|
Panel Recap - Graduation is Coming: Now What?
|
Undergrad Life
|
By sastewart
Posted Mon Aug 14, 2006 at 05:14:12 PM PDT
|
|
YMN recently sponsored a panel on careers and graduate school opportunities at Mathfest 2006 in Knoxville, TN. The panel was aimed at undergraduates and panelists included David Anderson (University of Tennessee, Knoxville), Marian Barry (National Security Agency), Don Saari (University of California, Irvine), Faisal Siddiqi (Society of Actuaries), and Andy Sterrett (editor of 101 Careers in Mathematics).
A summary of each panelist's discussion is included in the full story.
Post a Comment
|
| YMN Panel Discussion at Mathfest 2006 in Knoxville, TN
Title: Graduation is Coming: Now What?
Panelists:
- David Anderson, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
- Marian Barry, National Security Agency
- Don Saari, University of California, Irvine
- Faisal Siddiqi, Society of Actuaries
- Andy Sterrett, editor of 101 Careers in Mathematics
Summary:
This panel was aimed at undergraduates and discussed possible paths that an undergraduate math major might follow upon graduation. Three of our panelists discussed careers and two discussed graduate school opportunities.
Andy Sterrett
Andy Sterrett is a professor emeritus of mathematics at Denison University in Granville, Ohio. He is also the editor of the book 101 Careers in Mathematics currently in its second edition and published by the MAA (Mathematical Association of America).
Andy discussed careers for students with a B.A. or B.S. in mathematics. He highlighted some of the interviews in his book including those from fields such as business, marketing, space, and government. Some examples included operations research analyst at FedEx, financial analyst at KeyCorp, marketing jobs with Texas Instruments and Prentice Hall publishing, jobs at the Navigation System section at the Jet Propulsion Lab, and an industrial property specialist for the Department of Defense.
Andy related that 44 of the 101 mathematicians in his book had entered the work world with a bachelor's degree in mathematics and he encouraged students to sell their ability to solve puzzles and problems. Every company has problems and they are looking for those individuals who can work to overcome these challenges.
Marian Barry
Marian Barry is employed at the National Security Agency. She discussed what it was like to work at the NSA. Specifically, mathematicians solve problems and their main responsibilities are associated with signals intelligence (the interception, collection and analysis of foreign signals) and information security (the protection of all classified information that is stored in, or sent through, U.S. government equipment). Mathematicians work in the traditional area of cryptology but also in areas such as signal analysis, speech processing, coding theory, data compression, and other areas of applied mathematics. Marian believes that the essential ingredient to problem solving is not mathematical knowledge per se, but the keen ability that a mathematician possesses through training and talent. She encouraged everyone to consider a job at the NSA. Positions are available for those with a bachelor's degree (about 1/3 of new hires hold only a bachelor's degree in math), master's degree, or Ph.D. in mathematics.
The hiring process may take three to six months, so Marian encouraged students to apply early. U.S. citizenship is required to work at the NSA and a prospective employee can expect to go through three 60-minute interviews in addition to a polygraph test and a background check. Typical starting salary for an individual with a bachelor's degree in math would be around $47, 663 a year.
Interested individuals can visit www.nsa.gov or contact Deanna Egelston, Chair of the NSA Mathematics Hiring Committee at dmegels@afterlife.ncsc.mil.
Faisal Siddiqi
Faisal Siddiqi is an actuary employed by Towers Perrin in Toronto. Faisal discussed what you need to do to become an actuary and the different types of actuaries.
Faisal encouraged a solid foundation in mathematics particularly in calculus, probability, and statistics. Good presentation skills and the ability to speak and write clearly are also important. One would need to understand finance and economics and know business "street smarts." He encouraged students to have a plan, obtain business experience, and know Visual Basic and Excel.
Being an actuary involves taking 10 exams over a period of four to five years. Exams are offered by the Society of Actuaries (www.soa.org) and the Casualty Actuarial Society (www.casact.org). The Society of Actuaries specializes in life insurance while the Casualty Actuarial Society looks at home and car insurance. Among the ten tests offered by each, the first half is more technical while the second half focuses on the profession. These tests are typically taken after graduation and companies will usually give employees 30 days off every six months to study for the exams. Actuaries also have to be registered by the American Academy of Actuaries and certify that they understand the legal obligations of the profession.
There are three types of actuaries: insurance actuaries, pension actuaries, and health actuaries. Faisal himself works with pensions. Starting salaries are about $40,000 a year, but an actuary who has completed all of the exams can be earning $100,000 by his or her early 30's. He encouraged students to view more information at www.beanactuary.com.
Don Saari
Don Saari is a professor of math and economics at the University of California, Irvine. He is also the director of the Institute for Mathematical Behavior Sciences (IMBS) at U.C., Irvine. Don encouraged students to consider pursuing graduate degrees outside of mathematics and to think about getting a Ph.D. in another area.
Don described how the IMBS is seeking to establish a fruitful relationship between mathematics and the behavioral and social sciences. New mathematical approaches to analyze issues in the behavioral and social sciences are being developed and new kinds of mathematical questions are being raised.
A math major can enter a graduate program in a behavior or social science and do math research within these disciplines. Don gave specific examples of research that is currently being looked into at the IMBS. Work is being done to come up with a mathematical representation for memory and another for hearing. Work is also being done in the area of vision as well as psychophysics and response times. Other areas of research include economics and game theory and research in individual decision making.
Since these areas of research are fairly new, Don told students that they will have to educate other disciplines as to why they need mathematics. There are numerous problems out there that would provide worthy and interesting research for a Ph.D. candidate. For more information, go to www.imbs.uci.edu.
David Anderson
David Anderson is a professor of mathematics at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He is also the Director of Graduate Studies for the math department at U.T., Knoxville. David gave a brief overview of graduate programs in mathematics and then specifically discussed the program at U.T., Knoxville.
A student may pursue a graduate master's degree or a Ph.D. in mathematics. A master's degree takes one to two years to complete and may include a thesis or final exams on course work. A Ph.D. will typically take four to six years and will include course work, exams (often known as qualifying exams), and a thesis.
Students wishing to pursue a graduate degree in math should take good courses and do well in them. "Good" courses include a year of advanced calculus and a year in abstract algebra. Letters of recommendation are also important. Ask for letters from math teachers that know you well. David recommended getting letters from teachers you have recently had who are also well experienced teachers. Some graduate schools also require a student to take the GRE, but not all schools require this (U.T., Knoxville does not require the GRE). If you come from a small school, a high score on the GRE would work in your favor. If you have good grades but a lower GRE score, looking at schools that require the GRE could put you at a disadvantage. Extras such as tutoring, senior projects, REU's (Undergraduate Research Experiences), attending meetings, presentations at meetings, and involvement in math club are all good in applying to graduate schools.
In applying to schools, students should look at guidelines and deadlines. It's a good idea to visit schools and compare financial packages - some pay tuitions and some don't. Some programs offer teaching assistant positions.
Currently, U.T., Knoxville has 56 out of 70 graduate students receiving fellowships. Monthly stipends are $1500 and include health insurance. Tuition is waived for those students with fellowships. There are department fellowships and university fellowships. The deadline for the first round of fellowships is February 1, 2007. U.T., Knoxville has professors researching in many areas of mathematics. They are also one of only a few schools in the nation to offer a Ph.D. in Math Ecology. For more information, go to www.math.utk.edu or email gradprogram@math.utk.edu.
|
|
|
