Recently posted by Donna Beers

Massachusetts just raised the math licensure requirement for elementary teacher candidates. As of 2009, all candidates must pass a new, stand-alone math test. The test covers the four key strands of elementary school mathematics: number and operations, functions and algebra, geometry and measurement, and statistics and probability. The Massachusetts Department of Education (DOE) recommends 9-12 credit hours of math coursework for aspiring primary school teachers. The new licensure requirement and course content were spelled out in the DOE's Guidelines for the Mathematical Preparation of Elementary School Teachers (July, 2007).

For context, the mathematical performance of elementary school students, along with the mathematical preparation of elementary teachers, has undergone sharp scrutiny. Why? As noted in the Final Report of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel (March, 2008), the U.S. economy, national security, and leadership in the global economy very much depend on having a workforce which has the math background for careers in science, technology and engineering.

As we post our final blog for 2008-09, it is wonderfully fitting, given the present concern for helping children to understand (and like!) math, that we speak with Simmons alumna, Hannah Kimball. Hannah earned her Bachelor's degree in mathematics in 2007 and went straight on to earn her Master of Arts in Teaching in May, 2008. She is a fifth grade teacher at the Cyrus E. Dallin Elementary School in Arlington, Massachusetts where, this year, she fulfilled her life-long dream of becoming an elementary school teacher. As you will see, a couple of special teacher/mentors, plus participation in sports, played huge roles in helping her gain a positive attitude toward math and in confirming her decision to go into teaching. Please meet Hannah!

This month, students in my introductory statistics course are co-blogging with me. A couple of weeks ago we hosted a special guest, Simmons alumna, Alison Timm, a statistician who spoke to the class on what life is like post-grad, and how what she learned in statistics has led her to find a fulfilling career. At the two-thirds point of the semester, I thought it was time for students to lift their eyes from their textbooks and meet an alumna, recently graduated, who is practicing the very theory they've been learning.

And it turns out, the timing was right! To quote one of my students: "Have you ever been sitting in a classroom ... and thinking to yourself, Although this is interesting, when on earth am I ever going to use this knowledge?" And another: "What struck me most while listening to Alison was the seemingly limitless options she has a statistician. ...This showed us that we can work in areas that we're interested in, all under the large umbrella of statistics."

The questions below were asked by students who were surprised to learn that even though the U.S. is currently in a recession, statisticians are in demand. Alison, who earned her M.A. in biostatistics last December, described the range of her work experiences in statistics since her senior year at Simmons, including a position at Boston Scientific for which she's just been hired.

Alison Timm (B.S., Math, 2006; M.A., Biostatistics, Boston University, December 2008)

            

 

How did you end up majoring in math and becoming a statistician, Alison?
I originally started off college as pre-med. But as time went on, I found I wanted to get out of the chemistry lab and into a different kind of research. When I transferred to Simmons at the end of my sophomore year, I was thinking that I would become a high school mathematics teacher. A major turning point for me was an internship in my senior year.

 

What was your internship like?

In spring semester of my senior year, my adviser, Professor Beers, contacted Simmons alumna, Sharon Sharnprapai (B.S. Mathematics, Class of 1987; M.S. Epidemiology, School of Public Health, UMass-Amherst) to see if she might have any internship openings. Sharon is Director of Tuberculosis Research and Epidemiology at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) - Division of Tuberculosis Prevention and Control. Over the past several years, she has generously supervised several Simmons math majors in internships at the Massachusetts DPH.

 

Under Sharon's supervision, I assisted with a study of patients who had been exposed to TB and who had undergone a nine month treatment plan, including medication. Tuberculosis is a persistent infection which requires long-term treatment. To monitor the use of the medication and its side effects during the treatment, each patient was required to visit a TB clinic once a month. Unfortunately, the completion rate for the treatment plan was around half. I tested the hypothesis that there is a correlation between how far a patient lives from the closest TB clinic and the extent to which they completed their program of treatment. Much to my disappointment, the results of the test were inconclusive. But when I look back at this experience now, I see that this was a valuable, real-life lesson: Not all scientific studies come up with conclusive results, which can be frustrating. In thinking about why this was so in my study, it may be that the sample size was too small. Or perhaps there other variables to pursue, such as patient age or number of children.

