Five Cool Nerds

These are five of the coolest nerds you've probably never heard of. They are among my personal favorites.

Brian Greene

Theoretical physicist Brian Greene has been instrumental in popularizing elements of string theory and cutting edge physics. A rising celebrity in his own right, he has even appeared as himself on pop-culture television including The Big Bang Theory, in addition to hosting his own educational documentaries on NOVA based on his top-selling books Elegant Universe, The Fabric of the Cosmos and The Hidden Reality. Professor Greene is a Harvard graduate with a doctorate from Oxford where he was a Rhodes Scholar. He now teaches at Columbia University. All this is in addition to real contributions to understanding mirror symmetry and topology in string theory. You can read more about him on BrianGreene.org.

Cara Santa Maria

Senior science correspondent for The Huffington Post, Cara Louise Santa Maria, is one of most broadly talented journalists around. Former cheerleader, jazz vocalist, model and tattoo enthusiast, Cara has performed advanced research in neuropsychology, has taught biology and psychology and now reports on a wide range of science topics where she has interviewed and been interviewed by scores of celebrities. She has appeared on episodes of Larry King Live, The Young Turks, The Point and StarTalk Radio. This highly intelligent and highly attractive journalist is responsible for introducing the phrase "talk nerdy to me" far and wide across the Internet.

Neil deGrasse Tyson

Neil deGrasse Tyson is an astrophysicist and rising celebrity popularizing astrophysics and science in general to a broad audience. He has also appeared as himself on The Big Bang Theory as well as making appearances on dozens of television and Internet talk shows and multiple NOVA science documentaries. Dr. Tyson graduated from Harvard and got his doctorate in astrophysics from Columbia University. He is widely credited (or blamed depending on whom you ask) for suggesting the redefining of Pluto as a dwarf planet. The coolest thing about Dr. Tyson is that he is one of few physicists to know Superman personally, having appeared as himself in a recent issue of DC Comics’ Action Comics.

Michio Kaku

Science popularizer, Michio Kaku, has authored New York Times best sellers on physics as well as hosting several science documentaries for BBC-TV, the Discovery Channel and the Science Channel. Dr. Kaku graduated from Harvard and received his doctorate from UC Berkley. Born in California, Michio Kaku served state-side in the U.S. Army where he completed basic training and advanced individual training.

Bathsheba Grossman

Bathsheba Grossman is an artist promoting the marriage of advanced mathematics, sculpture and technology. Her geometric sculptures are among the best selling on Shapeways.com and are often cited not only as promotion of the idea that math is beautiful but also as prime examples of the viability and success of 3D printing technologies which she uses to generate sculptural works from computer-aided-design (CAD) drawings. Artwork created by Bathseba is viewable and available for purchase at Bathsheba.com.

The Gyroid sculpture by Bathsheba Grossman

Math Is Beautiful

Primary Shapes by ~JeremyMallin on deviantArt

It has long been a tradition in art to celebrate the beauty, elegance, intricacies and simplicities of mathematics. My art is no different. I love abstract geometric art. I love viewing it and I love creating it. That’s not to say that I don’t appreciate and many different forms of art; but the geometric and the symmetric hold a special place in my heart.

Ingress Modified on deviantArt

I have always been one of those odd-ball artists with equal parts analytical and creative thinking. It’s been both amusing and frustrating to constantly confound professors trying to teach (and compartmentalize) students silly rubrics like the Myers-Briggs(Wiki) chart. To this day people still give me confused looks when I tell them I have a fine arts degree and an engineering degree. They always seem to be wondering if I’m an artist with an engineering degree or an engineer with an art degree. Why can’t it be both? Why does it have to be either?

Misfits on deviantArt

I’ve always believed that designing form and structure is both inherently artistic and inherently analytical by nature. Endeavors like furniture design and product design certainly prove that. To me there’s nothing more creative than the construction of form, volume and shape out of the space around us; and yet it can be a highly analytical endeavor too – sometimes even at the same time.

Bricks on deviantArt

A perfect illustration of this duality is my favorite children’s toy, Lego®. Each brick is based on a simple mathematical ratio that is repeated over-and-over not just from brick to brick, but within each brick itself. This intricate symmetry is beautiful and mathematical solution to an everyday design problem – and it’s wonderful. It’s worth drawing. It’s worth rendering. It’s worth celebrating.

Muse on deviantArt

Even in less obvious works of art artists have for centuries celebrated the mathematics of beauty. Classical Greek and Roman artists even viewed the beauty of the human form through the prism of mathematics, defining proportions in terms of Golden Means and ideal ratios that were connected throughout the body in a web of symmetric elegance. An excellent book, Geometry And The Visual Arts(Amazon), is one of many to explore the wonderful relationship of art and mathematics throughout art history.

P-Ball on deviantArt

So, the next time you hear someone suggest that math is boring or you feel yourself about to say it yourself, remember that both math and art are all around us and know that math is beautiful.

All of my original artwork shown here is posted for viewing and downloading at JeremyMallin.deviantArt.com