{"626171":{"#nid":"626171","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Fun with numbers: Georgia Tech prof writes equations and jokes","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cem\u003EEditor\u0026#39;s Note: This story by \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.ajc.com\/blog\/get-schooled\/fun-with-numbers-georgia-tech-prof-writes-equations-and-jokes\/0bAzsfdAx3g52w9qbnSsDO\/\u0022\u003EMaureen Downey in the Atlantic Journal Constitution \u003C\/a\u003Ewas originally published on Aug. 15, 2019. It is reposted here with permission.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAs a child in New Mexico,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/lewlefton.gatech.edu\/\u0022 target=\u0022_self\u0022\u003ELew Lefton\u003C\/a\u003E, Georgia Tech associate vice president for research computing, had two passions, math and comedy. Until sixth grade, he never understood mathematics could be a career, figuring mathematicians were akin to blacksmiths, useful in the past, but not relevant today.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHis decision to pursue advanced studies in math led to a breakup of sorts where he says he put comedy in the friend zone. \u0026ldquo;I liked comedy, but I would never consider her for a career,\u0026rdquo; said Lefton.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThen, in 1988, a postdoc mentor at the University of California, Riverside, asked Lefton to entertain an audience of academics with math jokes. He said he had them laughing their elbow patches off. The romance rekindled and Lefton decided he could manage both. \u0026ldquo;I had a niche sewn up \u0026mdash; mathematician and comedian. He is funny, and he can prove it,\u0026rdquo; he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn New Orleans, where both he and his mathematician wife\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/people.math.gatech.edu\/~steinbar\/\u0022 target=\u0022_self\u0022\u003EEnid Steinbart\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;taught at the University of New Orleans, Lefton found himself writing more jokes than equations. Lefton\u0026rsquo;s comedy and improv career took off, and he worked regularly with other local comics who would go on to successful careers in show business, including physician\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/admissions.duke.edu\/story\/ken-jeong\u0022 target=\u0022_self\u0022\u003EKen Jeong\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBut the demands of nightly appearances and weekends didn\u0026rsquo;t mesh with a college teaching career, three children and a busy spouse. Georgia Tech offered positions to both Lefton and Steinbart in 1999.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAt Tech, Lefton has found ways to integrate his interests. In addition to leading research computing, he teaches a computational approach to humor and helps other professors weave humor into their instruction through such Atlanta performance events as\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.scienceriot.org\/\u0022 target=\u0022_self\u0022\u003EScience Riot\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/pwp.gatech.edu\/geekapalooza\/\u0022 target=\u0022_self\u0022\u003EGeekapalooza\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWhile Lefton\u0026rsquo;s research publications include \u0026ldquo;Resonance and quasilinear parabolic partial differential equations,\u0026rdquo; he also co-authored papers on \u0026ldquo;Humor applied to STEM education\u0026rdquo; and \u0026ldquo;Improvisation methods to catalyze engineering creativity.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHe co-leads\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/pwp.gatech.edu\/humorgenome\/about\/\u0022 target=\u0022_self\u0022\u003ETech\u0026rsquo;s Humor Genome Project\u003C\/a\u003E, which he describes as Big Data for Humor. Housed in\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.vip.gatech.edu\/\u0022 target=\u0022_self\u0022\u003ETech\u0026rsquo;s Vertically Integrated Projects\u003C\/a\u003E, where the emphasis is research and development, students investigate various techniques of data analytics and learn about cognitive theories of humor.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Humor is a challenge for artificial intelligence,\u0026rdquo; said Lefton. \u0026ldquo;Is there something humans can do that computers can\u0026rsquo;t do? Humor appears to be one example.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELefton expects his students to learn how to gather and harness data, but there\u0026rsquo;s the added benefit students get through looking at funny stuff. \u0026ldquo;Humor helps people who are feeling depressed, not just watching humor but creating jokes,\u0026rdquo; he said. \u0026ldquo;Laughing creates social bonds that can help in stressful times. And college is a stressful time for lot of students.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELefton\u0026rsquo;s co-teacher in the project is fellow Tech faculty member\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.drpetecomedy.com\/\u0022 target=\u0022_self\u0022\u003EPete Ludovice\u003C\/a\u003E, an MIT-educated chemical engineer who also performs\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/pwp.gatech.edu\/ludovice\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/192\/2019\/06\/NSLC_banner2019MED.jpg\u0022 target=\u0022_self\u0022\u003Ecomedy\u003C\/a\u003E. Ludovice\u0026rsquo;s material often\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.drpetecomedy.com\/images\/ajcarticle06.pdf\u0022 target=\u0022_self\u0022\u003Etargets engineers\u003C\/a\u003E. He jokes that Tech undergrad engineering majors \u0026ldquo;use the engineer\u0026rsquo;s preferred method of birth control \u0026mdash; our personalities.