Careers with STEM: Maths & Data 2020 by Refraction Media

CAREERS

TERM 2, 2020

withSTEM

™

maths+data

Fire and rain: Experts of extremes p12 Saving lives: STEM jobs in public health p18

jobs that don’t exist … yet p6

Extreme weather expert

CAREERSWITHSTEM.COM CLIMATE + HEALTH + SOCIAL MEDIA + SPORTS + SMART SPACES + TRADES + ECONOMICS

123,416,890

113,567,213 112,987,427

91,234,923

68,789,412

The world needs solutions to complex problems. QUT Mathematics

CRICOS No: 00213J

FOREWORD

CONTENTS

What’s inside?

gemma chilton editor

Maths is all around

P4 Real-life maths lessons from COVID-19 P6 15 jobs that don’t exist… yet P8 Lily Serna’s life hacks through maths P10 Meet your mentor: Data scientist P26 What we’re reading, watching and downloading

P27 Study directory

P12

In uncertain times, it’s STEM to the rescue

y the world he public health emergenc terrifying. It has faced this year was t STEM has also reminded us tha eering gin En gy, (Science, Technolo we do. g hin ryt eve to l and Maths) is centra to study all us d ble ena t’s tha h From the tec ntually eve l e that wil from home to the scienc and a s ent atm tre , sis deliver us better diagno ng bei ’re we – vaccine for COVID-19 STEM everyday. reminded of the value of tant to our And perhaps most impor ead of this pandemic understanding of the spr ross the world Ac . has been mathematics r and analysing ove ing por n experts have bee COVID-19 data to best fig ure out how w it down. slo spreads and how we can g we do hin ryt eve In this digital age the oil of the led cal n bee It’s generates data. m s fro banks to 21st century and industrie organisations, lth retail and, yep, public hea analyse, can o wh are looking for people a to help dat t tha ret erp int understand and isions. them make smarter dec In, Data Scientist ked Lin m fro ort rep a In eared in the top app h bot and Data Engineer growth forecast in 15 jobs with the highest data-heavy 2020, with other maths and robotics ing lud STEM jobs featuring inc and ce gen elli Int l engineers, Artificia s. list cia spe cybersecurity ed about how So read on and get inspir a can open up a dat skilling up in maths and s for you – and itie un ort world of career opp even save lives! Gemma Chilton rs with STEM Managing Editor, Caree

P22

studying things I enjoyed led to a career that i enjoyed.” adam morgan, bureau of meteorology

STEM + X =

Looking for ways to combine maths & data (STEM) with your passion (X)? Start here! Maths & data + …

P12 Climate P16 Health P19 Social Media P20 Sports P22 Smart spaces P24 Trades 3

P20

MATHS

UPFRONT

When maths gets real Three real-life maths lessons everyone is now getting from the COVID-19 pandemic 0 graphs to shine, the 202 f it was ever the time for 0 202 ile Wh it. ely sur emic is novel coronavirus pand tty weird year so far – it’s is shaping up to be a pre and t maths is everywhere, also been a reminder tha lives e d data can literally sav understanding maths an ency. in a public hea lth emerg of the biggest maths thr We’ve rounded up ee rned from COVID-19. lessons that we’ve all lea

#1 R0 – measuring contagion is a R0 (pronounced R-nought) been used a t’s tha term l tica ma the ma s started lot since the new coronaviru ls and nne cha taking over our news social media feeds. roduction It’s also called a basic rep ion ), uct rod rep for nds rate (the R sta an ch whi at rate e rag ave and it’s the 9 ID-1 infectious disease like COV ple. peo n wee bet s ead spr n The R0 of COV ID-19 has bee an ans me ch estimated at 2.2, whi ase dise the ses infected person pas ple. Of peo er oth 2.2 of e onto an averag son per a of 0.2 e hav ’t can course you ful use r the ano is es – averag mathematical concept to help understand all this !

production how a virus with a re reads number (R0) of 2 sp

#stayhome CAREERSwithSTEM.com

#social-d istancing

Exponentials

When we imagine number s get ting bigger, we have a natural habit of imagining them doi ng so in a straight line - 1,2 ,3,4,5 or 10,20,30,40,50. That’s call ed linear growth, and if you put it on a graph it’s a straight line . But exponentials are differe nt, and they can be hard to get your head around. That’s why people who remember ed lear ning about exponentials in high school maths have probab ly bee n bet ter able to understand why only small numbers of confirmed COV ID-19 cases on one day could get ver y big, ver y fas t. Understanding exponentia ls has meant we can act wh en it seems too early, but before it’s too late. That means hand-washing , social isolating and all the other actions individuals and gov ernments have taken all ove r the world to slow the spread of the virus.

Mathematics is at the heart of understanding, tracking and fighting COVID-19. Sure 1000 cases doesn’t seem like much. But if you double the infections every three days, in a big enough population, that 1000 would double up and up and up ... to more than ONE MILLION CASES in less than a month. Wash your hands. Stay sneeze smart. And realise every contact you choose not to have may be saving a life you will never know about. Adam Spencer is a comedian, author and Ambassador for Mathematics and Science, University of Sydney

#covid-19

#3 #FlattenTheCurve

how many people are sick at once

ticians can model the Our scientists and mathema a and computer spread of a virus using dat t if we don’t do any thing tha w kno y algorithms. The rise exponentially to slow it down cases will means our healthcare (maths lingo FTW ) – that which is bad news. systems are overwhelmed, acts fast to slow the ne The alternative is everyo decreases, nge cha spread and that rate of timescale, and ger lon a r ove spreading the cases pitals because there are taking pressure off our hos up all at once. fewer sick people turning

number of sick people if we don’t take steps to slow the spread

how many very sick people hospitals can treat

number of sick people if we take steps to slow spread

Adam Spencer thor Mathematician and au

how long has the virus been spreading

MATHS

UPFRONT

t ’ n o d t a h t s b o j exist... yet!

les d you one of these STEM ro lan ’ll at th ts ar sm le ab fer ns Skill up on the tra

of the future

ows like in 2050? No-one kn hat will a job search look ry ma ate suggests 65% of pri – but one popu lar estim ed eat d up in yet-to-be-cr school-aged kids will en h next-gen STEM gigs wit packed careers. We’re guessing ), data e Augmented Reality (AR in cutting-edge fields lik vice roles. ser d Intelligence (AI)-base analytics, and Artificial e up with cam d an l crysta l balls We looked into our digita years. + 30 in d ght find advertise 15 jobs we think you mi Steel e ssi Ca – lls! uire STEM ski And yep, all of them req

Positions vacant Please submit your resume via hologram. Applicants must be Earth-based to apply.

1. AI ethicist The job: Advocate for the ethical and legal matters regarding the creation and distribution of AI-based tech products. The skills: Must be as into philosophy as robots. Fluency in analytics a plus. Now hiring: Microsoft, Apple, Google.

5. Personal data broker The job: Collect personal information about consumers and sell it to other brokers, companies or individuals. The skills: Data science, ID analytics and sales. Now hiring: You! Yep, this is generally a freelance-type gig.

nic 2. Self-driving car mecha autonomous self-driving vehicles. ce and repair jobs on The job: Per form maintenan management. re programming and data The skills: Advanced sof twa e, Uber. Now hiring: Tesla, Porsch

6. 3D-printing chef

3. Human-technology integration specialist The job: Collaborate with teachers to create future-focused learning environments that embrace the latest digital learning resources. The skills: Research, communication, analytics and high-level tech smarts. Now hiring: Every school in Australia.

