October 31, 2005
New mathematics-based sculpture at Penn State looks beyond three dimensions
University Park, Pa. -- Artistic works traditionally carry significance beyond their physical beauty, but a new sculpture in the McAllister Building headquarters of the Penn State Department of Mathematics may carry that tradition to its limits. |
October 31, 2005
Renowned mathematician Hans Samelson dies; memorial service set for Nov. 6Hans Samelson, professor emeritus of mathematics, died peacefully in his sleep of natural causes on Sept. 22 in Palo Alto, Calif. He was 89 years old. A memorial service will be held Sunday, Nov. 6, at 3 p.m. at the Palo Alto Friends Meeting House, 957 Colorado Ave. Samelson was one of the world's leading figures in the mathematics research areas of differential geometry, topology and the theory of Lie groups and Lie algebras—important in describing the symmetry of analytical structures. He was the author of many research articles and two widely used textbooks—an undergraduate book about linear algebra and a graduate text on the theory of Lie algebras. "Hans was a marvelous expositor," said Professor R. James Milgram of the Mathematics Department. "His book on Lie algebras presents all the basic material in a wonderfully compact yet accessible form. In fact, that thin little book has become one of the basic references in the theory. And it was the same when I would go to his office to ask him questions. The answers were always concise, yet got to the heart of what mattered." The eldest of three sons, Samelson was born on March 3, 1916, in Strassburg, Germany (now Strasbourg, France). His parents—one of Protestant and one of Jewish background—were both pediatricians. He spent most of his youth in Breslau, Germany (now Wroclaw, Poland), and began his advanced mathematical education there, at the University of Breslau. His family helped him leave Nazi Germany in 1936 for Zurich, Switzerland, where he studied with famed geometer Heinz Hopf and received his doctorate in 1940 from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. In 1941, he accepted a position at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton and immigrated to the United States; he arrived by ship six months before the United States entered World War II and acquired U.S. citizenship several years later. After leaving Princeton, he held faculty positions at the University of Wyoming (1942-1943), Syracuse University (1943-1946) and the University of Michigan (1946-1960) before coming to Stanford in 1960. An outstanding teacher of mathematics, he was recognized with the Dean's Award for Distinguished Teaching in 1977. He served as chair of the Mathematics Department from 1979 to 1982. Though he became emeritus in 1986, he remained professionally active throughout his retirement, publishing articles on both contemporary and historical mathematical topics. One solved an architectural puzzle associated with the construction of the Brunelleschi Dome in Florence, Italy. "Samelson was a man of outstanding character and personality," said Leon Simon, the Robert Grimmett Professor of Mathematics. "His modesty, selfless enthusiasm for mathematics and readiness to help were legendary among his colleagues and friends." On the occasion of his 70th and 85th birthdays, conferences were held in his honor at Stanford, attended by the world's leading figures in mathematics research, including many of his former students and colleagues. "This was a small measure of the great esteem in which he was held by his students, colleagues and the entire mathematics community," said Yakov Eliashberg, chair of Stanford's Mathematics Department. "He will be greatly missed." In addition to his professional activities, Samelson had broad personal interests in human culture and civilization and spoke several languages. He enjoyed classical music, opera and jazz, and played bassoon and recorder in several local orchestras. His loves of hiking, skiing and traveling on a modest budget were kindled in his youth and continued through his retirement. His experiences in Nazi Germany and his humanist sensibility gave him a profound distrust of nationalism and militarism, and he was deeply troubled by recent trends in national political leadership. Samelson contributed generously to environmental and liberal political organizations. He was active in the Palo Alto Friends Meeting (Quakers) during his retirement, serving as treasurer for several years. Samelson was married twice, to the late Renate Reiner in 1940 and to Nancy Morse in 1956. He is survived by his wife, Nancy, of Stanford; a brother, Franz, of Manhattan, Kan.; children Peter of Verona, N.J.; Amy of San Jose, Calif.; and Roger, of Corvallis, Ore.; and two grandchildren. Donations in Samelson's memory can be made to the Samelson Memorial Fund, Department of Mathematics, Stanford University, Building 380, 450 Serra Mall, Stanford, CA 94305-2125; to the Friends Committee on Legislation, 926 J St. #707, Sacramento, CA 95814-2707; or to the Palo Alto Friends Meeting, 957 Colorado Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94303, http://www.pafm.org. Renowned mathematician Hans Samelson dies; memorial service set for Nov. 6 |
