Mrs. Osborne is always seeking new tools for her toolbox. Not hammers, pliers and other physical tools, but mathematical principles and concepts. These tools are problem solving tools that can be applied in businesses and industries of all types. What can these mathematical tools do?  They can allow a superstore to set lower prices than any other store, determine the best possible location for a new fire station, or design a box that holds a specific volume but uses the least material.  They can schedule workers for a set of tasks, determine the best design for waiting lines in a bank, improve the quality of products through quality control and much more.

Can every problem be solved?  This depends on what you mean by a solution. Sometimes we can accept an approximate answer as good enough rather than spend an enormous amount of time to obtain the exact solution.  Occasionally, a problem can be particularly difficult to solve and, perhaps, it is even impossible to determine an exact answer.  When this is the case, the applied mathematician can build a mathematical model and use technology such as computer simulations to find an acceptable solution. Computers can run the simulations hundreds and even thousands of times in a brief time frame. Using statistics, the simulations can give a very good estimated answer. Mathematics is an essential key in today's business and industries. Filling your toolbox with good mathematical concepts can put you ahead of others in the workforce. Of course, just like with physical tools, one must start with simple tools and work toward using "power" tools. So come and get started discovering a new set of tools for your toolbox!

Credentials:

Master of Operations Research: engineering, North Carolina State University.

Master of Arts: mathematics, Wake Forest University.

Bachelor of Science: mathematics and business administration/accounting, Averett University.

Diploma: general electronics, Danville Community College