John Urschel: Mind and Matter

TUE, MAY 14, 2019 (1:24)

When John Urschel was thirteen, he was auditing college-level calculus courses. But in high school he found another love: football. His size and skill won him a scholarship at Penn State, where he continued to study Math. Urschel found he couldn’t give up either of his pursuits, so even as he was drafted to the Baltimore Ravens, he signed up to complete a Ph.D. in Mathematics at MIT.

In this talk with WGBH News reporter Esteban Bustillos, Urschel talks about his awesome trajectory, and disects some of the hurdles he had to overcome, from concussions to his college team being sanctioned for the acts of former coach Jerry Sandusky.

+ BIO: Esteban Bustillos

Esteban Bustillos is the Production Assistant for On Campus, WGBH’s Higher Education Desk, and he often writes about sports for WGBH News. Born and raised in Texas, he interned at the San Antonio Express-News, NPR’s “All Things Considered,” and The Dallas Morning News before coming to Boston. He’s a graduate of the University of Texas at Dallas, where he was the Editor-in-Chief of the student newspaper, The Mercury, and was a DJ for Radio UTD.

+ BIO: John Urschel

John Cameron Urschel is a Canadian-American mathematician and retired professional American football guard and center. He played college football at Penn State and was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL Draft.

Partner
Boston Public Library
Series
Talks for Book Lovers