"You know, I went to undergrad here," you tell Kayla.
"Oh?" she says. "Has it changed much since you attended?"
"Some," you say. "Enough that I alternate between moments of déjà vu and moments of surprise at the changes."
"It would be odd to go back to my alma mater as a professor."
"It is!" you admit. "But I like it. I'm supporting future practitioners—scholars, I mean."
Dr. Lewis clears his throat. "This is all well and good, but I'd like to know about your research, Dr. King. To help cultivate collegial collaboration between you and Dr. .."
Next
Dr. Lewis continues, "I'm afraid I do not precisely know what an algebraic geometrist does."
"I study the fundamental geometry underlying polynomial equations. Though my real passion is geometric representation theory." She gets a far-away look. "The universe's governing rules have so many symmetries baked in, not just in math but in physics. My colleagues and I have built up mathematical tools to uncover those symmetries and not only prove long-standing scientific conjectures but also make predictions about potential future conjectures. It's fascinating!"
When neither you nor Dr. Lewis says anything in return, she shakes her head and gives you a small smile. "It's all right. My mom doesn't know what I do, either."