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Black History Month
2019 Honoree

Back to Circle of Excellence
Melvin Currie

Melvin Currie

Mathematician

National Security Agency (Retired)

Where are you from?

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

 

Please describe an experience (or 2) that helped you discover/ cultivate your interest in the mathematical sciences.

I was fortunate as a child in having a neighbor who was a few years older. His goal was to become a mathematics teacher and he influenced me quite a bit. A few years after I graduated from Yale College, I found myself living in Germany, where I stumbled onto a position teaching mathematics in a public high school in Düsseldorf. I was employed at the high school for two and and a half years. That job sparked my interest in going to graduate school in mathematics.

 

What is/are your most proud accomplishment(s) in regards to your career in the mathematical sciences?

I certainly would include the main theorem in my dissertation as an achievement of which I remain proud to this day. I could add to the list my book, Mathematics: Rhyme and Reason, which was co-published by the American Mathematical Society and the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute in 2018. Finally, I would mention my career at NSA, both the technical work and the influence that I had on younger mathematicians.

 

What is/are your most proud accomplishment(s) in regards to your personal life?

Being a husband and father.

 

Please share some words of wisdom/inspiration.

Following my love of German language eventually allowed me to re-kindle my love of mathematics. Most people care about more than one thing. Indulge yourself by tending to the things you care about and be patient with yourself.