Robotics Professor • Director, Optimal Robotics Lab • @FAMUFSUCOE • Legged Robots-Optimization-Biomechanics • @TEDx Fellow • Science babbled on National TV.
Tallahassee, FL
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This year, I gave a @TEDx talk called "Robots that Think on their Feet"
I told stories about making robots adapt to our world, and how they parallel my own adaptation to being marooned in Fiji on Survivor: piped.video/AqTiN540gE4
Thanks to @TEDxFSU for the awesome opportunity!
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Gender-affirming care is a lifesaver for transgender youth.
So says the scientific evidence, as these major medical associations have recommended access to comprehensive gender-affirming care for transgender youth and issued policies and detailed guidelines for its use:
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The guy next to me on the plane is watching the opening challenge of Survivor: David vs. Goliath. I can't stop chuckling underneath my mask.
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After five years as a professor, I am thrilled to announce I’ve been awarded tenure.
I’ve wanted to be a professor since I was a kid. Now I get to do it forever. Thank you to everyone who helped me get to this incredible milestone.
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I’ve never held class on Election Day because I believe it should be a national holiday. Of all our traditions, voting is the one that defines America most.
And on this oughta-be-a-holiday, I’m voting for Harris/Walz.
#Vote
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Finally watched the probabilities scene on #survivor.
Andy did a simple and reasonable analysis to claim it’s “remote” Kyle would win the next four challenges (6.25%).
The assumptions can be argued, but why it got such pushback is a fascinating case study in math communication.
I can’t watch #survivor live tonight. I’m told there is math?
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Kyle: “What if in exchange for rice, we had to stay out here 13 more days and wait 6 more months to learn who wins?”
#survivor
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🤚
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*slow motion faded sequence emphasizing the long passage of time in a challenge*
Jeff: "It's been 17 minutes"
#Survivor45
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Sat down in a waiting room today wearing this Xmas gift.
Man 1: "Nice sweater. My wife loves Survivor."
Me: "Cool! I was actua.."
Man 2: "I think reality TV contributes to America's rise in violent crime."
Mercifully, they called his name just as he got to Middle East politics.
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Unfortunately my #survivor feed is being preempted by a tornado in my county, so my assumed congratulations to Jesse!!! Wonderfully played 🎊🥳
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I stumbled across a decade-old website post of mine. In hindsight, I feel I called my shot on this one.
#survivor
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Kinda wish #survivor did this positive rebrand on crying for my buddy @gabbypascuzzi five years ago.
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Wait, Leo had a math stunt double?!?! How do I get a gig in math stunting???
1/ Did you watch #DontLookUp by @GhostPanther ? Fun fact: when Dr. Mindy is scribbling orbital equations on a whiteboard, that’s actually our own @MichaelMarsset , currently an @ESO fellow in Chile!
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Elon Musk revealed the #TeslaBot today and I have #robotics thoughts.
nitter.app/ElectrekCo/status/1576…
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Optimus has taken the stage. First look at the Tesla Bot! #AIDay2022
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No, that’s Sam Rockwell.
Uhhh… @chubicki and Emily with the stealth cameo on #TheWhiteLotus? It’s giving The Game Within The Game
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This experiment of a fish swimming upstream is truly stunning. Why? The fish is dead. If you're streamlined and flexible, you can do a lot by doing nothing at all.
Beal et al. (2006). Passive propulsion in vortex wakes. J. of Fluid Mech., 549, 385-402.
cambridge.org/core/journals/…
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I don't want to say that my "Survivor" experience has burrowed deep in my brain, but I just caught myself typing in a recommendation letter that the student's positive attitude will "help them make alliances."
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I caved. I pointed at me babbling about the slide puzzle and said, "That's me."
Him, skeptically: "I don't believe you."
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Your choice of PhD advisor is more important than your choice of school.
nitter.app/spirtbank/status/11150…
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It's @gabbypascuzzi's birthday today. It's also another important anniversary: the day I met one of the closest friends I ever had.
