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SIAM Welcomes Two New Staff Members

 

 

The SIAM team is excited to welcome two new staff members. Get to know:

Grace Murrin, Programs Manager

Grace joins SIAM after years of working at nonprofits, most recently the Mathematical Association of America (MAA). Previously, she worked in theatre, stage, and production management, where she gained project management experience. Finding that she missed mathematics, she transitioned into programs management at MAA where she connected with the mathematics community and experienced the impact these organizations have on their members. Grace holds an M.S. in nonprofit and association management and a B.A. in mathematics and theatre.

As Programs Manager, Grace primarily manages and supports MathWorks Math Modeling Challenge, which engages thousands of high schoolers each year in mathematical modeling.

Q: Why are you excited to be working at SIAM?

A: I really enjoy connecting with the mathematics community (and beyond!). I'm grateful to work with so many passionate people—at all stages of their careers—on programs that lift up STEM careers and education around the world.

Q: What part of SIAM’s mission statement do you connect with?

A: Mathematics is such a fundamental part of the wider STEM world. Math skills form the foundation for engineering, science, and more, which is how our society makes progress and solves problems.

Q: Why do you think STEM is important?

A: STEM is at the core of life—from health to building and infrastructure to the appliances and technology we use every day.

Q: What is one thing that most people do not know about you?

A: I love to travel! So far, I've made it to Europe and South America—11 countries and 55 cities within them—but I've got a very long bucket list! Hoping to cross another continent off my list soon!

Q: How do you see your role positively impacting the SIAM community as a whole?

A: I hope to see M3 Challenge reach more students across the U.S. and U.K., and see those students then go on to STEM careers—and hopefully come back to SIAM as members!

Nya Wynn, Associate Editor, SIAM News

Prior to joining SIAM, Nya graduated from the University of Delaware (UD) with a degree in biology and a minor in journalism. At UD, she worked as a staff reporter and managing news editor for The Review, UD’s independent student-run newspaper. She also did writing and editing for UDaily, UD’s official newsletter.

As Associate Editor of SIAM News, Nya assists in the production of SIAM News print issues and oversees SIAM News online. Her responsibilities include editing and proofreading all articles for both print and online publications, and assisting with editorial layout for print editions.

Q: Why are you excited to be working at SIAM?

A: Getting to meet SIAM members and learn about their research is the most exciting part of working at SIAM. It's always interesting when an article is submitted for SIAM News by one of our members on a topic that is completely new to me. I love to learn and I feel like every day at SIAM I get to learn something new!

Q: What part of SIAM’s mission statement do you connect with?

A: Majoring in biology gave me a deep appreciation for those doing scientific research, but also for those who can effectively communicate the importance of scientific research to the public. SIAM's mission to both advance research efforts and be a source of information for researchers and students in the mathematics community really resonates with me. I have seen first hand the positive impact that scientific research has on the world and how effective science communication efforts can lead to heightened awareness of the importance of funding scientific endeavors.

Q: Why do you think STEM is important?

A: STEM is the backbone of all of our technological advancements. More specifically, mathematics lies behind most things that we see or use every day from technology and medicine to art and nature. Studying STEM helps us better understand our surroundings and solve the complex problems that we're facing in modern society like climate change and disease prevention.

Q: What is one thing that most people do not know about you?

A: One thing people may not know about me is that I've done a triathlon.

Q: How do you see your role positively impacting the SIAM community as a whole?

A: SIAM News is a wonderful source of scientific information not only for the mathematics and engineering communities, but the greater scientific community as a whole. I hope that through my role, I can make complex mathematics more accessible to the SIAM community so that students and researchers can implement it into their own projects. Sharing scientific findings is the key to innovation and I hope to help foster some collaboration within the scientific community through my work at SIAM News.