Math buff creates Google+’s first mathematics community

Dunleavy, Jack

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Roger Williams UniversityDOCS@RWUFeatured News Story The Week at Roger11-12-2014Extended Cut: Bringing Math to the People withProfessor Robert JacobsonJack DunleavyRoger Williams UniversityFollow this and additional works at: https://docs.rwu.edu/weekatroger_featured_newsPart of the Higher Education CommonsThis News Article is brought to you for free and open access by the The Week at Roger at DOCS@RWU. It has been accepted for inclusion in FeaturedNews Story by an authorized administrator of DOCS@RWU. For more information, please contact mwu@rwu.edu.Recommended CitationDunleavy, Jack, "Extended Cut: Bringing Math to the People with Professor Robert Jacobson" (2014). Featured News Story. 443.https://docs.rwu.edu/weekatroger_featured_news/443Home News News Archive Extended Cut: Bringing Math to the People with Professor Robert JacobsonExtended Cut: Bringing Math to the People with Professor RobertJacobsonMath bu  creates Google+’s  rst mathematics communityNovember 12, 2014 Jack Dunleavy ’15BRISTOL, R.I. – Think you know mathematicians? Spend a day with Assistant Professor of Mathematics Robert Jacobson,who pitches the wall ower stereotype right out the window.“We just don’t cloister ourselves in our o ce everyday ‘doing the math,’” he says. “Communication is a huge part ofwhat we do.”As living proof, the assistant professor of mathematics pioneered the  rst social math community on Google+. Snicker,you might – but the site has some 800,000 views to date. A social media guru, Jacobson has also spearheaded thewebsite’s largest community for sharing graduate-level mathematics research and beyond.From high school students to mathematics PhDs, all are welcome to share his interest in the concepts, history and (yes)fun of math, Jacobson says. “It’s an open space for everyone to talk about math.”Were you always interested in computers?My dad had been interested in computers my entire life, so he would bring me home a computer and I would playcomputer games. It just took o  from there.  Back in your college days, why choose to major in math?My undergrad career began in computer programming, but I became increasingly frustrated with my peers when theywould o en complain about the math. But that was the good stu  to me – the stu  I really loved. So, I decided todouble major.How do you answer the inevitable “when will I ever use this” question?Math people can be our own worst enemy, because we o en try to justify our existence by the value of math to society.Saying, “It’s good for my iPhone; it’s good for fuel-e cient cars,” is such a good answer. But there are all kinds of thingsthat math is good for, even those without direct application. Math is an important part of being educated because itpermeates everything that we touch.So should everyone study math?Not necessarily. For example, I don’t know how my car works – I’m not a mechanic, but I do think that it is very importantto have an appreciation and to value it.What inspired you to create the Google+ math community?Math is a part of our culture, and a part of our culture that needs expression and discussion in a community. It’s a verysocial enterprise.How sociable is mathematics?Very! When I go to conferences you meet people giving presentations and people doing interesting research. Whenyou get all these people in the same room, ideas start  ying.How do you make math less intimidating?Almost everyone recognizes math as challenging, but the Google+ community shows that we can talk about it, andeven better, we can also laugh about it – we have a jokes section!What would you change about math in society?The perception that some people have that if you are good at math you are smart, and if you are bad at math you aredumb. This is a social problem that values and elevates someone who is good at this subject, and devalues someonewho isn’t good at this subject. It’s unfortunate.As a professor, what is your approach to education?I really think we should teach education as something that is valuable in and of itself, because it’s good to be aneducated person. It makes you more able to connect with very di erent kinds of people.How do you view math in relation to spirituality, belief, and non-belief?Theologically minded people o en talk about ‘unboundedness’ and in nity, or on the  ip-side nothingness and zero,and it’s interesting how they are the same and yet di erent from how those words are used in science. Also, the sense ofawe and the sense of wonder and curiosity that some mathematicians have shares a lot with religious experiences andspirituality.As a co-founder of Hawk Allies, what inspires your advocacy for LGBTQ rights?Well, it’s really unsophisticated – just a grade-school sense of morality that we should treat each other nicely. I just thinkthere are people that are marginalized and struggle against discrimination, and I really want to do everything to stopthat from happening.Full Name Robert JacobsonEducation  Ph.D., Texas A&M University B.S., Math and Computer Science, Southern Adventist UniversityFun Fact Has a blog called “A er Math” – check it out at http://robertjacobson.herokuapp.com/.FEINSTEIN SCHOOL OF SOCIAL AND NATURAL SCIENCES

Extended Cut: Bringing Math to the People with Professor Robert Jacobson

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Extended Cut: Bringing Math to the People with Professor Robert Jacobson

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