The Wisdom of Willie Nelson

Blog

The Wisdom of Willie Nelson

Entry #65: 14 May 2016; 8:43 am; 0 comments

In spending time on FaceBook I found the following quote from Willie Nelson, the great American country and rock and roll musician, “If you can be content right now, then you’ll always be content, because it’s always right now.”

When I was young I often said, "I am never content with where I am now." And I would move to a new level, another place, a different approach, a new resolve. Then to quote another iconic group in music, the Grateful Dead, I would just "Keep on Truckin'."

Some colleagues are happy and do very well with what works and has worked, but at SIMIODE we are interested in folks who want to move on, who are not content with where they are right now, and who believe modeling can make a difference in how their students learn differential equation.

Dare I say we at SIMIODE are pleased to be in the good company of Willie Nelson and the Grateful Dead.

About the author

Brian Winkel

Brian Winkel earned his degrees in mathematics (BS, MS, PhD) in 1964, 1967, and 1971, respectively, with his PhD from Indiana University in Noetherian Ring Theory. While teaching in his first position (liberal arts college Albion College, Albion MI USA) he developed an interest in applications of mathematics to biology and while teaching in an engineering setting (Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Terre Haute IN USA, United States Air Force Academy, USAFA CO USA, and United States Military Academy, West Point NY USA) he developed a strong interest in engineering applications of mathematics. With sabbatical experiences at Michigan Technological University, Houghton MI USA and Brown University, Providence RI USA he strengthened his commitment to teaching mathematics using applications to introduce and drive the learning process.

Along the way he founded and edited three journals Cryptologia (1977 - Present), Collegiate Microcomputer (1982-1993), and PRIMUS - Problems, Resources, and Issues in Mathematics Undergraduate Studies (1990 - Present).

Upon retirement from the United States Military Academy in spring 2011 he committed time, energy, and resources, and together with many very talented colleagues who possessed the same vision of teaching modeling first differential equations he founded SIMIODE.

Currently, Brian is a Co-PI of a National Science Foundation DUE-IUSE grant in support of SIMIODE Community of Practice, web space, workshops, and resource development and promotion.

Comments on this entry

There are no comments at this time.