 

What benefits did you get from your internship?

The internship was invaluable in many ways. I became comfortable and confident with statistics. I was constantly immersed in experiments and surveys which the Clinic worked on daily. I worked with many different colleagues at the Clinic, never sitting next to the same person twice. This helped me continually to learn something new throughout the internship. Best of all, I learned that I enjoyed doing research in public health.

 

What did you do right after graduating from Simmons?

Coincidentally, at the same time I was doing my internship in spring, 2006, I also got a part-time, entry level position as research assistant at the Tufts Medical Center. I continued working at Tufts after graduation. I learned a lot about different statistics software such as SPSS, S-Plus, and SAS and gained experience in statistical modeling. I also had the opportunity to research particular topics in statistics in order to help members of the staff prepare their professional presentations. With the encouragement of my co-workers, I left Tufts after a year to pursue a Masters in Biostatistics at Boston University. At BU, I contributed to a wide variety of projects ranging from breast cancer and childhood obesity to analyzing data on children in Zambia who had suffered post-traumatic stress in order to learn how they are able to cope with stress and extreme situations. What I especially liked about all these projects was that they allowed me to combine my interests in mathematics and health care.

 

Now that you've earned your Masters, what do you plan to do next?

In a couple of weeks I'll be starting a new job at Boston Scientific in postmarketing surveillance. This means that I'll be helping to ensure that the company's medical tools and devices are safe. I'll be collecting data on people who use their devices and keeping track of malfunctions. In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) oversees postmarketing surveillance.

 

What are the job prospects for statisticians for the near future?

Even though the economy is weak right now, statisticians seem to be in high demand. A Masters degree in statistics opens the door to many job opportunities, e.g., pharmaceutical research, financial planning, and public health.  

 

What do you do for relaxation?
I'm very much an outdoor person - I love to run, ski, and bike!

 

Do you have any advice for undergraduates?

One suggestion is to work for a year before going to graduate school. This can help you to develop resources and to network. Also, knowledge of statistical packages like SPSS or SAS might be very helpful in landing an internship.

 

 

If you have any questions for Alison or about this blog, be sure to write!

 

 

Faces were smiling, on February 17, 2009, when math alumna, Jessica Ogarek (2006), along with fellow alums Alison Timm (2006), Sarah Lupa (2006), and Hannah Kimball (2007), returned to 300 The Fenway to share with current math students their graduate school and on-the-job experiences since graduating from Simmons.

Alison just completed a Master of Arts in Statistics at Boston University this past December, while Jessica works at John Snow, Inc., an international health care consulting firm based in Boston. Sarah, who was featured in last month's blog, teaches seventh grade math at the Memorial Boulevard School in Bristol, Connecticut. Hannah, like Sarah, earned her Master of Arts in Teaching from Simmons. She teaches fifth grade math at the Cyrus E. Dallin Elementary School in Arlington, Massachusetts.

Undergraduates were delighted at the diversity of math fields chosen by our talented alums; and, they were impressed by the evident enthusiasm which each alumna showed for her field! The following picture of Alison, Jessica, Sarah, and Hannah is a memento of our recent event:

                                    

In this month's blog we sketch a mathematical portrait of Jessica Ogarek. Jessica double-majored in Communications and Mathematics. An internship, in spring semester of her senior year, turned into a full-time job .... and an unexpected career! Please meet Jessica.

Jessica Ogarek, B.S. in Communications and Mathematics, 2006

How did you end up in math, Jessica?

I came to Simmons completely undecided. The reason I majored in math was because I took Calculus II with you!  I was doing well and you encouraged me to take Discrete Mathematics the following semester ... and then Linear Algebra, next. At first I thought I would just minor in math. Then, because I'd already taken a ton of Communications courses, I realized I had time to do a math major, too. You wrote me a complete schedule, and I followed it!

What did you think you wanted to do with a degree in math?  

I had absolutely no idea, at first. I was a Teaching Assistant in the Communications Department for video production and also for communications media. I was moving more in the video production direction. Once I got an internship at John Snow, Inc. (JSI) and began working in public health, I realized there's more to the world than holding a camera in your hand.

