Here is a brief sketch: a few mathematicians' pictures and some audio clips about why they devote their life to the study. It is a beautiful glimpse into our world.
Mathematicians
Please give it a turn.... You will not be disappointed.
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Mathematicians views of mathematics...
Besides the strange look one gets at cocktail parties when one answers the question, "So what do you do?" I often find myself trying to explain my view of mathematics and why I chose to make a life of it.
Here is a brief sketch: a few mathematicians' pictures and some audio clips about why they devote their life to the study. It is a beautiful glimpse into our world.
Please give it a turn.... You will not be disappointed.
Here is a brief sketch: a few mathematicians' pictures and some audio clips about why they devote their life to the study. It is a beautiful glimpse into our world.
Please give it a turn.... You will not be disappointed.
Monday, January 28, 2013
Best Job out there? - Yes, its Mathematician!
So what is the best job in the US these days?
The Wall Street Journal reported on a ranking of professions from the site CareerCast.com. They released a study this week that evaluates 200 professions to determine the best and worst according to five criteria inherent to every job: environment, income, employment outlook, physical demands and stress.
Bottom of the list: Lumberjack, dairy farmer and taxi driver.
Top of the list: Mathematician (and actuary and statistician, to round out the top three) with a median annual income of over $94000, low stress, and VERY CREATIVE work (okay, the last bit is an editorial opinion. But one of the people highlighted in the article does have very interesting projects to work on.... jussayn'.)
Give the article a read. See where your dream job lies:
The Wall Street Journal reported on a ranking of professions from the site CareerCast.com. They released a study this week that evaluates 200 professions to determine the best and worst according to five criteria inherent to every job: environment, income, employment outlook, physical demands and stress.
Bottom of the list: Lumberjack, dairy farmer and taxi driver.
Top of the list: Mathematician (and actuary and statistician, to round out the top three) with a median annual income of over $94000, low stress, and VERY CREATIVE work (okay, the last bit is an editorial opinion. But one of the people highlighted in the article does have very interesting projects to work on.... jussayn'.)
Give the article a read. See where your dream job lies:
Personally, I agree with the top ranking. It is a good gig!Doing the Math to Find the Good Jobs
Most Valuable College Majors? Think MATH!!
Forbes, the American magazine of
all things business, has just published a listing of the top 15 most
valuable college majors. The listing comes from the PayScale's massive compensation database and job growth
projections through 2020 from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Majors are ranked in terms of salary and career
prospects. Indeed, rankings are by median starting pay, median mid-career pay
(at least 10 years experience), percentage growth in pay and projected
growth of job opportunities. See here:
Of course, at least from my perspective, Biomedical Engineering tops the list, as do a few other engineering fields.
But can you imagine the market value of an engineering or natural science degree AND a math degree? The sky's the limit, no?
Talk to me if interested....
15 Most Valuable College MajorsAnd lo and behold? Check out number's 10 and 11, respectively Applied Mathematics and Mathematics. Median starting salaries fresh out of college are $52,600 and $47,000, and mid-career $89,900 and $96,000, again both respectively.
Of course, at least from my perspective, Biomedical Engineering tops the list, as do a few other engineering fields.
But can you imagine the market value of an engineering or natural science degree AND a math degree? The sky's the limit, no?
Talk to me if interested....
Monday, January 7, 2013
Math in the Media - A matter of motivation, not IQ?
I am and have always been convinced that ANYONE can do mathematics if they have the proper motivation, interest, and access to good mentors and training material, at least to the levels found up to and including the first year in college. I believe that ineffective education and cultural and societal biases are reasons why mathematics education has a mystique about is as something less than the primer coat of all higher level thinking.
So articles on studies like that mentioned here in a Scientific American article
To me, the findings are not surprising. It just seems perfectly natural that a person's motivation to learn a skill is extremely important to their ability to master it. More important than intelligence? Ahhh.... Read the article.
So articles on studies like that mentioned here in a Scientific American article
Like Math? Thank Your Motivation, Not IQ,by Tia Ghose and Live Science, are quite refreshing to read.
