Students interested in finding out details about the graphics program at Texas A&M should see the links under "Academics" at the Geometry and Graphics Group website. There is detailed information there regarding undergraduate graphics study, graduate graphics study, and participation in the Geometry and Graphics research group, along with a listing of relevant classes. Please review that information first.
For undergraduates interested in 485s, such as the Research Fellows Program or summer research oppotunities, I am forced to limit the number of students I can take on - there are generally more students interested than I have the time or ability to effectively supervise. I prefer to limit students to those who have done well in a class taken with me, although exceptions can be made. If you are interested in such an opportunity, please let me know as early as possible.
For those students interested in graduate study, I am always happy to consider working with outstanding students, but I am not actively looking for research assistants at the current time. I do not currently have additional funding available to support students, though this is a situation that can change. Finally, I get numerous unsolicited email messages regarding assistantships. I am not able to read and reply to all such email, and it is likely to be deleted unread unless it is readily apparent that the letter is not a form letter and that the student has a clear interest in my research areas.
I am happy to write reference letters for students who I have had in class or worked with closely. Generally, however, I prefer to write such letters only for students I can say concrete positive things about. For example, this would generally mean getting an A in my class (or an A or B in an honors undergrad class), or having worked in my research group or something. While I might be willing to write a letter for students who don't meet these criteria, please realize that letters may not be as strong as other letters I could write. There are, of course, many unique situations, but realize that it might be in your interest to get a reference from someone who you earned a better grade from.
If you want me to write a reference letter for you, you should give me plenty of warning (a couple of weeks is preferable). Often, such reference letters require a form to be filled out in addition to the letter itself, and you should give this to me at that time. In addition, if the reference is to be mailed off, you should provide a stamped, addressed envelope for me to send it in. I strongly suggest you sign the waiver of your right to read the review. Without that I (and I expect, many others) will give only brief factual information that is almost certainly less beneficial than a full recommendation letter would be.