Clay Mathematics Institute / PROMYS
Research Labs

Since 1999, the CMI/PROMYS partnership has run the research labs and the advanced seminars. Recent Mentors have included Avner Ash, Henry Cohn, Keith Conrad, Ed Early, Ira Gessel, Paul E. Gunnells, Jonathan Hanke, Kiran Kedlaya, and Jonathan Lubin.

Mentors pose new research problems at the start of each summer. The materials include problem statements, hints for getting started, and references to the pertinent literature. Each returning PROMYS participant selects a problem and is placed in a team of four. Teams engage in open-ended exploratory projects under the guidance of the Mentors and other research mathematicians. As participants work on these team projects, they develop habits of thought associated with creative scientific research.

At the end of the summer program, students give presentations to the PROMYS faculty, counselors, and all of the PROMYS participants.