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- UCLA Math PhD Wins SIAM Prize
The Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) has selected UCLA Mathematics PhD student Jeremy Brandman as one of three winners in the 2008 SIAM Student Paper Competition. Jeremy will be awarded the student paper prize for "A Level-Set Method for Computing the Eigenvalues of Elliptic Operators Defined on Closed Surfaces" at the society's annual meeting to be held July 7-11, in San Diego, California. He will complete his thesis this year under UCLA Math Professor Stanley Osher and will conduct his NSF postdoctoral fellowship at the New York University Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences.
- National Academy of Sciences Elects UCLA Math Professors for Membership
Tom Liggett |
Terry Tao |
- 2008 Clay Liftoff Fellowships Awarded to UCLA Math PhDs
The Clay Mathematics Institute has named UCLA Mathematics PhD students Inessa Epstein and Robert Waelder as 2008 Clay Liftoff fellows. Epstein completed her thesis "Some results on orbit inequivalent actions of non-amenable groups" under Professor Gregory Hjorth. She will use the Liftoff award in summer 2008 at the University of Illinois at Chicago under Professor Alex Furman. Waelder will complete his thesis "Elliptic genera of singular varieties, and the equivariant McKay correspondence" under UCLA Math Professor Kefeng Liu and will conduct his summer fellowship under Professor Anatoly Libgober, also at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The Clay Liftoff Fellowships are awarded to young mathematicians who have demonstrated mathematical research of quality and significance, and who show the potential to be leaders in their field.
- Los Angeles Math Circle Scores in Mathematics Competitions
Olga Radko
LAMC Organizer |
- UCLA Mathematics Professor Terence Tao to Receive 2008 Waterman Award
The National Science Foundation (NSF) will honor Professor Terence Tao with the prestigious Alan T. Waterman Award for his extraordinary work across several mathematical areas. The annual Waterman award, which recognizes an outstanding young researcher in any field of science or engineering supported by NSF, is the highest honor the foundation bestows. Through the years, Tao's work has often been funded by NSF grants. In addition to a medal, Tao will receive a grant of $500,000 over three years for scientific research. The award will be presented at a black tie dinner program at the U.S. Department of State on May 6.
- Professor Chandrashekhar Khare Awarded 2008 Guggenheim Fellowship
On April 3, the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation granted UCLA Mathematics Professor Chandrashekhar Khare one of only four fellowships in mathematics. Khare is a number theorist who specializes in motives, Galois representations, and automorphic forms. In its 84th annual competition for the United States and Canada, the Foundation awarded 190 fellowships to artists, scientists, and scholars. The successful candidates were chosen from a group of more than 2,600 applicants. Guggenheim Fellows are appointed on the basis of stellar achievement and exceptional promise for continued accomplishment. For a complete list of awardees visit Guggenhiem Fellowships
- Inwon Kim Secures Sloan Research Fellowship
The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation has awarded UCLA Mathematics Assistant Professor Inwon Kim a 2008 Sloan Research Fellowship in mathematics. Established in 1955, the fellowships are intended to enhance the careers of the very best young faculty members in specified fields of science. Currently, a total of 118 fellowships are awarded annually in seven fields: chemistry, computational and evolutionary molecular biology, computer science, economics, mathematics, neuroscience, and physics. Kim is one of two UCLA 2008 Sloan fellowship recipients. For more on Kim's research, visit www.math.ucla.edu/~ikim.
- UCLA Math to Host International Conference on Number Theory
On March 24 - 29, UCLA Mathematics will host an international gathering of number theorists for "Recent Developments in Number Theory: Selmer Groups, L-functions, and Galois Deformation." The conference will treat L-functions and Galois representations with a focus on applications of automorphic forms to fundamental arithmetic problems, such as the Bloch-Kato conjecture and the Iwasawa-Greenberg main conjecture. UCLA Math's number theory group is a leader in these areas. UCLA conference organizers include professors Haruzo Hida, Chandrashekhar Khare, and Don Blasius, as well as Princeton University Professor Christopher Skinner and Columbia University Professor Eric Urban. The semi-instructional meeting will include video-conferenced lectures from Paris. For information and registration, visit www.math.ucla.edu/~galois07.
- PhD Students Awarded NSF Postdoctoral Fellowships
Congratulations to UCLA Math PhDs Jeremy Brandman, Inessa Epstein and Robert Waelder, who have been named recipients of the National Science Foundation 2008 Mathematical Sciences Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (MSPRF). Brandman will conduct his fellowship at New York University; Epstein will be at Caltech; and Waelder will head to the University of Illinois at Chicago.
