By the numbers
One bachelor’s degree in mathematics plus one M.S. in applied and industrial mathematics from TU equals a bright future for Karel Marshall ’19.
With a B.S. in mathematics from Andrews University under her belt, Karel Marshall ’19 found herself more curious about how math is applied in everyday life versus mathematical theory.
“My TU professors in applied and industrial mathematics encouraged me to push my knowledge in new directions,” explains Marshall, who is interested in operations research and machine learning. “I loved the TU program because I did not have to choose one narrow area of specialization.”
In a field that continues to be dominated by men, Marshall found support outside the classroom through TU’s Women in Science program, attending the group’s events and mentoring younger students. She also worked with undergraduate math students as a graduate assistant for the Department of Mathematics. “I had a great support system at TU,” says Marshall. “Knowing that faculty members looked at me as a fellow professional was so important to me.”
“ The internship gave me the opportunity to see how my coursework is applied in real life. ”
Marshall put her professionalism to work as a graduate intern at the Aerospace Corporation in El Segundo, California, where she conducted a market survey of technologies to support the construction of future space satellite systems.
“I studied some of the top aerospace industry contractors and the technologies they create,” describes Marshall. She also wrote MATLAB code to perform risk assessments and created a program that could help the Department of Defense make a more informed technological decision.
“The internship gave me the opportunity to see how my coursework is applied in real life,” says Marshall, who relocated to the West Coast to pursue her career. She is now working full-time for Aerospace as a modeling and simulation engineer.