Alessandra Chiareli is a senior research engineer with Technical Computations in the Software, Electronic, and Mechanical System (SEMS) Laboratory at the 3M Company in St. Paul, Minnesota. As a student, Alessandra had three different internships with 3M before joining the company in April 1995.

Asked what she does for a living, Alessandra quotes the following mission statement of her department: "Through the effective and appropriate application of computation to R&D, especially in the areas of modeling and simulation, Technical Computations will assist in key projects and programs and thus increase productivity and innovation in 3M laboratories."

"Mathematics is an essential tool for my job function." she continues. "Together with computational tools and good communication skills, mathematics is what I use to help solve problems for the company. These problems might include optimizing the design of a new product or optimizing a process to make a new product."

Alessandra has a B.A. in mathematics and physics from Macalester College and an M.S. and Ph.D. in applied mathematics from Northwestern University. Her internships at 3M were a factor in her decision to go into industry. "My internships gave me a chance to experience first hand what it would be like to work in industry. I liked what I saw, so I decided to choose a career where I could use mathematics to solve industrial problems."

"My first two internships," Alessandra continues, "one as a senior in college, and one in the summer between college and grad school, were very interesting. But it was during the third one (summer after first year in grad school) that I had my first opportunity to use applied mathematics in my job. Together with my supervisors, I developed a mathematical model, validated by some experimental work, that saved the company a lot of money. It determined that a certain proposed coating smoothing process, which worked well at low speeds, would not work well at the high speeds used in a production line. It felt great to be able to make an impact like that using mathematical modeling at the job. This was the first job I had had where I really looked forward to going to work everyday. It was then that I decided that was the kind of job I wanted to have 'when I grew up'. I was very fortunate to be able to achieve that goal with the job I currently have."

"What I enjoy about a job in industry, especially in a place like 3M, is working with people with various technical backgrounds, and problem solving in many different areas such as optics, filtration, coatings, etc. I get to work in teams and to work by myself as well. It's a very dynamic job. I am continuously learning and am challenged by the different problems that have to be solved."

The areas of mathematics she has found most useful are calculus, differential equations (ODEs, PDEs), complex variables, statistics, probability, and linear algebra. Among the non-mathematics courses she recommends are computer programming (FORTRAN, C), electromagnetic theory, quantum mechanics, optics, fluid mechanics, chemistry. She also mentions the importance of writing, public speaking, and interpersonal communications.

"Most of the time,", she notes, "the hardest part of working on a project is formulating the problem to be solved. You need to communicate well with the client (internal) you are working with to gather as much information as possible about what is the real problem to be solved. If you cannot develop that rapport, you might end up solving the wrong problems."

"Also, be comfortable with the idea of not being an expert and asking for help. You are not being paid to reinvent the wheel. Remember: time is money. Also, be ready to write a lot of reports, give lots of presentations to an audience which might not have a technical background, and attend a lot of meetings."

She also has some advice for women entering the workplace: "Try to identify mentors (men or women) as soon as you can. It is very important to have a more senior person help you navigate through your job. More specifically, it helps to have someone you trust to talk to about the challenges you face as a minority in the workplace. You may encounter situations that make you feel uncomfortable and it is good to have someone help you, for example, distinguish between actual sexual discrimination and just plain ignorance. Having someone to talk to about these situations will help you determine which is the case and whether or not you should take action."

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