The Internship Network in the Mathematical Sciences

Background

The INMAS program aimed to address a key challenge in PhD education in the mathematical sciences. While employment for mathematicians in academia is decreasing or flat, the number of math PhDs produced in the US has increased significantly during the past two decades. As a result, most PhD graduates need to pivot towards business, industry or government (BIG) for employment after graduation, or after a post-doctoral position. The approach taken by INMAS was to provide tools for pivoting towards BIG during the academic years rather than after graduation. We believe this approach to be a much more efficient deployment of the nation’s scientific and intellectual capital. The INMAS program developed a model to provide training and career experiences to graduate students that intentionally prepare them for meaningful career paths in BIG. The project aimed squarely at this unmet training need, while simultaneously strengthening the competitiveness of participating BIG organizations by providing them with a reliable source of talent at advantaged cost.

To accomplish its goals, INMAS created hub-and-spoke networks in two distinct geographic regions: the Mid-Atlantic and the Midwest regions. The spokes connect hub universities to nodes, which are nearby institutions having sizable PhD production. The network also included the National Alliance of Doctoral Studies in the Mathematical Sciences, commonly known as the Math Alliance. The hubs organized systematic training programs on both technical and professional skills, to better prepare students for productive industrial careers. At the end of the annual program, students were asked to apply broadly for summer internships direclty at companies and government organizations, in addition to those offered and co-financed by the INMAS program. Internships offered by INMAS were arranged through the efforts of program coordinators based at the hubs, who contacted regional companies and pitched them on participation in the program and coordinated student applications to these internships.

The network structure enabled sharing of resources and best practices, and laid the groundwork for potentially scaling up in the future. The research impact of the project was substantial to the organizations engaged in the network, for both companies and universities. Interns participated in the creation of new tools that lead to greater efficiency, productivity, and profitability for the companies. Additionally, a few of the problems arising in the industry found their way back into the classroom, and initiated new research topics in mathematics and statistics.

During its existence, the INMAS program trained close to 340 students, who were placed in more than 220 different companies. Educational and life impacts were felt as the technical and personal development training and the participation to industrial internships changed the life direction of many graduate students. As measured by our internal assessments, one of the largest impact the program had on students is an increase in their confidence to influence and control their own career. Engagement of students from under-represented groups increased diversity in BIG and opened doors toward fulfilling careers for the students, where they can subsequently serve as role models. Furthermore, many employers discovered the talents offered by graduate programs in the mathematical sciences and made this untapped resource part of their future recruitment practice. Lasting impacts on the node institutions include (i) a recognition of the benefits to students from internship placements, and (ii) the creation of a new departmental culture in the mathematical sciences in which graduate career paths to industry and government are visible, valued and desirable.