Mathematical strategy

Usha Albuquerque

Mathematics isn’t just about crunching numbers, but is used to solve problems in possibly every work environment. Mathematics is utilised in almost every discipline of science, engineering, technology and  industry. In today’s data-driven world there are new application areas for mathematics being discovered every day and established techniques are being applied in new ways and in emerging fields. From ecological modeling to electromagnetic theory, from robotics to meteorology, areas of investigation in Applied Mathematics are diverse. 

Applied mathematics focuses on the creation and study of mathematical and computational tools broadly applicable in science and engineering, and on their use in solving challenging problems in these and related fields. Whether it is  making automotive systems more efficient,  or smarter scheduling to reduce wastage in aircraft parking at airports,  or preventing spread of a contagious disease in populated areas, preparing mathematical models or computational simulations to  test potential new products,  or allocating an investment among various financial instruments, mathematical applications can occur in any field of human endeavor. 

Work scape

Some fields of work for applied mathematics include 

Computer Animation and Digital Imaging

Algorithms for computer animation rely heavily on techniques from scientific computation, statistics, signal processing, linear algebra, control theory, and computational geometry.

Finance and Economics

Banks, insurance companies, investment and securities firms, energy companies and utilities, multinationals, corporations, government regulatory institutions, and other industries have come to rely on applied mathematics and computational science  for the development of quantitative techniques and computational models used in the financial industry  to support investment decisions, develop and price new securities, to manage risk, and for portfolio selection, management, and optimisation and more.

Operations research 

Analysts assist organisations  in developing the most efficient, cost-effective solutions including  strategy, forecasting, resource allocation and inventory control, to organizational operations and problem solving. 

Actuarial science 

The collection and analysis of statistics to calculate probabilities of death, sickness, injury, disability, unemployment, retirement, and property loss and so on for insurance purposes

Systems biology

A wide range of mathematical and computational methods are used in medical technology, medicine, and drug development.

Data mining 

Using mathematical techniques and advanced statistics for data mining of large and previously unknown information in fields such as security, forensics, e-commerce, bioinformatics and genomics, astrophysics, medicine, and chemical and electrical engineering.

Materials science

Mathematical  models and computational tools are used to study the properties, processing, and production of a broad range of existing and new materials, including metallic alloys, composites, liquid crystals, biological materials, and thin films for applications in fields such as aerospace, engineering, electronics, biology, and nanotechnology.

Epidemiology 

Collecting data and preparing mathematical models for tracking the spread of infection and disease, or the study of insect population growth, spread, and reaction to insecticides and other such health protocols.  

Ecology /Environment

Using data from observations of satellites, ocean buoys, and other monitoring equipment to build sophisticated models for study of global warming, ocean currents, ocean fisheries, green-house gases, and so on, and to drive solutions for management of the environment.

Getting in

Applied mathematics is mostly offered at post-graduate level, for which a background in maths, statistics or  economics is usually preferred. IIT Roorkee and Indian School of Mines offer two-year MSc in Applied Maths, as well as the 5-year integrated programme through JEE. In addition the Mathematical Institute, Chennai, Manipal Institute of Technology, University of Calcutta, MS University, Baroda, and Sardar Vallabhai National Institute of Technology in Gujarat also offer the M Sc in Applied maths and in some cases Applied Maths and Computing, although it is often taught as a subject in the regular mathematics degree programmes as well. 

Most programmes will help you develop a solid foundation in mathematical and computational knowledge-tools like differential equations, probability, combinatorics, applied algebra, and matrices, as well as the art of abstraction and advanced computing and programming skills, which can be  applied to real-life problems, for achieving practical results. 

Job prospects

There are a lot of different fields that use applied mathematics so it is best to focus primarily on one or two areas of interest. It is a good idea to take up some experimental work through internships and work-study opportunities which can help you determine your own personal preferences. 

There are jobs in operations research, biological modelling, game theory, chaos theory, optimisation, fluid dynamics, numerical analysis, mathematical physics, statistics, teaching and many more. 

Moreover, applied mathematics graduates can work in financial and insurance companies as analysts, computer companies as programmers and hardware developers, and in many different organisations, corporations, and research institutions.  These include: 

• Government labs &  research institutes
• Computer information and software firms
• Energy systems firms
• Aerospace and transportation equipment manufacturers
• Financial service and investment management firms
• Chemical or pharmaceutical manufacturers
• Airports — as air traffic control analyst
• Cryptology — for design and transmission of secret information.

Maths is not just a subject on its own, but a set of tools or way of thinking. Almost any area you can think of has a need for mathematicians. After all, how can you study the oceans if you don’t understand the waves? Or develop new drugs against diseases if you don’t know how to test whether they work or not? Mathematics is about pattern and structure; it is about logical analysis, deduction, and calculation within these patterns and structures. It is for this reason that mathematics is applied for a variety of usages, and that mathematicians are increasingly in demand. 

Have you have ever thought about designing an airplane — how the wings should be shaped so that the plane can fly faster and use less fuel? Are you interested in global warming and want to study the climate and how it changes,  using fluid dynamics?  Are you interested in spying, or have thought about sending a secret message using a secret code, or given thought to how a bioterrorism attack could be contained? 

Such intriguing problems may differ widely by discipline and field of work, but have one common constant — problem solving. So if you have numbers jiggling in your mind all the time, and get excited by the thought of working out mathematical computations you could start by working  out a mathematical strategy for a career in applied mathematics. 

— The writer is Director, Careers Smart pvy Ltd., New Delhi