NSF Dear Colleague Letter: Interdisciplinary REU Sites at the Intersection of Computing and Communication Foundations and Mathematics and Statistics

The purpose of this Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) is to invite the submission of interdisciplinary REU Sites proposals that explore high impact topics at the intersection of Computing and Communication Foundations and Mathematics and Statistics to the REU program. Please be advised that the REU solicitation is currently being updated and we anticipate issuing a new solicitation later this year.

A number of areas could benefit from deeper research collaborations at all levels between computing and communication foundations and mathematics and statistics. A non-exhaustive list of possible research topics includes:

• Using theorem provers, such as Coq and Lean, to build verified mathematical libraries (e,g., analysis, category theory, measure theory, topology);
  
• The use of principled mathematical- and logic-based approaches, known as formal methods, for specifying, developing, and verifying computing programs in multiple domains (numerical algorithms, probabilistic programs, hybrid and dynamical systems, etc);
  
• Theoretical foundations of data science focused on core algorithmic, mathematical, and statistical principles;
  
• Mathematical foundations of cryptography, including post quantum cryptography;
  
• Differential privacy and statistics; and
  
• Information theory and coding theory.