This past June I participated in the 2026 SSTPRS program at the University of Maryland. The program was started by Professor Jim Gates with the goal of helping undergraduates gain a higher level of mathematical sophistication, and develop the mathematical, organizational, and collaborative skills necessary for theoretical physics research. The program is generally focused on problems in supersymmetry. The program begins with a one month intensive workshop in mathematical physics. The workshop runs seven hours a day, seven days a week, and involves a mixture of lectures ande collaborative problem solving. Topics covered include Lie groups and Lie algebras, Clifford algebras, differential geometry, special and general relativity, classical mechanics, and supersymmetric theories.
After the workshop portion of the program, a research topic is introduced, and students work collaboratively on that project. My research project is on the dimensional reduction of four dimensional N = 1 supersymmetric algebras into three dimensional spacetime. We are currently focusing on the dimensional reduction in the vector, tensor, and chiral supermultiplets. My mentors for the program were Professor Gates, as well as Dr. Konstantinos Koutrolikos. Both of them were phenomenal mentors and teachers, and created a truly unforgettable program.
In case anyone is curious here are my notes from the workshop portion of SSTPRS. Though note that I have not yet had time to fully edit them, so there are likely quite a few typos and mistakes!