While Dempsey, Mass, and others are disappointed that Bergeson's successor, Randy Dorn, has not gutted holdover staff, it's impossible to deny that the new superintendent is a more compassionate ear. He's made good on his promise to ditch the hated WASL, for one, and gives Where's the Math? credit for "forcing the debate."
"I definitely believe in more traditional math in schools," Dorn adds.
Illustration by Tom Dougherty, photo by Steven Dewall
Mass loathes the simplicity of most televised weather reports.
Steven Dewall
With a best-selling book, well-read blog, and weekly radio show, Mass is following in the very public footsteps of his mentor Sagan.
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Whereas Mass will have to content himself with incremental progress on the math front, he is currently enjoying clearer skies when it comes to weather. The relationship he's forged with Berchoff has led to a "tremendous breakthrough" in UW's interaction with the Weather Service.
"They didn't want to talk to us before," says Mass. "But now they want our code. We've been trying to get that for 10 years." What's more, Berchoff has appointed one of Mass' former UW students, Tony Eckel, to be the Weather Service's "uncertainty czar." Eckel will soon move back to Seattle to fulfill that role.
As if that weren't enough, the Northwest weather community stands to benefit from a geographic power "trifecta," as Mass puts it. The director of the NOAA is from Oregon, and Commerce Secretary Gary Locke is a former Washington governor (the NOAA falls under Commerce's jurisdiction). And perhaps most important, Cantwell, with whom Mass has forged a strong working relationship, chairs the Senate's Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard Subcommittee.
"The Washington Radar exists because of her," says Mass, alluding to Cantwell's earmark. "I like her a lot. Her people take it seriously, and she's up on it."
When you ask Mass what he's up on besides math and meteorology, he rattles off a list of typical Northwest hobbies: hiking, biking, and gardening. Mass doubtless derives satisfaction from these activities. But they're a thin veil for the truth: Mass is a man whose occupation is his hobby.
"I'm blogging at 10 at night," he says. "It doesn't wear me down. I wish I had more time to do things as well as I'd like them to be."
To wit, back at Kane Hall, Mass is conducting an experiment to illustrate what atmospheric pressure is. He pours a small amount of cold water into a "pre-drunk" can of Diet Coke, which he then heats on a hot plate. Only the hot plate's not as hot as Mass would prefer, and his microphone keeps cutting in and out.
"I'll tell you, the budget cuts in this place," Mass quips. "This is the worst hot plate."
He forges on anyway, turning the can on its head in a pool of hot water, which causes it to cave in. His students cheer, but Mass remains unimpressed. "If you really get [the water in the can] boiling, the cans are completely crushed."
Mass teaches for a few more minutes before the closing bell rings. As his students pour out into the elements, Mass decides to give the can-and-burner experiment one more go. This time the burner reaches what he considers an adequate temperature, and the can is flattened upon contact with the cold water. Mass lets out a loud, satisfied laugh, oblivious to whether anyone else is still watching.
mseely@seattleweekly.com
