Towson University Student Speaks About Opportunities

From Towson University:

February 15, 2020

With a B.S. in mathematics from Andrews University under her belt, Karel Marshall
’19 found herself more curious about how math is applied in everyday life versus mathematical
theory.

“My TU professors in applied and industrial mathematics encouraged me to push my knowledge in new directions,” explains Marshall, who is
interested in operations research and machine learning. “I loved the TU program because
I did not have to choose one narrow area of specialization.”

In a field that continues to be dominated by men, Marshall found support outside the
classroom through TU’s Women in Science program, attending the group’s events and
mentoring younger students. She also worked with undergraduate math students as a
graduate assistant for the Department of Mathematics. “I had a great support system at TU,” says Marshall. “Knowing that faculty members
looked at me as a fellow professional was so important to me.”

Marshall put her professionalism to work as a graduate intern at the Aerospace Corporation in El Segundo, California, where she conducted a market survey of technologies to
support the construction of future space satellite systems.

“I studied some of the top aerospace industry contractors and the technologies they
create,” describes Marshall. She also wrote MATLAB code to perform risk assessments
and created a program that could help the Department of Defense make a more informed
technological decision.

“The internship gave me the opportunity to see how my coursework is applied in real
life,” says Marshall, who relocated to the West Coast to pursue her career. She is
now working full-time for Aerospace as a modeling and simulation engineer.

This press release was produced by Towson University. The views expressed here are the author’s own.