SoundBites newsletter May 2016

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President: Tuajuanda C. Jordan, PhD

Dave Kung, professor of mathematics

May 2016

Dave Kung has been a member of the faculty since 2000. Before there were Ted Talks, there were The Great Courses: college-level lecture classes in long-form video and audio created for those with “a lifelong passion for learning.” Dave Kung, professor of mathematics, has been teaching “How Music and Mathematics Relate” with The Great Courses program for six years now, and has a new course, “Mind-Bending Math: Riddles and Paradoxes.” How did The Great Courses find you? The Great Courses folks have recruiters at conferences looking for charismatic professors who engage well with the audience. Back in 2010, I gave one of the invited lectures at the Joint Math Meetings, the largest math conference in the world. That’s where they found me. They visited one of my classes at St. Mary’s, and then invited me up to tape an audition for them. How did you decide what to teach? My first course with them was on the connections between mathematics and music. That was a topic their customers had been clamoring for, and as a violinist since age 4, I was a natural fit. I later proposed the idea of the Mind-Bending Math course, and we worked together to create and refine it. I’ve always loved puzzles and paradoxes, so I was excited about this opportunity to share my interest with a wider audience. Is it hard to “make math fun”? Math is fun! Ideas like infinity turn out to be much crazier than we first think. The green screen they use to create the videos opens up a world of possibilities for convincing others that it all makes sense. What is the wackiest thing you have done on camera?

A newsletter for the community, faculty, staff and students.

Dave Kung with his new Great Course: “Mind-Bending Math: Riddles and Paradoxes.”

students. Through these lectures, I’ve already reached many times that. When a catalog goes out with “Mind-Bending Math” on the front, nearly a million people receive it. Every week, I get a few emails from students around the world asking interesting questions and pointing me towards cool related ideas to explore or consider. How does your work on The Great Courses relate back to St. Mary’s? Last fall, I used their videos to teach my First-Year Seminar on Mind-Bending Math. I believe we should study paradoxes because they are exactly the topics that force us to question previouslyheld views about the world. Faced with a paradox, you might question your belief structure, and actually change your mind. The semester-long assignment my students have — the hardest assignment I’ve ever given — is to change their own minds about something important. Think about it: we all know we’re not right about everything, but when was the last time you actually changed your mind? That may be the biggest paradox of all.

A Day of Pause & IDEs Initiatives “On Wednesday, April 6th, we entered a conversation about complex and sensitive issues that are impacting the St. Mary’s College community and the nation. I am confident that we can continue the progress we made on that day.” — President Tuajuanda C. Jordan Progress and other related topics can be found on the new website (www.smcm.edu/ides) for Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity (IDEs). The new site is part of the work of five groups formed to move the College forward on IDEs issues.

Talents Celebrated at Awards Convocation Congratuations to the these faculty and staff on their awards:

You can find both of Dave Kung’s courses at: www.thegreatcourses.com

At one point, I play catch with myself, throwing a ball out the left side of the screen and having it come back in at the right. Once, I punched oobleck (a non-Newtonian fluid), and the camera guys put a time-lapse view of the shoot on Youtube. What is the best part of the gig? The best part is the privilege of communicating with a wider audience. In my entire career at SMCM, I might teach 6,000

Want More? News, Student and Faculty accomplishments: www.smcm.edu/news Campus Events Calendar: www.smcm.edu/events/calendar 240.895.2000 | www.smcm.edu | SoundBites is produced by the Office of Marketing, Strategic Communications and Web Services.

Sam Goddard won the Joe Carroll Memorial Staff Award.

Awards Convocation was held April 22 to recognize the accomplishments of students, faculty and staff. The event opened with a performance by Jordan McRae ’16 (saxophone) and Rosemary Ligsay ’18 (piano) and one by PING, directed by Larry Vote (prof. of music).

Wes Jordan (prof of neurosciences and psychology): Homer L. Dodge Award for Outstanding Service. Barrett Emerick (asst. prof. of philosophy): Homer L. Dodge Award for Excellence in Teaching by a Junior Faculty Member. Diana Boros (asst. prof. of political science): Norton T. Dodge Award for Scholarly and Creative Achievement by a Junior Faculty Member. José Ballesteros (prof. of Spanish): Steven Muller Distinguished Professorship in the Arts. Sybol Anderson (assoc. prof. of philosophy): Andy Kozak Faculty Contribution to Student Life Award. Sam Goddard (general trades mechanic): Joe Carroll Memorial Staff Award.


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