What have you been doing since leaving Simmons? How does the math you learned at Simmons impact you on a daily basis?

I use statistics almost on a daily basis. I'm constantly looking at data output and thinking about what it means. I find that having both a mathematics and communications background gives me a dual perspective on problem-solving, which is a great advantage.

After graduating from Simmons in May 2006, I continued interning at JSI and then got hired as a full-time staff associate. I've been working on many different projects. One example is the Infertility Prevention Project (IPP), a project funded by the Center for Disease Control that promotes chlamydia and gonorrhea screening and treatment and treatment for women. This is a national project that's divided into the 10 public health regions. My primary focus is on data management and database development, but my communications background helped me to contribute to the project website development for the New England IPP region, Region I, too. 

In another direction, I also work on projects for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH). I've done budget work for the HIV division, plus I got hired for the Massachusetts Tobacco Control Program which developed the Try-To-Stop Smokers' Helpline. Try-To-Stop offers free telephone counseling to help people quit smoking, and sponsors periodic free-patch giveaway campaigns. The call center also handles QuitWorks, which is a provider referral program where patients are referred to be called and offered counseling. I work on state and health plan reporting (RI/MA/NH, separately), where I developed an Access reporting database. I also assisted in testing the new Oracle online database.

For the last year and a half I've been taking courses at the SAS Institute, in the Prudential Center, to learn more about databases and statistical analyses.

What's absorbing you right now, and what are your plans for the near future?

I'm passionate about all my projects, especially projects on HIV. But the Tobacco Control Program really hits close to home because I have family members who have suffered from emphysema. What I'd like to do next is earn a Master's in Biostatistics.

Do you have any advice for alumna?

I'd just urge everyone to get out of their comfort zone, and try something new. For me, I put myself out there when I chose to work in public health. It's been an unbelievably rewarding experience, one that I never imagined!

Do you have any questions for Jessica or about this blog? If so, please write!

President Obama has pledged to make mathematics and science education a national priority. Approximately half of all new teachers leave the profession within five years, so there is a huge retention problem. The President has proposed Teacher Service Scholarships to recruit high quality math and science degree graduates into the teaching profession.

Many factors have combined to put mathematics education front and center on the national agenda. The mediocre performance of U.S. fourth and eighth graders on international mathematics exams is one factor. Workforce needs and the need to protect national security are two others. According to a report by Mass Insight Education, World Class: The Massachusetts Agenda to Meet the International Challenge for Math- and Science-Educated Students, the "... pipeline of students into science, technology, engineering, and math-related (STEM) college programs and careers is shrinking in the face of increasing demand. ... Massachusetts' high-tech, high-finance economy needs a highly capable workforce the way a car needs fuel. Without it, they both stop dead."

Middle school mathematics, particularly Algebra, has emerged as a major concern for U.S. education. Quoting from the Final Report of the National Advisory Panel for Mathematics, which was released in March 2008:  "Although our students encounter difficulties with many aspects of mathematics, many observers of educational policy see Algebra as a central concern. The sharp falloff in mathematics achievement in the U.S. begins as students reach late middle school, where, for more and more students, algebra course work begins. ... Algebra is a demonstrable gateway to later achievement. Students need it for any form of higher mathematics later in high school; moreover, research shows that completion of Algebra II correlates significantly with success in college and earnings from employment."  

For a first-hand look at the challenges - and joys! - of teaching and learning middle school mathematics, we're speaking this month with Simmons alumna, Sarah Lupa. Sarah, who double-majored in mathematics and secondary education, earned her bachelor's degree in 2006, continuing on at Simmons to earn her Master of Arts in Teaching in May, 2007. She teaches seventh grade math at the Memorial Boulevard Middle School in Bristol, Connecticut. As you'll see, it was in middle school that she experienced an epiphany about math that has shaped her attitude toward math ever since. Sarah is a talented musician. She plays several instruments and enjoys performing as part of an orchestra or an ensemble, as well as playing solo.  Please meet Sarah!

