Community Spotlight: Meir Wieder

Meir Wieder, FSA, an actuary at New York Life, is our incoming Vice Chair for The Hardest Math Problem, and we’re thrilled to have him. Our theme this year is the use of technology to improve health, which is a highly relevant topic in our society today. Read below for some of Meir’s thoughts on middle school math and being a volunteer for this great program!

 

Please share how long you’ve helped with our work at the Foundation and how you found out about us.

I started helping the foundation by volunteering as a judge for the Hardest Math Problem in 2023. I read about this opportunity in an email from a New York Life colleague, and I was curious to see how middle school students would approach complex (for their grade-level) math and problem solving.

 

What do you enjoy most about volunteering?

First, I love the experience of seeing how the middle schoolers approach these problems. The solutions are creative, thoughtful, and well-communicated. Second, as an Actuary, there’s almost never a clear-cut answer to the work I do – there’s almost always an alternative approach that would lead to a different result. While I enjoy  this and how it forces me to gather evidence to support my position, it’s nice once and a while to come back to a math problem where there is a RIGHT answer 😊.

 

What was your favorite math subject in school, and did math come easy to you at first?  Were there any challenges you faced and overcame as a student?  How do you think HMP might help students reach new heights?

I loved calculus. Math had typically come easy to me, but calculus forced me to think in a whole new way and really gnash my teeth trying to figure out the answer. In addition to the creative challenge, this was also good practice for my future actuary exams, where nothing comes easy 😊. I think the biggest challenge I had mathematically in school was how to explain my results – I knew I could get the right answer, but how could I make it make sense to someone else. I like that HMP puts this challenge directly to the students.

 

What makes this a good volunteering opportunity for actuaries and candidates?

It’s a very manageable time commitment and enables us to contribute our strengths (analytical skills and quantitative communication) toward a good cause.

 

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The Hardest Math Problem is launching on September 16^th and has an informational webinar the same night!

Check out our website for more information about the program and to register for the webinar.

Anyone interested in volunteering to help create the contest’s math problems or judge student entries can check out the TAF Volunteer Page.