TikZ (pronounced “tick-zee,” stylized as TikZ) is a \(\LaTeX\)-friendly interface with PGF, a powerful vector graphics system. TikZ is pretty overwhelming for first-time users, mostly because TikZ is pretty overwhelming in general. In this workshop we’ll cover TikZ basics + best practices + hidden gems (like TikZposter) to help you spruce up your visuals and make you the talk of the town.

• TikZ documentation
• PGFplots documentation
• PGF documentation
  • (warning: these docs are 1,324 pages long)
• (new!!) WYSIWYG TikZ editor
  • web version
  • Apple Silicon version

LaTeX (pronounced “lay-tek” and stylized as \(\LaTeX\)) is the standard digital typesetting program for a number of scientific disciplines, and is an essential tool for communicating mathematics. This week, we’ll cover the basics, like:

• Online vs. local LaTeX (I vastly prefer the latter)
• Starting a document
  • Standard document types
  • Options for \documentclass{article}
  • Which format when?
  • Margins, frames, and layouts
• Getting organized
  • Sectioning
  • Scaffolding with \input
  • Creating a preamble
  • Bibliographies
• Writing mathematics
  • Different types of typeset math
  • Standard environments

• For a macOS local install:
  1. install homebrew;
  2. use homebrew to install basictex and the TeX Live Utility
  3. install an editor of your choice (e.g. vscode with the LaTeX workshop extension, TeXstudio, TeXshop, or Texifier — this one’s not free, but it is the best).
• For a Windows local install:
  1. install MiKTeX.
• The complete list of LaTeX classes.
• Latexmk, for manually compiling .tex documents.
• My standard LaTeX template.

The National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP) is a three-year fellowship awarded to ~1,500 PhD students each academic year. In 2025, the NSF (under guidance from the Trump administration) narrowed GRFP eligibility to first-year PhD students, a stunting blow to the next generation of scholars in the United States. For you first-years, there is little time to waste: applications are due by 8:00pm on October 23rd.

This week, we’ll kick off a speed-run of the GRFP application process by

• reviewing the GRFP application process, including
  • reference letters,
  • personal and research statements (with associated template),
  • required documents, and
  • submitting on Research.gov;
• engaging in an academic writing activity;
• organizing accountability groups of three to four students.

Whether you want to apply for the GRFP (which you should!) or just get some practice writing for mathematicians, please join us.

An update: on September 2nd, the GMU Department of Mathematics sent out a call for faculty willing to adivse students on their GRFP applications. You can find the (growing!) list of available faculty on Canvas at Department of Mathematical Sciences \(\longrightarrow\) Mason Math PhD Program \(\longrightarrow\) GRFPAdvising2026.

• \( \LaTeX \) template (github, Overleaf)
• My personal and research statements
• Zotero. Please consider using this — I can’t recommend it more strongly, and it’s developed in-house at GMU. Some good adds-on include:
  • the Sci-PDF Zotero plugin;
  • the Better BibTeX Zotero plugin;
  • the Zotero for iPad and Zotero for Android apps. Notes/annotations are synced between the desktop and mobile apps. An invaluable feature, especially for research.
• The GRFP Solicitation (NSF 26-526)
• Alex Hunter Lang’s advice and database of application materials
• Books on writing, writing for the academy, and writing mathematics for the academy:
  • The Elements of Style (3rd ed.), Strunk and White
  • The Craft of Research (4th ed.), Booth, Colomb, Williams, Bizup, and FitzGerald
  • Mathematical Writing, Knuth, Larrabee, and Roberts

No session today, as I am defending my dissertation proposal.