If you randomly choose a student from the Tufts undergraduate population, what is the probability that he or she will be a math major? If this type of question baffles you, it might be because the answer is smaller than you'd think: only 67 students - about 1.3 percent of Tufts undergraduate students - are math majors.
But according to Professor of Mathematics Boris Hasselblatt, who has been keeping record of math enrollment since he began teaching at Tufts in 1989, Tufts has actually defied a general decline in math degrees awarded nationwide. And thanks to new admissions programs, the numbers may now be on the rise.
According to the Conference Board of the Mathematical Sciences (CBMS), the number of U.S. bachelor's degrees granted in math decreased by 19 percent between 1990 and 2000, while total college enrollment actually increased 9 percent.
At Tufts, though, enrollment in mathematics stayed fairly constant during the '90s, with about 20 to 25 math majors per class, Hasselblatt said. Though those numbers fell slightly in the past few years, from 24 math degrees in the class of 2003 to 13 in the class of 2006, according to Tufts Factbook, the trend reversed last spring when 44 sophomores declared their majors in math.
"My expectation is that this doubling in [the number of] majors is not likely a blip," Hasselblatt said.
Hasselblatt gives credit for Tufts' sudden increase in math enthusiasts to the dean of undergraduate admissions, Lee Coffin.
"The class that entered two years ago, the juniors, they seemed very different from other classes," Hasselblatt said. "Tufts has always had very good students, but this class had much more intellectual energy and excitement. My expectation is that something has changed in who's interested in applying to Tufts and who decides to come here."
And while the interim head of the mathematics department, Professor Todd Quinto, said the department didn't do anything differently last year that would cause such a dramatic increase in the number of math majors, the admissions office might not be the only reason for the spike in interest.
Hasselblatt suggested that one possible reason for Tufts' apparent bucking of the national trend lies in the math faculty's unusually high involvement in research. "Every tenured faculty [at Tufts] is active in research; that's an exceptional claim when you look at other universities," Hasselblatt said.
Quinto agreed. "Because the university's supporting research, and because we [the faculty] do it, that makes [math] a lot more exciting," he said.
Additionally, the undergraduate research opportunities offered at Tufts allow students to apply the mathematical concepts they learn in the classroom to the real world. Senior math major Tania Bakhos is currently working with Quinto on "modifying algorithms for SPECT, a method of imaging that makes it possible for doctors to see metabolic processes in the body," Bakhos said.
"I think it's cool to see math being used outside a classroom," Bakhos said.
Besides the Summer Scholars Program, which provides funds to select students to research with a professor over the summer, Tufts' mathematics department also receives grants from the International Science Foundation for undergraduate research.
Some students are so interested in research that they are willing to do it for free. This past summer, for example, Hasselblatt hosted two undergraduate researchers even though one was unable to be funded.
Over the past few years, the undergraduate researchers have been very successful, according to Quinto. One published an article in "Contemporary Mathematics" and another advanced to the University of Michigan for graduate studies in math.
In addition, all three undergraduate researchers Quinto has worked with in the last three years have been women, which is quite unusual in the math world.
"Contrary to stereotypes, [math at Tufts] is not male-dominated," Hasselblatt said. "It's usually 50-50 [males and females], and it's not uncommon for there to be a female majority."
Nearly half of the full-time math professors at Tufts are women, perhaps encouraging female students to feel more confident in their mathematical abilities and inspired to continue in the field.
Junior math major Sarah Kalin pointed out that the passion exhibited by professors makes an impact.
"The professors are really pretty enthusiastic," she said. "And because the classes are small, you feel more free to ask questions."
The national decline in math majors is part of a larger trend in the United States of students focusing less on math and science fields. The issue was one of the focuses in the recently released "Microtrends: The Small Forces Behind Tomorrow's Big Changes," by Mark Penn. The book argued that the lack of science education in America is a national security threat, since other nations, particularly India and China, are producing far greater numbers of mathematicians, scientists and engineers, which could potentially impact these nations' relationships with the United States in the long run.
But for Tufts students, the reasons to major in math are more practical. Sophomore Andrew McIntosh, who is planning to declare his math major this year, said math is a lucrative area of study.
"I like the wide career options that a math major leads to," he said. "It will help my logical reasoning skills for whatever field I decide to go into."
Despite the flexibility that a math major provides, junior math major Emily Reid thinks that the numbers stay low because of misconceptions about the subject.
"I think that there aren't many students majoring in math because students aren't given a clear understanding of what math is until they actually choose to major," Reid said. "In high school, for example, you are taught math in pieces that seem very separate: geometry, algebra, trig[onometry]. Students are mostly taught to memorize and calculate and aren't allowed any kind of creativity or out-of-the-box thinking."
Senior Nick Atallah agrees: "We don't focus on encouraging math. I'm sort of offended that people can go through college without even taking calculus. Math is so basic to everything."