October 31, 2005
English mathematician charms crowd at eventBy MIKE FRITZ Usually Mick Jagger is the only petite Brit who can entertain a sold-out, adoring American audience. But on Friday afternoon, the renowned English mathematician Sir Michael Atiyah showcased both his uncanny sense of humor and genius while delivering a lecture on "The Nature of Space" to a full-capacity crowd at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Kimball Recital Hall. The event celebrated the 100th anniversary of Albert Einstein's first publication on relativity. Atiyah, a retired professor from Edinburgh University in Scotland, has won a multitude of mathematics awards, including the prestigious Abel Prize in 2004 and a Fields Medal in 1966. The public lecture at UNL was part of a weekend of events for the American Mathematical Society's Fall 2005 Central Section Meeting. The lecture series, which is held at a different sectional meeting annually, commemorated Einstein's three essays, entitled "Annus Mirabilis." "In 1905, three fundamental papers changed the way geometry and physics are studied," Atiyah said about Einstein's work. Atiyah's lecture examined the complicated relationship among the fields of philosophy, biology, mathematics and physics. "Is mathematics simply a creation of the human mind?" Atiyah asked. "Or is it something that has always been there?" From a biological perspective, Atiyah said humans have evolved by natural selection. "Mathematical thinking is an incidental consequence of evolution," Atiyah said. A human being's capacity to learn the rules of logic and grammar also appear to be embedded in the brain, resulting from an on-going evolutionary process, he said. Atiyah urged students to explore contemporary ideas and question their validity. He said the only way advancements could be made in science was to challenge traditional beliefs. "If you should somehow be successful in your efforts," Atiyah said, "remember I was the one who prompted you."Atiyah said he was enthusiastic to see what the future would bring in the study of the human brain. "We are now entering an exciting era in neuropsychology," Atiyah said. "In the next 50 years, we will make further advancements in fully understanding the brain." First cultivated as a language and a tool to make the world more efficient, mathematics continues to play a vital role in our lives today, he said. "Mathematics originated from the physical world," Atiyah said. "But it is organized and developed by the human brain." Atiyah said Einstein's papers were a perfection of many of Isaac Newton's hypothesizes. "Newton came along with his gravity theory that, of course, dealt with falling apples," Atiyah said. "And it would prove to be the paradigm (model) for all subsequent physical theory." Atiyah said Einstein used basic geometrical ideas and formulated them in simple mathematical equations to help prove his theory of relativity. John Ewing, the executive director of the American Mathematical Society, said he was thrilled Atiyah accepted the invitation as the keynote speaker of the annual event that rotates throughout the country. "This lecture was very special for us," Ewing said, "because it was the first time we aimed it at the general public and not just mathematicians." Gordon Woodward, a professor of mathematics at UNL, said he was inspired by Atiyah's presentation. "His talk really gave a nice perspective on the different roles of math, science, physics and philosophy," Woodward said. "I really think it could stir some interest in the fields – at least that's the hope." Atiyah said though conclusions always will produce controversies among the scientific community, one issue is universally agreed upon. "You can predict the future," Atiyah said, "if you know everything about the present." English mathematician charms crowd at event |
October 31, 2005
