As a research mathematician, I occasionally get unsolicited emails from local high school students asking if there are opportunities to work on a research project with me. I haven't ever decided to work with a student but have sometimes tried to give encouragement and advice. Recently, I received an email that felt very different. It was oddly non-specific about the sender and oddly specific about methods for a research project, but devoid of specifics about a research goal/question and completely misguided about how one actually does math research and about how a research mentorship or collaborative project might start. Here it is with the name of the sender blanked out:
Inquiry Regarding Potential Research Advisorship and Proposal for Research Collaboration
Dear Professor Reading,
I hope this email finds you well. My name is xxxx xxxx, and I am a High School Student with a strong interest in algebraic and geometric combinatorics. I have been following your work with great admiration, particularly your contributions to the field of Coxeter groups and cluster algebras.
I am reaching out to inquire about the possibility of serving as your student and pursuing a research project under your guidance. After reviewing your extensive research portfolio and publications, I am impressed by your expertise and believe that your mentorship would be invaluable in shaping my research trajectory.
My research interests align closely with your areas of expertise, and I am particularly interested in exploring the combinatorial structures underlying Coxeter groups and cluster algebras. In line with this interest, I have developed a proposal for a research project aimed at deepening our understanding of the interconnections and applications of these structures.
Research Proposal: Exploring Combinatorial Structures in Coxeter Groups and Cluster Algebras
Objective: The objective of this research project is to further explore the combinatorial structures underlying Coxeter groups and cluster algebras in order to deepen our understanding of their interconnections and applications.
Plan:
Literature Review: Conduct an extensive review of existing literature on Coxeter groups, cluster algebras, and their combinatorial aspects to gain a comprehensive understanding of the current state of research in the field.
Theoretical Analysis: Analyze the combinatorial properties of Coxeter groups and cluster algebras, focusing on key concepts such as noncrossing partitions, Cambrian lattices, and lattice congruences. Identify potential areas for further exploration and research.
Computational Experiments: Perform computational experiments to explore and visualize the combinatorial structures associated with Coxeter groups and cluster algebras. Utilize computational tools and software to generate and analyze data, and to test conjectures and hypotheses.
Investigation of Interconnections: Investigate the interconnections between Coxeter groups and cluster algebras, with a focus on identifying new connections and relationships between these structures. Explore how insights from one area can inform and enrich our understanding of the other.
Applications and Implications: Explore potential applications of the combinatorial structures in Coxeter groups and cluster algebras in other areas of mathematics and beyond. Investigate how these structures can be applied to problems in representation theory, mathematical physics, and computational mathematics.
Collaboration and Dissemination: Collaborate with experts in related fields to share insights, exchange ideas, and foster interdisciplinary collaboration. Disseminate research findings through publications in peer-reviewed journals, conference presentations, and seminar talks.
I believe that this research project aligns well with your expertise and research interests, and I am eager to explore the possibility of working under your supervision to bring this project to fruition. Your guidance and mentorship would be invaluable in shaping the direction of the research and contributing to its success.
Please let me know if you would be open to discussing this further. I am available at your convenience for a meeting or discussion to explore this opportunity in more detail.
Thank you for considering my inquiry and proposal. I look forward to the possibility of working with you and contributing to the ongoing research in algebraic and geometric combinatorics under your guidance.
Best regards, xxxx xxxx [email address]
Not surprisingly, my "scam-sense" was tingling, so I decided not to respond. To my surprise, about 3 weeks later, I received the following email, which seems to presuppose some sort of arrangement between me and the sender.
My Situation in Tangent with Future Research
Dear Professor Reading,
Firstly I would like to sincerely apologize for my overall radio-silence over the past few weeks. I had severely snapped radius a few weeks ago and I have been in and out of surgery and recovery, despite that I still should've promptly let you know. Fortunately, I just had my last surgery and am feeling much better, and am still devotely committed to this research and our partnership. I promise to send you a full presentation of my knowledge on Coxeter Groups and their application in symmetrical dimensions by the end of Sunday.
Again I am so sorry for keeping you completely in the dark about my situation.
Best Regards, xxxx xxxx [email address]
It's worth saying that part of this essentially reads as "full presentation of my knowledge on Coxeter Groups and [mathematical gibberish] by the end of Sunday." I continued to not respond. Finally, just today, I received this:
Termination
Dear Professor Reading, After a lot of deliberation and effort I am sorry to inform you that I don't believe I will be able to move through this project. I am sorry for telling you so late but I have been lackluster in communication with you and stagnant in my progress on this research paper. Again I am sincerely sorry but I will not be able to complete this paper.
Thank you for your consideration and again I'm sorry.
Best Regards, xxxx xxxx [email address]
This was so surprising that I thought more about it. I checked the first message on https://copyleaks.com/ai-content-detector and it flagged the whole thing as AI generated. It decided that the second and third messages are human generated. (Note: I used copyleaks.com because it came up in a google search. I have no idea whether it is a good AI detector.)
I am interested in the community's take on this. It is obviously fishy, but what is the scam? The only thing I can say for sure is that they are trying to manipulate me into replying (to say yes or no to the initial solicitation, to express sympathy for the injury and surprise about the asumption of a research relationship between us in the second message, etc.) But to what end? Does it come back to an old-fashioned confidence scheme that is supposed to end with me putting $100-bills into a bitcoin machine? Or is this a real student trying to deceive their own high school somehow? Has anyone else received emails like this? For me, this seems to be something new and different.