The job: A professional coo k who whips up meals by programming a 3D printer. The skills: Programming and sof tware development, but also basic maths smarts because, recipes. Now hiring: Heinz, Cadbur y, Kellogg’s.

7. Commercial space pilot The job: Fly paying customers out into space... just for fun. The skills: Geography, physics and mechanical aptitude. An interest in astrophysics, a bonus. Now hiring: Qantas, Virgin, American Airlines.

SHUTTERSTOCK

4. Telesurgeon The job: Operate on patients remotely via a surgical robotic system. The skills: IT, robotics and medicine. Now hiring: Hospitals – particularly those in regional areas.

CAREERSwithSTEM.com

8. Coding ethicist

12. Healthcare navigator

ies adhere to global The job: Ensuring compan ics when creating computing standards of eth hms. orit alg technologies and their a decent human. g bein and The skills: Coding ebook, Tinder. Now hiring: Atlassian, Fac

The job: Assist families of patients undergoing extensive medical treatment by simplifying paperwork and processes, along with communicating complex medical information. The skills: Health science and social work. Being a medical role, basic maths – addition, fractions, ratios and algebraic equations – are essential. Now hiring: Hospitals and private practices.

9. Human-machine team manager

13. Robot recruiter

The job: Develop and manage a system in the workplace where human and AI employees communicate to generate better business outcomes. The skills: Experience in human resources (HR) and robotics. Now hiring: The Commonwealth Bank, Spotify, The Iconic.

The job: Source compatible AI for households, individual s and employers to fulfil req uirements like cleaning, cooking, companionship, cof fee ordering etc. The skills: Robotics and cus tomer ser vice. Now hiring: Big retailers like JB Hi-Fi, Amazon and Myer.

10. AR journey builder

14. Cyber city analyst

The job: Collaborate with tech artists to create immersive 3D content that enhances users’ experience of a product or service. Think: virtual tours and simulated interior design options. The skills: Must be able to leverage AI and algorithms with design and usability. Now hiring: LJ Hooker, Contiki, Ikea.

The job: Ensure the safety, security and functionality of a city by servicing its digital assets – including tech services and data flow. The skills: Data analytics, statistics and tech maintenance capabilities. Now hiring: Your local council.

11. Garbage designer

15. Financial wellness coach

The job: Deal with the world’s massive waste problem by upcycling rubbish to create better quality items. The skills: A background in materials science, engineering and industrial design. Now hiring: Toyota, ASOS, Ray-Ban.

The job: Offer customers one-on-one coaching sessions to understand their digital banking options and ultimately improve their financial health. The skills: Maths, maths and maths. Now hiring: The Commonwealth Bank, NAB, ING.

Did you know temperature is important for marine turtles as the sex of hatchlings is determined by the temperature of the sand where the eggs incubate?

Within our oceans, just like in maths, there is always something to be discovered.

Warmer temperatures will translate into more females, and colder into males. Data of sand temperature is analysed to understand the impact of rising global temperatures on turtle populations.

Visit The Girls in STEM Toolkit (The GiST) and see that maths isn’t only about numbers.

Visit thegist.edu.au or check us out on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. This project is funded by the Australian Government Department of Industry, Innovation and Science. © Education Services Australia Ltd, unless otherwise indicated.

MATHS

UPFRONT

Life hacks ! s h t a m h g u o r th Celebrity mathematician Lily Serna let us in on some of her everyday life hacks using maths

of This is an edited extract Maths by Lily Serna Curious: Life Hacks Through ia; RRP $29.99) (Pan Macmillan Austral

hack #1 HOW TO WIN AT MONOPOL Y

tical data out there here is a heap of mathema Even though a lot about how to win Monopoly. dice, there are comes down to the roll of the tegies you can adopt mathematically proven stra ease your chances of that have been shown to incr down for you to it ak winning. I’m going to bre w. follo a few simple rules to

QUENTIN JONES / SHUTTERSTOCK

buy? Which properties to ties are the ones

proper Most people think the best t, this isn’t true, and it’s fac In t. ren with the highest ly to land on some because you are more like properties than others. ds in the ‘Chance’ For example, there are car that sometimes send s and ‘Community Chest’ pile ch increases the whi s, people to certain square on that square. Plus land will er probability that a play to hear this – Jail is – and you may not be thrilled es to end up. This is one of the most probable plac land in ‘Just Visiting’ not only because players can l different ways to end but because there are severa three doubles in a row, up in Jail, including rolling are and pulling out squ ’ landing on the ‘Go To Jail to Jail. This means you ds a Chance card that sen ties, which are the per pro red that the orange and ble-dice roll of the Jail most likely to fall within a dou t investments because square, are generally the bes nce of being landed on. they have an increased cha . And I’m only getting started

CAREERSwithSTEM.com

Here’s a list of properties that you should and shouldn’t buy, and why: • Railroads: you should buy these with the aim of getting three or four, or at least to stop your opponents getting a set. Rai lroads offer consistent income and become a cas h cow. • Don’t bother with utilities (unless you can get a good deal for them off you r opponents ). • Forget about Park Lane and Mayfair. Park Lane’s expected return brings dow n the average income of the navy-blue sets becaus e it’s the least visited square in the game. Secondly, where you foc us your investments depends on how many peo ple are playing: • If you’re playing against two other people, buy blue and orange proper ties. • If you’re playing against three other people, buy red and orange properties. • If you’re playing against more than three others, get the green properties. Knowing the chance of you or the other players landing on a square is only the beginning of the story, because there is, of course, money involved. By the way, this analysis doe sn’t account for house rules (i.e. rules that your friends /family make up and agree to).

Lily Serna Mathematician and author

hack #2

Med ium 8-inch pizza Diameter =

Radius = (hal f the diameter )

how to order pizza crowd-pleaser – and rdering pizza is the ultimate . But have you ever it’s way easier than cooking should order two argued about whether you pizza? As it turns out, mediums or one large-sized maths says that ordering that decision is easy – the rtest thing to do the biggest pizza is the sma ars, the large pizza is doll because, for a few more of a medium pizza. size the often twice, yes twice as an example. I’ll use my local pizza shop es (20cm) and costs Their medium pizza is 8 inch inches (30cm) and $12. Their large pizza is 12 cent more than costs $15, i.e. it costs 25 per

Area = (πr2)

- 3.14 Ð 42 - 3.14 Ð (4 Ð 4) - 3.14 Ð 16

50.24 square inches od delicious, delicious pizza

Large 12-inch pizza 12 6 - 3.14 Ð 62 - 3.14 Ð (6 Ð 6) - 3.14 Ð 36 113.04 square inches od delicious, delicious pizza: more than double the medium pizza!