It was two years ago in LAX, waiting to fly to Fiji. We weren't allowed to talk for 5 days & we've wildly overcompensated ever since. Happy B-day.
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Wow, quite rare.
It’s the second least likely outcome. The odds of having all Tuku together is only 1.5%. It’s only 0.88% likely that a Gata would be stranded with them.
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So. Crazy story. Wednesday (tonight!) at 8PM ET/PT on CBS, I'll be on TV competing on #SURVIVOR. Yes- a deserted island, 20 strangers, a $1 million top prize... and one seemingly out-of-place robotics scientist.
How and why did this happen? Thread: 1/11
@survivorcbs
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In 2019, I was in Fiji on a floating ocean restaurant with Mike White. We were lounging around when obnoxious instagrammers kept selfie-ing in our space. We were trapped onboard until the next boat arrived.
"I'm in hell" Mike muttered.
I swear I saw the origin of #TheWhiteLotus
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This is really sweet. When you take the risk of being yourself on national TV, you brace yourself and hope people appreciate what you bring to the show. I am so grateful that people are having as much fun watching as I had playing. Thank you. #survivor
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With these final Christmas deliveries, I am now prepared for another term of remote teaching.
...and to terrify my students with dramatic lighting.
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I was in the drive-thru today getting McDonald's w/ my mask on.
Suddenly, a woman pulls in front of me, phone camera pointed & shouts at me how masks don't work.
I'm disappointed. Had I just gotten lunch down the street, I could've unironically said "Ma'am, this is a Wendy's."
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It was my honor to run a "Science of #Survivor" Workshop with my fellow castaways in Fiji.
Thank you for participating, @alecmerlino @GodfatherCarl @texanbluegrass @gabbypascuzzi. It will count toward your seminar credit hours.
piped.video/EcosvwOVFVM?t=362
@survivorcbs @FAMUFSUCOE
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In class today, I asked a student to snap a photo of me so we’d practice some image processing.
Turned out the picture was quite awesome
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That was an all-timer of a #survivor climax.
All the stars aligned on the twists to unleash ticking-clock drama and a genuine dilemma of choice.
I suspect had Sabiyah not sac'd her vote, Kaleb and Emily would have won the deadlock regardless. But still, what a memorable finish
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Good morning folks! Quick reminder:
Today is a particularly bad day to suddenly believe you have informed opinions on probability and statistics.
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Fun lecture today on linear algebra. Got to trot out some graph theory applications to Survivor.
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Congrats to everyone on #SurvivorEdgeofExtinction!
I think the lesson for future players is you have to *radically* adapt to the season, no matter how crazy the twists, like EOE. Strategies that would be genius in one season can be invalid in the next.
@survivorcbs #survivor
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I am honored to be nominated for @FloridaState University's 2019:
- Undergraduate Research Mentor Award
- Honors Thesis Mentor Award
- University Excellence in Teaching Award
I'm so glad students are enjoying the program as much as I am teaching!
@UnderGrad_FSU @FAMUFSUCOE
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Probably the most interesting post-#Survivor observation to make about the show is inferring the conversations that *must* have happened that weren't shown. Both @kelleywentworth and @lolly_alexandra were confident enough to not play their idol. Convincing assurances were made.
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It's watch party night for #Survivor!!! 🥳
I gathered every Survivor contestant from the Tallahassee area for this raucous once-in-a-lifetime gathering! @SurvivorCBS. Booze. Special guest. Wish you could be here. nitter.app/chubicki/status/145351…
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Now THAT’S how you use a slide puzzle algorithm! Beautifully done, Mason.
#survivor #kentuckynick #kentuckysmart
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After voting me out, which elaborate science analogy did you miss repeatedly hearing the most?
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I am proud to have been awarded a Young Faculty Researcher grant in Robotics from the Toyota Research Institute (TRI).
