News Release

Career profiles in the mathematical sciences: 18 exciting STEM paths to pursue

SIAM careers guide is a valuable resource for those seeking direction in STEM professions

Book Announcement

Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics

Philadelphia, PA—Gone are the days when math enthusiasts had just two career options: sit at a desk and solve equations or stand at a blackboard and explain them.

Today, mathematicians are everywhere. The disciplines of applied mathematics and computational science are making an impact on so many scientific and technological areas that those with a degree in these fields can be overwhelmed by the choices available to them.

Enter "Careers in Applied Mathematics— Alternatives to academia for STEM majors," a 20-page glossy career guide published by the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM).

The guide serves as a step-by-step handbook, providing ideas and tips on choosing a major, exploring internships and work-study opportunities, and ultimately finding a fulfilling career. It not only presents those already married to the field with a variety of interesting career choices, but also opens up the world of mathematics to the uninitiated.

Anyone with an interest in applying mathematics to their profession—whether they are just beginning to consider a college major, starting out on a career path, or contemplating an alternate avenue mid-career—will find this comprehensive guide helpful.

Through interviews with 18 professionals from fields as diverse as banking and medical research, the SIAM careers guide gives a true sense of what a day in the life of a mathematician is like. It includes rapidly-emerging areas like data mining, robotics, and climatology, as well as disciplines that have long been the domain of mathematics, such as engineering, aerospace, and the information sciences.

Those contemplating a mathematical career are bound to find the insights and advice from professionals in the field useful, such as: jobs for mathematicians don't always have the word math in the title; contact a company that interests you directly instead of worrying about job openings or descriptions; and find a niche that combines math with another one of your strong interests.

In addition to fostering research and education by publishing books and research journals, conducting conferences, and hosting activity groups, SIAM carries out activities and programs to raise awareness about the significance of mathematics and its real-world relevance, value and connectedness to the general public.

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Download a PDF here: http://www.siam.org/careers/thinking.php

You can also order your gratis print copy at the link below. Additional print copies may be purchased for as little as 45 cents: https://my-helper.siam.org/forms/brochure.htm

The careers guide goes hand in hand with SIAM's Math in Industry report published last year, which sheds light on the wide spectrum of real-world industrial problems that math helps tackle through case studies of mathematical applications in 14 major industrial sectors. You can download the Math in Industry report here: http://www.siam.org/reports/mii/2012/index.php

About SIAM

The Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM), headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is an international society of over 14,000 individual members, including applied and computational mathematicians and computer scientists, as well as other scientists and engineers. Members from 85 countries are researchers, educators, students, and practitioners in industry, government, laboratories, and academia. The Society, which also includes nearly 500 academic and corporate institutional members, serves and advances the disciplines of applied mathematics and computational science by publishing a variety of books and prestigious peer-reviewed research journals, by conducting conferences, and by hosting activity groups in various areas of mathematics. SIAM provides many opportunities for students including regional sections and student chapters. Further information is available at www.siam.org.

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