What Does a Math Major Do?

1
What Does a Math Major Do?

• What you can tell your Family and Friends about
  your Major

2
Overview

• What can I do in industry?
• Cool applications
• Why do they hire math people?
• Background and skills
• Where are these jobs?
• Where do Carroll grads go?
• Math at Carroll
• Courses and opportunities

3
Applications of Math in Industry

• Wavelets in the analysis of brain processes
• Brownian motion in modeling limit orders for
  financial products
• Representation and manipulation of complex
  geometry in computer-aided design of aircraft
• Analysis and modeling in turbulence studies and
  global warming
• Modeling of satellites and algorithms for
  centimeter-accurate orbit determination

4
More Applications

• Developing numerical methods for analysis of
  regurgitative flow in heart valves, spinal
  anesthetic fluid migration, and thermal increases
  in a growing fetus
• Modeling accretion disk around a black hole
• Matrix algebra optimization of managed investment
  portfolios
• Algorithms for optimization of transportation
  systems

5
More Applications

• Systems of differential equations to model
  patients response to chemotherapy treatments
• Complex dynamical systems analysis of power grid
  failures
• Bayesian spam filters for e-mail
• Kalman filters for atmospheric and oceanic
  modeling
• Eigenface analysis for face recognition and
  classification

6
How Do Mathematicians Do Their Work?

• Although a few mathematicians are clustered in
  one group that has a mathematical charter, most
  are scattered among engineers, physicists, and
  computer scientists, where they often function as
  hunter-gatherers, seeking a share of their
  support from mission-oriented project groups.
  Mathematicians here must extract the mathematics
  from the projects that need it.
• What kind of mathematicians are attractive?
  Mathematicians with the right mind set who want
  to solve problems rather than just do mathematics.

7
The role of a mathematician

• Problems never come in formulated as mathematics
  problems. A mathematicians biggest contribution
  to a team is often an ability to state the right
  question.
• The most effective people are those who can
  interact, understand, translate. A key is being
  able to explain something outside your discipline.

8
What makes math grads special?

• In order of importance
• Logical, analytical skills
• Linking theory with applications
• Knowledge of algorithms and mathematical
  techniques
• Mathematical skills and expertise
• Computational skills

9
Professional Opportunities with a Mathematics
Degree

• Engineering, particularly aerospace industry
• Computer applications
• Actuary work for an insurance company
• Finance and Investing
• Teaching high school/community college
• Text book editor
• Graduate school in math, engineering, sciences
• Professional school law, medical, MBA

10
Industry Opportunities with a Mathematics Degree

• Aerospace
• Computer
• Telecommunications
• Transportation (people, freight)
• Federal Government
• NSA (National Security Agency)
• NASA/JPL
• National Lab

11
Where are Carroll Graduates?

• Jennifer Stewart math/chemistry law school,
  Gonzaga
• Seth Blades math/accounting graduate school
  in hospital administration, UW
• Cassie Shelley math/engineering graduate
  school in mechanical engineering, Notre Dame
• Jaime Kopf math/engineering MS industrial
  engineering, UW

12
More Carroll Grads

• JD Emmert Math/Engineering graduate school in
  mechanical engineering, CU
• Michelle Kennedy Math/Art Dental school, Case
  Western Reserve
• Kayme May Math/2ndary Ed computer analyst,
  Northrup Grumman
• Rogie King Math/Computer Science web
  programmer, Travel Montana
• Ted Wendt Math/Computer Science graduate
  school in mathematics, U of Iowa

13
More

• Kylan Johnson Math/Computer Science graduate
  school in computer science, U of Arizona
• Gary Olson Math/2ndary Ed graduate school in
  math operations research, CU-Denver
• Sarah Papp Math/2ndary Ed teaching high
  school in Nevada
• Matt Zanto Math/Computer Science computer
  analyst, Blue Cross/Blue Shield

14
Math at Carroll

• Applied emphasis
• Course projects develop problem-solving skills,
  oral and written communication skills
• Concentration in some other field (biology,
  chemistry, physics, business, computer science,
  or whatever you want!)

15
Requirements for Math Major

• Fall Spring
• Freshman
• MA 131 Calculus 4 MA 232 Differential
  Equations and Linear Algebra I 4
• Sophomore
• MA 233 Multivariable Calculus 4 MA 334
  Differential Eqns and Linear Algebra II 4
• MA 336 Prob Stat I 2
• Junior
• MA 341 Prob. Stats. II 3 MA 342 Numerical
  Computing 3
• MA 328 Discrete Math 3 MA 301 Foundations of
  Math 3
• MA 366 Junior Seminar 1
• Senior
• MA 401 Abstract Algebra and MA 4xx Honors
  Thesis/Project 3
• Applied Geometry 3
• MA 421 Optimization 3

16
Math Major Starting Soph Year

• Fall Spring
• Sophomore
• MA 131 Calculus 4 MA 232 Differential
  Equations and Linear Algebra I 4
• MA 336 Prob Stat I 2
• Junior
• MA 233 Multivariable Calculus 4 MA 334
  Differential Eqns and
• MA 341 Prob. Stats. II 3 Linear Algebra II 4
• MA 301 Foundations of Math 3
• MA 366 Junior Seminar 1
• Senior
• MA 328 Discrete Math 3 MA 342 Numerical
  Computing 3
• MA 401 Abstract Algebra and MA 4xx Honors
  Thesis/Project 3
• Applied Geometry 3
• MA 421 Optimization 3

17
Math Minor

• First two years of math curriculum
• Two other 3-credit courses from
• - MA 341 Probability Statistics II
• - MA 342 Numerical Computing
• - MA 421 Optimization
• - MA 328 Discrete Math
• - MA 301 Foundations
• - MA 401 Abstract algebra/geometry

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Special Opportunities

• Mathematical Contest in Modeling
• Big Sky Conference
• Putnam Exam
• Mentoring Program
• Independent Research
• Astrophysics
• Montana Space Grant Consortium Balloon Project
• Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU)
• Summer Internships
• JPL
• NSA

19
Cool Websites

• http//www.ucfv.bc.ca/math/joblist.htm
• http//www.maa.org/students/career.html
• http//www.siam.org/students/career.htm
• http//www.ams.org/employment/undergrad.html
• http//www.youngmath.net/concerns/section/Undergra
  d
• http//math.usask.ca/document/netinfo/careers.html