Contact Information
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Office: 437 Little Hall
Phone: (352) 294-2334
Fax: (352) 392-8357
Email: rs@ufl.edu
Mathematics Department
University of Florida
P.O. Box 118105
Gainesville, FL 32611-8105
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1400 Stadium Road
Research Interests
Mathematical Logic
Computability Theory
Proof Theory
Program Verification
Pot Pourri
Secrets of the Most Successful College Students
“What the Best College Students Do,” a book by historian and educator Ken Bain, draws a road map for how students can get the most out of college, no matter where they go. A growing body of evidence, however, suggests that the most significant thing about college is not where you go, but what you do once you get there.
As Bain details, there are three types of learners: surface, who do as little as possible to get by; strategic, who aim for top grades rather than true understanding; and deep learners, who leave college with a real, rich education. Bain then introduces us to a host of real-life deep learners. He identifies common patterns in their stories:
Pursue passion, not A’s
Eminent astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson points out, “no one ever asks you what your grades were. Grades become irrelevant.” In his experience as a student and a professor, says Tyson, “ambition and innovation trump grades every time.”
Get comfortable with failure
When he was still a college student, comedian Stephen Colbert began working with an improvisational theater .“You must be O.K. with bombing. You have to love it.” Colbert adds, “Improvisation is a great educator when it comes to failing.“
Make a personal connection to your studies
Eliza Noh, a professor of Asian-American studies at California State University at Fullerton, tells Bain, “I didn’t just listen to lectures, but began to use my own experiences as a jumping-off point for asking questions and wanting to pursue certain concepts.”