A thread on our project with @ToyotaResearch:
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A Sunday Science Reminder:
Everything single thing you eat is a chemical.
Water is a chemical. Salt is a chemical. Vinegar is an acid chemical. DNA is an acid chemical-it's in every fruit, every vegetable, & every meat... and everything else in your food? That's a chemical too.
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Kudos to the art department who had the forethought to size tree mail in units of “machete”
#survivor46
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Just finished my 100%-completion run of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
It's one of my favorite games for so many reasons. I hope they make a sequel someday.
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I would've gone down to 15 had you haggled a little. Anyway. I'll remember your hard-fought game every time I look at it. Take care.
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Out shopping. Woman sees me and stares.
Her: "I know you from somewhere. Are you..."
Me: *Slight knowing smile*
Her: "... the lead actor in the Tallahassee Theatre Guild?"
Me: "Oh. No."
Her: "Aw dang. I swear you look just like him!"
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Tonight we saw one of the highest stakes games of the Monty Hall problem in human history on @survivorcbs.
You can prove to yourself you are statistically TWICE as likely to win if you *SWITCH* boxes by playing over and over again here:
math.andyou.com/tools/montyh…
#Survivor #Math
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Based on my twitter feed, I can only assume #TheBachelor is on 27 times a week.
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"Cheers to you all! 20 winners of the greatest social experiment on television!"
"Yeah! Woohoo!"
"Now for our first challenge. You all have just been poisoned. In this chest is the antidote. There are 19 doses."
#Survivor #Survivor40 #Feb12
Cheers to #Survivor: Winners at War. Don’t miss the special 2-hour season premiere Feb. 12 8-10PM bit.ly/2FOHKFl
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Hi #TheChallengeUSA. For your future algorithm needs, I am available for contract work.
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Best of luck to all the new #survivor44 contestants tonight!
Tonight I'm editing papers with my students for a late-night deadline, so I'll watch you all tomorrow. I hope your experience is everything you hoped it would be.
Also, this is my paper editing face.
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To my LGBTQ friends out there, please know that there are people that care about you -- myself included.
If you find yourself needing help, you can find free, confidential, 24/7 crisis counselors at thetrevorproject.org/get-hel….
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Um. This is an embarrassing question, but am I a trending topic? Or is does a major world religion happen to be trending right when the show is airing? Can someone who knows tweets explain? #survivor
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*Quietly adds this to tenure application*
I absolutely love that this is the header for the Twitter account of the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering where Christian is a robotics professor!🌴🥰🌴
#Survivor #RHAP @FAMUFSUCOE @chubicki
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Unreal.
I just gave a talk at my alma mater, @BucknellU, & my undergrad prof introduced me w/ my Survivor clip talking about puzzle algorithms.
Then he opened my final project from his coding class *FROM 2004* and ran my puzzle solver for the audience.
Still stunned & touched.
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I wish to address a rumor that I was contacted and being considered for CBS' upcoming season of "The Challenge."
The Challenge is a TV show where "contestants compete in stunt-heavy, action-packed adventures" in an intense physical competition.
Thread.
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New season of @survivorcbs premieres tonight at 8ET/PT! To all the new contestants, congratulations! Do your best to enjoy this special time while the show is airing and remember that only you can truly understand your island experience. Treasure it.
#survivor
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*Car pulls next to me on the street, rolls down the window*
Driver: "Dr. Hubicki, if 'u[n]' is a unit step function, what's delta?"
Me: "An impulse function."
Driver: "Great. Thanks!"
*car zips away*
My life.
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A subtle complexity from tonight's tribal:
Bruce's lost vote seems to have made a material difference in the plotting. It allowed for a blindside to happen with fewer votes.