Lecturer invents mathematical game …seeks RSG's supportTuesday, November 1, 2005 A lecture in the Rivers State College of Education, Port Harcourt, Mr Awori Arafa has invented a mathematical game called "Arafactor." Mr Arafa who displayed his invention at the recently concluded 1st National Science and Technology (NASTECH) week in Port Harcourt, under the auspices of the Rivers State Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology said that the game would help students overcome the fear usually associated with mathematics. Speaking in an interview with The Tide, the lecturer said that the mathematics game teaches school number theory by using base 10. According to him, "on the arafactor board, you can play for addition, multiplication, division, factors, common factors, prime factors, squares, square root, higher common factor, and lower common factors. He stated that the game is an invention that is yet to be produced, pointing out that, "its equivalent in the market is the scramble which teaches spellings, but this teaches the 12 principles in Mathematics. Mr Arafa said since mathematics is the bedrock of science and technology, the aim of the game is to capture the children young especially the girl-child because most children are scared of mathematics. "We use the play-way method inorder to capture the children's attention, it can be used in the house and as a teaching aid in the school. Children from primary four can start with this game up to J. S. S. III, so that mathematics can stick in their memories," he said. Mr Arafa stated that the feasibility study on the project had been completed and called on the Rivers State government through the ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology to fund the project with a view to mass-producing it for schools in the state, stating that "the game is the first of its kind in the world". Lecturer invents mathematical game …seeks RSG's support |
October 31, 2005
Maths boffins are key to Africa's growthIf Africa wants to pull herself up by her boot strings, she would need many more mathematic boffins, and this requires 15 institutes at a cost of R60-million, say scientists from 14 African countries. They spent the weekend in Cape Town at the invitation of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (Aims) in Muizenberg. Aims director Fritz Hahne said: "Senior academics (across Africa) want to work together to create an African Mathematical Institutes Network (AMI-Net) which will energise teaching and research in high-level mathematical sciences across the continent. "The meeting at Aims is a follow-up to the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad) Science and Technology Ministerial meeting held in Dakar, Senegal at the end of September at which the idea of such a network was warmly welcomed. "The goal of the Aims meeting is to build a collaboration, which will become a flagship programme for Nepad's Science and Technology Action Plan." Hahne says the importance of mathematical sciences to Africa's development could not be underestimated. "These are increasingly central to the way modern society and industry works. Computer software, telecommunications and the Internet rely on sophisticated mathematics. "Also, the control of diseases, agriculture and wildlife, the stockmarket and the wider economy rely on advanced mathematical modelling and data analysis. "Aims, and its partner institutes across Africa will be teaching postgraduate courses in these and other areas." - Staff writer. |
October 31, 2005
Finding Ways to Make a Cube Root FunnyWriters for Shows Like 'The Simpsons' Hold Advanced Math Degrees By NICOLE BLUME While most people with a doctorate in math and computer science do not stray far from researching or working in technology fields, Jeff Westbrook and Ken Keeler wound up slipping their mathematical savvy into the hit TV shows "The Simpsons" and "Futurama." More than 700 students, faculty and community members flooded the Valley Life Sciences Building yesterday to hear the writers of the popular shows share the more entertaining side of mathematics, including anecdotes on how subtle scientific references are buried within the cartoons. The event, sponsored by the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute's Archimedes Society, an independent nonprofit organization with close ties to the university, was aimed at exploring how mathematics and mathematicians are negatively represented in pop culture and Hollywood. "People think all mathematicians have grave personal problems," said Keeler, who earned a doctorate degree in applied mathematics at Harvard University before eventually ending up as a writer for the hit comedy shows. "They don't think a mathematician can be exciting unless they're crazy." Keeler pointed to movies such as "Good Will Hunting" and "A Beautiful Mind" as examples of misrepresentations of mathematicians onscreen. To counter that perception, audience members were treated to clips from "The Simpsons" and "Futurama" which featured mathematical jokes. Some clips from the show relied on puns from mathematical terminology-a sign reading "Bender's computer service: discrete and discreet," for example, which was clipped from part of a "Futurama" episode-while others had to do with direct calculations only a mathematician or engineer would understand. Both Keeler and Westbrook said they often had to push to keep mathematical jokes from getting slashed from the script, since some viewers might not understand. "In 'Futurama,' there's an episode where this little