Shaun Belwood

I studied mathematics at the University of Queensland finishing my degree in 1993.

During one of my vacations I worked at the Bureau of Meteorology in Melbourne. Apart from having a great time I found people were using the mathematics I was studying at Uni.

When I finished my degree I was offered a job as a meteorologist, but instead I took a lecturing position in the Mathematics Department at James Cook University.

Melissa Dobbie

Having enjoyed maths at school, I decided to study statistics and pure maths together with computer science and German at the University of Queensland. I graduated in 1993 with an honours degree in statistics.

Since then I have worked as a statistician. At present I am working in the Biometrics Unit in the CSIRO. My main role is to consult with scientists and help them design and analyse experiments. One of my present projects involves studying the prevalence of viral antibodies in mice on the Darling Downs.

I enjoy working for the CSIRO. It is interesting and challenging and I can apply the knowledge and skill acquaried at university to real life!

Nick Cavenagh

I am currently in the third year of a science degree, specialising in Pure Mathematics and Statistics. Contrary to what you might think, this isn't such a terrifying experience. In fact, apart from awkward silences at parties after I tell people that I'm studying maths, it's actually not bad at all. Mathematics broadens the mind, offers unique and imaginative ways of looking at things and can even affect your own personal philosophies.

During the summer break I worked on a vacation scholarship, investigating latin squares. (These are a bit like magic squares: see Tortoise Patterns). I studied a topic in mathematics that hasn't been researched heavily and I was able to find things that people hadn'g thought of before, which was rewarding. This year I've worked as a tutor for first-year Mathematics students.

University life is very dynamic, nowhere else can you find such an interesting mix of people with radically different perspectives and opinions.