Title of Chat: Mathematical Majors & Mysterious Math Magic
Chat Presenter: Mervin Bierman
Date of Chat: 4 April 2022
Link to Recording: View a recording of this Chat via the NCF #CyberChats Playlist on YouTube.

Chat Description: Do you know the top industries that employ people with math degrees? Or that math is foundational to many computer-related careers? April is National Math & Statistics Month and we kicked it off with help from our magical math expert, Mervin Bierman.

During this NCF #CyberChats session on 4 April 2022, Mervin Bierman, a Cryptologic Engagement Officer for the National Security Agency (NSA) Office of Academic Engagement, shared his passion for math, why math is important for everyone to learn, and information about the vast career opportunities that studying math can lead to!

This session was originally presented via Nepris.com.

Learn about upcoming NCF Chats or view the archive of past Chats.

Key Questions
* Why is it important to learn math?
* How is information extracted from a wad of data?
* What is the employability of a person with a math degree?
* How is math important to career fields like computers and cybersecurity?

Expected Outcomes
* An understanding that math is an everyday part of life. It's never too late to learn math!

About Our Presenter
Mervin Bierman is a retired US Air Force officer, currently serving as a Cryptologic Engagement Officer with the National Security Agency’s (NSA) Office of Academic Engagement. Mr. Bierman's primary tasking is to be a contact and principal advisor to Agency senior leadership for all NSA Academic Engagement matters, with an emphasis in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM), Intelligence Analysis, Foreign Language, and Cybersecurity. A graduate of Louisiana Tech University (BS Computer Science/Mathematics) and Webster University (MS Telephony), he occasionally pursues a PhD from a variety of institutes of Higher Learning; currently Colorado State University.