Kevin J. Davis
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What he does:
- Kevin Davis is a division officer on the nuclear submarine USS Memphis, where he has begun (Fall 2005) a three year tour of duty. On the Memphis, Kevin is responsible for supervising "hundreds of millions of dollars of equipment and approximately a dozen men in the safe operation of a nuclear reactor."
Math on the job:
- His math
training helps him digest the hundreds
of different kinds of charts, graph, and plots that he must look at for
trends and mistakes.
- Knowing
trigonometric identities allows him to come up with answers faster than
his peers, and provides a good "reality check" for the computer
systems he works with.
- Knowing how to do proofs is important for him, because he has
the ability to explain "complex ideas one line at a time so that there
are no gaps."
Kevin's background:
- Kevin was a double major in mathematics and physics at EMU. He
graduated and
received his commission as an officer in 2003. He worked
at a number of posts in the Navy, including supply officer and physical
fitness promoter, before joining his current ship. Kevin
believes his math background
helped him to grasp how the "complex systems and theories
interconnected" while he was training as a nuclear engineering officer.
Kevin's advice to students:
- Kevin is
adamant that math majors should challenge themselves and take hard
courses, both to grow personally
and to learn to think. “Sometimes
the box can be pretty small at school…but it is important to
remember that the easy way is only as rewarding as the path it follows."