If you are one those people who despise math and "feel physically ill at the sight of an equation," Professor Edward Burger of Williams College may be able to help remedy the problem at a special CU-Boulder lecture March 21.
Burger, who was a visiting CU-Boulder mathematics professor from Williams College in Williamstown, Mass., during the 1998-1999 school year, packed the house in his April 1999 CU-Boulder talk on "Why I Hate Math But Love Museums."
For those who think they would enjoy a hilarious math professor who has written jokes for Jay Leno, had his own comedy radio show, won numerous scholarly teaching awards and happens to be in love with math education, room 100 in CU-Boulder聮s Math Building at 7 p.m. March 21 is the place to be.
In his March 21 talk, "Magic and Mathematics: Is the Equation Faster Than the Eye," Burger promises to answer questions on the possibility of mind-reading, as well as ways to make a dorm room bigger without throwing out your roommate. He also will offer advice on how to break the bank in Vegas with dice and will answer what he believes may be one of the compelling questions in the universe: "Do math professors have any clue on how to dress?"
Although he admits that many people agree with the Jimmy Buffet song titled "Math Suks," Burger promises to pass out free mathematical mementos as souvenirs. Is he bribing his potential audience? "Absolutely," Burger said. He also guaranteed what he calls a "GREAT photo opportunity," which he declined to reveal ahead of time.
Burger聮s deep passion for math is founded on the premise it should be made lively, fun and educational. "The idea is to entertain and enlighten," he said. "My goal is to get people to have fun thinking, have a better feeling about math and to look at things in a slightly different way."
The CU-Boulder talk, sponsored by the CU mathematics department and the Math Club, is free and open to the public. A public reception will follow.
Burger was the keynote millennial speaker at the National Joint Mathematical Meetings in Washington, D.C., last January. Hosting thousands of scientists, the event was sponsored by the Mathematics Association of America, the American Math Society and the Society of Applied and Industrial Mathematics.
Burger has appeared on a number of radio and television stations, including National Public Radio and NBC. He regularly worked as a stand-up comedian as he was finishing his doctoral degree at the University of Texas at Austin, and still teaches a course at Williams College on learning to lead and speak publicly by performing stand-up comedy.
But Burger also is the most serious of mathematicians. His research is in number theory, which examines the structure and complexity of numbers, and is one of the oldest branches of mathematics. He also is co-author of a mathematics text for non-science students titled "The Heart of Mathematics聴an Invitation to Effective Thinking."
Burger has crafted a "virtual video interactive calculus textbook" on the World Wide Web at: . In his first video lecture, he explained how calculus is virtually everywhere, from flowing rivers and passing joggers to the construction of skyscrapers. Burger has even put on plays involving construction workers proving mathematical theorems during their lunch breaks.
But don聮t let Burger, as devoted as a mathematician can be, fool you. Although he is not above pouring 600 beach balls from the balcony of an auditorium onto people's heads in a packed house at Williams College during a lecture, his point is that math education is critical as we enter a new millennium.
To Burger, who recently was named the 2000 winner of the northeast Section of the Mathematical Association of America Award for Distinguished Teaching, making math infectious, fun and real is a lifetime goal.