- Workshop and Public Symposium Honors Professor Mark Green's 60th Birthday
On February 22 - 23, UCLA's Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and the Dean of Physical Sciences will sponsor a workshop on Hodge Theory and Algebraic Geometry in celebration of UCLA Math Professor and IPAM Director Mark Green's contributions to the field. On February 21, UCLA Mathematics will host a free public symposium and reception to celebrate Green's contributions to the Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics and IPAM's impact on research in mathematical science and its applications to technology. For workshop information and registration, visit (IPAM link).
For the free public event schedule and access to lecture slides, see Public Events.
- UCLA Math PhD Awarded Prestigious Clay Research Fellowship
The Clay Mathematics Institute has named UCLA Mathematics grad Adrian Ioana as one of three 2008 Clay Research fellows. Ioana is currently a postdoctoral researcher at Caltech and will maintain joint affiliation with UCLA Math during the three years of the fellowship award. Ioana completed his PhD under Professor Sorin Popa in 2007. He was also a recipient of the Clay Liftoff Fellowship award last summer. Clay Research Fellows are selected for their research achievements and their potential to become leaders in research mathematics. Past recipients include UCLA Professor Terence Tao.
- Conference Marks Opening of Curtis Center on Professor Curtis'
80th
Birthday
On March 13 - 15, UCLA Mathematics will host the second annual Mathematics and
Teaching Conference in celebration of Professor Emeritus Philip C. Curtis' 80th
birthday and his 52 years of service to the department and mathematics
education. The event also marks the inauguration of the Curtis Center. The main
conference on Saturday is a day of mathematics education talks and workshops
spearheaded by a keynote talk by renowned University of Chicago
Professor of Education Zalman Usiskin, who will speak on "The Current State of Middle School
and High School Mathematics in Our Nation." Pre-conference activities on
Thursday and Friday will focus on Curtis' research area of Banach algebras and
reflect on his contributions. For more information and to register, visit (Curtis Center link)
- California Approves UCLA Math Undergraduate Teacher Preparation Program
The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing has approved UCLA Mathematics Subject Matter Preparation Program for the Single Subject Teaching Credential in Mathematics. The waiver program, established under UCLA Math's Philip C. Curtis Jr. Center for Mathematics and Teaching, allows undergraduates who want to become credentialed math teachers to demonstrate subject matter competence in mathematics by completing the program in lieu of passing a state-administered qualifying exam. UCLA and also UC San Diego join UC Irvine as UC campuses with approved waiver programs. For requirements, please visit (ug requirements link)
- Symmetry in Mathematics and Physics Conference Honors Professor Varadarajan
January 18 - 20, UCLA Mathematics will host a conference on mathematics and physics, honoring research contributions by Professor V.S. Varadarajan. Sponsored by private donors and the NSF, the event will showcase recent advances and future trends by leading researchers in the fields of representation theory of finite and infinite dimensional Lie and super Lie groups, and its application to geometry, physics, and differential equations. For more information about speakers and registration,
visit (Symmetry link).
- UCLA Math Alum to Be Honored with Academy Award for Scientific Achievement
On February 9, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will present 1996 UCLA Math alum Ron Fedkiw with the Scientific and Engineering Award for his contributions to the development of the Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) fluid simulation system. Fedkiw earned his PhD in 1996 under Professor Stanley Osher and acted as PhD advisor for new faculty member Joseph Teran. For more information about the award, visit (Oscars link).
- Semiconductor Research Advanced by UCLA Math and Computer Science Team
Groundbreaking techniques for the design of very large integrated circuits are being celebrated by a UCLA research team, including UCLA Mathematics Professor and current NSF Assistant Director for Mathematics and Physical Sciences (MPS) Tony Chan, and UCLA Computer Sciences chair Professor Jason Cong. Their research breakthrough is featured in Forbes online at (Forbes link)
- 2007 Fermat Prize Awarded to New Faculty Member Chandrashekhar Khare
Chandrashekhar Khare |
Pierre de Fermat |
- UCLA Math Algebra Readiness Text Adopted by California
On November 8, the California State Board of Education adopted the Math Content Program for Teachers and Students' (MCPT) algebra readiness program, Introduction to Algebra. Led by Executive Director Shelley Kriegler and faculty advisor Professor Ted Gamelin, MCPT has spent the last two years developing the program. With its formal adoption by the state, the text will be widely available to California public middle schools to increase the achievement of struggling students. MCPT is part of UCLA Math's Philip C. Curtis Jr. Center for Mathematics and Teaching dedicated to high quality pre-collegiate mathematics activity. Some of the proceeds from the sale of the book will be used to support the department and mathematics education programs at the Curtis Center. For more information on the program and MCPT, visit www.introtoalg.org and www.math.ucla.edu/mcpt.
