Mathematical Sciences:Mathematics in Industry: Opportunities and Educational Requirements

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9303983 Block The Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) will conduct a project that will provide guidelines for those educators who desire to improve the match of their mathematics graduate students (master's and doctoral) to the needs of business, industry, and government by characterizing both the uses and users of mathematics in those sectors by identifying the skills and attributes possessed by successful practitioners of nonacademic mathematics, by communicating this information to employers and educators, and by initiating and promoting reform in education for those master's and doctoral students bound for careers in industrial mathematics. Data from surveys and interviews of selected graduates, their employers, and their faculty will be analyzed and appropriate recommendations and guidelines developed. The objectives of the project are to (1) characterize the demand for individuals with training in the mathematical sciences at the master's and doctoral levels and the ways in which training is utilized in industry; (2) characterize the skills and attributes possessed by successful practitioners of nonacademic mathematics as well as any perceived weaknesses of current mathematics graduates; (3) formulate guidelines for educators who desire to improve the match of mathematics graduate students to the needs of industry; (4) create a continuing process to monitor the progress of mathematics graduates in industry and to disseminate this information to educators; (5) initiate activities to increase among industry managers understanding of how mathematical and computational analysis can be used effectively to improve product design, manufacturing processes, and other industrial functions; and (6) assess the value of mathematics as perceived by influential managers in a cross- section of U.S. industries. The project consists of three tasks: (1) a written survey with telephone follow-up of recent mathematics graduates and their employers and relevant faculty; (2) site visits to industrial organizations and federal laboratories; and (3) a survey of decision makers in industry about the current and potential future value of mathematics to industry.