To me, the findings are not surprising. It just seems perfectly natural that a person's motivation to learn a skill is extremely important to their ability to master it. More important than intelligence? Ahhh.... Read the article.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Math in the Media - Cowlicks and Hurricane Eyes
Ever wonder why babies have cowlicks (that spot on their head where the hair just doesn't want to follow any particular direction)? If the time of the day depends on your time zone, then how does one determine the time at the North Pole? How come hurricanes have "eyes"?
The answer, unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your perspective) is mathematical in nature. More specifically topology. For a glimpse of why, read today's New York Times article:
One thing you will start to find. We as mathematicians see our craft everywhere, in basically ALL places. Math really is the exposure of logical structure, regardless of the context. But it takes talent to expose that math in an engaging way to someone not trained to see it. Mr. Strogatz has talent.
Happy reading.
The answer, unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your perspective) is mathematical in nature. More specifically topology. For a glimpse of why, read today's New York Times article:
by Steven Strogatz. A fun article, with the promise of a lot more in the future. Give it a read.Singular Sensations
One thing you will start to find. We as mathematicians see our craft everywhere, in basically ALL places. Math really is the exposure of logical structure, regardless of the context. But it takes talent to expose that math in an engaging way to someone not trained to see it. Mr. Strogatz has talent.
Happy reading.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Rest in Peace, Bill Thurston....
A great mathematician, and my professional grandfather (he was the thesis advisor of my thesis advisor), died some days ago. William Thurston, a pioneering mathematician is many areas, whose contributions not only spanned many areas of mathematics but tied disparate topics together through geometry, fell to cancer at the age of 65.
I only met him and saw him speak a few times, but all of my work is to be considered "thurston-esque" in that it plays on the tools and ideas he exposed and developed. I remember distinctly early on in my thesis research struggling to understand what was going on in one of his papers, yet feeling the fascination and joy in the slow but steady comprehension. Every mathematician, like every writer and artist, has a style about them. Not just a style in the way they write but a style in the way they think, perceive, and present. I see that style in the "children" of Bill Thurston, people like Benson Farb, Richard Canany, Lee Mosher, Yair Minsky, Martin Bridgeman, and my advisor Bill Goldman. They seem to see mathematics the way a child views a carnival: full of wonder and joy, fasinated with each new discovery, and simply happy to be a part of the whole scene.
Of course, this is a huge loss for the mathematics world. But his contributions even up to now will continue to percolate through the outer edges of what is known and what is yet to be discovered. And his attitude, his style, as seen through his descendents, will certainly live on.
Rest in Peace, Bill Thurston. The community will miss you. And we thank you dearly for your thoughts.
I only met him and saw him speak a few times, but all of my work is to be considered "thurston-esque" in that it plays on the tools and ideas he exposed and developed. I remember distinctly early on in my thesis research struggling to understand what was going on in one of his papers, yet feeling the fascination and joy in the slow but steady comprehension. Every mathematician, like every writer and artist, has a style about them. Not just a style in the way they write but a style in the way they think, perceive, and present. I see that style in the "children" of Bill Thurston, people like Benson Farb, Richard Canany, Lee Mosher, Yair Minsky, Martin Bridgeman, and my advisor Bill Goldman. They seem to see mathematics the way a child views a carnival: full of wonder and joy, fasinated with each new discovery, and simply happy to be a part of the whole scene.
Of course, this is a huge loss for the mathematics world. But his contributions even up to now will continue to percolate through the outer edges of what is known and what is yet to be discovered. And his attitude, his style, as seen through his descendents, will certainly live on.
Rest in Peace, Bill Thurston. The community will miss you. And we thank you dearly for your thoughts.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Math in the Media: Math Food?
One of the more basic and interesting shapes (spaces) in mathematics is the torus. We typically describe is as the surface of a doughnut or bagel. That it is mathematically different from the surface of a ball is a good entry point for a lay explanation of some fun higher mathematics.
Speaking of a bagel, here is an interesting video on a way to mathematically play with your food:
Speaking of a bagel, here is an interesting video on a way to mathematically play with your food:
A Mathematically Correct BreakfastBuon appetito!!!
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