Sarah Lupa, B.S. in Mathematics, 2006; Master of Arts in Teaching, 2007

o   Sarah, what drew you to math in the first place? How did you get hooked?  
I got sent to a summer math camp run by the city of Bristol for rising 9^th-graders. This camp was free. The goal was to help students prepare for the standardized math test. Among other things, we learned how to use a graphing calculator and how to use Statplot. What camp did for me was that it boosted my confidence ... it took me from feeling I wasn't good at math to feeling more confident and like I had a leg up. Ninth grade meant a new school, a new place. Math camp helped get me to get off to a good start.

In addition, I had good math teachers who urged me to take double math courses and AP Calculus. In a nutshell, I went from a kid who wasn't mathematically confident to one who had confidence in my math ability. I want to do the same for other kids.

o   What did you think you wanted to do with math?
I always wanted to teach. Part of me wanted to be a lawyer, another part wanted to be a cop. Perhaps most of all: I'm the kind of person for whom teaching is my niche. Part of it is life style, the 9 month/year work schedule.

o   What math needs do your students have?
I teach underprivileged, seventh graders. They're learning fractions, decimals, percentages. I don't let them use calculators.

They need rudimentary facts. They don't know their times tables for 1 through 12 multiplication. They don't know that 6 x 8 = 48. This is challenging because it interferes with their ability to learn the inverse operation of division.

o   What accounts for this gap?
It has to do with accountability. Every year a little more falls through the cracks. Kids are not coming out knowing their times tables. This affects all their understanding. They can't multiply or divide. Part of this may be a side-effect of districts going to a new mathematics curriculum. The new curriculum is great if kids can work independently or have high motivation. It's an experimental curriculum.

o   What's occupying your interests right now? Where are you spending time and energy?  
For spring semester I'm starting Study Island, an interactive online program to help students prepare for the Connecticut Mastery Test. It provides drill and practice. I've been boning up on that. Also, I'm helping teachers in my building use Smart Board technology. (You can even make Smart Boards talk!). And, I'm helping to create interactive activities, like Jeopardy, for review sessions. So, I try to bring technology into the classroom.

o   Where do you see yourself in five years? What do you think the role of math will be in helping you get there?

Hopefully I'll still be teaching. I want to train to become an actuary. Maybe I'll transition to teaching college.

o   And, are you keeping up with your music?
For sure. I just played French horn in a winter concert at my school. We played everything from Pachabel to Harry Potter. Great fun!

o   What advice do you have for alumna?
Something I had to learn for myself: No one can be your advocate. Being an educated woman, you can sometimes be overlooked. If you want something, you have to go out and get it. Negotiate even for your first job. Even though there are pay levels, there is always wiggle room. I've seen people in jobs they hate because they didn't advocate. They sat around waiting for the right job to come along and when it didn't, had to settle for something that fell far short.

As the new year begins, we resume our look at the vital and perennial student question, What can you do with a math degree besides teach?.  

The good news is that mathematical training is valued now as ever! Mathematics is increasingly being used in interdisciplinary settings, particularly in fields where biology and mathematics meet. For example, in the December 4, 2008 article, Ahead-of-the-Curve Careers, U.S. News & World Report identified 13 cutting-edge careers, including these careers for math majors: simulation developer, computational biologist, and data miner.

Actually, in an effort to attract undergraduates to the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), three major mathematical societies in the U.S. - the Mathematical Association of America (MAA), the American Mathematical Society (AMS), and the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) - have collaborated to develop a web resource, called the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center, funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. This web site is a rich and growing resource of career profiles, salary information, educational requirements, plus a monthly newsletter for all those who are interested in learning about career opportunities in STEM as well as healthcare fields.

Beyond its contributions to the Sloan Career Cornerstone website, SIAM has just updated its publication, Careers in Math, which identifies the following "emerging career opportunities" for current math majors: Computational Biology or Bioinformatics (mentioned above); Computer Animation and Digital Imaging; Finance and Economics; Ecology, Epidemiology, and Environmental Issues; Climatology, Data Mining, and Material Science.

This month you will meet a Simmons alumna, Estella Kanevsky, Class of 2007, who works in one of the hottest fields where mathematics and biology powerfully intersect: biostatistics.

Estella Kanevsky, B.S. in Mathematics and Economics, 2007; Candidate for the Masters of Public Health in Biostatistics 

• How are things going, Estella? What you been doing since we spoke a year ago?