Getting Math off the Ground: Applied Mathematics at Boeing

Abstract

We describe Boeing’s Applied Mathematics organization, the work we do, and how it contributes to Boeing’s business goals. We address some of the ICIAM goals relating to education and mathematics in industry, and we try to convey the challenge and satisfaction that come from applied mathematics in the aerospace business. We discuss the qualifications we look for in job candidates and how university mathematicians might learn more about industrial careers. After some examples from the Applied Math organization as a whole, we go into detail about multidisciplinary design optimization, the primary focus of the Geometry and Optimization group. We illustrate our methods with an example, the design of a hypersonic vehicle. Finally we discuss some of the non-technical challenges mathematicians in industry often face.