12-inch diameter

6-inch diameter

a medium pizza. But am I get ting 25 per cent more pizza for my extra cas h? We can figure this out with some basic formulas . The diameter of a circle (an d a pizza!) is the distance from one side to the other passing through the centre. In the case of pizz a, the diameter is often found in the title: a ‘12-inch pizza’ is called that because it has a 12-inch (30 cm) diameter. The radius of a circle is the distance from the centre of the circle to the edg e – half of the diameter. Why do we need to know the se things? Because they’ll help us to calculate the area (i.e. the size) of a pizza. The area of a circle is equal to the number pi multiplied by the radius squ ared. So how does this look when we apply it to our pizzas? As you can see, the 8-inch (20-cm) pizza, which costs $12, is around 50 squ are inches (just over 300 square cm), while the 12-inch pizza (30cm; $15 ) is over 113 square inch es (700 square cm). So, a 12-inch (30cm) pizza is mo re than twice as big as an 8-inch pizza (20cm), but it’s only 25 per cent more expensive. It’s a no-bra iner! Always get the largest pizza: it’s the respon sible thing to do.

MATHS

UPFRONT

Meet student lucy ma ce

ucy is in year eight at Quakers Hill High School in Western Sydney. She spends most of her spare time dancing and is starting to think about her electives next year. While she had heard of The Iconic, she didn’t know much about data science until now!

Meet your mentor What would you

ask an expert da if you had the chance ta scientist ?

Lucy: What does data scie

nce mean? What do you act

ually do?

ke smarter scale to help a business ma ly commonsense at a large app to ity abil data, the of is p nce hea le scie Kshira: Data t where we take a who In my job, I help with the par n). atio for all. ial orm efic (inf a ben dat is t with tha decisions next in a smarter way ugh to find out what to do eno it ate rrog inte and se conden

L: Do you need to be really

good at maths and comput

ers for that?

gs – an ability to learn new have to be good at two thin else. K: Not necessarily. You just ers are tools like everything nsense. Maths and comput things and applying commo L: What were your favourit

e subjects in high school?

teachers – these two subjects and the adored maths and physics ely olut abs I ld. ool, wor sch l rea high K: In all around us in the appreciate maths and physics who taught them made us L: What did you want to be

when you grew up?

to all the a marine engineer, thanks K: I wanted to grow up to be pened. hap er – but that adventure nev Clive Cussler novels I read L: Do you get free stuff from K: We don’t get free stuff, but

The Iconic your job?

ple sales. t and access to internal sam we get an employee discoun

L: What do you like to do wh K: I love to feed my brain

en you’re not at work?

by reading a lot of books,

L: What should I do if I wan

cooking and eating my favo

urite foods!

t a job like yours one day?

K: Just keep an open mindse

CAREERSwithSTEM.com

t and be willing to learn new

things every day.

Meet data scientist Kshira Saagar

shira is in charge of data science and analytics at the company that owns The Iconic – one of Australia’s biggest online fashion retailers. Didn’t know you could turn your love of fashion into a maths and data gig? Read on.

MATHS & DATA + U NIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE

Multiple choice Realising that she co uld stud a world of possibilit y just maths has opened up ies for Isabelle Grec o

sabelle had big plans to be an artist or a sports star, unt il Year 4 when she learned about frac tions. “I remember dividing a bunch of random fractions,” she say s. “It was so exciting.” Isabelle’s love of maths con tinued throughout school, but for a long time she thought she ’d have to work in another STEM field. “If you’re good at maths you bec ome an engineer or a scientis t, right?” Fortunately, Isabelle discove red the Bachelor of Mathema tical Sciences at the University of Adelaide, and now she stu dies her favourite subject full-time. She was president of the ma ths society last year, as well as being part of the university’s Wome n in STEM Careers Program where she met many women with exc iting and interesting jobs. “I’ve gone from having no idea what I wan t to do to having too many things I wan t to do! ” she says.

Isabelle Greco, from the University of Adelaide, has been a numbers fan since primary school

Bachelor of Mathematical Sciences (Advanced) and Diploma of Languages, University of Adelaide

Creativity and innovation Mathematics and statistics provide the essential toolkit to model, analyse and understand today’s complex world. Studying with us will prepare you for a rewarding career in areas including data science, finance, cybersecurity or defence, or for further study and research.

Why the University of Adelaide? • Learn from passionate, award-winning researchers in an environment that inspires creativity and innovative problem-solving, alongside rigour, logical thinking and research skills. • Only Australian University rated ‘high’ in all three engagement and impact dimensions for Mathematical Sciences.

Summer Researcher, University of Adelaide

Intern, optiver

Intern, Adelaide MRI

MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES AT ADELAIDE • Research rated ‘well above’ world standard in all our Mathematical Science disciplines.

Our degrees • Bachelor of Mathematical Sciences • Bachelor of Mathematical Sciences (Advanced) • Bachelor of Mathematical and Computer Sciences *EIA and ERA 2018

FIND OUT MORE adelaide.edu.au/degree-finder 11 (Search maths)

MATHS

CRICOS 00123M 0095

MAKE YOUR DEGREE WORK FOR YOU BY STUDYING WITH AUSTRALIA’S HIGHEST RATED SCHOOL OF MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES*.

ring mer research project deciphe Isabelle has worked on a sum company g agin l-im dica me a at e learning Reddit posts, tried machin . Seeing how ney at trading firm, Optiver Syd in ks wee t eigh and spent t. problems was a highligh maths is applied to real-world just hard to underpins a lot of stuff, it’s ool “The maths you do at sch tie into ics bas the s. “It’s hard to see how see that at school,” she say Walker oe Chl – s.” get it e the more creativ things, but the more you do,

MATHS & DATA+CLIMATE

+ HEALTH + SOCIAL MEDIA + SPORTS + SMART SPACES + TRADES

Caree in clim rs ate

Meet t wo ST on the EM experts m frontlin e of ex aking a diffe treme r weath ence er

head in the cloudsather

interested in we Adam Morgan has been n remember – and now for as long as he ca career he’s turned it into a

ays mum she’ll tell you he alw dam says if you ask his ather we the d s! He never misse had his head in the cloud his in d uce rod int topic was on the news and when the y ead alr o wh e on am was the on ly year 9 science class, Ad weather map s (FYI, they’re lines on a wa knew what an isobar . al atmospheric pressure) connecting points of equ t he tha on cti ne con ke the However, Adam didn’t ma shine into d an il ha n, rai s ng all thi cou ld turn his passion for nt to uni we y started uni. “When I a career until he’d alread t led to tha d an things that I enjoyed, I just kept studying the he says. a career that I enjoyed,”

SHUTTERSTOCK

CAREERSwithSTEM.com

Manager, Extreme Weather Desk, BOM

gan adam mor ogist

Charting a future job

when i went to uni i just kept studying the things I enjoyed, and that led to a career that I enjoyed”

Adam studied a combined Bachelor of Arts majoring in Japanese and German and a Bachelor of Science majoring in maths and physics at Monash University. He says his “lightbulb moment” for choosing meteorology as a career came when he took a six-week internship at the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) during his third year of uni. “I remember one day a BOM researcher was describing a particular weather phenomena and writing down these equations and I was like, ‘oh my gosh, those equations are exactly what I’m learning at university!’ – it was the first time I really felt like the stuff I was studying in maths and physics was directly applicable to things I could see and feel every day,” he says. Following an additional Honours year Are you an obsessive cloud spotter, or do you get a thrill when a at Monash, Adam completed a 12-month thunderstorm rolls in? According to Adam, a passion for weather is Graduate Diploma of Meteorology at the the number-one prerequisite for becoming a weather forecaster like him, BOM and is now manager of the Extreme but maths and physics are crucial, too. Weather Desk there. You will need at least a minor in maths and physics at uni – but you don’t

Maths+Meteorology= match made in the heavens?

