The Square Root of My Butt

Today's gay is a freaking smart-math-nerd-comic-book-drawing-genius, Miles. Knowing that Miles lives in Boston and we can have study dates in the fall comforts me immensely during these stressful times of uncertainty.

Also, Miles is a little woo woo, like me, which mean we can be East Coast woo together. East Coast woo is similar to West Coast woo in the sense that you care about horoscopes and take time to read each others tarot cards, but unlike out here, white people with dreadlocks are not tolerated.


How do you know Mel?
Through Corey and Danny, who went to Antioch with Mel and who went to SMYAL (Sexual Minority Youth Assistance Leage) with me in DC back in the mid to late 90s.

Where are you going to school and what do you study?
I'm going to the Harvard School of Public Health where I am at the end of the first year of a MS in Biostatistics.

Why did you choose this area of focus and particular university?
I had been getting an MPH in Epidemiology at the University of Minnesota, which involved taking a lot of Biostatistics courses. I happen to love math, and I started prefering Biostatistics to Epidemiology. And then somehow I got into Harvard, so there you go.

What did you do before this?
Before this, I had a freaking life that didn't revolve around finding ridiculous ways to waste my time so as to avoid school work. So before these 2 masters degree programs I had a lot of temp jobs. I worked for the family violence prevention fund, babycenter.com, goodvibes, a random math textbook company, and the san francisco bar association. I also would constantly try to be outside and hang out. Now I am a pale feeble-bodied person. I also used to be creative.

Will you have to write a thesis?
Thank God no. That was part of the attraction for this program.

What are you most excited about learning?
I know I am going to school for math, but I am taking a public health sexuality class that I love. Also I love learning about gender, which I get to do a lot.

What do you want to do with your degree?
I want to be the biostatician that gets to partner with amazing social justicey/ queer health public health studies. I want to be the biostatistician who gets social justice, and who changes the world with math. And I want to make some money.

If you could have any job, what would it be?
Probably some kind of professor/researcher at UCSF who does the above.

Do you think you'll move back to the bay area?
One can hope, though I wouldn't mind living some place where a dude could buy a house.

Why is it important for queers to be in the field of math?
Math can change the world. Queers like to change the world. Therfore, queers should be into the field of math.

What is the square root of 123456789987654321?
I'm glad you asked. 35136184.2699