Gustafson Prize winner supports Hergert Numbers

This afternoon, the Rock Valley College Mathematics Department gave out the R. David Gustafson Prize, awarded annually to the top math student at the college. You can read more about the award here. This year's recipient was Carson Meena, who has been a longtime supporter of the Hergert Numbers initiative.

The only question is, with a camera present from local ABC affiliate WTVO and an overflow crowd of people jammed into the classroom to see the award presentation, what's up with Carson's choice of math t-shirts? I hope Carson remembers this lost opportunity the next time he receives a prestigious math award.

But seriously, congratulations to Carson on this outstanding achievement! He undoubtedly deserves this honor.

Sub Surprise!

Mrs. Almy had to go out of town for a meeting, so I volunteered to teach her class for her today. I got to the classroom a few minutes early and was getting myself situated at the front of the room when a group of her students wandered in. Much to my surprise, two of them were wearing Hergert Numbers t-shirts! And to add to the surprise, one of them was a fabulous kelly green!! I had never seen a Hergert Numbers shirt in any color other than the original blue, so that was quite a treat. I later found out that there's even a purple shirt out there somewhere.

It's awesome that the Hergert Numbers sensation is spreading to classes other than my own. Now, we just need these students to fan out across America as they transfer to finish their college careers and take the message with them. And in no time at all, Hergert Numbers will be standard Calculus terminology!

A Tradition Unlike Any Other: Hergert Numbers at The Masters

This week, I had the rare opportunity to go inside the gates at the most exclusive golf tournament in the world - The Masters at Augusta National Golf Club. I couldn't help but take advantage of this opportunity by spreading the word by wearing my Hergert Numbers t-shirt. Calculus is obviously a huge part of golf as the players try to maximize their driving distance and minimize their score, so it seemed only natural to bring awareness of the Hergert Numbers to the greatest golfers in the world.

I had a bit of a challenge getting to Augusta as my plane out of Chicago was struck by lightning on takeoff and an 8-inch crescent shaped piece of the wing went missing. After about 30 minutes of contemplation, the pilots decided to head back to Chicago (and the thunderstorms) to get a new plane. After a couple hours of delays, we were airborne again and made it to Columbia, South Carolina in time for a couple hours of sleep before venturing off to the tournament.

Since sponsorship is such a large part of being a professional golfer, I think my next goal is to arrange for a tour pro to be sponsored by the Hergert Numbers. I think the definition would look great on a golf bag!