FALL 2007 ComTHmE on Denominator UCLA DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS NEWSLETTER Sum of its parts equals AMS Award for UCLA Math For “providing an outstanding model of all that a cal careers in the United States.” Also cited was INSIDE mathematics department can be,” UCLA received the Department’s pioneering math education group, AMS Award 1–2 the American Mathematical Society’s (AMS) 2007 serving K through 12th graders and their teachers Award for an Exemplary Program or Achievement in with innovative programs aimed at increasing math- Events 3 a Mathematics Department. The award recognizes a ematics competency in California public schools. Its New Faculty 4–5 mathematics department in North America that has 52-strong “fi rst-rate faculty of internationally recog- Faculty News 6–7 distinguished itself by undertaking an unusual or par- nized mathematicians,” along with the arrival this Graduate News 8–9 ticularly effective program of value to the mathemat- fall of six distinguished new recruits, reinforces its ics community, internally, or in relation to the rest of position among the top 12 mathematics programs in Undergraduate News 10 society. UCLA is the second recipient of this award. the country (most recent National Research Council Math Education 11 AMS praised the Department for “a comprehen- ranking). UCLA is also one of the top four programs IPAM 12 sive vision for its undergraduate, graduate, and post- in applied mathematics (U.S. News & World Report, Alumni News 13 doctoral training programs that involves important 2006). Yet, despite its size and scope, indeed per- interactions with the NSF-funded Institute for Pure haps because of it, the Department has succeeded Gifts 14 and Applied Mathematics (IPAM) at UCLA. Through in creating a unique synergy among its faculty and Our Donors 15 these unusually large training programs, UCLA has its complementary training programs, which is at the Letter from the Chair 16 become one of the biggest pipelines to mathemati- heart of the award. continued on next page 2 THE COMMON DENOMINATOR | FALL 2007 Sum of its parts equals AMS Award for UCLA Math continued from page 1 As demonstrated by over 850 mathematics In perhaps the most high-profi le, synergistic majors in 2006, the undergraduate program has move of the Department, fi ve math faculty—Tony experienced tremendous growth in the past decade. Chan (now at NSF), Eitan Tadmor (now at the Univer- Degrees were up 56 percent from 160 in 1996 sity of Maryland), Bjorn Engquist, John Garnett and “The American to 249 in 2006. So what is the big appeal? In a Mark Green—capitalized on UCLA’s nascent culture Mathematical Society word: choice. The Department is a pioneer of the of cross-disciplinary collaboration by creating an in- broad-based mathematics major. Understanding the stitute for pure and applied mathematics, or IPAM. is the best of its kind importance that math brings to other disciplines, Mark, who became the institute’s director in 2001, in the world. We are very faculty have sought to forge partner programs with attributes its success to the size and strength of other departments, resulting in an array of under- UCLA’s science departments, including a fi rst-rate honored by this award,” graduate degrees impressive in scope. In addition medical school, together with forward-thinking math- says Christoph Thiele, to pure and applied (science and engineering) de- ematics faculty who are actively involved in IPAM. grees, majors include math/applied science (with Well over 1,000 participants a year now come professor and four sub-specialties, including the individual plan), through IPAM’s doors, interacting in programs that department chair. mathematics of computation, mathematics for are designed to create visionary, interdisciplinary teaching (teaching careers), mathematics/econom- collaboration between mathematicians and scien- ics, and atmospheric sciences/mathematics. tists from biology, medicine, engineering and other The Department also offers opportunities for disciplines, as well as industry and national labora- undergraduates to participate in research through tories. The institute’s mission is nationally focused its summer program—Research Experiences for and geared toward assembling a broad research Undergraduates (REU). The program has the active community ranging from distinguished professors to participation of senior faculty and postdoctoral men- young ladder faculty, postdocs, graduate students tors, and was broadened in the last two years to and undergraduates. include the applied mathematics laboratory under Like IPAM, the Department’s highly success- the direction of Professor Andrea Bertozzi. ful, K–12 math education programs sprang from 2007-2008 The year 2000 was a turning point in the Depart- and