*Concerns of Young Mathematicians* Volume 2 Issue 3 January 26, 1994 An electronically distributed digest for discussions of the issues of concern to mathematicians at the beginning of their careers. PLEASE FORWARD TO ANY POTENTIALLY INTERESTED INDIVIDUALS Please, direct submissions and questions to Frank Arlinghaus frank@math.ysu.edu , editor for the month of February. Next issue: Wednesday, February 2, 1994 To subscribe: Send mail to Charles Yeomans at cyeomans@s.ms.uky.edu Back issues and other information are available via anonymous FTP to ftp.ms.uky.edu, in pub3/mailing.lists/ymn-list. Editor for November was Steve Kennedy kennedy@math.stolaf.edu . Editor for December was Vic Perera vperera@silver.ucs.indiana.edu . Editor for January was Kalin Godev kalin@math.psu.edu . The opinions expressed herein are those of the contributors and not necessarily those of the YMN or the editorial board. Table of Contents Item # Title 1 Editorial 2 News and Notes * Two interesting articles on the employment situation * A call for discussion on Image Processing * Corrected copy of the last CoYMN 3 What went on at the JCEO in Cincinnati Annalisa Crannell 4 A few words on the petition. Curtis Bennett, Steve Kennedy 5 A Top 'Ten' List for Mathematics and Statistics Edward F. Aboufadel 6 Closing Credits _______________________________________________________________________ Item #1 Editorial: More and more people seem to believe that gainful and satisfactory employment for mathematicians can be found in Industry. There seems to be a number of institutions that bring high-tech and Math together but nevertheless the entry into industry doesn't seem to be very clear to the new Ph.D. Last year, for example, there were only less than a dozen companies, interested in mathematics, that registered at the Career Placement Center at Penn State. Roughly 99% were not interested in Ph.Ds and the one that was chose to interview a BS student. A quick look at the CPC Manual confirms the expected -- very few positions are available (see Ed Aboufadel's 'TOP TEN' - Item #5). Hasn't the time come for a more unified approach to make the industry market open and available? A number of good suggestions to both Universities and companies are made Avner Freedman and John Lavery's report for SIAM (1993) called 'How to start an industrial Mathematics Program in the University'. The e-math server ran by the AMS has proven to be a valuable source for job ads.Would SIAM be interested in starting an e-math-tech server? This could be the first step to bridge the gap and be beneficial to both Math and Technology. The Editor ________________________________________________________________________ Item #2 News and Notes Interesting Articles on the Employment Situation Please note that there are two interesting and depressing articles on the employment situation in physics in the December, 1993 issue of Physics Today. These articles are not unrelated to the employment situation in mathematics. Best Regards -Tim tgtruca@sandia.gov Editor's note: We'll include a short summary in the next issue ************************************************* Calling for Discussions on Image Processing Problems Ming Ji Email: mingji@ksuvm.ksu.edu Anyone in mathematics/engineering/computer science who are working in the following topics?: (1) image compression based on fractal theory (2) image compression based on wavelet theory (3) image restoration based on shock wave theory (4) image reconstruction from projections I would have like to have someone give me some introductions about the state-of-the-art of these topics and would be very thankful in receiving such information. Name: Ming Ji Email: mingji@ksuvm.ksu.edu ************************************************* The last issue of CoYMN got garbled. Thanks to all that brought this to my attention. A corrected copy is available via ftp from ftp.ms.uky.edu, in pub3/mailing.lists/ymn-list. ____________________________________________________________________ Item #3 What went on at the JCEO in Cincinnati Annalisa Crannell A_Crannell@ACAD.FandM.edu At the request of a bunch of YMN folks, I've agreed to summarize what went on at the Joint Committee on Employment Opportunities (JCEO) meeting in Cincinnati. I should emphasize that what follows is my own interpretation of the relevant parts, and I've skimmed over some of the boring committee details, so that this shouldn't be construed to be the official minutes. I discovered, upon writing this, that the "summary" is longer than most people will want to read, so I'll include a short summary and a long summary. THE SHORT SUMMARY We talked about how the Employment Register went this year and what we'll change for next year. We discussed minimal professional standards that employers should try to meet, and considered the Charles Mannix proposal. We worked on ways of disseminating information to folks on the job market and to young Ph.D. students. And we endorsed a plan to expand the committee's membership to include more people, with an eye to allowing greater diversity of views. THE LONG SUMMARY The JCEO (Joint Committee on Employment Opportunities) is jointly commissioned by the AMS, MAA, and SIAM to take care of running the Employment Register, the EIMS (which is one of the main job listings resources of the mathematical community), job listings on e-math, and so on. In addition to that, JCEO members try to provide information that's relevant to hirers and applicants. We meet once or twice a year, and correspond occasionally via e- and snail-mail. The Employment Register At our meeting in Cincinnati, we began by discussing the Employment Register. Last year was the first year we tried the new algorithm (which you can read about in FOCUS or the *Notices*), and it seems to be going just fine (with one or two minor mistakes). Last year the ratio of employers to applicants at the ER was