- UCLA Math Alumna Wins APS Best Publication Award
Former UCLA Math graduate student Amber Puha was awarded the Applied Probability Society (APS) Best Publication Award for 2007 for three papers with co-authors H. Christian Gromoll and Ruth J. Williams. Puha completed her PhD at UCLA under Professor Thomas Liggett in 1998 and was a recipient of the Charles E. and Sue K. Young Graduate Student Award. She is currently Associate Professor in mathematics at California State University, San Marcos.
- Tony F. Chan Elected as AAAS Fellow
In October, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Council elected UCLA Mathematics Professor Tony Chan as a fellow in mathematics. Currently the Assistant Director for Mathematics and Physical Sciences (MPS) at NSF, Chan will be recognized for his distinguished accomplishments to science and technology at the Fellows Forum on February 16, 2008, in Boston, along with other newly elected fellows. "Triple A-S" is an international non-profit organization dedicated to advancing science worldwide and publishes the journal Science, the largest paid circulation of any peer-reviewed general science journal in the world. For more information, visit http://www.aaas.org/aboutaaas/fellows/2007.shtml
- UCLA Math Fall 2007 Newsletter Available Online
- Los Angeles Mathematics Circle (LAMC) Comes Full Circle to UCLA Math
On Sunday, September 23, Philip C. Curtis Jr. Center for Mathematics and Teaching Executive Director Heather Calahan welcomed 54 students to LAMC's first meeting. LAMC is coordinated by Assistant Adjunct Professor Olga Radko, who also led the session on the game of Nim. LAMC will feature department faculty members and lecturers, who will meet with local middle and high school students on Sunday afternoons to discuss classical mathematics topics, solve problems, and train for competitions. Professor Radko views the program as an exciting opportunity to enhance the department's commitment to early math education and inspire young students: "The idea is for mathematicians to show beautiful mathematics to schoolchildren." Visit www.curtiscenter.math.ucla.edu/mathcircle for more information and to sign up.
- New Faculty Member Joseph Teran Featured Speaker at IDF 2007
Simulated Z plasty surgery |
- New Faculty Member Yehuda Shalom Arrives with Erdös Prize
UCLA Mathematics Professor Yehuda Shalom, who joined the department this summer, was awarded the prestigious 2007 Erdös Prize in Mathematics by the Israel Mathematical Union in May for his "impressive ability to establish deep theorems by combining ideas and methods from different fields." The Erdös prize is awarded to an Israeli mathematician (pure, applied or from computer science), with preference to candidates who are 40 years old or younger. Shalom's work lays at the intersection of ergodic theory, Lie groups and geometric group theory.
- Terence Tao Elected Fellow of the Royal Society of London
For his contributions to analysis, Professor Terence Tao was among six mathematicians elected as new fellows (and foreign members) of the Royal Society of London in May. As a native Australian and member of the Commonwealth, Tao presented his work at the society's annual New Fellows Seminar in July along with forty-four scientists who were declared to be at the cutting edge of science, engineering and medicine in the UK, the Commonwealth and beyond. For a full announcement, visit http://www.royalsoc.ac.uk/news.asp?year=&id=6651
- 2007 Commencement Speaker Danica McKellar Publishes Math Book for Girls
Declaring math to be her "secret weapon" for success, 1998 UCLA math alumna Danica McKellar delivered the Department's 2007 commencement address to an enthusiastic crowd of student fans. Best known for her roles on the television series "The Wonder Years" and "The West Wing," Danica also co-authored The Chayes-McKellar-Winn Theorem and has been an ardent promoter of girls' math education. Her new book "Math Doesn't Suck: How to Survive Middle School Math Without Losing Your Mind or Breaking a Nail" gives aspiring female mathematicians the tools to master math concepts that relate to real life. To view her entertaining and inspiring address, visit http://www.uclalumni.net/NewsLinks/home.cfm
- Curtis Center for Mathematics and Teaching Established
The UCLA Department of Mathematics is delighted to announce the establishment of the Philip C. Curtis Jr. Center for Mathematics and Teaching. The Curtis Center is dedicated to developing and supporting quality mathematics programs that interface with the K-12 community, including outreach programs for K-12 students, professional development programs for K-12 teachers, and teacher preparation programs for UCLA undergraduates. For more details, see the full announcement of the establishment of the Curtis Center at www.math.ucla.edu/education/matheducation.shtml
- UCLA Math Student Awarded Clay Liftoff Fellowship
The Clay Mathematics Institute has named UCLA Mathematics Ph.D. student Adrian Ioana as a 2007 Clay Liftoff fellow. He completed his thesis "Rigidity results in the orbit equivalence theory of non-amenable groups" under Professor Sorin Popa. Ioana will use the Liftoff award in summer 2007 at Texas A&M University under Professor Gilles Pisier and has accepted a postdoctoral fellowship at Caltech in fall 2007. The Clay Liftoff Fellowships are awarded to young mathematicians who have demonstrated mathematical research of quality and significance, and who show the potential to be leaders in their field.