To the extreme

Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science (Honours), Monash University

Graduate Diploma of Meteorology, BOM

PhD in Meteorology, Monash University

meteorol

have to be the top of your maths class to consider this career path. Adam reiterates that the best mathematicians aren’t always the best weather forecasters and vice versa.

In this role, Adam leads a team of meteorologists that support state and territory weather forecasters in providing forecasts and warnings for severe and extreme weather – think cyclones, floods and dangerous fire conditions. There’s also a communications aspect to his role, which means you might spot Adam on TV or a Twitter video when there’s an extreme weather event going on. And yes – being a meteorologist at a party will attract a lot of interest (when was the last time you met a weather forecaster in real life?). Adam says he’s often asked the same three questions when he tells

passion in weather “You r interest and lea rn more and dig to u wi ll inspire yo he says. deeper into thi ngs,”

someone he’s a meteorol ogist. What TV station do you work for? (Answer: None! The BOM is a governme nt organisation.) Does that mean you study meteors? (Nope – that would be an astronomer.) And what will the weather be like at my wedding in two years’ tim e? (Sorry, too far away to tel l.). – Gemma Chilton

MATHS

MATHS & DATA+CLIMATE

Fighting fire with data

CFA researcher Rachel Bessell crunches numbers to predict where and when bushfires will impact

START YOUR C AREER HERE M

e conditions, em tr ex of at re th e To analyse th res to fight fires fi t gh li to e av h es scientists sometim

Bachelo

a +CLIMtAhs+Data TE STU r of Math ematics DY /Scienc B ac e,

helor of Universit Math y of Que ensland Universit ematics (Adva nced), y of Woll Bachelo ongong r of Scie nce and Sta (Applied Math tistics), ematics Bachelo RMIT ro (Advanc f Mathematica lS ed), Univ ersity of ciences Adelaide

Mat +CLIMhAs+Data TE JOB Meteoro S logist: $ 63

ty-five For ty degrees Celsius. Six hree months without rain. ntist or scie a be to d You don’t nee kilometre per hour winds. an – me ht mig s ber what those num a mathematician to know 0, 9-2 201 of r me sum d through the just an Australian who live nds usa tho ed troy des s, live 33 es took where devastating bushfir d. re than 500,000 ha of bushlan of buildings and burned mo ons mean extreme fire conditi Yep, numbers like those can t tha s of us, they’re number – and while they affect all in. are par ticularly interested sell Bes scientists like Rachel

Environ K– $106 mental K scientis Atmosp t: $ 52K– heric sc $ 9 4K ientist: Climate $ 52K– $ 9 4K scientis t: $ 52K– *Source $ 9 4 K* : salarie to paysc s according ale.com

For example, a recent study Rachel was involved in was looking at crop fires. Workin g closely with the CSIRO – and with firefighters at the rea dy – Rachel would go into paddocks in central western Victoria and replicate real-life fires on small plots. Data is collected from weather stations located onsite as well as thermal loggers in the ground to measure variables associated with the spread of the fires across the gra ss. Her research has resulted in a change to fire danger ratings , after she found current models had been underestimating the rate of fire spread in par tially dry grasslands. Aside from helping save live s and proper ty, Rachel say s one of the best things about her job is the diversit y – a typ ical day at work could mean being called on to make prediction s during emergencies, spending 12hour days conducting exp erim ental burns and collecting data in the field, or working in an offi ce reviewing, planning or me eting with stakeholders.

local inspo

ool, so d maths and science at sch Rachel says she always love the at s our Hon h wit e or of Scienc she signed up for a Bachel in uni at was She ra. ber sity in Can Australian National Univer the sed cau and ra ber Can through 2003 when bushfires tore erience, r in history. It was this exp ste disa l ura nat st wor city’s ch on ear to focus her Honours res she says, that inspired her ch ear res e to a career in bushfir bushfire weather, which led . and disaster management

ation Burning for informear cher at the Country Fire

ior res In her current role as a sen e our it’s Rachel’s job to improv a, tori Vic in Authority (CFA) weather e rem ext On . ave hfires beh understanding of how bus working s burning, Rachel might be days, if there are active fire helping , as a fire behaviour analyst in the State Control Centre e. l-tim rea the spread of fires in emergency ser vices predict wing dra y onl not se predictions by Rachel is able to make the and a dat on also climate data, but on real-time weather and ts research, which she conduc her from findings generated bet ween emergencies. e lighting fires under extrem This research can involve – nt me iron env led trol con remely conditions – and in an ext g din tan bet ter inform our unders to collect data and use it to dict their behaviour. of fires and our ability to pre

CAREERSwithSTEM.com

Firm foundations

Rachel says she remember s studying maths at high sch ool and wondering what it mig ht all be useful for – but now she understands that maths und erpins a lot of physical scie nce research like hers. “Maths has real-world app lications and even though I didn’t do maths at university, it’s still a big par t of physical scie nces. The way weather pat terns work, fire behaviour – it’s all dependent on numbers,” she says. – Gemma Chilton

for Businesses are lookingalon maths experts like Avem assess Martinkus to help th ange the risk of climate ch

Intern, BOQ

Risky business

Bachelor of Mathematics, QUT

Gr aduate Scientific Officer, Snowy Hydro Bachelor of Science (Honours), ANU

Intern, Ernst & Young

Disaster Watch Desk Officer, ency Management, Emergsl and Management Queen

senior re

Fire Weather Officer, CFA

ssell Rachel Be searcher

Quantitative Analyst, BOQ

Senior Researcher, CFA

MATHS & DATA+QUT

might impact Australia’s nalysing how sea level rise ing Avalon thought she eth som coastal areas was not degree for. But more banks, would be using her maths ple anisations are looking for peo governments and other org m. with maths skills to help the with the Bank of Queensland lyst ana e ativ As a quantit to help build and maintain (BOQ), Avalon’s main job is . the credit risk of customers computer models to assess the analysis to understand “My team and I do a lot of es of extreme events, typ tain bank’s readiness for cer needed to cover potential and the money that could be losses,” Avalon explains. zles and she became As a child, Avalon loved puz school. “I never found maths fascinated with maths in high When I was deciding on my to be impossible or a chore. had studied maths and I uni study, I knew people who prospects,” she says. eer talked to them about the car ugh, is her mum, who worked Her biggest inspiration, tho when female geologists and as a geologist in the 1980s her has worked in STEM roles engineers were rare. “Mum says. she ,” me on off has rubbed whole life and that passion inly ma ce, offi the in e tim Day-to-day Avalon enjoys her attending events run by and re, twa sof SAS or R in coding g area and I definitely win gro a the bank. “Financial risk is industry in the near future,” foresee myself staying in the she says. – Claire Harris

mum has worked in stem roles her whole life and that has rubbed off on me” 15

MATHS

Every hospital job requires some level of data literacy skills”

ect. ati ng a nd va lid at the data is corr th s nu rse g g data usin elop v e • A na lysin d to ls l too statisticats into patient insigh ts a nd treatmen es. m o tc ou

Care factor: high!

