WHERE IS MATH USED?
computer science ,
geology,
archeology,
physics, chemistry,
engineering,
biology,
forensics,
public health,
voting,
medicine, environment,
weather, and much more.
Scientists work for private companies, for government, or for academic institutions.
Check out some of these math posters or those math posters.
WHO DOES MATH?
Check out these links showcasing diversity in science!
Queer Scientists
Being a Trans Mathematician: A Q&A with Autumn Kent
The Association for LGBT Mathematicians
Mathematically Gifted & Black
Mathematicians of the African Diaspora
11 Famous African American Mathematicians You Should Know About
20 amazing women in science and math
Biographies of Women Mathematicians
Women in Maths Interview Series
Check out weusemath.org, they list how much math you need for different fields ... and salaries too!
Check out this math graduate school SEARCH TOOL by the American Mathematical Society
Various companies use large data sets to predict or model various outcomes. Some examples include streaming and social media outlets, business decisions, marketing, improving customer experience, healthcare outcomes, advertising, sports, and much more. Check out datascienceprograms.org or this info about what a data scientist does.
Actuaries calculate risk and financial impact for various businesses such as insurance, investment, transportation, energy, environment, etc.. The website beanactuary.org answers questions like how to get started, what to study in college, and info about actuarial exams. Check out the video below by the Society of Actuaries.
Biology researchers calculate and predict many things including ecosystems, population species, nutrients, drug development, immunity, dieases such as cancer, personalized medicine, and much more. Check out this article about more specific biology careers and these resources at sciencemag.
The U.S. government employs many people with math backgrounds including computer scientists, engineers, physicists, mathematicians, business people, and more. Some examples of problems they work on include: intrusion detection system alerts, analyzing computer network traffic and other types of data, operations logistics, technical instruction or training, cryptography (breaking codes), computer models addressing mission-related problems, environmental pollution and protecting resources, and all types of engineering problems such as computer, civil, electrical, aerospace, mechanical, etc.. The website intelligencecareers.gov has more information. For one example, check out the video below on geospatial intelligence.
Statisticians work on analyzing data. They study methods for producing trustworthy and practical conclusions from large sets of data. Statisticians may work in many fields such as medicine, environment, industry, government, or market research. See more info at amstat.org . Check out the video below covering all the different companies that statisticians may work for!
Businesses and governments need analysts to study prices, finances, taxes, production, trading deals, negotiations, loss and damage estimates, energy usage, and much more. Check out career profiles on the Mathematical Association of America website.
NASA employs astronauts, engineers, physicists, mathematicians and more. They maintain lots of different types of equipment, and they work on calculating trajectories of satellites, interpreting telescope data, exploring new aspects of planets and space, etc.. Check out some featured biographies of women at NASA at women.nasa.gov/careers.
Engineers need a strong math background to do their work designing roads, bridges, cars, planes, computers, buildings, electronics, security systems, lighting systems and more. Engineers can work on many aspects of designing systems, such as software, mechanical or electrical design. Check out this list of engineering specialties and that list of engineering specialties and the video below on engineering careers.
Computer scientists use math and logic everyday in order to do their work in web programming, web security, designing computer algorithms, computer management, network architecture, databases, game development, animation, and more. Check out this guide to computer science careers, this guide to cyber security careers, and this list of resources for diversity in STEM and gaming.
Companies in transportation study ridership, transit times and fuel costs in order to optimize the services they provide. Energy companies study cost-benefit analysis to balance energy needs with environmental impact. Shipping companies study shipping times and costs to optimize their services. Governments study wildlife habitats and human water supplies in order to best serve their communities with minimal impact on the environment. Check out the video below by informs.org.
Physicists study solid matter, light beams, lasers, fundamental laws of physics, atomic interactions, and much more. Check out this careers in physics page and the video below too!
Mathematicians study new mathematical equations and structures, shapes and patterns, fractals, factoring numbers and cryptography, and much more. Check out some career profiles on the SIAM website and the video below too!
Academics work in every field listed above! Some focus on teaching, developing new courses, curriculum across the institution, working with tutoring centers, etc.. Academics also do research which can be funded by industry or government grants. In math research can overlap heavily with engineering, physics, or biology, or research can be done on pure math problems too!