On a whim decided to check out his Twitter page. A couple of new papers out. Also, passed his qualifying exams. My guess is that he'll be Dr. Urschel about this time next year. Culture.
OT: Some updates on our man John Urschel.
- Thread starter LionJim
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Surely Urschel is on 'ship at MIT. They should just save the money and give him his PhD now.
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Yeah, amazing guy. Did you happen to see him talk about getting a concussion and how it affected him for a couple weeks, including reducing his spatial visualization and analysis?
This is a guy who has a lot to lose from concussions. I hope he gets financial security from football and then transitions to his other life's work sometime soon.
This is a big year for his NFL career. Ravens need a starting center and Urschel should get first dibs. If he can hold down that position, he should get a nice 2nd contract. If not, he's probably out of the league after 2017.
Actually, I decided to check out his Twitter after seeing that the Ravens drafted two OGs.
He doesn't teach now so I have no idea. Just about every full-time mathematics grad student gets an assistantship of some sort. Tennessee waived tuition for me and gave me $8K a year, and that was 35 years ago.
Well, maybe one...
and its not Avril Levigne.
She taught me to count to two.
Who is she and what's that thing in her hands?Well, maybe one...
and its not Avril Levigne.
Dancia McKellar. She got a BS in Mathematics, summa cum laude, from UCLA. She's written four books on promoting mathematics for girls. Maybe 91Joe95 made his post in jest, maybe not, but she's a great role model for young people interested in mathematics.
It's a special sort of slide rule only math brainiacs are licensed to possess. I've got one. Urschel has one too, a little different than mine. Dancia's just posing for kicks; it makes us look badass.
The NFL is a hobby for Urschel. If the Ravens don't want him, someone else will grab him. He is a PR dream for an NFL franchise.
Urschel is apparently not a math genius. As his PSU teammate Ty Howle once remarked, "He can't be that good at math; he couldn't teach me calculus". 8^)
I can't get past the first picture. I can't see her hands, but judging by her arms I'd say she's holding her butt. Color me jealous!
(BTW, it's Danica, not Dancia. Unfortunately, we have to wait until next January 3rd to see her in the birthday post. And she BETTER be there, mr gambit!)
Oh, I see. I have a similar device for holding books while I'm in bed. I was granted one after I successfully translated Plato's Republic from English back to its original Greek, a daunting task. It looks kind of like your slide rule but also has a cup filled with mineral water for finger-dipped page turning (especially useful if you experience dry mouth or have the gross habit of tongue-tipping your #3 Ticonderoga while taking notes).
I was going to answer all his queries, but I can't ruin the sheer genius of this post. Well played.
Oh, I know all about her math background, the pineapple, and several other details. I'm no ordinary stalker.
I have said all along that his continuing to play football is selfish. I can't quote the source, but I have heard that no great/original thought comes after 30 or 35 years of age. If he is as gifted as he is in math and related areas then he should be devoting 100% of his efforts to developing and advancing in that area instead of splitting his time between football and academic pursuits. The concussion thing is just making football a much more risky endeavor. This is a free country and he can do whatever he wants, but it's a shame that he's wasting the prime of his life for a game.
It's selfish? Yeah, playing a game to set up his financial future to then chase your real passion is just so selfish.
He loves playing football. He loves the camaraderie. He's gifted at mathematics but there must be 100 other graduate students at MIT alone.
Yeah, mathematicians do their best work in their twenties and early thirties. Go google Jean-Pierre Serre, won the Fields at 27.
Or Gauss who finished his most important work at 21. Mind you, he had a lot of other important work after that.
That's an interesting and important way to look at it. As a starting Offensive Guard in the NFL, Urschel is one of 64 at the top of his profession, and with his experience and recognition, better than average in that group. As a mathematician, perhaps he is only
in the top few hundred.I get the desire and commitment to football. Just really hope he doesn't detract from his capability in math by playing such a violent game.
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