Join the GW Department of Mathematics for a lecture by Dr. Leah Marshall from the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). The talk will be followed by a panel discussion with alumnae and friends on the experiences of and challenges for women and minorities working in mathematics.

Title: What Mathematicians Do in the World of Survey Research

Abstract: If you are like most undergraduate mathematicians it is likely that you know which classes you love, but you have no idea what using math looks like as a job in the real world. The good news is it involves exactly the same things as your classes -- figuring out how to formulate and solve a problem. In this talk, we go over three examples of real projects from jobs in the mathematical field. Specifically, we will discuss three topics from the world of survey research:

• Record linkage to match records across different data sources
• Quality assurance methods used to ensure collected data meets minimum benchmarks
• Response rates calculated to measure a survey’s response in a way that is both meaningful and consistent with industry standards

About the Speaker:  Leah Marshall is currently a statistician and data scientist at NASS, where she works on summary, estimation, and disclosure methodology for the Census of Agriculture. She has a BA from Northwestern U. where she double majored in mathematics and statistics. Marshall earned her MA and PhD in mathematics studying logic and computability theory under the direction of Professor Valentina Harizanov at GW. While at GW, she received the Taylor Prize, and she taught mathematics as an adjunct post-graduation. Marshall was also an assistant professor of mathematics for several years at NVCC, and she was a mathematical statistician at the U.S. Census Bureau for over a decade, receiving a Bronze Medal Award from the Department of Commerce for her contributions to unduplication research for the decennial census.