Daily News Monday, December 10, 2007

Proud to be a Math Geek?!

By: Emma Warrillow, Emma Warrillow & Associates Inc.

I am a member of a minority group in Canadian society ¿ one that is growing is size, although perhaps not fast enough. I'm a Math Geek. I can admit that. I have two degrees in math and use the word "analytics" in conversation at least 10 times a day.

I've spent my whole life slightly embarrassed to be into math. Math has never been cool¿.although that is changing. One of these days perhaps I'll start sporting a math geek t-shirt. Ok, maybe not!

A recent bestseller, Competing on Analytics, shows how successful companies are using analytics to drive their businesses and make them competitive. These firms are building databases and hiring analytic expertise to enable fact-based decision-making. Last year, Business Week published an article entitled "Math Will Rock Your World" detailing how math majors were a hot commodity; in it, they claim that, "The rise of mathematics is heating up the job market for luminary quants, especially at the Internet powerhouses where new math grads land with six-figure salaries and rich stock deals."

So why aren't students flocking into math in record numbers?

I recently had the opportunity to hear Alex Filimon from Dalhousie University talking about some of the issues we face in Canada today; he pointed out that 62% of new jobs over the next few years will require math but only 5% of degrees awarded in Canada are for Math, Computer Science or IT. He also pointed out that this picture would be even worse if you remove foreign students (who very often intend to take their degrees home to China or India) from the mix.

Math is still viewed as a geeky non-sexy subject when put alongside marketing, finance or law. This is a huge disconnect when you read the business literature. Math is being used in all of those disciplines ¿ even in marketing. Marketers today are implementing statistical algorithms to predict who will become good customers and to measure the success of their actions. In fact, my firm works with companies every day who are trying to do just that.

It seems to me, however, that Canada may be falling behind. Students today are not being engaged by math. A recent study of 15 year-olds showed that Canada is competitive but falls far behind China, Korea and the much-smaller Finland.

If Canada is to compete on the world stage ¿ which we must do to continue to enjoy our prosperity ¿ we must engage students at all levels to understand the relevance and importance of math. I still hear far too many students say "What am I ever going to use this for?" Teachers need to present math in an engaging way; curriculums need to provide practical math not simply theories and formulae; and we need to provide support for teachers to enable them to do this. In addition, those of us who work in this field must promote what math has done for them and their business careers.

If we don't get more students engaged in math, North Americans are going to fall behind.

Thomas Freidman (The World is Flat) wrote that "In China today, Bill Gates is Britney Spears. In America today, Britney Spears is Britney Spears- and that's our problem." I have to agree; the future doesn't look so bright if we are raising generations who idolize untalented brats, rather than those who are really making a difference.

A recent report, ("Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future", The National Academy of Sciences, 2007) noted that for the US to prosper in the new flatter economy they must make changes in math and science education. In particular, they outline four key pillars of change:

¿     "Increase America's talent pool by vastly improving K-12 science and mathematics education" ¿developing more qualified teachers through scholarships, training, masters programs and improved curriculums.
¿     "Sustain and strengthen the nation's traditional commitment to long-term basic research ¿." ¿ increasing federal investment and research grants.
¿     "Make the United States the most attractive setting in which to study and perform research¿." ¿increasing the proportion of students earning degrees in math and science, supporting graduate study, making it easier for foreign students, and providing tax credits to employers who enable continuing education.
¿     "Ensuring that the United States is the premier place to innovate¿." ¿ through a modernized patent system, enhanced intellectual property protection, R&D tax credits, and ubiquitous broadband access.

Great ideas; so, what is Canada doing to remain competitive?

The Conference Board of Canada ("How Canada Performs: A Report Card on Canada", June 2007) looked at how Canada measures up. The news isn't good; "Most startling and important to Canada's competitiveness and sustainable prosperity is the "D" grade on Innovation, where Canada ranks fourth to last in the 17-country comparator group."

Perhaps things are changing¿.perhaps math really will become cool. I recently read about Yasmine Rassem, a math major at the University of Waterloo, who is one of 30 finalists competing in the Miss World Canada contest in March. What's next Miss. Math Geek??

Math Geek, Emma Warrillow, runs Emma Warrillow & Associates Inc. (www.emmawarrillow.com) and helps companies articulate their analytic strategies and make the most of their customer data. She can be reached at emma@emmawarrillow.com

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