In a recent editorial in Science, Mary Lowe Good, Undersecretary for Technology of the Department of Commerce, and Neal Lane, Director of the NSF, recommend, ``Graduate education in science and engineering must better reflect the many profound changes in the economy generally and in the labor market for professional scientists and engineers specifically.'' [Good, 1994] The AMS Task Force on Employment's 1992 report notes,
...the mathematics graduate departments need to be sure that their programs provide their doctorates with sufficient flexibility that if one job market is restricted or closed down their doctorates are in a position to enter other job markets.... As long as mathematicians remain dependent on academia as the near-exclusive employer of their talents they must anticipate repetitions of employment shortfall as at the present time. Further, when a group narrows its employment possibilities it necessarily restricts the size of the income of its members. [AMS Employment, 1992]
Similar calls were made in the 1970's employment crisis. In a 1971 Notices of the AMS Gail Young wrote, ``What I do believe is that we must make fundamental changes in the nature of graduate work in mathematics which will prepare most of our students for something other than academic life.'' [Herman, 1993] This is not to say that the teaching of traditional, pure mathematics should be reduced, but rather that other options should be made available for people who may be inclined to pursue non-academic careers. Young's advice has been ignored for two decades, and we now face economic conditions which are similar or worse than those of the early 1970's.
It is essential that we examine our graduate and undergraduate mathematics programs to ensure that those bound for jobs outside of academia will be adequately prepared. Our undergraduate and graduate programs provide excellent preparation for teaching and academic research careers, but we must recognize that not all of our graduates end up in academia. Fewer than 25% of the math majors who graduated between 1990 and 1992 were known to be enrolled in graduate programs in mathematics as of the spring of 1993. According to the department's 1993 self study, the most common career choice for this group of students is some form of financial analyst or actuarial work.
We can gain a better understanding of the needs of industry (here defined broadly) by cultivating relationships with local corporations which are mathematically oriented. SIAM's Mathematics in Industry study states that ``interdisciplinary work and work done outside academia, by both students and faculty, must be valued and rewarded.'' [SIAM MII, 1995]. Our department has close ties to several companies through alumni employees and through technology transfers. Company A, a medical imaging company in Cambridge, is currently exploring several algorithms developed here. Company B, also in Cambridge, employs Person X and Person Y, two recent Ph.D. students with advisors in the department. Company B's Human Resources department has recently written to members of the department that, ``if there are more students like Person X and Person Y we would love to hear from them!'' Person Z, another recent advisee of a Dartmouth mathematician, is being courted by Company C in Palo Alto. All three of these companies afford rich opportunities for collaborative work. By creating summer industrial research internships for sufficiently advanced undergraduates and graduate students, we can enhance significantly our students' education and employability. Another way to build closer relationships with industry would be to create a two-year industrial postdoctoral position, jointly funded by Dartmouth and industry. The postdoc's time would be divided between Dartmouth and industry in order to provide a two-way flow of ideas. Duties of the postdoc could include assistance in the design an applied/industrial graduate math curriculum which builds on Dartmouth's existing strengths, and designing and teaching industrial problem solving courses to undergraduates in accordance with the Mathematics Across the Curriculum initiative.
Finally, we can improve our program by strengthening and refining our existing Applied Math option for the undergraduate math major, and by considering the addition of a similar option to the Ph.D. program. SIAM's Mathematics in Industry project has found that
nonacademic employers are not interested in hiring the mathematics graduate whose credentials are limited to depth in one area of mathematics. Individuals who succeed in business, industry, and government, say these employers, are flexible people who have demonstrated their ability to wrk in teams; in addition to a broad interdisciplinary background and computing skills, they have communication and interpersonal skills and a genuine interest in the organization's mission.... curricula should be broadened to include experience in problem formulation and problem solving, interdisciplinary work, and computing. [SIAM MII, 1995]Listed below are some suggested principles for a restructuring of our applied math option to address the need for both breadth, depth, and interdisciplinary work. A detailed sketch of a major implementing these principles is here (for reference, the current major requirements are here).
Key elements of an Applied Math program include: