Professor
      F
      ocus-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      Kheng-Wee
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Professor
      Lowell
      G.
      Sweet,
     
     
      Associate
      Professor
      Of
      Mathematics
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Professor
      Sweet
      is
      from
      Nova
      Scotia.
      He
      graduated
     
     
      from
      Acadia
      University
      with
      both
      Bachelor
      and
     
     
      Master
      degrees
      in
      Science.
      He
      completed
      his
      Ph.D.
     
     
      at
      University
      of
      Waterloo,
      Ontario.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Professor
      Sweet’s
      definition
      of
      Mathematics
      is
      that
     
     
      "Math
      is
      FUN!
      There
      is
      a
      lot
      of
      interesting
     
     
      problems
      in
      math
      and
      we
      learn
      all
      sorts
      of
      new
     
     
      methods
      to
      solve
      math.
      Math
      problems
      are
      like
     
     
      puzzles,
      and
      if
      one
      likes
      solving
      puzzles,
     
    

    
     
      then
      math
      is
      fun."
      His
      reason
      for
      becoming
      a
     
     
      professor
      is
      mainly
      because
      he
      enjoys
      teaching.
      "I
     
     
      enjoy
      showing
      students
      how
      mathematics
      works,
      and
     
     
      I
      like
      to
      help
      students
      with
      their
      math
      when
      I
      was
     
     
      a
      student.
      It
      is
      enjoyable,"
      he
      said.
      Also,
      when
      he
     
     
      was
      a
      student,
      Professor
      Sweet
      found
      one
      particular
     
     
      professor
      called
      Dr.
      Jeffrey
      from
      Acadia
      an
      influence
     
     
      on
      him.
      He
      has
      a
      great
      deal
      of
      knowledge
      and
      he
     
     
      was
      very
      kind
      and
      considerate.
      He
      likes
      to
      help
     
     
      students
      and
      he
      was
      always
      inviting
      us
      to
      his
      home.
     
     
      He
      was
      a
      real
      gentleman."
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Ever
      since
      he
      started
      his
      teaching
      career,
      Professor
     
     
      Sweet
      has
      taught
      in
      the
      Prince
      of
      Wales
      College
     
     
      before
      it
      was
      turned
      into
      U.P.E.I.
      "It
      was
      a
      long
     
     
      time
      ago,"
      he
      smiled.
      He
      has
      also
      taught
      in
      Acadia
     
     
      during
      the
      summer.
      If
      given
      the
      chance
      to
      teach
      in
     
     
      Waterloo
      University,
      a
      few
      professors
      would
     
     
      normally
      grab
      it.
      However,
      Professor
      Sweet
      thinks
     
     
      he
      would
      not.
      "Waterloo
      is
      big
      and
      fast.
      I
      wouldn’t
     
     
      have
      time
      with
      the
      students
      because
      a
      lot
      of
      time
      is
     
     
      spend
      doing
      research.
      For
      me,
      teaching
      comes
      first.
     
     
      I
      only
      do
      research
      when
      I
      have
      time."
     
    
   
   
    
     
      When
      asked
      if
      there
      are
      anything
      about
      university
     
     
      life
      he
      misses
      now,
      Professor
      Sweet
      said
      "a
      lot
      of
     
     
      sports.
      I
      still
      go
      to
      games,
      but
      when
      I
      was
      a
     
     
      student,
      I
      used
      to
      go
      to
      a
      lot
      of
      football
      games
      and
     
     
      hockey
      games."
      When
      asked
      if
      there
      are
      anything
     
    
   
   
    
     
      he
      wishes
      universities
      had
      back
      ‘aay
      he
      answered
     
     
      without
      hesitation
      "computers!"
      It
      is
      understandable
     
     
      since
      everyone
      back
      then
      had
      to
     
    

    
     
      use
      slide
      rules.
      "We
      didn’t
      even
      have
      calculators
     
     
      then."
     
    
   
   
    
     
      During
      his
      student
      days,
      he
      lived
      in
      residence
      for
     
     
      four
      years
      and
      boarding
      house
      for
      the
      other
      four
     
     
      years.
      He
      liked
      living
      in
      residence
      because
      "I
      made
     
     
      a
      lot
      of
      friends
      and
      there
      were
      a
      lot
      of
      people
      to
     
     
      talk
      to.
      There
      were
      always
      people
      to
      go
      to
      games
     
    
   
   
    
     
      _with
      and
      people
      to
      play
      cards
      with.
      There
      was
     
    
   
   
    
     
      always
      something
      to
      do.
      But
      it
      is
      noisy
      sometimes."
     
     
      Residence
      life
      is
      renown
      for
      its
      partying
      and
     
     
      drinking.
      However,
      with
      Professor
      Sweet,
      that
     
     
      wasn’t
      the
      case.
      "No,"
      he
      said,
      "I
      spent
      times
      with
     
     
      my
      friends,
      but
      I
      wasn’t
      a
      party-animal.
      I
      still
      have
     
     
      fun
      though."
      His
      ideas
      of
      fun
      include
      listening
      to
     
     
      music,
      playing
      cards,
      going
      to
      games.
      He
      enjoys
     
     
      sports
      a
      lot.
      .
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Majority
      of
      the
      students
      tend
      to
      assume
      that
      all
     
     
      professors
      were
      first
      class
      students.
      Professor
      Sweet
     
     
      was
      no
      doubt
      a
      top
      student
      in
      Science.
      "But,"
      he
     
     
      laughed,
      "I
      didn’t
      do
      extremely
      well
      in
      the
      art
     
     
      courses.
      I
      tend
      to
      spend
      all
      my
      time
      with
      my
     
     
      Science
      courses.
      Therefore,
      my
      marks
      for
      Science
     
     
      were
      much,
      much
      higher
      than
      my
      Arts."
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Professors
      are
      only
      humans,
      therefore
      they
      are
     
     
      allowed
      to
      make
      mistakes.
      One
      embarrassing
     
     
      moments
      in
      his
      career
      was
      whén
      he
      was
      teaching
     
     
      Statistics.
      He
      didn’t
      realize
      that
      his
      formula
      was
     
     
      wrong
      until
      the
      last
      minute....it
      was
      upside-down!
     
    
   
   
    
     
      High
      school
      romance
      rarely
      last
      after
      one
      enters
      the
     
     
      university.
      With
      Professor
      Sweet,
      that
      is
      not
      true.
     
     
      He
      met
      his
      wife
      when
      he
      was
      in
      high
      school
      and
     
     
      they
      have
      been
      married
      now
      for...twenty
      three
      years
     
     
      (he
      did
      the
      calculation
      the
      easy
      way
      -
      on
      the
     
     
      calculator).
      His
      wife
      was
      also
      a
      teacher
      before.
     
     
      They
      have
      four
      children,
      three
      of
      them
      are
      in
     
     
      universities,
      one
      is
      in
      grade
      nine.
      Physiotherapy,
     
     
      Psychology
      and
      Biology
      are
      their
      interests,
      not
      math.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      October
      12,
      1990
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Page
      6