alien Kiff is courting this woman, and he said he wrote 1.5 million lines of basic code for the hologram," said Keeler, describing a particular instance when he had to fight to include a mathematical reference in the script. "We had a huge fight in the newsroom. They said we couldn't put that in there because no one would get it. But David (Cohen) just said, 'Nuts to them!'" Other highlighted jokes included an interstate route highway sign with a square root sign over the number 66, Trump Trapezoid, and a reference to Madison "Cube" Garden. Event coordinator David Eisenbud, director of the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute, said the lecture pointed out the educational value of pop culture in the classroom. "Kids are exposed to math in class and 'The Simpsons' at home, but they can always remember 'The Simpsons' more. We can learn from them, there's such nice potential." Finding Ways to Make a Cube Root Funny |
October 31, 2005
Mathematics made funWilliams professor takes creative approach Unlike many of his colleagues, mathematician Edward B. Burger doesn't teach concepts like number theory, geometry, or topology through equations and a blackboard. Instead, the Williams College professor favors a more creative approach. To teach about topology, the geometry of surfaces, for example, he asks students to figure out how they would remove their pants and put them back on with their ankles tied together. Burger, wearing huge Red Sox boxer shorts under his trousers, demonstrated that challenge last summer at the Boston Public Library. Burger, 41, has taught at Williams for 15 years, and is the co-author of a new book, "Coincidences, Chaos, and All That Math Jazz," with Michael Starbird of the University of Texas, Austin. The book, published by W.W. Norton & Co., gets double billing in the Library of Congress catalog: filed under both math and humor. In a recent interview, Burger spoke with Globe correspondent Lisa Palmer about his work. Q: You've written numerous professional articles on mathematics and five textbooks on the subject. Why did you decide to write a math book for the math phobic? A: First of all, the idea of mathematics phobia annoys me. There's no history phobia, no English phobia, no sociology phobia. . . . Somehow mathematics phobia rolls right off the tongue with no problem. On behalf of all of those math-hating people, I personally apologize to them for their experience [laughing]. . . . Some books say they are for the general public, but you open them up and you see all these equations. Our book has no equations. It's for math fans and math-phobes. You don't need to read our book with a furrowed brow. While equations are wonderful and allow scientists to communicate really deep ideas, they are really a language. In schools we are teaching people a language that they will never use again. This is not a useful language. If you're not a scientist, chances are you're not going to speak the language of mathematics. Q: Why do higher math concepts remain out of reach for many people? A: For most, the concepts can be brought into reach. Currently, if you look at all the people who think mathematics is dull, it's because of their experience. When we teach mathematics, we are not sensitive to the audience. Teachers are performers in front of an audience. Some teachers don't realize they have to reach their audience. Q: You have pretty imaginative ways of thinking about math. What prompted these teaching methods? A: As with any intellectual journey, there's an evolution. For the first third of my career, I was very passionate about articulating my ideas in a crystal clear sense. I worked really hard at the challenge, from calculus on up, to bring clarity to it. The next third, I moved to a different level, not necessarily a higher level but a different plane. I not only wanted to have my students understand mathematics, I wanted them to have an appreciation for mathematics on some other level, to appreciate the creativity in mathematics thinking. Q: You've said that creativity in mathematics helps us see our world in a clearer view. How does that happen? A: Through surprises. Thinking creatively requires a certain basic mindset. If you train your mind to think creatively, you can transport your mindset and find novel and interesting solutions to everything going on around you. If you say, ''I'm just going to find patterns in the world around me," the act of searching for a pattern will enable us to look for structure as it emerges. Then all of a sudden the world view sharpens a bit. Not through solving for X, but through the mindset of mathematics. Q: When teaching number theory or geometry, you make origami shapes or tell a story or offer practical applications like the remove your pants with your ankles tied together maneuver. Tell me about that last one. A: Is it possible to take a cord of rope 6 feet long and tie it snugly around your right ankle and your left ankle, take off your pants, turn them inside out, and put your pants back on without ever cutting the rope? This is the challenge I put out to people. [laughing]. . . . The moment you start to try it, you come up with new insights about whether this is possible. You have a surprising discovery when you begin to think about it. . . . The moment [students are] surprised, they're asking ''Why?" Then, I know I've met them on their terms. Mathematics made fun |
