Explaining nothing, misunderstanding everything, and building together anyway
Keynote Theatre | Fri 23 Jan 2:25 p.m.–3:10 p.m.
Presented by
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Jack dabbles in a few trades, and is thus, predictably, a master of none. Professionally, they've spent time connecting data pipes in the public sector, putting smiles on customer dials at a small email company, and empowering students by demystifying math. At the moment, they're running the numbers (and learning a lot about Wedge-Tailed Eagles) as an analytics consultant.
Jack navigated the murky waters of an undergraduate mathematics degree, an experience that brought the importance of effective technical communication into sharp focus. While solving math problems still scratches an itch, these days he's more interested in learning more about how we can communicate more effectively, and arguing about what that even means.
Jack lives on Wurundjeri country (Melbourne). Outside of work, he likes getting lost, be it amongst the trees of a mountain-ash forest or in the pages of a book at the local library.
Jack dabbles in a few trades, and is thus, predictably, a master of none. Professionally, they've spent time connecting data pipes in the public sector, putting smiles on customer dials at a small email company, and empowering students by demystifying math. At the moment, they're running the numbers (and learning a lot about Wedge-Tailed Eagles) as an analytics consultant.
Jack navigated the murky waters of an undergraduate mathematics degree, an experience that brought the importance of effective technical communication into sharp focus. While solving math problems still scratches an itch, these days he's more interested in learning more about how we can communicate more effectively, and arguing about what that even means.
Jack lives on Wurundjeri country (Melbourne). Outside of work, he likes getting lost, be it amongst the trees of a mountain-ash forest or in the pages of a book at the local library.
Abstract
Explaining nothing, misunderstanding everything, and building together anyway
What math taught me about communication and community.
I’ve learned a lot from math, mostly by misunderstanding it. Turns out I'm in good company, because the history of math is full of people misunderstanding things. There's the mathematical giant who was tripped up by a pair of dice. A casually scribbled note that sent mathematicians down a centuries-long rabbit hole. A number so controversial it took thousands of years, and multiple civilizations, to gain acceptance. And, more recently, a statistical tool that’s fueled a scientific crisis.
In this talk, I'll reflect on what these stories taught me about communication, community, and the messy process of building knowledge together. Who knows, maybe you’ll find something in them too.
Explaining nothing, misunderstanding everything, and building together anyway What math taught me about communication and community.
I’ve learned a lot from math, mostly by misunderstanding it. Turns out I'm in good company, because the history of math is full of people misunderstanding things. There's the mathematical giant who was tripped up by a pair of dice. A casually scribbled note that sent mathematicians down a centuries-long rabbit hole. A number so controversial it took thousands of years, and multiple civilizations, to gain acceptance. And, more recently, a statistical tool that’s fueled a scientific crisis.
In this talk, I'll reflect on what these stories taught me about communication, community, and the messy process of building knowledge together. Who knows, maybe you’ll find something in them too.