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Mathematics and music are two reasons that Marquis Scholar Steve DiMauro ’02 (Haboro, Pa.) is excited about studying abroad in Hungary for the fall semester.
A math major, DiMauro will be one of about 50 students from the U.S. and Canada participating in Budapest Semesters in Mathematics, held by College International, Technical University Budapest, located near the historic center of Budapest. The program gives undergraduate students the opportunity to study intensively for a semester or year while experiencing Hungarian culture. Most of the participants are math majors, with the rest from math-related disciplines such as physics and computer science.
After getting settled for a few days, DiMauro will spend the first week or two of the semester sampling each of the 15 to 20 courses offered. He will pick at least four classes that interest him most, which he thinks will include abstract algebra, number theory, logic, and an introductory study of Hungarian language. He also will work on a senior honors thesis, corresponding via e-mail with advisor Derek Smith, assistant professor of mathematics.
DiMauro recently toured much of Germany and Austria and is excited about revisiting some of the cities there during weekends and breaks. “I’m also interested to see the differences between Hungary and the places I’ve seen thus far,” he says. “I can’t wait to shop, eat, and travel — and check out the music scene in and around Budapest. I’m a music nut, and supposedly the city is known for its classical music. Maybe some American acts will tour the city as well.”
The semester ahead promises to be an enriching experience, DiMauro notes. “Academically, the program is top-notch and the College International is known for great professors and programs,” he says. “It gives me freedom in picking classes after I get a taste of them all and variety in courses not many undergrad institutions offer. I’ll meet kids from around the country that are into the same things I’m into — academically and not. Budapest, so I hear, is a beautiful and interesting city, and it provides the means and proximity to go almost anywhere in Europe for a weekend or week trip.”
DiMauro also is one of three Lafayette students participating this summer in the National Science Foundation’s Research Experience for Undergraduates, along with eight students from Princeton, Cornell, Brown, Northwestern, Bard, Belmont, Davidson, and Richmond. The program offers students eight weeks of intensive research in mathematics at Lafayette.
Smith is leading DiMauro’s group in an investigation of the number theory of the composition algebras.
DiMauro is a member of Phi Psi fraternity.