Dream Job: Using a Mathematics Degree to Succeed in Med School

Many mathematics students want to help people; they just need to find the best path to channel their abilities. Arthur Staddon, M.D., took his skills in math and science, combined with an interest in problem solving, and built a successful career as a hematologist-oncologist at Penn Medicine.

Dream job: Perfecting Disney Princess Hair with Math

Alex McAdams never anticipated working in the movie industry as a college student, partly because math seemed very disconnected from movie production. Although Alex wanted a job with hands on, real world applications, he thought someone with a math degree could only become a math teacher, an actuary, or an accountant.

Things changed for Alex when he went to grad school for applied math at UCLA. He began to understand more about mathematical applications and developed a particular interest in computational physics.

Dream Job: Math Opens the Doors to the Universe

Robert StewartWhen Robert Stewart first enlisted in the army, he did not imagine his life would be be centered on mathematics. For the beginning of his career, Stewart was a flight instructor and flew helicopters in Vietnam. Then, everything changed when he was sent to the Army’s Guided Missile Systems Officer Course, a program centered around applied mathematics.

Dream Job: Restocking Fish in the Ocean with Math

Fish provide an important source of protein in the U.S. and the world. It is important to manage the oceans well so that global economies can maximize the amount of fish that can be sustainably harvested. In graduate school, Allison DeLong learned quantitative ecology can help oceanographers and resource managers better manage ocean wildlife populations.