Roberts Finds Ways to Serve Via Mathematics

Jonathan Roberts believes in building solid foundations and exploring mathematics.

Originally from Shawnee, Kansas, Roberts graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in 1989 with bachelor's degree of science 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 said.

As an undergraduate, Roberts would walk Wean's corridors seeking out graduate students to talk about their research. He worked on CMU Common LISP for Scott Falhman, 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 as something to enjoy," Roberts said.

Hoping to share his love of mathematics with the next generation, Roberts has created a series of math clubs in the Issaquah School District in Washington state. His latest afterschool math program for third, fourth and fifth graders at Endeavour Elementary was oversubscribed by some 60 students. His daughter, Emily, is in fourth grade.

"We focus on fundamentals, not competition," he said. 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 said. "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 to develop his approach including Alexander M. Knaster Professor and Department of Mathematical Sciences Head Prasad Tetali and Associate Professors John Mackey and Po-Shen Loh for advice.

"Prasad provides tremendous encouragement. John suggests focusing on logic and tackling Linear Algebra early. Po-Shen agreed that building strong fundamentals is essential," he said. With that in mind, Roberts is encouraging the department to create an AI/ML major. "Computer Science is rightly a discipline of mathematics. The neural networks we explored in CMU's Boltzman 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 Roberts throughout his career. From developing online transaction services at Transarc in the early '90s to helping Amazon scale to global proportions for nearly a decade to founding companies that launched Boeing into the cloud, built a global telemetry platform for John Deere and developed medical solutions, his work powers invisible services that have touched many.

"Andrew Carnegie's 'My heart is in the work,' has echoed in my mind ever since CMU," Jonathan said. "It is the best approach, whatever your work may be."