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As Marquis Scholar Natalie Bosserman ’04 (Bel Air, Md.) learns how to use mathematics to analyze the probability of certain events, she’s also preparing for a career.
Bosserman, named Co-Patriot League Women’s Indoor Track and Field Scholar Athlete of the Year last season, is conducting independent research on probability monitoring, which will help her pursuit of a career in actuary science.
An actuary typically works for insurance companies to develop and analyze the risks for products, according to Bosserman’s independent study adviser, Evan Fisher, associate professor of mathematics. They also help to determine what premium rates should be. An actuary usually has strong analytical skills, he says.
“When someone becomes an actuary, it’s very demanding,” Fisher explains.
Bosserman, a mathematics-economics major and record-breaking member of the track and field team, is studying probability modeling to predict events. Two examples of this are rolling dice a specified number of times and predicting what the outcomes will be and predicting weather based upon current conditions.
Nine examinations must be passed to join the Actuarial Fellowship and become certified in the field of actuary science. Five of the exams are math-based, and two of these are probability exams.
“From what I’ve seen of Natalie’s work, I’m sure she’ll be able to become a fellow of the society,” Fisher says. “Across the board, she’s an outstanding student.”
Fisher is the actuarial career adviser at Lafayette and holds a weekly actuarial examination preparation workshop each spring. He is heavily involved with undergraduate research and supports honors theses each year. He has been published in such journals as Statistics and Probability Letters, Mathematica in Education and Research, and The Rocky Mountain Journal of Mathematics. He has successfully proposed a grant that brought technological equipment to the math department.
“Natalie is a great student,” Fisher boasts. “She is very bright. This [independent study] requires a lot of work on her part, without someone actually teaching her.”
Bosserman says Lafayette is the ideal environment for independent studies because of the small classroom size and the opportunity to personally know the professors.
“Once you are friends with the faculty, it is easier to work with them . . . because it eliminates the intimidation factor,” she says.
Last January, Bosserman studied abroad through an interim session course, The Land and Landscape of Ireland. She is vice president in charge of finance for her sorority, Alpha Phi, a teacher’s assistant in Calculus III for Chester Salwach, associate professor of mathematics, and the holder of school records for both indoor 4×400-meter relay and the outdoor 400-meter in track and field. Bosserman also proctors the math lab and tutors high school students in Algebra II.