{"525891":{"#nid":"525891","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Get to Know the School of Math Prof: Matt Baker","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is your research about?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI am fascinated by analogies. Much of my work involves so-called \u201cp-adic\u201d numbers, which are analogous to real numbers like 2 or \u03c0, but with important differences. For example, in p-adic geometry, every triangle is isosceles! This world might sound exotic and useless, but p-adic numbers play an important role in modern life, including cryptography, which is the making and breaking of secret codes.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;A lot of things in mathematics appear to have no applications, but in fact, down the road, they turn out to be incredibly useful.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat has been the most exciting time so far in your research life?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn 2006, Georgia Tech postdoc \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.math.mcgill.ca\/snorin\/cv.pdf\u0022\u003ESergey Norin\u003C\/a\u003E found a clever solution to a problem one of my undergraduate research students had been working on. Building on Norin\u2019s solution, he and I soon proved a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/mattbakerblog.wordpress.com\/2013\/10\/18\/riemann-roch-for-graphs-and-applications\/\u0022\u003ERiemann-Roch theorem for graphs\u003C\/a\u003E. This theorem is another mathematical analogy, between graphs, which you can imagine as being like websites and the hyperlinks between them, and \u201cRiemann surfaces,\u201d which are classic geometric objects from the 19th century.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Riemann-Roch theorem is used widely, from error-correcting codes to string theory. Norin and I were the first mathematicians to realize that it has an avatar in the world of graphs. The resulting \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/arxiv.org\/pdf\/math\/0608360v3.pdf\u0022\u003Epaper\u003C\/a\u003E is now my most cited work.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003EHow did you find your way to mathematics research?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn middle and high school, I loved reading recreational math books by \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/martin-gardner.org\/\u0022\u003EMartin Gardner\u003C\/a\u003E. Many mathematicians of my generation got interested in the subject from his writings. A conference called \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/gathering4gardner.org\/\u0022\u003EGathering for Gardner\u003C\/a\u003E takes place every two years in Atlanta.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDuring my senior year in high school, my first-ever mathematics research project placed third place in the 1990\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/student.societyforscience.org\/intel-isef\u0022\u003E International Science and Engineering Fair\u003C\/a\u003E. The project helped get me a full scholarship to the University of Maryland, College Park, where my professors encouraged me to pursue mathematics as a career.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAlthough I wanted to be a math major, for a while I considered double majoring in physics, history of science, or poetry. I decided to focus on math. It was actually difficult for me to make the transition from being a \u201cpolymath\u201d to a \u201cmathematician.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat advice would you give to a college freshman who wants to be a mathematician?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMaster the fundamentals. You have to be able to understand and write rigorous proofs to be a mathematician, and it takes a lot of discipline to do this. Expose yourself to different kinds of mathematics, and try to get some research experience as an undergraduate.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EIf you could not be a mathematician, in what line of work would you be now?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI\u2019d be a professional \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.news.gatech.edu\/2016\/02\/01\/professor-excels-mathematics-and-magic\u0022\u003Emagician\u003C\/a\u003E. I\u2019ve been interested in magic my whole life, but I never seriously considered doing it as a full-time job. I doubt I\u2019d be good at the business end of it.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is the most exciting thing about being at Georgia Tech? \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI love the fact that the overwhelming majority of students are not only really good at math, but they appreciate its value for whatever they\u2019re studying. Students want to be in my class to learn, rather than attending only because it\u2019s a requirement. That\u2019s a great position to be in as a professor. When students want to learn from me, I\u2019m much more motivated to give them something really valuable.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat are you most surprised about in your encounters with Georgia Tech students?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI\u2019m surprised that those who are so good at mathematics resist the temptation to major in it. Seriously, math just literally sucked me in -- I was so fascinated by its elegance and mystery.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat unusual skill, talent, or quality do you have that may not be obvious to your colleagues?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMy colleagues know about the magic. They may not know that I sang in a highly regarded a cappella group in the University of Maryland, College Park; or that in 1990 I won a national poetry contest sponsored by the National Holocaust Foundation; or that in 1995 I was a contestant on Jeopardy! I came in second, but the guy who beat me went on to win the Tournament of Champions that year.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow do you like to relax?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHmm, I\u2019m not sure what you\u2019re talking about.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESeriously, most of my downtime now I spend with our 6-week-old baby. That\u2019s not always relaxing, but it\u2019s what I want to do when I\u2019m not working. It\u2019s great for taking my mind off work.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat three destinations are still in your travel to-do list?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI\u2019d like to visit southeast Asia (Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand). I love the food, and I admire the politeness and respect for tradition in their culture. I\u2019d also like to see Iguazu Falls, on the border between Brazil and Argentina, and Victoria Falls, on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. I\u2019d explore the Amazon as well, but I hate mosquitoes. And I\u2019m afraid of crocodiles.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EIf you won $10 Million in a lottery, what would you do with it?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPut it toward my kids\u2019 college education. I\u2019d also buy my wife some really nice jewelry, as a gesture of thanks for reviewing my responses to these questions.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Part of a Series of Q\u0026A Miniprofiles for Math Awareness Month"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ESchool of Mathematics faculty explain their research, recall highlights of their careers, and share personal insights.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Matt Baker explains his research, recalls highlights of his career, and shares personal insights."}],"uid":"30678","created_gmt":"2016-04-17 14:17:37","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:21:21","author":"A. Maureen Rouhi","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2016-04-18T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2016-04-18T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"525901":{"id":"525901","type":"image","title":"Matt Baker at Atlanta Science Tavern","body":null,"created":"1461074400","gmt_created":"2016-04-19 14:00:00","changed":"1475895298","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:54:58","alt":"Matt Baker at Atlanta Science Tavern","file":{"fid":"206116","name":"matt_baker.atlanta_science_tavern.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/matt_baker.atlanta_science_tavern_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/matt_baker.atlanta_science_tavern_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":204813,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/matt_baker.atlanta_science_tavern_0.jpg?itok=Xfti0KYo"}}},"media_ids":["525901"],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"}],"categories":[{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"}],"keywords":[{"id":"4896","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"170129","name":"matt baker"},{"id":"171928","name":"p-adic numbers"},{"id":"168854","name":"School of Mathematics"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39431","name":"Data Engineering and Science"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA. Maureen Rouhi\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDirector of Communications\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECollege of Sciences\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["maureen.rouhi@cos.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}