In Summer 2023, four local undergraduates will spend 8 weeks engaging in full-time mathematical research, thanks to funding from the Mathematical Association America's (MAA) National Research Experience for Undergraduates Program (NREUP). The 2023 NREUP at DePaul University is being run by Department of Mathematical Sciences faulty Dr. Emily Barnard and Dr. Sarah Bockting-Conrad.
The 2023 NREUP at DePaul University will focus on the relatively new field of graph b-colorings. A b-coloring is a special kind of proper vertex coloring in which every color class must have at least one vertex which is adjacent to all other color classes. The largest number of colors that can be used in a b-coloring is called the b-chromatic number of the graph. Our students will build on existing results about b-colorings and b-chromatic numbers to study b-colorings of various graph families. Students will leave the program with a toolbox for exploring research questions in graph theory.