Outside of classes and research, there is a myriad of ways to get involved with the mathematics department at Yale.
The Yale Undergraduate Mathematics Society (YUMS) is the undergraduate club at Yale for all things math. We work to organize events, facilitate tutoring programs, order food for the lounge, and work with faculty and the administration to make the department a fun and exciting place to learn. We’re all students who are passionate about mathematics and having fun, and if that sounds like something you are interested in, you should consider joining the board of officers.
The Weekly Seminar is held by the Society, and aims to expose undergraduates to a variety of topics in math. Each week, we invite a distinguished speaker (usually a professor) to give an hour-long talk over pizza. A main goal of the seminar is to identify interesting topics that are accessible to undergraduate math majors. Join us each week for pizza and math in LOM. All past and upcoming talks are on our calendar.
If Insomnia cookies are more your speed, come to Problem Set Nights every Wednesday evening in the Math Lounge to work on your homework with other students while enjoying delicious desserts. Or come to the Lounge whenever you have work to finish or want to relax with some coffee or tea - it is a great place in general to meet other students, talk to professors, and have fun.
In addition to the Society, there are several other undergraduate groups at Yale which seek to promote the interests of students in the department. Iota serves as the Student Advisory Committee to the Department of Mathematics, and gives majors a voice in the official workings of the department. Among its other programs, Iota is responsible for the creation of the peer tutoring program which places upper level undergraduates alongside the graduate Teaching Fellows to run tutoring sessions, sit in on classes, review for exams, and help students with their homework. Dimensions is a group which seeks to inspire, celebrate, and empower women in mathematics. Dimensions organizes Teas (presentations by speakers), runs mentorship programs, and hosts workshops open to all. You can learn more about Dimensions and see a list of their events on their Facebook page.
For volunteering, join Yale Math Competition (YMC) to help organize math competitions for high school students. They primarily run two competitions - MMATHS and Girls in Math - and do everything from planning, test-writing, grading, and proctoring. Alternatively, join MathCounts Outreach to reach out to middle and elementary school students, paving the way for their futures in math through your coaching. You work with a co-coach to hold fun classes for these students.
[Alois] Cerbu ’18 calls the 230 peer tutoring program “the most concrete thing we’ve been able to do as an organization to make some sort of a difference, the main place we channeled our energy,” peer tutors have been hired to do office hours for other courses as well, such as MATH 350, 310, and 305. “Those three classes are the meat of the major, and they also tend to be some of the hardest classes in the major.”
— An excerpt from “Solving the Equation” by Marc Shkurovich in The Yale Herald