{"68767":{"#nid":"68767","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Professor Uses Humor to Engage Students","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA little humor goes a long way \u2014 especially when you are trying to compete with iPhones and laptops for the attention of a class of 20-somethings.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cSince I like to tell jokes, I use humor to help engage students,\u201d said Pete Ludovice, an associate professor in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and part-time comedian. \u201cA bit of humor can even help with the most technical projects. For example, I have developed differential equation models for a population of Tech students at a party and models to predict movie box office receipts.\u201d \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELudovice has also found that sharing a laugh with students can provide real insight into what they are thinking. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI think the students in my \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.thinkbig.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EThink Big living-learning community for humor and innovation\u003C\/a\u003E are much more honest about their thoughts when they are laughing,\u201d he added.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERecently, The Whistle sat down with Ludovice to find out more. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow did you get into your area of research? \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI developed a taste for computer programming as an undergraduate and then took a polymer science course and found computational polymer science interesting as a graduate research topic. As a teaching assistant in the polymer science lab course, we had a small explosion, so perhaps computational work was the best choice for me. In a nutshell, my research simulates how big polymer molecules dance around in the computer. Based on this behavior, I try to figure out how to make the molecules perform better.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAnd how did you get to Tech?\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E \u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003EI was working in industry, developing computer programs to simulate polymer molecules, and I realized most researchers in industry care about how polymers behave, not why they behave that way. That\u2019s when I made the shift to academia.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is the greatest challenge you face associated with teaching? \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe unusual nature of millennial generation students. According to the books on this demographic, these students actually have respect for authority and want to make the world a better place. However, they expect authority figures like college instructors to be rather serious and they are often surprised if you tell a joke to lighten the mood. But, I just go ahead and tell my jokes.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat piece of technology could you not live without as an instructor? \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI could not live without a computer in front of the classroom. It is always more compelling to do the calculation or a simulation in the classroom to illustrate a concept.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat professional accomplishment are you most proud of?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELew Lefton in the School of Mathematics and I are developing a protocol for using humorous improvisation to catalyze technical innovation. While improv has been used for decades to generate ideas in business and the arts, it has not been used previously to generate technical ideas. Some of our recent examples include sophomoric bathroom humor that led to a unique chemical reactor design and underwear jokes that produced a new way to cook barbeque. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat are a few things that everyone should do while working at Tech?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EInteract with our students outside the classroom. Billiee Pendleton Parker, from the President\u2019s Scholarship Program, explained the importance of this to me years ago. You get a chance to see them motivated for a cause unhindered by worrying about a grade. Also, see something at the Ferst Center. It does a great job of bringing some very talented musical, humor and variety acts to the heart of our campus. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhere is the best place to grab lunch, and what do you order? \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETin Drum in Tech Square \u2014 I like the Sing Chow Men and the Japanese Katsu.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETell me something unusual about yourself.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EUntil seventh grade, I was terribly shy.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA little humor goes a long way \u2014 especially when you are trying to compete with iPhones and laptops for the attention of a class of 20-somethings.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"A little humor goes a long way \u2014 especially when you are trying to compete with iPhones and laptops for the attention of a class of 20-somethings."}],"uid":"27445","created_gmt":"2011-07-11 14:20:18","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:09:44","author":"Amelia Pavlik","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2011-07-11T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2011-07-11T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"68766":{"id":"68766","type":"image","title":"Pete Ludovice","body":null,"created":"1449177201","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:13:21","changed":"1475894597","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:43:17","alt":"Pete Ludovice","file":{"fid":"193353","name":"pete.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/pete_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/pete_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":3935547,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/pete_0.jpg?itok=HsO1DLA-"}}},"media_ids":["68766"],"groups":[{"id":"1259","name":"Whistle"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"13640","name":"Pete Ludovice"},{"id":"167445","name":"School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:amelia.pavlik@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EAmelia Pavlik\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECommunications \u0026amp; Marketing\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-385-4142\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}