Serving With Math
CMU alum Jonathan Roberts shares the joy of mathematics with kids
By Heidi Opdyke
Jonathan Roberts believes in building solid foundations and exploring mathematics.
Originally from Shawnee, Kansas, Jonathan graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in 1989 with a bachelor of science degree in applied mathematics (computer science) through the Mellon College of Science. He also studied electrical and computer engineering through the College of Engineering.
“CMU was never a place to punch my ticket. It was a place to learn as much as possible,” he says.
As an undergraduate, Jonathan would walk the corridors of Wean Hall, seeking out graduate students to talk with about their research. He worked on CMU Common LISP for Scott Fahlman, now professor emeritus of computer science, and in the vision lab for Drew Anderson, who was part of the Robotics Institute. He enjoyed classes from CMU luminaries such as Richard Statman, professor of mathematical sciences; Alfred Spector, former professor of computer science; Jeannette Wing, former head of the Department of Computer Science; and Herb Simon, the late Richard King Mellon University Professor of Computer Science and Psychology.
“Mathematics is more than something to apply. It is also something to enjoy,” Jonathan says.
Hoping to share his love of mathematics with the next generation, Jonathan has created a series of math clubs in the Issaquah School District in suburban Seattle. His latest after-school math program for third, fourth and fifth graders at Endeavour Elementary was oversubscribed by some 60 students. His daughter, Emily, is in fourth grade.
“Andrew Carnegie's ‘My heart is in the work,’ has echoed in my mind ever since CMU. It is the best approach, whatever your work may be.”
“We focus on fundamentals, not competition,” he says. However, at a recent math competition his students won 34 of 70 Top 10 rankings among 11 competing schools.
“My mother is a teacher, as was hers. They taught me to challenge students using the Socratic method,” he says. “Using limits, my students have proved the area of a circle is πr2. They’ve even proved the Pythagorean theorem both geometrically and algebraically. I plan to develop this cohort of students for the next nine years.”
He consulted Carnegie Mellon faculty members, including Department of Mathematical Sciences Head Prasad Tetali and Associate Professors John Mackey and Po-Shen Loh, for advice in developing his approach.
“Prasad provides tremendous encouragement. John suggests focusing on logic and tackling linear algebra early. Po-Shen agreed that building strong fundamentals is essential,” he says.
With that in mind, Jonathan is encouraging the department to create an artificial intelligence/machine learning major.
“Computer science is rightly a discipline of mathematics. The neural networks we explored in CMU’s Boltzmann Group in the late ’80s have become the core of modern AI/ML. To drive this research forward, these kids will need a solid math foundation.”
His own math foundation has helped Jonathan throughout his career, starting with Pittsburgh-based software lab Transarc in the early 1990s to giants like Amazon, which he helped scale to global proportions, and John Deere, where he built a global telemetry platform. It’s all work that powers invisible services — but it’s touched many lives.
“Andrew Carnegie's ‘My heart is in the work,’ has echoed in my mind ever since CMU,” Jonathan says. “It is the best approach, whatever your work may be.”
