Calculating the future with a double major in math and computer science

Why major in math?

For Dahlen Elstran, a senior at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, it’s pure passion.

“I decided to major in math in 7th grade,” she said. “I realized that it was the only homework I enjoyed. So that was a sign.”

She started her college career in Chattanooga at the height of the pandemic in 2020, focused on STEM education—one of three undergraduate concentrations in the UTC Department of Mathematics.

Once in-person classes resumed in 2021, Elstran realized she didn’t want to teach math for a living, she wanted to do math for a living.

She switched to the general math concentration over actuarial science because she prefers theoretical math (using proofs to confirm propositions and theorems) to more computational, applied math.

Elstran did undergraduate research at UTC during her sophomore year, basically “untying knots with math.” Funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation, the research project merged math and medicine through both practical and abstract questions and methods.

“I’ve always been very focused on gaining more knowledge. Not to get too philosophical, but I think the point of life is to gain as much knowledge as possible and to grow from that knowledge.”

Math for a living

Dahlen Elstran

Elstran’s dream career?

University math researcher and professor.

As a tutor in the UTC Math Plaza and teaching assistant in the department, Elstran said she’s developed an even deeper respect for her professors and a better understanding of how the subject challenges students, including herself.

“There are a lot of great professors in the math department at UTC and a lot of resources to help students. If you put in the work, they can help you and push you to work your hardest,” she said.

Elstran seeks out challenges. She even studies quantum mechanics and differential equations in her downtime.

“When I get home from class, the last thing I want to see is numbers. But it’s good for me to do that, for myself and for my career,” she said.

Aiming to increase her marketability in the workforce, she declared a second major in computer science.

“There’s a lot of tie-in between math and computer science,” said Elstran, who’s applying to graduate math programs but also considering full-time work after graduating in 2024.

“I don’t like computer science as much as math, but if I get a programming job after I graduate, I can always do math on the side. And if I get a job in math, I can do computer programming on the side. It’ll be about what sustains me versus what I do for fun,” she said.

Math for fun

Elstran has an infectious enthusiasm for math and for showing people that “it doesn’t just have to take place in a classroom.”

It’s why her Mocs experience included resurrecting the UTC Math Club—which went dormant during the pandemic—in 2023.

A social organization inspired by math, the group hosts movie and games nights meant to “get your brain moving,” she said.

“Sometimes people hate math because they just don’t get it. But we can see math in so many things, like board games, for example. I like to encourage people and help them understand that math isn’t just what’s on an exam.”

For Elstran, math provides a framework for life.

“To me, math is a language the earth gives us to understand what’s going on. It’s not invented. It’s discovered.”