This presentation is primarily for undergraduate students wishing to learn more about the application process for graduate studies in the mathematical and physical sciences.  The speaker will engage students by sharing  experiences from former graduate students and past members of graduate admissions committees.  The goal of the presentation is: to educate and encourage students to apply to graduate school; to provide insight into the decision-making process and the graduate school experience; to provide tips on how to make the graduate school process run more smoothly; and to inform students of available opportunities.

Biography:  Luis A. Melara, Associate Professor of Mathematics, Shippensburg University. Dr. Melara has taught in the mathematical sciences at  undergraduate and research institutions, and conducts research in numerical analysis, optimization and optimal control. He has a B.S in  Applied Mathematics with a Specialization in Computing from the University of California, Los Angeles and a M.A. and Ph.D. in Computational  and Applied Mathematics from Rice University. He completed a National Research Council Postdoctoral Fellowship at the National Institutes  of Standards & Technology. He has been the recipient of a National Security Agency & Mathematical Association of America. Dr. Melara is  active in increasing and retaining the number of members from underrepresented groups in science. In addition, he has been a faculty  advisor in the Research Experience for Undergraduates Summer Program hosted by the Mathematical & Theoretical Biology Institute at  Arizona State University from 2011-2013. He is an active member of the Society of Industrial and Applied Mathematics and the Society  for Advancement of Hispanics/Chicanos and Native Americans in Science. Dr. Melara is Editor-in-Chief of the SIAM Undergraduate Research  Online and is the recipient of a Fulbright-Nehru grant to travel to India in 2016.