continue to be nurtured by the efforts of in- Academic Year ment’s graduate program with the awarding of a $5 novative Department educators. Professor Emeritus million NSF grant—Vertical Integration of Research Phil Curtis, who will turn 80 next year, is credited Faculty 58 and Education, or VIGRE. The goal of the program is with inspiring math education at UCLA. Last June, Postdocs 45 to initiate changes in the way professional mathema- the Curtis Center was established in his honor to ticians are trained, specifi cally promoting interaction formally bring the programs together. Professor Ted Graduate students 178 between mathematics and other fi elds, and increas- Gamelin currently serves as the faculty leader and ing the number of U.S. citizens and permanent resi- the Department provides offi ce space and adminis- Undergraduate majors 850 dents in math and science. Renewed in 2005, the trative services, such as computing and accounting. IPAM participants (annual program has supported 154 students since its incep- Today it is the most extensive outreach program for estimate) 1,000 tion. The continuing success of the program is attrib- the K–12 community housed in a research math- utable to collective faculty efforts to redevelop the ematics department. program into one where students learn in a research group environment, starting early in their studies. The Department sought to further broaden graduate The synergy of its comprehensive training programs students’ research experience in 2005, initiating the is at the core of the Department’s acknowledged Graduate Summer Internship Program in which stu- success in educating current and future mathema- dents work outside of the Department with faculty ticians. UCLA’s culture of interdisciplinary collabo- from other disciplines or industry. ration that made IPAM possible is also a big fac- This year’s hiring has resulted in the addition tor. Bottom line, the Department is a collaborative of 12 young researchers in fall 2007, making the bunch that sees itself at the forefront of raising the Department’s postdoctoral program one of the national profi le of math and preparing the way for largest in the country. Currently, 45 postdocs work unprecedented opportunities for mathematicians in under different research faculty in the Department, the 21st century. sometimes across disciplines. This integration of research interests and the opportunity to train un- View the complete award article in the June/July der diverse faculty is a huge draw. Notices of the AMS online at www.ams.org UCLA DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS NEWSLETTER 3 events A Field Day for 2006–2007 Distinguished Higher Math Lecture Series UCLA Mathematics Hosts Fields Medalists Symposium Continuing the Department’s tradition of inviting world-class Surrounded by the gothic fl ourishes and stained Peter Lax of the Courant Institute of Mathematical mathematicians to share glass windows of UCLA’s Kerckhoff Hall, a stand- Sciences sits with Marguerite Mautner before he signifi cant developments ing-room-only crowd of 150-plus mathematicians, delivers the 2007 Mautner Memorial Lecture “Us- and trends in current math- alumni, students and numbers enthusiasts gath- ing Mathematics to Explain the World Around Us” ematics, three distinguished ered to hear some of the world’s most prominent to the public. speakers participated in mathematicians. Four UC recipients of the Fields the lecture series in applied Medal—often referred to as the Nobel Prize in with his lively talk “Flatland: A Great Place to Do Al- mathematics, geometry, and mathematics—did not disappoint, all giving unique gebra.” It described his mathematical journey through number theory. talks in their fi elds of interest. the dimensions, including the notion of the “fourth di- Renowned applied mathema- UCLA Chancellor Norman Abrams opened the mension” and beyond that holds magical appeal for tician David Levermore of all-day symposium with an acknowledgement of UC’s many. Vaughan illustrated his concepts through Edwin the University of Maryland most recent Fields medalist, Terry Tao, who won the Abbott’s classic book Flatland, which revolves around spoke on “From Boltzman award in 2006 at the improbably young age of 31. Pre- a society of two-dimensional intelligent beings and the Equations to Gas Dynam- senting in order of receiving the award, 1990 Fields diffi culty they have conceptualizing the third dimension. ics,” an exposition of the medalist Professor Vaughan Jones of UC Berkeley 1994 medalist and UC San Diego Professor Efi m foundational problem of initiated the talks, following introductory remarks by Zelmanov steered the symposium in a more technical explaining the dynamics of UCLA mathematics chair Professor Christoph Thiele. direction. His lecture “Profi