On the night of Tuesday, October 25, Carnegie Mellon welcomed back one of its most famous alumni. The University's radio station WRCT 88.3 FM hosted a talk with John Nash, the famous mathematician and winner of the 1994 Nobel Prize in economics for his groundbreaking work in game theory. Nash obtained his bachelor's degree in mathematics from Carnegie Mellon (then the Carnegie Institute of Technology) in 1948. His life was the subject of the 2001 movie A Beautiful Mind, which starred Russell Crowe as Nash.  

Nash was invited to speak on "After the Bell," Carnegie Mellon's only business-related radio program. "After the Bell" airs every other Tuesday from 7 to 8 p.m. and is hosted by John Sedunov and Neil Sanyal, both juniors in the Tepper School of Business. The show airs news about the business world as well as business-related events currently happening on campus.

Sedunov and Sanyal interviewed Nash, who phoned into the show. Audience members were welcomed to call with their questions for Nash or to send them through AIM at cmuafterthebell. 

Throughout his interview, Nash spoke on a wide variety of topics, from his experiences at Carnegie Mellon to current events to his research interests. When Sedunov asked, "How was your experience here at CMU?" Nash recounted how he first decided to become a mathematician. 

"As a little kid, I was exceptional. I had a lot of scientific bits of knowledge that other kids did not have. I wanted to be a chemical engineer, so I started out in chemistry, but I later shifted to math," said Nash. 

Nash recalled how his preconceptions about math first ruled out a career for him as a mathematician: "[Math] seemed like a very limited career. Then at CMU, I got a different impression of what math really is."

Nash alluded to the common perception of mathematicians as grade-school teachers: "I was initially afraid of math because I was under the impression that it was not a career where you could make any money." 

A caller from Pennsylvania who was a math major himself asked: "What advice could you give to math majors?"

Nash answered that to pursue a career as a mathematician, "you should consider whether you have a relative efficiency with the material. People go into things because they have a relative advantage."

When Sedunov and Sanyal asked about his current research Nash stated that he was "pursuing [his] original work in game theory. With larger numbers, the situation becomes more complicated." He added that he was also interested in differential geometry and cosmology.

Another caller asked: "What do you attribute your success to?"

Nash responded that he attributed his success to talent and motivation. However, Nash added, "There's always an element of luck, of course." He compared a mathematician's performance to that of an athlete: "You need to be able to perform well [to do well in the field]. Also, a person should have motivation to do research work."

When questioned about current events in economics, Nash spoke about Ben Bernanke, President George W. Bush's nominee to succeed Alan Greenspan as Chairman of the United States' Federal Reserve. Nash had met Bernanke at Princeton University, where Bernanke was the head of the Department of Economics.

"Many people would prefer a Democrat, but Bernanke is a registered Republican," said Nash, questioning Bernanke's nomination. "No one knows what he really thinks about issues." 

Nash added that Bernanke would be facing some challenges as incoming chairman. "There is more stability in these times, but it might be part of a larger trend. The Federal Reserve's goals of stability and employment might be contradictory," said Nash.

When Sedunov asked Nash if he had a message for the Carnegie Mellon community, Nash's response highlighted and critiqued how much the university had changed since Nash studied here. 

"I think Carnegie is very changed in so many ways. In my day, people would go to school nearby but today people are more used to commuting long distances to go to school. Schools may tend to lose their local connections and I suspect that is what is happening to Carnegie. Today, you don't have as many people from Pennsylvania or Ohio," said Nash.  

Throughout the interview, Nash seemed proud of his accomplishments, but was never boastful about his success as a mathematician. When Nash's interviewers asked him what was the defining point of his life, he responded: "I really cannot answer. Life truly isn't just about accomplishments."

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