When Tom Pfaff ’90 was a graduate student at Syracuse University, he could never find a good beer or a decent slice of pizza. Now, when the associate professor of mathematics isn’t whipping up a quadratic equation for his students, he’s brewing his own beer and baking his own brick-oven pizza at home.

Pfaff said though he doesn’t provide samples of his stouts and ales to his students, they appreciate his beer-brewing skills.

“I do it mostly because I think it tastes better, and the only way to get home-brewed beer is to make it yourself,” he said.

Junior Wyatt Fox said he was interested in his professor’s brewing reputation before the first day of Calculus 101 with Pfaff.

“Some say that Pfaff-brew is but a mythological substance,” Fox said. “But if the Pfaff brew indeed does exist, I’m certain that it would go good with a slice of Pfaff’s homemade pizza,” Fox said.

Pfaff is a self-proclaimed “dreaded math professor” from Westchester, N.Y. After graduating from Ithaca College, Pfaff attended Syracuse University for his master’s degrees in mathematics and applied statistics, and later for his doctorate in mathematics. Before returning to the college to teach in 2001, he taught at the University of Wisconsin-Superior for two years.

In addition to his culinary and mathematics interests, Pfaff said he tries to live sustainably and teach sustainable-living in the classroom. Pfaff is a member of the Center for Natural Sciences’ sustainability group, a group that encourages the campus to use its resources more effectively.

He also maintains a vegetable garden and participates in a local farm’s community-supported agriculture program, in which members pay for a weekly share of the farm’s harvest.

Pfaff said sustainability should come as a second nature to those who enjoy spending time outdoors.

“When you look at the big picture, outdoorsy people should have an interest in sustainability,” he said. “We enjoy camping and hiking the local gorges, and we want this preserved.”

Pfaff said he uses calculus to try to bring real-world issues in to the classroom.

“I’ve been integrating sustainability into my classroom so people are aware of serious issues that face society,” Pfaff said. “If oil’s running out, what are we going to do about cars, or moving food, since food travels far to get to people? Hopefully, students will find math more useful than just doing abstract stuff.”

Last Friday, students copied data from the Earth Policy Institute to calculate worldwide coal consumption and oil production. Pfaff walked around the classroom in Williams Hall to observe their progress on the equations.

“This is when I wish I had a La-Z-Boy, when you guys are copying my notes,” Pfaff said.

Pfaff himself is far from a lazy boy. He rides his bike to campus every morning from his home on Coddington Road — even during snowstorms. In addition to his daily bike commute, Pfaff canoes, skates and plays squash. Pfaff also ran his first marathon in 2001 and runs outside year round.

“There’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing,” Pfaff said, taking a break in his office in Williams Hall, his mountain bike leaning against the wall. “Part of my reason for biking is to cut down on gas use and pollution.”

Stan Seltzer, chair of the Department of Mathematics, said he and Pfaff have gone running together for the past five years, when Pfaff moved back to Ithaca with his wife and four sons.

Seltzer said Pfaff’s concern for sustainability and his desire to stay in shape keep him out of a car and on his bike.

“He gave me a hard time for buying a gas lawn mower instead of electric,” Seltzer said. “It’s good-natured, but he takes those issues seriously.” Seltzer said Pfaff has a comfortable rapport with his students.

“He brings a lot of energy, which you can see just talking to him,” Seltzer said. “He’s extremely energetic, and it rubs off on the students. Students just walk in [his office] and say, ‘Hey Pfaff,’ because he is so welcoming.”

Sophomore Dan Ruzow said Pfaff is such a popular teacher students have to sign up early so they can get a seat in his classes.

“I knew I had to take Business Statistics, so I immediately looked to see if Pfaff was teaching a section,” Ruzow said.

Fox said Pfaff is always energetic and eager to teach.

“He’s always making sure that all are involved and understand the lesson and always wants everyone to achieve mathematical greatness.”