The authors of the essays in this volume describe a wide variety of careers for which a background in the mathematical sciences is useful. They provide more than 101 answers to the question often asked by students, “Why study math?”

These mathematicians are found:

in well-known companies—IBM, AT&T Bell Laboratories, and American Airlines;

in some surprising places—FedEx Corporation, L.L. Bean, and Perdue Farms Incorporated;

in government agencies—Bureau of the Census, Department of Agriculture, and NASA Goddard Space Center;

in the arts—sculpture, music, and television;

in the professions—law and medicine; and

in education—elementary, secondary, college, and university.

Many of these mathematicians started their own companies.

Most of the writers in this volume use the mathematical sciences on a daily basis in their work; others rely on the general problem-solving skills acquired in their mathematics courses as they deal with complex issues. Many mathematicians refer to the importance of communicating with colleagues—working on a team, writing reports, and giving oral presentations. Statistics and computer science, as well as a knowledge of a field where mathematics is applied, frequently are cited as important in one's background.

The degrees earned by these authors range from bachelors to masters to the PhD, in approximately equal numbers. Many with a bachelor's degree in mathematics have earned graduate degrees in a related field, often statistics or computer science.