During my career as a mathematician I have studied glaciers, worked as a teacher, studied optical analysis, and learned about “stealthy” planes. Now I am going to learn about electrical engineering and CAD technology. To me, that is the best thing about having a degree in mathematics—my career can follow any path I want it to.

After completing my Bachelor's degree I decided to pursue a Master's in applied mathematics at the University of Maine. Once at UMaine, I had to decide whether to do my MA research jointly with a fluid mechanics, chemistry, image/technology, or glaciology research group. I chose glaciology and spent the next two years participating in some extraordinary research. For my thesis, I developed a mathematical model of the formation of glaciers, which was part of a Department of Energy study to determine the effects of glaciation on nuclear waste deposits. This model will be used to help select a site for a nuclear waste dump.

In 1988 I began working as a software engineer at Itek. Itek makes camera systems, airplane sensor and window systems, active control mirrors, and telescopes for government agencies. Most of the time I worked on mathematically intensive optical analysis software, but I also worked on research and development for “stealthy” airplane windows. While working on these tasks I had to learn about optics and physics, but my background in mathematics carried me through it all. Software engineering is not just about writing computer programs.