AMS Graduate Student Blog Flyer

Posted on March 30, 2012 by Tyler Clark

AMS Grad Blog FlyerPlease feel free to print and post the flyer to the left in your math department (Click the photo to open the PDF version).

A special thank you to editor Jean Joseph for suggesting a flyer be created and Cara Pitchford for creating it for us.

Posted in AMS | 2 Comments

The Employment Outlook for Math Careers

Posted on March 28, 2012 by Tyler Clark

by Brian Jenkins – BrainTrack.com

U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsA variety of organizations and companies hire mathematicians. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) forecasts a 22% employment growth for mathematicians from 2008 to 2018, which is much faster than the average for all occupations (http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos043.htm). The BLS reports that a person with a PhD, a strong background in mathematics and a related field (such as computer science or engineering), and the ability to apply mathematical theory to real-world problems will have the best job prospects.

The BLS forecasts that those with master’s degrees in mathematics will have very strong competition for positions in theoretical research. Additionally, because the number of PhD degrees awarded in mathematics exceeds the number of jobs available at universities, especially tenure-track positions, many graduates will have to find jobs in industry and the government. Continue reading →

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Do It By Your Own

Posted on March 26, 2012 by Tyler Clark

I ran across the following article by Soojung Shin, a high school student in Korea.

Do_Your_Own_Thing

http://bettertastethansorry.com/2010/01/do-your-own-thing/

I tried to solve it with the guide of a pamphlet I received at Toys-R-Us on solving Rubik’s cubes. I realized that even though my cube was almost configured, I had no idea how I had done it. I had just blindly followed the instructions on the pamphlet (move left, right, one-quarter clockwise to the left) that I had no clue how I had gotten from my colored mess of a cube to the cube sitting before me, all figured out. Guess it just goes to show that using pamphlets as a guide won’t help me solve the Rubik’s Cube on my own. Sometimes you need to do somethings on your own.

Soojung’s thoughts reminded me about what my Real Analysis professor always says.

Do it by your own.

Continue reading →

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Hunger Games

Posted on March 23, 2012 by Tyler Clark

The odds had been entirely in her favor. But it hadn’t mattered.

Hunger GamesWith the movie release yesterday, I’m sure many of you have heard of The Hunger Games. I had never read the books, but I decided to start the first one last night. (I never like seeing movies about books without first reading the book.) Reading through, I noticed that one of the chapters mentioned a lot of (elementary) probability. It was refreshing to see that a popular book mentioned mathematical topics in an entertaining way (and accurate!).

Have you read any good books lately that accurately or inaccurately mention math?

Posted in Math in Pop Culture, Mathematics in Society | Comments Off on Hunger Games

Molière in a Topology Class–Really?!

Posted on March 17, 2012 by Jean Joseph

Moliere ImageI’ve recently read this article and have been resisting not to discuss (or think about) it too much, lest that it finally convince me (or force me to see) that the idea of an education for its own sake is something of the past and one, in order to ‘survive’, must adhere to the new system.

Considering mathematics in the context of this article, one wonders if graduate programs need to encourage students to study other areas outside of mathematics. In the same context, one may ask to what extent math students fulfill the requirement of a ‘liberal’ education if getting an advanced degree merely is instrumental in getting a job.

Take some time to peruse the article, and share your comment(s) if any.

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