15 October 2004

The creative mind of Brian Mansfield

Forrest M. Mims III

Surely all readers of The Citizen Scientist are connoisseurs of Brian Mansfield's "Puzzle 'Toons." But did you know that Brian also develops logos and other art for TCS?

In case you're new to TCS, "Puzzle 'Toons," which appears in each issue, is a clever comic strip devoted to puzzles, chess, billiards, geometry, brain teasers and whatever else occurs to Brian's creative mind and pen.

The answer to Brian's puzzles are often as complex as the puzzles themselves. That's because Brian 's goal is to teach while he entertains.

While Brian was trained and licensed as a mechanical engineer, he works as a professional software engineer. His clever cartoons and creative illustrations have much deeper roots than even he might have realized, as suggested in an e-mail accompanying one of his recent contributions: "The mathematics behind ordinary games is absolutely fascinating. I always considered myself a geometry geek, but some of these puzzles have opened my eyes to some very interesting mathematics."

Brian's work has extended far beyond The Citizen Scientist. His illustrations have appeared in the Museum of Science in Boston, Massachusetts, and in Cliff Pickover's books, including "Calculus and Pizza," "The Wonders of Numbers" and "Surfing Through Hyperspace."

Brian Mansfield is a key ingredient of The Citizen Scientist. We are grateful for his many clever contributions and look forward to seeing what he thinks of next.