about 1 to 8.0, and for this year it was about 1 to 7.0. We were happy to see that it's going in the right direction, though of course, we'd still like to see more employers there. The reasons that employers don't come are several-fold. The ER used to be highly inefficient, and while the new algorithm is *much* better, our reputation is only slowly changing. Group I and II employers are notoriously absent from the ER, partly because they don't tend to interview applicants at all. And of course, there aren't many employers out there, nowadays. The JCEO is always interested in improving the Employment Register, and this year we debated several changes, including a help room, increasing the number of employer requests, a tote board, categories for filtering, etc. Anyone with suggestions of their own should feel free to contact Diane Mack (DMM@MATH.AMS.ORG). The decision as to whether we'll make any of these changes is still pending---we want to get a better idea of what the employers felt about this past year first---but we'll probably have made the decision by mid-summer. One of the new features we're planning to have in place in San Francisco is a "help room", staffed by knowledgeable volunteers , where people can go for advice about their job search: preparing resumes, honing interview skills, how to highlight their strengths, and so on. In addition to having real live people there, it also will probably have some paper resources that folks can browse through on their own. The panel discussion that we held seemed to go pretty well, and we'll be transcribing and publishing it in the EIMS for next Fall. Away from the Employment Register and onto the hiring process: We briefly discussed what has been dubbed "the Charles Mannix Proposal"---essentially a triage approach that employers might use to sort applicants quickly based just on a resume. The difficulty with this approach is that most departments tell us that they *need* to see letters of recommendation as part of their first sort, that sending out 500 or 600 "first pass" letters to all applicants is costly in terms of time, money, secretarial work, and computer resources. (It takes a while to build the data base with all those names). On the other hand, we of the JCEO feel that there certainly are departments that are being (to put it mildly) discourteous to applicants. We have a subcommittee toiling away to put forward a statement on *Professional Standards in Hiring Practices* which ought to address the communications issue. In the meanwhile, applicants that would like a quick response from departments may wish to include a self-addressed, stamped envelope. In fact, we'd like to encourage the YMN to encourage the practice. On a slightly related line, the JCEO is working on a standard cover page that would (we hope) help to reduce the amount of time it takes departments to process applicants' files. Blank forms would be available electronically as well as on paper. This ought to be ready sometime next year. Disseminating information In addition to creating new articles that'll help applicants, the JCEO is compiling a bibliography of articles and books that would be helpful to mathematicians intending to be on the job market in the next few years (i.e., young graduate students, current applicants, post-docs, etc.). Please feel free to send any good recommendations to Diane Mack (DMM@MATH.AMS.ORG); so far all we have are articles that appeared in the EIMS. And finally The JCEO is growing, from 6 to probably 9 people. In the future, membership will be drawn from the 3 societies with an eye toward inclusion of Four-year college faculty Ph-D granting institution faculty Private industry representative Government or research employer representative Male/Female balance Recent Ph.D. recipient users of the ER (employers and applicants) underrepresented groups As for me, my work on the committee is nearly done. Not only do I feel I'm getting too old and jaded to represent people on the job market, but I was asked to serve on another committee *and* it's time to buckle down and play with math. Therefore, I regretfully resigned my position on the JCEO. I don't know who's going to be asked to take my place, but I wish whoever it is good luck. The JCEO is one of the most entertaining committees I've been on, and it accomplishes a lot of good to boot. Sincerely, Annalisa Crannell Math Department Franklin & Marshall College _______________________________________________________________________ Item #4 A few words on the petition. Curtis Bennett & Steve Kennedy The week before the joint meetings, we announced a petition asking the societies to act upon a resolution about ethics in job hiring practices. (Special Supplement to the CYM,) Unfortunately, there has been some misunderstanding of this petition. We will try and correct this. First of all, we did not write the majority of what was in the petition. The statement of ethics was written by the Committee on the Profession (CoPRof) of the AMS. We felt that this statement addressed most of the concerns we had. Moreover, it had the advantage of already having been through the committee process with the AMS. Thus, the wording is the way it is because CoProf wrote it. Second: We do not mean to criticize ALL one-year positions. Of course there are a few good one-year positions. But, there are a lot more bad one-year positions. Moreover, universities have been moving in the direction of killing off tenure-track positions and replacing them with adjunct positions and one-year positions with a rotating cast. These are the policies that we hope to change. Ideally, we would also hope that more universities will try and make sabbatical replacement positions two-year positions whenever possible (at least when filled with a new Ph.D.). This would, of course, require somebody to fill TWO sabbatical replacements, but at most major universities