Masters in Statistics, Macquarie University

Bachelor ool, Jane signed up for a After finishing high sch ations at log y and international rel of Ar ts degree in psycho toria. Deakin University in Vic sn’t keen on becoming a wa she d lise rea n She soo hts statistics and human rig psychologist, but liked the her of rt pa bined those as parts of the study. She com lity into reducing the morta ch ear res s Masters in statistic a. ric der five in Af rate of children aged un t maths ths at high school, and tha ma ed lov Jane says she t in any role as a data scientist, bu is useful not just in her level of spital job requires some hea lthcare job. “Every ho n says. – Gemma Chilto data literacy skills,” she

RE START YOUR CAREER HE

maths&data udy +health Scist ence

Bachelor of , RMIT thematics and Statistics) Ma d plie (Ap ty of ersi Univ e, Bachelor of Health Scienc Technology Sydney tralian National University Bachelor of Statistics, Aus

SHUTTERSTOCK

maths&data BS +health JO K–$142K

Data scientist: $63 K Data analyst: $50K–$103 147K* K–$ $51 : ant Healthcare consult om le.c sca pay to ng *Salaries accordi

CAREERSwithSTEM.com

Data Scientist, McKinsey & Company

, Emergency Department hen patients present to the ir the at k loo rs’ jobs to it’s the nurses’ and docto at’s wrong and help wh t ou ure fig , symptoms nd are rk alone. In the backgrou them. But they don’t wo like ple peo – ge led cia l know experts contributing cru the at ist ent sci a pa l dat Jane Shrapnel, the princi tal. spi Ho ’s ren ild Sydney Ch Choose this t how data can ou ure fig to job e’s It’s Jan career if you: d an e car t be used to improve patien > Love helping people the as le, outcomes. For examp > Want to work in ly 2020, she pandemic unfolded in ear a hospital VID-19 > Love coding, math helped collect data on CO ns around bed and data patients to inform decisio intensive care. capacity and demand for s: looking at “In the fut ure, we will be pical task taff on y T ian nic cli rt po implementing tools to sup hospita l s s. ising w ithex pected outcome ngs like determining the ia thi for L ing • ak n-m isio dec d n ent a atm tre s at coronavirus or wh project a im tabase patient’s risk for severe from a da rs a nd e,” she says. cas ta r a ula d rtic pa t g tha in for t plan might be bes • Sou rc w ith docto

Data & Insights Manager, Workplace Gender Equality Agency

rts like Jane Shrapnel Hospitals are employing expe ging into the data to help them save lives by dig

Data Analyst, MLC

Count on me

a Jane Shrapnel uses her dat skills to help doctors on the medical frontline

Principal Data Scientist, Sydney Children’s Hospital Network

+ CLIMATE + SOCIAL MEDIA + SPORTS + SMART SPACES + TRADES

Bachelor of Arts, Psychology and International Relations, Deakin University

MATHS & DATA+HEALTH

MATHS & DATA+UNI OF NEWCASTLE

Solving big problems Maths just clicked fo r one girl in rural Th Now, Natalie Thamwatt ailand. ana is a world-leading researcher in nanote ch na had Ngamta “Natalie” Thamwatta rowing up in rural Thailand, Her r. e a world-leading researche no idea she’d one day becom y The an. and her father was a policem mother was a dressmaker attend university. encouraged her to study and ours in degree with First-Class Hon nce Natalie completed a scie ed her plet com and versity in Bangkok, Mathematics at Mahidol Uni llongong. PhD at the University of Wo University of applied mathematics at the in or fess pro She is now a One area of eral awards for her research. Newcastle and has won sev ld build for is looking at how we cou research she is well-known body. an to deliver drugs into the hum molecule-sized structures ths, ma of world through the lens Natalie loves looking at the bulk how or g nanotechnology whether it’s drug delivery usin ry kind of of a silo. “I believe that eve out flow l, materials, such as coa s. say she ,” g mathematics problem can be looked at usin alie on to higher education, Nat go to ily fam her in As the first ations. situ ilar sim in s ent stud for can be understands how difficult this r,” che tea r you work of friends, and talk to “It’s important to find a net lker Wa oe Chl tilised by our students.” – she advises. “We are under-u

Natalie Thamwattana uses geometry and calculus at in her nanotech research tle the University of Newcas

Bachelor of Science / Mathematics (Honours), Mahidol University, Thailand

PhD in Applied Mathematics, University of Wollongong

Professor, University of Wollongong

Post-doctoral fellow, University of Wollongong

Professor, University of Newcastle

MATHS

+ CLIMATE + SOCIAL MEDIA + SPORTS + SMART SPACES + TRADES CSIRO

MATHS & DATA+HEALTH

5 STEM careers in h t l a e h c i l b u p ic to remind us just how Sometimes it takes a pandem gigs can be life-saving maths + health

1 Vaccine scientist

One of the most important careers in the world right now is that of a vaccine scientist. On their to-do list? Preventing or curing diseases by developing, trialling and executing effective immunisation programs.

king on CSIRO scientists are wor developing a vaccine for e COV ID-19, which would sav s live of ds san thou of ds dre hun

Health careers are often ass ociated with stethoscopes and scrubs, but there are officebased medical roles that also save lives. During a pandemic, epidemiologist s collect, dissect and summarise data – uncovering life-saving insights. Skills: Seen those #flatten thecurve infographics? They’re a visual example of how an epidemiologist’s maths, sta ts and science skills can predict and illustrate alar ming health trends. Study: Master of Clinical Epid emiology, University of Newcastle

Skills: Advanced knowledge of maths, cellular biology, biochemistry and microbiology is essential. Study: Bachelor of Science (Medical Science), University of Sydney

hnician Medical lab tec ctices,

pra in hospitals, general alongside physicians rk wo s d treat pro an EM e ST os e Thes out tests to diagn earch labs, carrying res d rforming an pe ics , les clin te mp va sa pri llecting blood day might involve co g fluids. sin aly an d an e patients. An average determine blood typ to ts tes t ou ing rry ills are blood counts, ca upled with people sk ence background co sci al dic me like g – on ts str tes Skills : A en performing ites. Maths is key wh uis req s. pre ion ard ipt nd scr sta pre pretty uing dosages and wns – and when iss do ak bre t un co od blo s Cook University loma of Science, Jame Study : Graduate Dip

Biostatistician

SHUTTERSTOCK

Biostatisticians fuse science and statistics, dividing their time between designing experiments and dissecting data. In this case of COVID-19 their research is behind the social distancing and travel limiting laws. Skills: Stats, maths, biology and research brains. Study: Master of Biostatistics, University of Melbourne

CAREERSwithSTEM.com

Epidemiologist

Stay sociael global

Check out thes cials health experts on so on eed keeping us up to sp 19 DVI CO ng everythi

Infectious disease physician

primarily treate Infectious disease physicians t-to-diagnose patients with rare and difficul ic they test as many illnesses. During a pandem e, interpret test suspected carriers as possibl the patient. e results and medically manag advanced maths is a Skills: As well as biology, serious plus. Diseases, University Study: Master of Infectious e Steel ssi of Western Australia – Ca

miolog ist, llie Murray, Epide •E @EpiEllie • Dr Ian Mackay, yIM Virolog ist, @Macka , Infectious • Dr Tara C. Smith og ist, iol m ide Disease Ep @aetiology octors and • Follow #CelebrateD TikTok on me Ho #HappyAt nfobeautiful • And check out @i ur yo on Insta for all s COVID-19 graph need

