I was at the Indiana REU in 1992. I enjoyed it quite a lot, and learned a good amount of math.

Indiana differs from most REUs, I think, in a couple of respects. First of all, everyone is working on their own, with a different professor, on a different topic. My year, there were fourteen of us, working with ten professors. The topics span a wide range. I was working on Knot Theory; other topics included Automorphisms of the Torus, Crossed-Product Algebras, Computer Speech Recognition, and Population Dynamics. The range of topics is both good and bad - you don't get to work together so much, but it also makes it easier to get away from the math when talking with the other people.

Another difference is that the participants aren't pressured to produce something "publishable" (again, this may be good or bad, depending on what you want). Some people proved some original results, but many didn't. I didn't, for example. The thrust of the program is more to learn some math, and think about some good problems, than to get a paper out.

On the whole, it's a very laid-back program. Although the participants don't work together, we all lived together in the dorms (paired off in doubles, bathroom on the hall), and ate and hung out together. We played lots of cards, joined in in volleyball games with people in other summer programs, went to movies, etc. We talked math some of the time, but spent much more time just getting to know each other and talking about whatever came to mind. There are no set hours to work - you meet with your professor once a day or so, and there are some lectures, but otherwise your time is your own (no 9-5 schedule like some programs have).

Bloomington isn't the most exciting town, but it's got plenty to offer. The music department is superb, and gives a lot of performances - recitals, concerts, and even opera (I saw a good Rigoletto). There's also movie theatres, bars, bookstores, etc.

In conclusion, I'd recommend Indiana as a fun and interesting way to spend a summer studying math, especially if you don't want to be too intense and don't care about publishing.

--Blake Mellor '94 (mellor@math.berkeley.edu)