Hilltop Happenings
So, You Want To Be A Mathematician?
Kristina Miller
Algebra II students go to the movies with Ms. Pzynski for this hands-on project: Mathematician and Math Career Documentary. Students were instructed to select an individual mathematician to research and discover how and what he or she contributed to the world, and discover how their work is still impacting us today. Additionally, students looked at careers and educational programs that rely on math skills.
The result of the research will culminate in a short documentary which highlights the discoveries. The first portion focused on the life and accomplishments of a Mathematician. The second focuses on a career that utilizes math skills. Students researched the chosen career, examined multiple branches of the field and what type of education was involved, salary ranges and required skill sets. This portion also required students to locate a professional within the identified field and reach out to them with questions regarding their career path.
One student researched Myron Scholes, a Canadian mathematician whose work changed the way the finance world understood the stock market. They then set up a Zoom interview with a quantitative data analyst working on Wall Street to discuss his job and the impact of a mathematics education on careers in the real world.
Examples of video documentary submissions are below.