Comics about mathematics, science, and the student life.

Growth in Safety

A graph of "Potential to grow" versus "Feeling of safety". With little safety, there's zero potential for growth. It's only after a minimum amount of safety does the potential for growth increase quickly.

When I lead, this is one of my core responsibilities.

(Hat tip to Kiera for inspiring this graph!)

20 Mar 2023

Internal

Two friends are standing together. One is stooping from the weight of a box he's carrying above his head, labeled "Internal Story". His friend says, "You know you can change that, right?"

“You mean I should pick one of those instead?” he says, pointing behind to the pile of even larger boxes.

17 Mar 2023

Peering

A scientist is on their knees and peers into a small gap, labeled "Your methods", to a cavern labeled "Your research idea". The scientist says, "I can see something! (Pause) I think."

This is how I imagine models work: They give us a small window into an idea, almost never the entire view.

15 Mar 2023

Possibilities

An initial solid line representing the current path then splits into a bunch of dashed lines, indicating the space of possibilities. Caption: There are more possibilities than you think.

The main limit tends to be my imagination, not the space of possibilities.

13 Mar 2023

Get To

Two friends approach a sign that says, "Challenges Ahead". The man is hunched over and says, "I have to do this..." while the woman makes a fist and says, "I get to do this!"

A little perspective change can go a long way.

10 Mar 2023

Level

Left panel: A man holds an item in his hands labeled "Great idea" and the man says, "I have a great idea for society!" Right panel: The great idea is on top of the uneven platform labeled "Society's playing field" and the man says out of frame, "That was unexpected..."

This is what happens when theory hits reality.

08 Mar 2023

Similarity

An excerpt of a textbook that says, "Let $\mathcal{N}(w = Nω)$ be...", and it's very unclear that w and ω are distinct symbols. Caption: Are researchers just trying to throw people off?

Yes, yes they are.

06 Mar 2023

Iteration

A scientist works at her desk with a huge pile of scrap paper in the waste bin behind her. Her friend walks in and asks, "Wow, tough day?" The scientist throws a new page behind her into the bin and answers, "Oh no, I think I have it now!"

Two minutes later: “Hmm, maybe that wasn’t it…”

03 Mar 2023

Piles

Two signs and piles. On the left, a sign that says, "Things that don't work", with a huge pile behind it. On the right, a sign that says, "Things that do", with a much smaller pile. Caption: Success.

We often don’t even think about that pile on the left.

01 Mar 2023

Data Stories

A diagram including a square labeled "Data", with eight arrows going radially outward. Each arrow has "Story X", where X is 1 to 8, representing the many stories from the same data.

It’s very easy to mix the two up.

27 Feb 2023