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EScientists doing stand-up is not as rare as it may seem. At the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/atlantasciencefestival.org\/\u0022 target=\u0022_self\u0022\u003EAtlanta Science Festival\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;in March, Lefton and Ludovice served as emcees as nine academics made their comedy debuts. (Material was pegged as suitable for mathematically mature audiences.)\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech microbiology professor\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosci.gatech.edu\/people\/brian-hammer\u0022 target=\u0022_self\u0022\u003EBrian Hammer\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;discussed fecal microbial transfers, or poop transplants. Hammer began with a lively account of the importance of gut germs, explaining their critical role in protecting the body from \u0026ldquo;the riffraff, the pathogens, the bad guys.\u0026rdquo; This was probably one of the few times an audience cheered for diarrhea. Emory biochemistry doctoral student\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/profile\/Julia_De_Amorim\u0022 target=\u0022_self\u0022\u003EJulia de Amorim\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;talked about being a vegan, \u0026ldquo;saving the planet one canned chickpea salad at a time, with every almond milk latte, hold the whip.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELefton\u0026rsquo;s wryness is not unnoticed at Tech, where he has been\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=CBG3gqGFJZ8\u0022 target=\u0022_self\u0022\u003Edispatched to deliver\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;the bad news about lottery odds to TV and radio audiences. When the lottery pot surpassed a billion dollars, Lefton informed Atlantans about the unlikelihood of hitting all six numbers. \u0026ldquo;You are not going to win the lottery. It\u0026rsquo;s not your fault. It\u0026rsquo;s the numbers...But you should play anyway because $2 is a great price for a dream.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHe\u0026rsquo;s also known at Tech for his\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/lewlefton.gatech.edu\/april-fool\/\u0022 target=\u0022_self\u0022\u003EApril Fools\u0026rsquo; pranks\u003C\/a\u003E, including last year\u0026rsquo;s announcement that Georgia Tech would be the first major research university to have an\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/edisruption.blogspot.com\/\u0022 target=\u0022_self\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;AI graduate\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;with an accredited degree. \u0026ldquo;In fact, TutorBot 3.1 will be awarded 44 of the 45 available Bachelor of Science degrees this May,\u0026rdquo; stated the release. In 2016, Lefton spoofed a poster of the new Georgia Tech Green with one for a\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/imgur.com\/R1yrs5Z\u0022 target=\u0022_self\u0022\u003E\u0026ldquo;new math building,\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026rdquo; which promised \u0026ldquo;an infinite number of power outlets, each one is only half as large as the previous one, a cafe with a coffee IV and 3.14 flavors of pie, and a mathematical makerspace with 2D plotters, 3D printers, and 4D time machines.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELefton\u0026rsquo;s 2013 April Fools\u0026rsquo; missive revealed a new survey on the Tech mascot showing the campus about split on keeping Buzz or replacing it with an \u0026ldquo;actual yellow jacket, genetically engineered to be 5\u0026prime; 4\u0026Prime; tall.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Lew Lefton has managed to combine mathematics and comedy into workable formula"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAs a child in New Mexico,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/lewlefton.gatech.edu\/\u0022 target=\u0022_self\u0022\u003ELew Lefton\u003C\/a\u003E, Georgia Tech associate vice president for research computing, had two passions, math and comedy. Until sixth grade, he never understood mathematics could be a career, figuring mathematicians were akin to blacksmiths, useful in the past, but not relevant today.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Lew Lefton has managed to combine mathematics and comedy into workable formula."}],"uid":"30678","created_gmt":"2019-09-13 21:40:35","changed_gmt":"2019-09-23 19:50:45","author":"A. Maureen Rouhi","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-09-16T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-09-16T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"626172":{"id":"626172","type":"image","title":"Unreal Time with Lew Lefton  (Photo by Roger Easley, Special to the AJC)","body":null,"created":"1568410962","gmt_created":"2019-09-13 21:42:42","changed":"1568519434","gmt_changed":"2019-09-15 03:50:34","alt":"","file":{"fid":"238397","name":"2019 Lew Lefton by roger Easley, Special to the AJC.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/2019%20Lew%20Lefton%20by%20roger%20Easley%2C%20Special%20to%20the%20AJC.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/2019%20Lew%20Lefton%20by%20roger%20Easley%2C%20Special%20to%20the%20AJC.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":45973,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/2019%20Lew%20Lefton%20by%20roger%20Easley%2C%20Special%20to%20the%20AJC.jpeg?itok=leHFQzPi"}}},"media_ids":["626172"],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1279","name":"School of Mathematics"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"4088","name":"humor"},{"id":"4086","name":"comedy"},{"id":"182353","name":"Computational Humor. Lew Lefton"},{"id":"173647","name":"_for_math_site_"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA. Maureen Rouhi, Ph.D.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nDirector of Communications\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCollege of Sciences\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["maureen.rouhi@cos.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}