Eastern Student Amanda Burkhart of Mansfield Center Presents at Northeast Regional Honors Council

2016 Apr 21

Two Eastern Connecticut State University students presented their mathematics research at the Northeast Regional Honors Council annual conference this April in Cambridge, MA. Amanda Burkhart '17, a Pre-Secondary Education and Mathematics major from Mansfield Center, presented "Number Theory: Study of Special Cases in Prime Numbers" at the multiday conference.

Burkhart presented the joint project with a classmate. Mentored by Mathematics Professor Mizan Khan, the research contributes to the branch of mathematics known as number theory. "This research is a study of prime numbers and patterns that can be found among them," the students said in a joint statement.

"Working with a mentor has allowed me to explore other areas of math that may not be possible in the classroom," said Burkhart.

"Our work focuses on proving that prime numbers are infinite, so by proving that our patterns are infinite, we have created an efficient way to predict future prime numbers and triples," said the students. "Our research could potentially find a way to predict large prime numbers in a more efficient way."

"I feel very grateful to have been able to conduct research as an undergraduate because finding something new in math, through my own work, is so rewarding," said Burkhart. Speaking of presenting her work, she added, "Seeing others become excited and interested in our work only makes me want to do even more research."