MATHS & DATA+SOCIAL MEDIA

+ SPORTS + SMART SPACES + TRADES + CLIMATE + HEALTH

On trend

YouTube Culture & Trends Lead, APAC

s and data Ashley Chang’s skills in math ltural trends analytics and his nose for cu is the perfect fit at YouTube

CAREER HERE START YOUR

math&DataS+TUDY dia social me s / Bachelor of rmation System

iversity siness Info ), Swinburne Un Bachelor of Bu Data Analytics in or aj ia), (m s es M Busin l and Social ed unication (Digita dney m m Co of or el Sy Bach chnology University of Te ity ), Curtin Univers Sc a ience Major at (D e nc ie Sc Bachelor of

math&DataJ+OBS social meagderia : $44K–$ 82K

nager at YouTube, s a cu lture and trends ma tch videos at Ashley Chang gets to wa uirement. For the past work – yep, it’s a job req a team across the Asia year, he’s been building the data and gain an Pacific region to dig into re through trends in the ltu understanding of pop cu ing and ma king. videos people are watch ight into who we are ins r “You gain a greate that this is useful to as people,” he says, adding re. shapes and ref lects cu ltu determine how YouTube t ne ter “in an f as Ashley describes himsel d ough information to fin thr g tin sif – t” gis olo anthrop . lue va y interact and what the clues about how people

Executive MBA, UTS

Senior Social Media ision Producer, ABC Telev

an Social media m 117K tegist: $48K–$ ra st ia Social med 100K* –$ 5K $4 : g manager Online marketin yscale.com according to pa *Source: salaries

ashley chang culture and trends manager

Dream ride

his tra l to Ashley’s role, but Maths and data are cen lism rna jou uble degree in journey started with a do nd University of sla een and business at Qu ally landing a role at the Technology, before eventu TV. media outlet Pedestrian then-newly established ployee hired, and says Ashley was the third em y ess did. He was eventuall his role grew as the busin for r to work as an edito headhunted by the ABC moved on to become the d their iview platform, an years C TV. Then, a couple of social media lead at AB be, uTu Yo rrent role at ago, Ashley landed his cu to be his dream job. t ou d ne tur which he says t people aspiring to work Ashley recommends tha under va lue what they can in social media shouldn’t d “Be willing to evolve an bring to an organisation. s. say he ll be hard for you,” upskill, do things that wi

other countries in the Pa cific region identify significant viewing patter ns. “It’s dividing the forest from the trees – which trends tell a story? How do we use these stories to achieve business goa ls and understand how YouTube is perceived?” he says.

Maths adds value

ism/ Bachelor of Journal , QUT ss ine Bus of r Bachelo

Editor-in-Chief Pedestrian.TV

What’s the story?

SHUTTERSTOCK

Be willing to evolve and upskill, do things that will be hard for you”

st social media roles are Ashley explains that mo a analy tics – separating around understanding dat which trends are signa ls from noise to see what you can see in data, important. “It’s amazing to you to draw the right and data doesn’t lie. It’s up insights,” he says. hley’s role is managing Around 50 per cent of As Australian part of the trends and cu lture for the the other ha lf is helping YouTube platform, and

Choose this career if yo

> Live and breathe social media > Know what’s trend ing on socials RN > Don’t mind some maths, data and coding > Like writing and comms

Although Ashley didn’t go on to do a maths or sci ence degree, he studied threeunit maths at high school . For careers in the social and digita l media space, Ashley says a good groun ding in maths can help you interpret data to fin d stories about how peo ple are using information, wh at those stories mean for societ y and how they aff ect organisations. While a knack for numb ers is a huge va lue-add, Ashley recommends tha t people looking to follow a similar career pat h also build skills in weaving the m into stories that mean som ething to their audience. “The volume of data is inc reasing exponentially. The va lue that current stu dents will provide is being able to manage the systems that collect the data and interpret it in a way that machines never cou ld,” he says. – Nadin e Cranenburgh Ash’s team has used viewing data to create a whole website looking back on the YouTube moments that defined 2019. Check it out at rewind.youtube

MATHS

MATHS & DATA+SPORTS

+ SMART SPACES + TRADES + CLIMATE + HEALTH + SOCIAL MEDIA

s r e b m u n e h t n Ru 3D skeletons, Formula 1 sailing boats and high-tech bikes – welcome to the sports data revolution e on the ssie Olympians get the edg ver wondered how our Au rd and having ha ng ini right food, tra the ing eat it’s re, Su ? on oppositi a analy tics. y have a new weapon: dat the w no t bu de, itu att ler a kil rs thanks massively in just a few yea ged an ch s ha e enc sci s Sport data revolution data records. This sports of ns llio mi of s red nd to hu scientists to help for maths, stats and data d an dem big a ng ati cre is of the Olympic podium. Australia stay on the top an Institute of Sport analy tics at the Australi Stuart Morgan, head of who understand sport, isation needs is “people (AIS), says what the organ lities that will make a science skills and capabi but it’s those crucial dat ence right now”. their career in sports sci

Smooth sailing: Sailing is known sometimes as the ‘Formula 1 of aquatic sports’ because of its tech-driven approach to performance. Olympic yachts are rigged up with sensors measuring everything from humidity to hull strength. Wave after wave of data has to be interpreted in real-time.

(Don’t) break a leg

TRIATHLON AUSTRALIA / ACT ACADEMY OF SPORT / SHUTTERSTOCK

data to Triathlon Australia uses ury inj protect athletes from

with rts data project has been One recent successful spo g. nin rt that includes run triathlons – an Olympic spo . ling swimming and cyc athlete health Triathlon Australia hired an r health and specialist in 2018 to monito daily sur veys with training data and conduct a analyst at athletes. Wade Hobbs, dat t “injuries in Triathlon Australia, says tha t of this par n triathletes who have bee mmeted”. plu e hav athlete health system represent ch whi , ries inju “Bone stress ning and trai of s term in t the highest cos n reduced bee e hav , lost e tim n competitio ,” l win he says. by 72% , so it’s been a rea

CAREERSwithSTEM.com

START YOUR CAREER HERE

wade hobbs data analyst

maths&data +sports study Bachelor

of Sport and Exercise Science, University of Canberra Bachelor of Biomedical Science/Bachelor of Mathematics, Queens land University of Techno logy Bachelor of Mathema tics and Statistics, University of Western Aus tralia Master of Sport Analyti cs, La Trobe University

maths&data +sports JOBS Data

analyst: $51K– $107K Data scientist: $63K– $132K Exercise physiologist: $47K– $73K* *Source: salaries accord ing to payscale.com

Teamwork with robots Artificial Intelligence (A I) as a key tool in sports scis emerging ience

“The real bat tleground now is AI,” says Stuart, “and the people doing this work are largely computer scientists who are providing us with algorithms that we can use to monitor and improve per form ance.” “We’re building AI algorithm s that can interpret what athletes are doing just from broadcast vision,” explain s Stuart, who also leads AIS’s Com puter Vision and Machine Lea rnin g group. “Our objective is to help our athletes but also to unders tand more about our opponents than they understand about the mselves.”

