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- UCLA Math PhD Awarded 2008 Sacks Prize for Outstanding Logic Dissertation
- The Association for Symbolic Logic (ASL) has awarded Inessa Epstein the prestigious 2008 Sacks Prize for her dissertation “Some results on orbit inequivalent actions of non-amenable groups.” ASL notes that she "solves one of the most important problems in measurable group theory, the resolution of which involves a combination of deep results from different branches of mathematics." The prize is awarded to the best dissertation in logic worldwide and is shared jointly by Epstein and another recipient this year. Epstein received her PhD in 2008 under the supervision of UCLA Mathematics Professor Gregory Hjorth and is currently an NSF Mathematical Sciences Postdoctoral Research fellow at Caltech. The annual Sacks Prize was established to honor Professor Gerald Sacks of MIT and Harvard for his unique contribution to mathematical logic, particularly as adviser to a large number of outstanding PhD students. Previous recipients include UCLA Mathematics Professors Gregory Hjorth (1994), Itay Neeman (1996, joint) and Matthias Aschenbrenner (2001). For 2006 and 2008, the department’s logic group has maintained its number two spot in the U.S. News & World Report best graduate program rankings.
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Terence Tao and Joseph Teran Named Among DISCOVER's Top Young Scientists
(November 2008) |
In its special DISCOVER 50 issue, the popular science magazine spotlights the achievements of individuals who are making the most important contributions to American science. Of those 50 "best brains in science," UCLA mathematicians Terence Tao and Joseph Teran make the "20 under 40" list that highlights young visionaries who are transforming their fields. Tao is heralded for his contributions across mathematical fields and his breakthrough research in compressed sensing. Teran is noted for his cutting edge applied research in virtual surgery applications for medical imaging. For profiles on Tao and Teran, visit Discover. |
UCLA Math Fall 2008 Newsletter Available Online (November 2008) |
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UCLA Math in Line to Share Award for World Record Prime Number: 243,112,609 - 1 (September 2008) |
The Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search (GIMPS ) has announced the discovery of two new Mersenne prime numbers, one of them found on a computer of the UCLA Mathematics department. A Mersenne prime is one of the form 2P-1, and UCLA's new prime has P=43,112,609. The department is a proud contributor of computing time for GIMPS and credit for the discovery will go to Edson Smith from UCLA's Mathematics Computing Group (MCG ), George Woltman, Scott Kurowski, et al. UCLA's prime is the first explicitly known prime with more than 10 million decimal digits, a discovery for which the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF ) has announced an award of $100,000. When EFF confirms the discovery, the department will share this award according to rules set by GIMPS. The new prime is not the first Mersenne Prime to be found at UCLA. In 1952, Professor Raphael Robinson used UCLA's SWAC (Standards Western Automatic Computer) computer to find five distinct Mersenne Primes with P equals 521, 607, 1279, 2203 and 2281. These were the first Mersenne Primes discovered in over 75 years, and the first to be discovered using computers. In 1962, Alexander Hurwitz found two more Mersenne primes (P=4253 and P=4423) using UCLA's IBM 7090 computer. For more information on the prime discovery, visit here. Also see UCLA Today. |
UCLA Math Alumna-Actress-Author Publishes New Math Book
(August 2008) |
With the publication of her latest book, 1998 UCLA Math grad Danica McKellar continues her quest to empower young girls to discover the joy of mathematics. Kiss My Math: Showing Pre-Algebra Who's Boss challenges 7th to 9th graders to take on this next level of mathematics by giving them the tools to ace tests and homework in her unique just-us-girls style. Her first book Math Doesn't Suck: How to Survive Middle School Math Without Losing Your Mind or Breaking a Nail is a national bestseller. In 2007 Danica was the department's special commencement speaker and has recently been featured in Newsweek and The New York Times, and on the CBS Early Show, and NPR's Science Friday. 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. |
UCLA Math PhD Wins SIAM Prize
(May 2008) |
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
(May 2008) |
On April 29, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) announced the election of UCLA Mathematics Professors Thomas Liggett and Terence Tao to the academy. Liggett is one of 72 new members, and Tao one of 18 new foreign associates from nine countries, who are recognized by the NAS for their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. Election to the academy is considered one of the highest honors that can be accorded a U.S. scientist or engineer. UCLA Math alum and Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics (IPAM) Scientific Advisory Board Chair Peter Jones of Yale University was also elected this year. Previously elected math faculty include Professor Stanley Osher (2005), and Professors Emeriti Lennart Carleson (2006), Robert Steinberg (1985), and Lloyd Shapley (1979). For a list of new members, visit (NAS link). |
2008 Clay Liftoff Fellowships Awarded to UCLA Math PhDs
(May 2008) |
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
(April 2008) |
Congratulations to Alexandre Boulgakov, Jeff Manning and Patrick Chen who represented the Los Angeles Math Circle (LAMC) team in the 59th Annual American Mathematical Contest (grade 12) and placed fourth in California. The American Mathematical Contest is the first of a series of contests sponsored by the Mathematical Association of America through their program, the American Mathematics Competitions (AMC). Twelve students went on to the second stage of the contests, the American Invitational Math Exam, scoring in the top 1% of the AMC 10 or in the top 5% of the AMC 12. In this stage, Alexandre and Jeff scored among the top 500 students in the country and qualified for the nationwide competition, the USA Math Olympiad (USAMO) that will take place at the end of April. More congratulations go to LAMC students Jeff Manning who received a first place prize, and Eureka Ma who received an honorable mention in the 10th Bay Area Math Olympiad. BAMO is an annual contest consisting of five proof-type math problems solved over four hours. The event attracts several hundred students from the Bay Area and all over the U.S. For more on the LAMC and K-12 outreach in the Curtis Center for Mathematics and Teaching visit (Curtis link). |
UCLA Mathematics Professor Terence Tao to Receive 2008 Waterman Award
(April 2008) |
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
(April 2008) |
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
(February 2008) |
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
(February 2008) |
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
(February 2008) |
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
(February 2008) |
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 link) |
UCLA Math PhD Awarded Prestigious Clay Research Fellowship
(January 2008) |
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
(January 2008) |
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 (January 2008) |
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 2008) |
On 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 (January 2008) |
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). |
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