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What a Pro Footballer Turned Mathematician is Reading

John Urschel's interests zig from unsolved conjectures and chess champions to mental health advocacy and representation in math.

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Mathematician John Urschel’s path to becoming a member of the Institute for Advanced Study—the internationally renowned center for theoretical research that has been home to Albert Einstein, Freeman Dyson, and Robert Oppenheimer—was decidedly different than most. While he pursued his Ph.D. at MIT, his day job was an offensive lineman for the Baltimore Ravens—making him the only pro footballer to date who pursued a mathematics doctorate in his down time.

These days, his research on graph theory, numerical analysis, and machine learning might seem like a 180 from tackles and touchdowns, but the reality is more nuanced: Urschel has spent his professional life focused on his passions for sports and math, and he’s drawn to the human components that power them both.

To wit, his reading list: Fascinating stories that center fellow athletes and mathematicians, including a New Yorker piece by his wife and co-author of his 2019 book, Mind and Matter, Louisa Thomas. Plus, some comics for good measure—a reminder that even NFL alums with Ph.D.s and New York Times bestsellers under their belt still enjoy a little healthy procrastination. What could be more human?

John Urschel Goes Pro

Jordan Ellenberg
Hmm Daily

John Urschel: “This is a piece by mathematician Jordan Ellenberg, about me. It’s by far my favorite interview/profile of myself, mainly because it acknowledges the things I do in math and in sport, but considers much more. Also, if you’re wondering just who curated this list for you, this is a pretty good answer.”

Titans of Mathematics Clash Over Epic Proof of ABC Conjecture

Erica Klarreich
Quanta Magazine

JU: “What separates Quanta from other outlets is its focus on the human components of math, and their willingness to dive deeper into that math—without losing readability. This article is about the ABC conjecture, and the question of whether or not this problem has been solved. People often think of math as a logical field, based on fact rather than opinion. But in practice, sometimes things aren’t so clear-cut.”

My Favorite Theorem [LISTEN]

Kevin Knudson
kpknudson.com

JU: “The title says it all: This is a podcast where each episode features a guest mathematician talking about… you guessed it, their favorite theorem. But in many ways, it’s so much more. The theorem is the excuse to have the conversation, but mathematicians are always more than their theorems, which makes for very human conversations. There’s a lot of great episodes, but if I had to recommend one, I’d say start with episode 42 with Moon Duchin, a mathematician at Tufts who focuses on gerrymandering.”

How Things in Nature Tend to Sync Up [WATCH]

Steven Strogatz
TED

JU: “A fascinating TED Talk by Cornell mathematician Steve Strogatz about how objects—from people to birds to metronomes—tend to try to be in unison with each other. What does it mean? I don’t know, but it’s interesting to think about how we, sometimes unconsciously, aim for order. How does this influence the things you do and the decisions you make?”

Naomi Osaka: ‘It’s O.K. Not to Be O.K.’

Naomi Osaka
Time

JU: “There’s no one article that fully covers the issue of toughness in sport vs. mental health, and an athlete’s responsibilities to the media and fans. When it comes to this topic, I can’t help but think of great athletes who’ve aimed to tackle this, people like Kerri Strug, Ricky Williams, Brandon Marshall, Simone Biles, and Naomi Osaka, who wrote this great piece that gets at the heart of it.”

Essence of Linear Algebra Preview [WATCH]

3Blue1Brown
YouTube

JU: “Grant Sanderson is a mathematician with a true knack for conveying seemingly complicated mathematical concepts to a broad audience, through beautiful and striking visuals. Here’s an introduction to his sixteen-part YouTube series on linear algebra, a math subject very close to my heart. It might make you re-evaluate how you feel about math.”

Everyone Is Going Through Something

The Players’ Tribune

JU: “The Players’ Tribune is an outlet that prides itself on stories by players—I used to do a puzzle column for them back in the day. But this piece by Kevin Love, about his experience with panic attacks, is the Tribune at its best: Showing the human side of athletes that too often gets ignored by the larger media landscape.”

HVOB Boiler Room Vienna Live Set [WATCH]

YouTube

JU: “On a lighter note, this is the work and study music you need in your life. If you don’t know HVOB (Her Voice Over Boys), you’re missing out. Of the 2 million views, I’m pretty sure I’ve contributed at least a thousand. This was my go-to grad school music.”

John Urschel

John Urschel is a mathematician and a former NFL offensive lineman. Urschel attended Penn State University, where he played football and received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mathematics. While at Penn State, he was awarded the Campbell Trophy, commonly known as the “Academic Heisman,” and the Sullivan Award, presented to “the most outstanding amateur athlete in the United States.” Urschel was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in 2014, and played three seasons in the NFL. He has a Ph.D. in mathematics from MIT, and has published a number of research papers in areas including graph theory, machine learning, and numerical analysis. In 2017, Urschel was named to Forbes’ “30 under 30” list of outstanding young scientists, and, in 2019, published a New York Times-bestselling memoir, Mind and Matter: A Life in Math and Football. He is currently a member of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, NJ.