Kerry Whisnant, an avid St. Louis Cardinals fan and professor of physics at Iowa State University, may be on to something that will greatly impact team winning percentages. Mathematical models that he and other fanatic baseball statisticians have helped produce may accurately predict teams' successes. Whisnant and other members of the Society for American Baseball Research have analyzed...
Epidemiologist
An epidemiologist investigates and describes the causes and spread of disease and develops the means for prevention or control. They may study many different illnesses, often focusing on major infectious diseases such as influenza or cholera.
Low-end Salary:
$40,480/yr
Median Salary:
$61,360/yr
High-end Salary:
$92,770/yr Education:
Undergraduate students should have a solid background in mathematics, chemistry, and computer science. Once a student is prepared for graduate studies, he or she can choose a specialty within epidemiology (e.g., water pollution, air pollution, pesticide use, toxicology, molecular biology, or outbreak investigation). Some jobs may require a Ph.D. or medical degree.
Math Required:
College Algebra
Trigonometry
Calculus I and II
Applied Data Analysis
Survey and Research Methods
Mathematical Statistics
Biostatistics
When Math Is Used:
Epidemiologists use mathematical models in order to track the progress of most infectious diseases. They may also discover the likely outcome of an epidemic or to help manage them by vaccination.
Some specific areas that epidemiologists may track are as follows:
• transmission, spread and control of infection
• persistence of pathogens within hosts
• immuno-epidemiology
• virulence
• strain structure and interactions
• evolution and spread of resistance
One specific type of mathematical model used for many infectious diseases, such as measles, mumps, and rubella, is the SIR model. This model consists of three variables: S (for susceptible), I (for infectious) and R (for recovered).
Potential Employers:
Among epidemiologists, 57 percent are employed in government; 12 percent are employed in hospitals; 11 percent are employed in colleges and universities; and 9 percent are employed in scientific research and development services, such as the American Cancer Society.
Facts:
In 2009, epidemiologists conducted a study and found middle-aged women who indulge in just a few alcohol-containing drinks each day may have a higher risk of cancer than those who drink less often.
Citations:
http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos008.htm
http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/02/24/women.cancer.drinking/index.html?ir...
http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes191041.htm
http://www.mast.queensu.ca/graduate/biostatsprogram.php
http://mph.byu.edu/academics/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathematical_modelling_of_infectious_disease
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compartmental_models_in_epidemiology
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Figures represent salary potential.
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Mathematical Association of America