The SMALL program
The SMALL research program at Williams
College comprises about 25 students, each of whom work in two groups of
about six students for nine weeks. Each group is headed by a Williams
professor; five groups study math, and two study physics. About two thir
ds of the students in the program are from Williams. The groups meet
about three times a week with the professor, who answers questions and
gives suggestions. The rest of the time is devoted to working on
problems, doing background reading, and doing co mputer simulations.
Students have a lot of freedom to pursue what interests them, and the
professors are very eager to work with students on these problems. Harvard
math majors should find they are very well qualified for this program, and
should be able
to learn any particular parts of math needed for their group.
After work, SMALL boasts a large variety of activities, including ultimate
frisbee, volleyball, capture the flag, soccer and much more. There's also
some great hiking and bicycling to be had in the purple mountains. A
number of other Williams students are also around for the summer, so
there's ample activity on weekends, not to mention any road trips your
co-workers might organize.
--Noah Graham