Our objective is to help our athletes but also to understand more about our opponents than they understand about themselves.” Stuart Morgan, Head of Analytics, the Australian Institute of Sport

Brains and brawn cara grzeskowiak data analyst

a data analyst Cara Grzeskowiak is lping athletes and champion rower he nce improve their performa champ, Cara hen she’s not being a rowing analyst for the a dat a as Grzeskowiak works System (AMS). ent em nag Ma AIS’s national Athlete Australia in rowing Between stints representing at the 2019 World – including a bronze medal ed a degree in Science Rowing Cup – Cara complet jor, Applied Statistics and Economics (Maths ma ional University (ANU) minor) at the Australian Nat that her current role is in Canberra. She explains s useable data to lete “mainly about giving ath rds”. nda sta improve performance data has grown the d, che “Since AMS laun recorded more now e hav we exponentially and sions covering 42 than 1.5 million training ses challenge – and where sports,” she says. The big their STEM skills the Cara and her colleagues use mass of data. this most – is what they do with rmation but info e pac “Runners might need ing rowed load or e anc rowers might need dist a is available dat t wha out king stats, so we’re wor formats that people and how we get the data into .” – Matthew Brace can use to improve training

Bachelor of Science/Bachelor of Economics, ANU

AMS Officer, ACT Academy of Sport

2019 Australian Representative, Women’s Quad, World Rowing Championships

Data Analyst, Australian Institute of Sport 2019 Australian Rowing Championships

MATHS

MATHS & DATA+SMART SPACES

+ TRADES + CLIMATE + HEALTH + SOCIAL MEDIA + SPORTS

a t a d d n a s k c Bri create better spaces Mix IT with design skills to

Choose this career if you:

are engineering and design nformation technology, ving pro im iting career areas merging into new and exc ies. our cities and communit ildings the environment and bu , ple Data from cities, peo ild bu to us ow all ways that are being combined in new an space. whole ‘digital twins’ of urb a lise the changes in the are ua vis can we “Using data, d an g gin a city is growing or chan iety and to understand how soc , ent promising the environm make sure we are not com d an low fel Soheil Sabri, research or the economy,” says Dr tructure ban Analy tics Data Infras Ur , senior project manager urne. at the University of Melbo

> Love coding, maths and data > Are interested in helping to protect the environment > Get excited about art, design and interactivity > Want to improve access for people with disabilities > Would like to design better urban spaces

HERE R CAREER U O Y T R A T S

ta Maths&cDeaS STUDY pa +SMARTlor ofSCity Planning, UNSW

Bache n Planning, ign and Tow es D an rb U ast Bachelor of Sunshine Co University of Melbourne of ty si er iv Design, Un IT Bachelor of Science, RM Geospatial NSW FE Bachelor of TA Practice, Sustainable Diploma of

ta Maths&DcaeS JOBS pa +SMARTDesSigner: $53K– $101K

SHUTTERSTOCK

Urban K $50K– $107 tal Planner: K* Environmen 26 $1 5K– Analyst: $5 om Geospatial to payscale.c g in rd co ries ac *Source: sala

Digital twins

Soheil studied urban an d regional planning, bef ore living in Asia and develo ping analy tical tools to me asure livability. He’s now at the University of Melbourn e, working on the Fisherma ns Bend ‘digital twin’ pro ject in collaboration with Land Use Victoria. Fishermans Bend is Australia’s biggest urb an redevelopment and wi ll house 80,000 people and create 80,000 jobs by 2050. Digital twins are replica s of physical areas in the digital space. They combin e Artificial Intelligence, virtual reality and real-ti me data with 2D and 3D engineering data and geo spatial data (like Google Maps) to ref lect the current rea lity and allow people to better understand the consequen ces of decisions. This cou ld be as simple as a person dec iding how to get from A to B, or governments looking to understand the environm ental or social impact of their po licy decisions. “You can look at the are a over time, in peak hour, or if you’re using different types of public transport , for example,” says Prof Abbas Rajabifard, who leads the research and development of the Fishermans Bend ‘digital twin’ project. “If we can visualise the eff ect our decision makes, it let s us make better inform ed decisions.” – Heather Ca tchpole

3D printing is helpin spaces understand g people who plan urban th them and make dec e physical space around isions based on vis ua l evidence #handy

CAREERSwithSTEM.com

Typical tasks

anthony baxter softwarE engineer

• Work with industry to ma nag e water and waste. • Col laborate with a variety of people across govern ment, business and com mu nity. • Visual ise and describe futu rist bui ldings, parks and workplace ic s. • Design innovative urban spaces.

Real-timeonrisk s Anthony Baxter work se team on sp Re s isi Google’s Cr

services, mostly to on people use Google Maps very month more than a billi s, the platform can But during natural disaster find their way from A to B. authorities to show the a from emergency service also pull together trusted dat track of a typhoon. spread of a bushfire, or the Response team back king with the Google Crisis Anthony Baxter started wor killed 173 people. In ch es in Victoria in 2009, whi in the Black Saturday bushfir a Google team to with hfire season, he worked the most recent 2019-20 bus alerts provide the The es. hfir impacted by the bus provide SOS alerts for areas on the severity of the emergency service authorities most up-to-date data from the fire spread. fires, as well as visuals of Rural Fire Service various agencies such as the The Google team works with sibl t pos e information on the SOS alerts, so the bes to help craft the messages has to curate the hony explains how his team gets out to the audience. Ant think about what the to d d for the alerts. “You nee emergency services data use or out of date. It’s ing lead might be confusing, mis data shows and whether it ing about.” talk are y the t erts who know wha really vital to have these exp gle Maps, but Goo of sion ver roid ks on the And Day-to-day Anthony also wor from helping out crisis gs he does in his work life, there’s heaps of other thin user interface ural disasters, to working with agencies during times of nat nes. pho we use Google Maps on our designers to improve the way says Anthony. s!” desk coding with headphone “It’s not just sitting at your r Catchpole the Hea – across the organisation.” “I’m working with people all

Software Engineer, connect.com.au

Software Engineer, Google

ea lthy shape h for people o t lp e •H a ce s itable sp in. a nd equ work a nd live to e igate th a nd m it cha nge. t n e v e r e t •P of cli ma impacts e a nd e, prov id enta l r u s a e m •M env iron a na lyse nd use data. a nd la

Robotics and Digital Technology, Chisholm Institute

you need to think about what the data shows and if it might be confusing”

Systems administrator, Australian Artificial Intelligence Institute

MATHS

MATHS & DATA+TRADES

+ CLIMATE + HEALTH + SOCIAL MEDIA + SPORTS + URBAN SPACES

Do maths like a tradie

Nope, it’s not all me at pies an iced coffe d es. 80% o f constr uct workers B ion YO their lu nch to work

START YOUR CAREER HE RE

Think that if you’re a budding tradesperson, dropping maths is no big deal? In actual fact, hands-on trades use numbers a lot more than you’d think

