The summer Olympics will begin in London this July and the international press is already speculating about whether we'll see more records broken in track and field. Particularly because Usain Bolt of Jamaica in 2009 smashed his own world record in the 100-meter dash by over a tenth of a second with a time of 9.58 seconds.
Japanese television station NHK recently sent a news crew to Bloomsburg to interview mathematics professor Reza Noubary about his formula for predicting the ultimate record in the 100 meters. Based on current data, Noubary pegs the ultimate 100 meter record at 9.40 seconds with a 90 percent confidence rate.
The news crew, which included a journalist, sound technician, camera operator and producer/director, had already interviewed Bolt in Jamaica. They spent hours with Noubary and went over the math in detail ... taping the professor explaining his work at a white board and in his office. For track and field aficionados, this is serious business.
I photographed discreetly, not wanting to interfere with their work. When the crew was finished, I asked, "Reza, what's your record for the 100 meter?"
"11. 3 seconds," he said, but shrugged it off ... it's unofficial and he was never able to duplicate it. His official best in 11.4.
The news crew, which included a journalist, sound technician, camera operator and producer/director, had already interviewed Bolt in Jamaica. They spent hours with Noubary and went over the math in detail ... taping the professor explaining his work at a white board and in his office. For track and field aficionados, this is serious business.
I photographed discreetly, not wanting to interfere with their work. When the crew was finished, I asked, "Reza, what's your record for the 100 meter?"
"11. 3 seconds," he said, but shrugged it off ... it's unofficial and he was never able to duplicate it. His official best in 11.4.
What the news crew didn't know and what Dr. Noubary was too modest to mention is that he's an extraordinary athlete in his own right. He played professional soccer for a year before going to college. And he remains a exceptional athlete. (Just ask members and alumni of the Bloomsburg soccer team with whom he's played and scrimmaged over the years.)
Science is helping us understand how to improve peak human performance, but athletics is still a very human endeavor. The human focus has been a consistent touchstone of Noubary's work. He was one of the first people I interviewed when I came to Bloomsburg 20 years ago as a writer.
A native of Iran, Noubary was working on mathematical models to help engineers simulate earthquakes and design stronger buildings. The interview touched on the challenges of solving a problem, but the thing I recall after 20 years is that this was also personal. Iran often experiences earthquakes and they can be deadly. Noubary had a sense of urgency, passion, to use his knowledge to help make earthquakes less deadly.
PS.
Noubary is also a beloved professor and teacher who often brings cookies to class on test days to help student performance.
