Milan Raovic
The University of Western Australia
1. Can you give me a quick rundown about the type of mathematics you are studying and its potential impacts for the broader community (think how you would explain your work and studies to others who don’t study maths)
I study under the umbrella of combinatorics, more specifically, a topic in graph theory called Hamilton cycles. In an applied context, these cycles can be used for many network optimisation problems such as traffic management in urban planning, improving the efficiency of data routing and streamlining logistical supply chains. My research is centred around enumerating and generalising infinite families of quartic graphs, aiming to identify those that minimise or maximise the Hamilton cycle count.
2. How did you get into mathematics/statistics/data science? Was there someone or something that inspired you to this field?
It probably started with my dad teaching me timestables in the car rides to school, which had a large domino effect throughout primary school and high school. But come university the biggest inspiration I think was 3Blue1Brown which made me appreciate more abstract concepts by pairing them with easy-to-follow aesthetic visualisations. Furthermore, he explained how deeply rooted mathematics was in nearly every subject ranging from patterns in nature to financial markets, which I believe made me develop an affinity to the subject due to its importance in every aspect of our life.
3. You received a Travel Grant to attend AMSI Summer School 2024. How important was this in terms of your ability to attend, fully participate in the program and meet others studying in similar fields? Do you think it was an advantage to attend the program in-person?
Receiving the Travel Grant to attend the AMSI Summer School 2024 was crucial for my ability to be part of the program and network with peers in similar fields of study. Given the high costs associated with travelling to Canberra from Western Australia, attending the summer school in person would have been quite a large financial burden, which would’ve made it much more difficult to attend in person. The opportunity to stay in college alongside fellow students and engage in face-to-face interactions during the program was invaluable, not only because it fostered a sense of community among us but also because it helped forge lifelong friendships.
4. What was the most valuable part of the program for you?
For me, the most valuable part of the program was making lifelong friends. Being around students and teachers who love math as much as I do created a great learning environment. The courses were great, but the highlight was socialising and collaborating with so many like-minded individuals with such a wide range of personalities. I’ll cherish the friendships formed forever, making the whole experience even better.
5. In the long-term, what do you think are the benefits of having attended Summer School?
As I had taken a year-long break from mathematics, due to going on exchange, I felt like I was quite rusty with mathematics, so being able to do an intensive maths unit was extremely beneficial for me as it got me back in the swing of things; I’m hoping as a long-term benefit I will be able to ride this momentum throughout the rest of my Honours and possible future research. Connecting with the community at AMSI has also made going over east for my studies or work a very real possibility as I would feel more comfortable moving to a place where I already have a network of friends set up.
6. Summer School included a special Careers Day program which aims to help give students an idea of the kinds of career paths available to maths graduates in industry and private sector research areas. Do you feel better equipped to explore career options in the mathematical sciences after attending AMSI Summer School?
The Careers Day program gave quite a good insight into what jobs are on offer after our studies in mathematics. Naturally, studying mathematics lots of your friends ask you what you’re going to do with the degree and for the most part I struggled to give them a straight answer as even I wasn’t sure what career paths I had available to me. After the event, I have a much better understanding and even a weight off my shoulders knowing there are so many options available for students studying mathematical sciences.
7. What advice would you give to someone who is considering applying for Summer School in 2025? Should they apply and why?
I would, and already have, strongly recommended my peers to attend the AMSI Summer School as I had such a great time at it. The program offers a variety of very well-run courses with a clear storyboard of content which helps greatly when doing an intensive unit, furthermore the courses a run by specialists giving you access to some of the best minds in the field. I’m going to sound like a broken record with this next part, but I must reiterate that the biggest takeaway you’ll get is the friendships you’re bound to form at the summer school; having friends across the country all in a similar position to you is extremely valuable for every aspect in your life.
8. What are your current career ambitions in the mathematical sciences sector?
Regarding my professional ambitions, like many honours students (I hope), I’m still exploring my options and figuring out my future path. However, attending the summer school significantly shifted my perspective on pursuing a PhD. Initially, I viewed it as a solitary journey, but meeting a diverse group of individuals with vibrant personalities and similar interests changed my view. Hearing their firsthand experiences and stories about their first year as PhD candidates or Master’s students made the idea of furthering my studies much more appealing. In terms of my stretch goals in the mathematical sciences sector, I would love to help make mathematics more accessible to everyone, this extends from school students to academics. Currently, higher-level mathematics papers and even concepts are difficult to understand due to people’s lack of mathematical literacy but more so because maths papers are often unnecessarily over-complicated. I’m not quite sure how, but I would like to try and make papers more accessible by explaining concepts from the perspective of someone like myself who hasn’t always been a high achiever and can relate to the reader’s thought process or lack thereof in some cases.
9. How did connecting with the community at AMSI Summer School support your experience?
Being able to collaborate with so many great minds, not only in the context of mathematics, was extremely beneficial as I was able to gain insight into other people’s thought processes and methods of problem-solving, which I believe was greatly beneficial to my personal growth. Outside of selfish personal growth reasons, it’s always extremely fun meeting new people and forming otherwise unlikely friendships from across the country. Being able to socialise or study at any given time at the college or in the city with a group of people who have similar vested interests made the experience much more enjoyable, as there was never a time where you would find yourself with nothing to do.