- AMS Honors UCLA Mathematics with Award - View the full award article in the June/July 2007 Notices of the AMS
The American Mathematical Society (AMS) has presented its second annual 2007 Award for an Exemplary Program or Achievement in a Mathematics Department to the UCLA Department of Mathematics. The award recognizes a department that has distinguished itself by undertaking an unusual or particularly effective program of value to the mathematics community, internally or in relation to the rest of society. AMS cited UCLA Math's comprehensive vision for its undergraduate, graduate, postdoctoral and K-12 math education programs, as well as its important interactions with the Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics (IPAM), and "providing an outstanding model of all that a mathematics department can be." See additional links:
AMS UCLA Today UCLA Home
- UCLA Math SIAM/ACM Prize Winners
Former UCLA Math student and Brown University mathematics professor Chi-Wang Shu received the 2007 SIAM/ACM Prize in Computational Science and Engineering at the SIAM Conference on Computational Science and Engineering in Costa Mesa in February. Shu completed his PhD at UCLA under Professor Stanley Osher in 1986. UCLA Math Professor-in-Residence Achi Brandt received the prize in 2005. For more about the award, see http://www.siam.org/prizes/sponsored/cse.php
- New York Times Features Professor Terence Tao
In a front page Science Times feature of the March 13, 2007 edition of The New York Times, UCLA mathematics professor and 2006 Fields medalist Terence Tao is profiled with a special focus on his January 17, 2007, standing room only colloquia on "Structure and Randomness in the Prime Numbers." The article can be viewed at this link (registration required). Also, a webcast of the lecture can be seen at http://www.webcast.ucla.edu
- First Endowed Chair in Mathematics
UCLA Mathematics Professor Terence Tao has become the first scholar appointed to UCLA's James and Carol Collins Chair in the College of Letters and Science. Visionary donors and UCLA alumni Jim and Carol Collins gave the College a $1 million gift to endow this chair. While the vast majority of endowed chairs are designated in one particular field, the Collins Chair may be awarded to a professor in any of the College's more than 30 departments. Collins said he and his wife are "delighted" that Tao has been appointed and said Tao is "one of a kind."
- Professor Stanley Osher Receives USACM Award
The United States Association for Computational Mechanics (USACM) has awarded UCLA Mathematics Professor Stan Osher its 2007 Computational and Applied Sciences Award for his pioneering work in high resolution schemes for hyperbolic conservation laws and Hamilton-Jacobi equations, level set methods for moving fronts involving topological changes, and total variation and PDE based image processing techniques. The award will be given at the 9th U.S. National Congress in Computational Mechanics to be held in San Francisco on July 23-26, 2007.
- Professor Stan Osher Awarded Docteur Honoris Causa from ENS de Cachan
UCLA Mathematics Professor Stanley Osher was awarded the Docteur Honoris Causa from ENS de Cachan, a prestigious public institution of research and higher education founded in 1912 and one of France's four "Grandes Ecole." Honored for his contributions in reshaping the discipline of numerical analysis, Dr. Osher invented innovative numerical technologies and applied them to nearly all fields of numerical simulation, from aeronautics to material science, and from brain science to the movie industry. This award follows Dr. Osher's election to the National Academy of Sciences, one of the highest honors accorded a U.S. scientist. Dr. Osher also serves as the Director of Special Projects for the Institute of Pure and Applied Mathematics at UCLA.
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