tools at National Laboratories, but also become aware of the additional skills required for success in employment outside the traditional academic setting. The program is equally intended for students in pure and applied areas. It is planned to continue this collaboration with ORISE in 2018.

### 4. Improving and Supporting the Transition to Graduate School in the Mathematical Sciences

The NSF Directorate for Education and Human Resources and the DMS invite proposals for projects designed to encourage and prepare U.S. students to pursue and succeed in graduate doctoral study in the mathematical sciences. Particular emphasis is placed on broadening participation of students from underrepresented populations, including racial/ethnic groups underrepresented in mathematics and statistics, individuals with disabilities, and women. The activity aims to support projects that are scalable—to serve large numbers of students without large increases in cost—and sustainable, that is, have continued impact without ongoing large influxes of grant funding. Projects are expected to involve mathematical sciences research as part of student training, and/or educational research that produces new knowledge to help the community understand for whom—and under what circumstances—proposed activities are effective in preparing a diverse population of students to be successful in graduate school.

As of this writing, the Congressional appropriation for the fiscal year 2017 budget has not been finalized. The expected fiscal year 2017 budget for the DMS is $233,512,000, which represents a small decrease of approximately$400,000 from the 2016 level. The President’s fiscal year 2018 budget request to Congress for the NSF will result in a decrease in the DMS budget of approximately \$24,000,000, roughly a 10 percent reduction. The highest priorities for the DMS in this challenging budgetary climate are to maintain—to the extent possible—investments in its core activities, namely the disciplinary programs that fund unsolicited proposals for research by individual investigators and the research institutes portfolio.