there are faculty going on sabbatical every year. Third: What do we hope to accomplish with such a petition? Well, it isn't that we want the societies to spank naughty departments. Instead we hope is this will give department chairs another argument supporting the need for more full-time multi-year positions. My chair fights tooth and nail with the dean to keep our department from getting gutted. He doesn't always win. If the societies pass such a resolution, then he will have another argument for the dean. Moreover, if the societies try and market the resolution, then the dean will get the news even without the chair bringing it up. Remember, the dean may also have to fight for the position with the vice president, etc. Every new argument that can be made is important to keeping mathematics positions alive. We hope this clears up the misconceptions. In last week's issue of Concerns we announced that both AMS and AWM had adopted slightly modified versions of the position paper "Supportive Practices and Ethics in the Employment of Young Mathematicians." It is our understanding that both MAA and SIAM are considering following suit. If you are a member of either of these societies and wish to sign a petition to their governing bodies urging the adoption of this position, send e-mail to ymn@stolaf.edu. Include in the message body your name and a list of the societies to which you belong. *********************************** SUPPORTIVE PRACTICES AND ETHICS IN THE EMPLOYMENT OF YOUNG MATHEMATICIANS 1. For several years now, there have been substantially fewer Ph.D.-level positions available in Mathematics than qualified applicants. (See, e.g., the report of the AMS Task Force on Employment reviewed in the AMS Notices, Oct. 1992, pp. 820--821, and the 1993 survey of new doctorates, AMS Notices, Nov. 1993, p. 1164). The disparity between supply and demand has caused severe difficulties for some recent Ph.D.'s. There is no indication that the situation will ease significantly in the near future. It is incumbent on Mathematics departments to make all their potential Ph.D.'s aware of the realities of the job market and to encourage them to prepare for a broad range of jobs in the mathematical sciences. 2. The early post-Ph.D. years are crucial in career development. Departments have a responsibility to promote such development. Employment practices should conform to this principle. The systematic use of one-year appointments to fill regular teaching positions has the potential for exploitation of those holding such positions. Young mathematicians in one-year terminal positions with full teaching loads must, in addition to carrying out their duties and trying to establish their own scholarly program, begin again searching for a job almost immediately after settling in---a concentration of pressures which will almost certainly have adverse effects on professional growth and morale. While some one-year positions are professionally beneficial, many others can be rationalized by institutions only on grounds of fiscal expediency or charity. Employers should strenuously seek means to devise better situations for recent Ph.D.'s. Whenever possible, positions should be offered for at least two years. 3. Although many institutions are under severe financial pressure, this should not be used as an excuse for exploitation. In particular, the practice of hiring unemployed Ph.D.'s by the course, without integrating them into the scholarly life of the department, is seriously detrimental to the individuals and the profession. As a rule, for Mathematics departments to hire unemployed Ph.D.'s part-time at substandard salaries is reprehensible exploitation. It demeans the profession. _______________________________________________________________________ Item #5 A Top 'Ten' List for Mathematics and Statistics Edward F. Aboufadel aboufade@scus1.ctstateu.edu Over Christmas break, I was wandering around a library, when I discovered the following in a big book called Educational Rankings Annual. It is a little dated, but still useful. TOP RECRUITERS FOR MATHEMATICS/STATISTICS JOBS FOR 1991-1992 MASTER'S AND DOCTORAL DEGREE RECIPIENTS Ranking basis/background: Projected number of college hires from on-campus recruitment of master's and doctoral degree recipients for 1991-1992. Remarks: Numbers reflect total expected hires, not just African American projected hires. 1. Arthur Anderson, with 10 Master's openings. 2. AT&T, 2 master's openings; 3 Ph.D. openings. 3. ANSER, 4 master's openings. 4. Corning, 2 master's openings; 2 Ph.D. openings. 5. Motorola, 4 master's openings. 6. Battelle Northwest, 1 master's opening; 2 Ph.D. openings. 7. U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, 3 Ph.D. openings. 8. Aetna Life & Casualty, 2 master's openings. 9. Lockheed Missiles & Space Co., Inc., 1 master's opening; 1 Ph.D. opening. 10. Sandia National Laboratories, 1 Ph.D. opening. 11. Texaco, Inc., 1 master's opening. Source: "Guide to Employers of Engineering and Other Technical Majors 1992," in The Black Collegian 22: 114-116 (Jan/Feb 1992). Edward F. Aboufadel Southern Connecticut State University aboufade@scus1.ctstateu.edu __________________________________________________________________________ Item #6 Closing Credits: The Young Mathematicians' Network is administered by: Charles Yeomans cyeomans@s.ms.uky.edu Mark Winstead winstead@ml.kva.se Vic Perera vperera@silver.ucs.indiana.edu Franklin Mendivil mendivil@math.gatech.edu Stephen Kennedy kennedy@stolaf.edu Kalin Godev kalin@math.psu.edu Neil Calkin calkin@math.gatech.edu Curtis Bennett cbennet@andy.bgsu.edu Jeff Adams adams@bright.uoregon.edu Edward Aboufadel aboufade@scus1.ctstateu.edu Frank Arlinghaus frank@math.ysu.edu Matt Hudelson hudelson@math.washington.edu ____________________________________________________________________ End of Journal -- Next week: The Discussion Continues