Jorge Cham
Encyclopedia
Jorge Cham(born in May 1976) is a Chinese Panamanian
cartoonist and roboticist
best known for his popular newspaper and web comic strip Piled Higher and Deeper
(PhD Comics). Cham lives in the United States
, where he started drawing PhD Comics as a graduate student
at Stanford University
. He has since been syndicated in several university newspapers and in four published book collections.
He was featured on NPR on December 20th, 2010.
from Georgia Tech
in 1997, and earned a PhD
in mechanical engineering
from Stanford. He subsequently worked at Caltech
as an instructor and as a researcher on neural prosthetic
s.
and argues that in many cases it is actually a good thing.
the next day. However, thanks to the many letters of support from his colleagues, the authorities were convinced to allow him to enter the country and give his lectures as planned.
", likely announcing that he had become a father
and therefore having a good excuse to procrastinate on updating his PHD Comics webpage. During the 2010 SACNAS National Conference Cham identified Nissin as his favorite instant noodle brand and MSG
as his favorite flavor.
Ethnic Chinese in Panama
Ethnic Chinese in Panama, also variously referred to as Chinese-Panamanian, Panamanian-Chinese, Panama Chinese, or in Spanish as Chino-Panameño, are Panamanian citizens and residents of Chinese origin or descent....
cartoonist and roboticist
Roboticist
A roboticist designs, builds, programs, and experiments with robots. Since robotics is a highly interdisciplinary field, roboticists often have backgrounds in a number of disciplines including computer science, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and computer engineering...
best known for his popular newspaper and web comic strip Piled Higher and Deeper
Piled Higher and Deeper
Piled Higher and Deeper - Life in Academia , is a newspaper and web comic strip written and drawn by Jorge Cham that follows the lives of several grad students...
(PhD Comics). Cham lives in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where he started drawing PhD Comics as a graduate student
Graduate school
A graduate school is a school that awards advanced academic degrees with the general requirement that students must have earned a previous undergraduate degree...
at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
. He has since been syndicated in several university newspapers and in four published book collections.
He was featured on NPR on December 20th, 2010.
Education
Jorge Cham received his Bachelor's degreeBachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
from Georgia Tech
Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
in 1997, and earned a PhD
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
from Stanford. He subsequently worked at Caltech
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
as an instructor and as a researcher on neural prosthetic
Neuroprosthetics
Neuroprosthetics is a discipline related to neuroscience and biomedical engineering concerned with developing neural prostheses....
s.
PhD Comics
In 2005, Cham began an invited speaking tour of over 80 major universities delivering his talk titled "The Power of Procrastination". In this lecture, Cham talks about his experiences creating the comic strip and examines the sources of grad students' anxieties. He also explores the guilt and the myths associated with procrastinationProcrastination
In psychology, procrastination refers to the act of replacing high-priority actions with tasks of low-priority, and thus putting off important tasks to a later time...
and argues that in many cases it is actually a good thing.
Heathrow detention incident
According to the PHD Comics webpage, Cham was detained at the Heathrow airport for several hours on the 26th of October 2009. Finally he was released but was bound to be deportedDeportation
Deportation means the expulsion of a person or group of people from a place or country. Today it often refers to the expulsion of foreign nationals whereas the expulsion of nationals is called banishment, exile, or penal transportation...
the next day. However, thanks to the many letters of support from his colleagues, the authorities were convinced to allow him to enter the country and give his lectures as planned.
Personal life
In a January 8, 2010 post in the PHD Comics webpage, Jorge Cham sent a cryptic message to all of his fans, stating that he had "successfully cloned half of his DNADNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
", likely announcing that he had become a father
Father
A father, Pop, Dad, or Papa, is defined as a male parent of any type of offspring. The adjective "paternal" refers to father, parallel to "maternal" for mother...
and therefore having a good excuse to procrastinate on updating his PHD Comics webpage. During the 2010 SACNAS National Conference Cham identified Nissin as his favorite instant noodle brand and MSG
Monosodium glutamate
Monosodium glutamate, also known as sodium glutamate or MSG, is the sodium salt of glutamic acid, one of the most abundant naturally occurring non-essential amino acids....
as his favorite flavor.