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As a professor, I do most of the question-asking. But occasionally students have questions too, and not just about math.
Q Where did you grow up?
A Southeastern Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia. It was a very cold place.
Q Where did you go to school?
A Undergraduate school was Eckerd College in St. Pete; Graduate school was Vanderbilt in Nashville. Where I discovered that there's a lot more to country music than meets the radio-attuned ear.
Q Do you have a family?
A A small one. I was an only child, but had lots of cousins. Now I have a significant other (since 1987), no kids (ever) and no pets (yet).
Q Why did you choose math?
A I'm attracted to patterns, puzzles, and logic problems, and I like the fact that in math there are definite answers. At first, math was the only thing I was very good at. Later I discovered that math covers a wide variety of different areas, so it became very interesting.
Q What is your specialty?
A Topology -- the study of surfaces. I have other math interests as well.
Q (Why) Do you like to teach?
A I like teaching very much, and for several reasons. First, I'm pretty much my own boss, I work a very flexible schedule, and every day is different. Second, I like meeting all different kinds of students, and I enjoy helping them with math problems. Third, I like to learn new things and I like to organize, both of which are necessary for good teaching. And fourth, like Thoreau, I'm suspicious of any enterprise that requires fancy clothes.
Q What do you do for fun?
A Besides math?? Well, I do have other interests and hobbies.
Q What's your favorite color? musical group? food?
A Blue. The Eagles. Thai.
Q Are you easy or hard?
A Among Stetson math professors, I was among the hardest two or three professors.
Q Why?
A Well, life is hard, jobs are hard; where better to learn how to tackle hard problems than in school, where help and sympathy are available? Also, giving you challenging problems is a way of expressing my confidence in you. But I'm also fair. Everyone is treated the same, and I test on problems and concepts covered in class and homework.
Q How do I find you?
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