Maths&Data +Trades STUDY

d loads of ated with tools, trucks an rade gigs are often associ skills involved re’s a stack of basic maths physical labour, but the d constr uction maintenance, repair an in almost every type of floorspace ratios to antities and determining role. From calcu lating qu s, most tradespeople conver ting measurement that sticking ordering materials and of numbers – something ge led ow kn ced an adv rely on an fy. can seriously help solidi with high school maths a skills are just as are ebra, trig and basic alg w ho at k loo we re, He cy drill. – Cassie Steel l tradie’s toolkit as a fan sfu ces suc a to nt rta po im

Cer tificate III in Electrotech nology Electrician, Swinburne University of Tec hnology Cer tificate III in Bricklaying, TAFE NSW Diploma of Building and Con struction, Open Colleges

Maths&Data +Trades JOBS Electrician: $45K– $100K

Builder: $46K–$139K Plumber: $41K–$ 91K* *Source: salaries according to payscale.com

jobs that count

... literally. We match up popular trades with their maths-based toolkits

the job:

Electrician

the job:

Builder the maths:

SHUTTERSTOCK

Apart from all the basic stu ff – addition, subtraction, multiplication and division – electricians regularly use fractions, percentages and decimals when working out things like room dimension s, wiring lengths, wat t to kilowat t conversions and load calculations. Ohm’s Law (voltage = current x resista nce ) is a go-to equation when studying electrical circ uits, and trigonometry comes in handy when figu ring out the correct angle to bend a section of protective tubing.

the maths: – maticians that make stuff Builders are basically mathe and g din divi , ting trac ing, sub yep, that’s how much add steel average day. “How much an in s pen hap g lyin multip ring floo ld? Will the new timber is needed for this office bui er wat ugh furniture? Is that eno bear the weight of all that of e ogu nol mo l?” An internal to fill up the swimming poo an average day on site. k rac ndt sou measurements

Trad ies can get paid a lot. Boiler ma kers for instance, were the highest-pa ying trade professi onals of 2019, with an average an nual salary of $10 9K

CAREERSwithSTEM.com

the job:

TradieGenranacem –plumber

Tiler

@life–of–a–maint than John Kosta has more ers ow ll 37K instagram fo plumber and We DM’d an insta-famous stions. asked him a bunch of que you Was plumbing something do? to ted wan always

What’s an average day like

? Certificate IV in plumbing

Maths meets art and constru ction in a process that is lite rally all about being accurate, cor rect and symmetrical. Like a hypothetical problem out of a geometry tex tbook, a tiler regularly faces the challen ge of calculating how many 2D objects (tiles) will fit into a par ticular space (a floor). Visualisation, spatial reason ing and geometric modelling along with an advanced understan ding of the units, systems and processes of measurement are pretty standard prereq uisites.

Licensed plumber

ool, No! After finishing high sch anced Diploma of Business Adv an in d olle I actually enr n’t t working in an office was Marketing, but realised tha t ugh tho I and er mb plu a r was for me. Luckily, my brothe hands-on. I’d try it out as it was more

the maths:

s any thing from fixing people’ So different! I can be doing . ters hea gas g allin and inst taps to unblocking drains Did you enjoy maths in hig

most es roles in-demand trad, w elders, A mong the top 10

h school?

makers layers plasterers and brick

are cabinet

Certificate III in plumbing (including a four-year apprenticeship)

fan of it because I TBH I actually wasn’t a big help me when I left didn’t think it was going to that [in plumbing ] school. I soon learnt though we use it daily! you Are there any maths lessons to? n ntio atte re mo d pai you wish would have listened more If I could go back in time I try classes. in measurement and geome

Concreter

What kind of maths do you

use on-the-job?

out volumes of material Everything ! From working of gas appliances to size and calculating flow rates ting and invoicing. Some oun pipe work and basic acc apply are a mix of all four of the topics that I use and tion, division and operations (addition, subtrac finitely didn’t think I would multiplication ), algebra (de try. be using that) and geome

Advanced Diploma of business Marketing, TAFE

the job:

mbers? Any advice for wannabe plu

the maths:

Figuring out how much mix ture is needed for a pour may seem like sim ple multiplication, but for a con creter there are some seriously complex are a and volume formulas that go into each and every job. Sure, length x width x thic kness = volume, but when things aren’t rec tangular – which they ver y rarely are – the gig calls for some pretty advanced geometry.

ns and show initiative Listen, ask lots of questio impress your boss. – especially when trying to did You’re insta-famous! How

you get so many followers?

w I saw an opportunity to sho I started my account when the At . me get up to each day people what plumbers like re it on Instagram and I’d sha ng doi time, no-one else was all. sm s, no matter how video snippets of various job yed r time and people really enjo My followers just grew ove ing lock unb lly the gor y ones – the videos I posted, especia of drains ! out s hair toilets and, pulling

MATHS

STEM TRENDS

Double Tap

Now trending Keen to keep up-to-date on all things STEM outside of the classroom? We’ve hunted down a bunch of stuff you should be liking, watching, reading and downloading Watch.

Scientists on TikTok te lip-syncing LOLing along to your ma wash up y the The Lion King while are gene so t bu , is awesome and all Nicki Minaj via d ne lai expressions exp tagged #tiktokscience memes. Hit up anything rk. and consider it homewo

Read.

tal

Publishing, $29.99 ‘Ready, Set, Code!’ CSIRO coding minus Keen to get clued up on explanations? snoozy theory and epic instructions Packed with step-by-step gramming pro h on how to master Scratc ls, you’ll be too ing ild and easy-to-ace app-bu uni. for ly app n king tech before you eve

Pin.

Infographics than bed There’s more to Pinterest rch Sea . nts pla linen and house th some wi hit get d an s’ ‘infographic ah maths! cool visua l analy tics. Ye

Like.

NASA on Facebook s + out-of-this Career inspo + live stream A+ Facebook world satellite images = y get the urge content. Warning: you ma to study astrophysics!

Citizen science Scientist emojis

Careers with STEM on socials

Civil engineers that don’t wear high vis

Group chats in code

STEM pros on reality TV Choosing electives (Too. Many. Options.)

Only applying for uni cos you think you have to. Spoiler: look into VET

Parents on social med ia Having to defend your choice to ma jor in maths. There are SO many jobs

Bad cybersecurity stock images. Why hoodies?

Unfollow

Tag.

withstem … us on socials! @careers room or the back of the bed ur A tropical island, yo g ere you’re reading the ma school bus? Show us wh . and we’ll give a double tap

Follow.

Instagram @girlsinstemtoolkit on g it in STEM careers If inspiring women killin GiST on the ‘gram. is your thing, follow the

Listen.

‘Her STEM Story’, iTune s, free Dedicated to sharing car eer stories from minoriti es in STEM, host Prasha also touches on “life” topics.

Download.

Citizen science apps /shrub sightings to the Gift your bee/bug/slug keep track of what is – science-verse so they can of ur area. There are loads and isn’t – thriving in yo o load images and inf apps that allow you to up species you come al on any plant and anim ralist and Oz At las. across. Try Frog ID, iNatu

CAREERSwithSTEM.com

SHUTTERSTOCK

Shop.

‘Under the Stars’ merch , redbubble.com/people/ lisaharveysmith/shop Astrophysicist and Wome n in STEM ambassador Dr Lisa Harvey-Smith has releas ed a line of awesome ST EM merch, perfect for starga zers! – Cassie Steel