STUDENT OPPORTUNITIES

Whether your dream is to send a NASA spaceship to Mars, program the supercomputer of the future, or teach budding mathematicians how to solve the problems of tomorrow, the Mathematics and Computer science Department at Northern Michigan University has the program for you.  At NMU, you will receive the perfect mix of fundamental theory and hands-on learning experiences, and you’ll have the opportunity to put your ideas and education to work through various projects and internship opportunities.  Our facilities are filled with state-of-the-art equipment, from robotics to 3D visualization labs and high-end 3D graphic accelerators.  Our faculty is dedicated to your education.  Together, we will work to put you on the path to success.

Government, private industry, education, health, and environmental fields all require employees with sophisticated computer and mathematical skills to help solve tomorrow’s problems today.  Our programs are geared toward helping you gain the knowledge and experience to enter the workforce on the leading edge or ahead of the technology curve.

At Northern, we know that your education is only as progressive as the faculty who teach it.  That’s why professors in the Mathematics and Computer Science Department remain active in their professional areas.  Many of our professors serve on state boards and national committees and make presentations at regional, state, and national conferences.  It’s not uncommon to have professors walk into the class on Monday, ready to share what they learned over the weekend at one of the profession's top conferences.

Unlike many other universities that place primary emphasis on faculty grant writing, publishing or graduate-student supervision, at NMU faculty members are focused on your education and are always available to help you with semester and senior projects, independent studies, lecture reviews, departmental presentations, and advising.  You will want your professors to be involved in every aspect of your education, and at Northern, they are.

We believe that your time at NMU should be more than just classes, labs, and homework, so we’ve put plenty of extracurricular activities in place to enhance your education.  Membership in one or more of our three student organizations will give you the opportunity to make new friends and form study groups with people who share your interests: Unix Users Group, association for Computing Machinery (ACM) NMU Student Chapter and Student Michigan Education Association.

Internship opportunities can provide you with the real-world experience necessary to give you a competitive edge when applying for jobs.  These are just a few of the companies where NMU mathematics and computer science students have held internships: Intel Corporation, IBM, International Paper, RWD Technology, Web Media, and NewPage Paper,

Many of our students have accompanied one or more of our faculty members to regional, national, and international professional and academic conferences and competitions.  Not only does this give our students the opportunity to see the next generation of mathematics and computer science applications and to network with some of the greatest minds in the fields, it also gives them the opportunity to showcase their work.  These are some of the events our students have attended:   Argonne National Laboratories Undergraduate Research Symposium, Genetic and Evolutionary Computation Conference (GECCO), National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Conferences, and ACM Regional Programming Competitions.

The Mathematics and Computer Science Department is housed within the Seaborg Science Complex – considered to be among the finest science facilities in the Midwest.  Each classroom is a hands-on interactive learning environment designed to give you the best education available.

At Northern, the most current, relevant technology is imbedded into the curriculum.  You’ll be exposed to graphing calculators, Maple, Minitab, Geometer’s Sketchpad, Java, robots, and TI InterActive.  You’ll also have access to numerous workstations and specialized undergraduate research labs – all of which are designed to expose you to a variety of emerging technologies such as machine learning, artificial evolution, physics engines, game development suites, MicroSoft.NET, and embedded programming.

The Department is equipped with specialized advanced computing laboratories including a 25-seat Linux and system administration lab, an Intelligent Mobile Robot Workshop, CAT-cluster (parallel computing network), Sony PS3 Computer Server, Immersive computing and 3D visualization equipment (including head-mounted displays, stereographic 3D shutter glasses, 3-DOF head-tracker, servers, rear-projection screens and licensed 3D game engines).