The beginningDuring the summer of 1993, I got a chance to qualify for the
Howard Hughes Medical Fellowship. Like most undergraduates, you work hard because this could be the big break you're looking for and you give it your all! Although scholarships pay for tuition and books, your tummy knows that feeling of hunger. You take on lots of jobs (beyond studying) that are related to what you're good at: math and chemistry so you can build your profile and increase your earnings.
Hunger pangs lead to opportunities
I got noticed by several faculty for doing well academically, motivation
and working hard in the laboratories. I was invited to take graduate level classes. They told me the course I was going to be enrolled in would change my life. I would see things differently
-forever.
Amongst friendsThe name sounded awfully familiar to
Group Therapy and my high school friends used joke about me taking this almost 5000 level course in Group Therapy (*smiling and laughing loudly), you'll most certainly solve your middle-age crisis!! One friend Angela (who studied Journalism) said "Hey Gord, sounds interesting remember to tell us what you learned ... I was never really good at studying math or chemistry ..."
Defined: Group therapy can legitimately refer to any form of psychotherapy when delivered in a group format and is explicitly utilised as a mechanism of change by developing, exploring and examining interpersonal relationships within the group.A class of fiveWell, it was January of 1994, second semester of sophomore year and the course was titled
Group Theory. The class consisted of five students ages 52, 47, 43, 39 and myself at 19 years old. It was like learning a whole other kind of language with very few speakers. At first, homework would put me to sleep. Then the sleep patterns normalized but the strangest recurring dreams about particles being waves and waves being particles happened (*not too bad because that was just the
Schrödinger's cat acting up probably from 1. trying to stay on the Dean's List 2. living in a fraternity as a cook and often times smelling the *second-hand pot* that was burning in the rooms below).
Classes continued and we were deep into the semester.
Defined: Group Theory is one of the most powerful mathematical tools in abstract algebra, combinatorial, matroid theory, Cayley graphs and have led to powerful ideas, concepts and breakthroughs in numerous industries. Abstract mathematics when applied to economics have evolved into Game Theory. The 1944 publication of the book, Theory of Games and Economic Behavior is widely considered the groundbreaking text that created the interdisciplinary research field of Game Theory. The Nash equilibrium (an application of Game Theory) became publicly known after the screensplay "A Beautiful Mind" produced by Akiva Goldsman on the life of John Forbes Nash Jr was released in 2001.Getting fock'd
Eventually, we were told that we were getting Fock'd. Everyone still had a straight face. Our professor looked at us and agreed the material was sinking in and we had truly gained an appreciation for
Fock Space (
Fock pdf).
Well youtube did not exist then and even if it did, I didn't have a camera. In doing this piece, we are fortunately able to get a glimpse of a reaction that was similar to Angela's reaction with her friends. I am sure they tried to restrain themselves but I learned that public humor for this topic would be inevitable. Youtube "Who Fock'd the Focker"