#Survivor45
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It was my privilege to talk to @robcesternino for 3.5 hours to dive deep on my #survivor game. Though somehow, in all those hours, I forgot some really important things. ADDENDUM THREAD:
It may not have lasted 6 hours but @chubicki had me captivated as we talked about his entire #Survivor experience on the latest #RHAP:
robhasawebsite.com/christian…
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I talked with a friend yesterday. One with a happy personality and a huge heart. What they said crushed me.
They said they no longer feel safe in this country. They feel unvalued and afraid. Because they're black.
We need to make a better world than this.
#BlackLivesMatter
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Meant to dine in at Wendy's, but accidentally did Drive-thru out of habit. Too embarrassed to admit my mistake and eat my drive-thru food inside. Saving face by eating in my car instead. And tweeting about it.
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Did you ever notice how wearing a mask that completely covers your mouth and nose makes you look awesome? You look equal parts sophisticated and mysterious.
But if you pull it down off your nose, it completely ruins the look.
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Actual example conversation:
Gabby: "We're really not having any luck lighting this fire."
Me: "You know what would really help us?"
*turns directly to nearby camera lens*
"The savory taste of the 17 herbs and spices rubbed on every @Outback steak."
#survivor @survivorcbs
My biggest regret is that when @chubicki and I openly opined in front of the cameras that Outback Steakhouse was our favorite restaurant in the hopes of getting a sponsored reward, we clearly should have been targeting Applebee’s.
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Tonight, #Survivor celebrates 20 years on the air with a Special Retrospective at 8pm on @CBS.
20 years. In that time I finished high school, college, grad school & postdocs, started my lab, and even played Survivor myself.
Congrats to @JeffProbst & the whole @SurvivorCBS team!
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Random #Survivor Story:
To make conversation on the island, I would talk about how I like to watch Vanderpump Rules. Perhaps too often.
Me: "I really got into Vanderpump Rules after the first seas-..."
Mike White: "Yeah. We know. You told us."
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Dear everyone,
Don't drink bleach.
Sincerely,
Science
Drinking Bleach Won’t Cure Autism or Cancer, F.D.A. Says nyti.ms/31HXvqv
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Leading up to my Survivor season airing, I was paranoid about avoiding leaking spoilers online. So much so I started posting photos of me only from years before being marooned.
That made it extra funny when internet sleuths used them to infer how long I lasted by my weight loss.
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Let me be the six millionth person to say that this is an inconvenient time to have seasonal allergies.
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When I call my local game store to ask if they have certain Magic cards in stock, they recognize my voice.
I need help.
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It’s called the Odeleite River. It went viral for its dragon shape after a British photographer published an aerial photo in 2010.
The moment you’re wowed by a fact is exactly the moment to stop and check it.
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odel…
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"What three time player would go to rocks?"
Emily confidently whispers: "@TysonApostol"
@survivorcbs #survivor
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Of all the reality shows on television, only #Survivor would have the ambition to explain a search algorithm to a prime-time audience, and make it entertaining. @SurvivorCBS is in a class of its own. #scicomm
TY @josephlia @JeffProbst @mattvanwagenen piped.video/qRJ5Iw1uw_U?t=53
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When I had to sit out, I scoured every inch under that stupid bench.
#survivor
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It was a tough sell because I wasn't wearing "the glasses." Thankfully, Emily had hard evidence: her Survivor 37 finale pass wristband in her travel bag.
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"Y'all" is an incredibly efficient contraction.
#teamyall
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I just drank a bunch of beers and decided to Uber to a Magic The Gathering tournament. Ask me anything.
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I finally ordered a Popeye's spicy chicken sandwich. Nobody warned me I was purchasing a narcotic.
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Me at the hardware store:
Me: "Where can I find some PVC pipe?"
Employee: "For plumbing?"
Me: "For launching candy at children"
Employee: "Aisle 35"
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Vaguely
Remember when @chubicki pushed through to win this epic Immunity Challenge? Relive the intense moments that made this competition one of the most memorable of last season: bit.ly/2WlHYL8 #Survivor #ThrowbackThursday
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