October 31, 2005
Mathematicians get a handle on centuries old shapeTheorem puts new twist on topology of minimal surfaces 
HOUSTON, Oct. 31, 2005 – It has been almost 230 years since French general and mathematician Jean Meusnier's study of soap films – the same kind used by children today to blow bubbles -- led to one of the fundamental mathematical examples in geometric optimization. Meusnier showed that one of nature's simplest geometric figures – an ordinary two-dimensional plane -- could be twisted infinitely into a helicoid, a shape that has the delicate balance everywhere of a soap film. |
October 31, 2005
Math Professor Becomes Fellow of American Association for the Advancement of ScienceST. LOUIS -- A Saint Louis University mathematician has been named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). T. Christine Stevens, Ph.D., professor of math and computer science at SLU, has been selected for her "exceptional contributions to the professional development of young mathematics professors." This year, 376 members have been awarded this honor by the AAAS because of their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications. Election as a Fellow is an honor bestowed upon AAAS members by their peers. The AAAS gave special attention to Stevens' work as the co-creator and director of Project NExT (New Experiences in Teaching), a professional development program for new or recent Ph.D.s in the mathematical sciences. Since the program's founding in 1994, Project NExT has served as the gateway through which hundreds of mathematicians have entered the academic profession. "This honor highlights the significant role Dr. Stevens has played in the advancement of mathematics with Project NExT, helping new faculty members move from being graduate students focused on research to full members of the professional community, active as researchers and teachers," said Mike May, S.J., chairman of the department of mathematics and computer science. Last year, Stevens earned one of the highest honors in the field of mathematics. She received the 2004 Yueh-Gin Gung and Dr. Charles Y. Hu Award for Distinguished Service to Mathematics, the most prestigious award made by the Mathematical Association of America (MAA). Stevens' leadership of Project NExT is just one of her many accomplishments. She also was appointed as a Congressional Science Fellow and worked as a legislative assistant for a New York Congressman on issues involving defense, arms control and higher education. A graduate of Smith College, Stevens earned her Ph.D. in mathematics at Harvard University. Before coming to Saint Louis University in 1989, she taught at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, Mount Holyoke College and Arkansas State University. New AAAS Fellows will be presented with an official certificate and a gold and blue -- representing science and engineering, respectively -- rosette pin Saturday, Feb. 18, at the Fellows Forum during the 2006 AAAS Annual Meeting in St. Louis. The tradition of AAAS Fellows began in 1874. Members can be considered for the rank of Fellow if nominated by a steering group of their respective sections, by three Fellows or by the association's chief executive officer. Each steering group then reviews the nominations of individuals within its respective section and forwards a final list to the AAAS Council. The American Association for the Advancement of Science is the world's largest general scientific society and publishes the journal, Science (www.sciencemag.org). The AAAS was founded in 1848 and includes some 262 affiliated societies and academies of science, serving 10 million individuals. Saint Louis University is a Jesuit, Catholic university ranked among the top research institutions in the nation. The University fosters the intellectual and character development of 11,800 students on campuses in St. Louis and Madrid, Spain. Founded in 1818, it is the oldest university west of the Mississippi and the second oldest Jesuit university in the United States. Through teaching, research, health care and community service, Saint Louis University is the place where knowledge touches lives. Learn more about SLU at www.slu.edu. Math Professor Becomes Fellow of American Association for the Advancement of Science |
October 31, 2005
Euclid's work on maths now in digital formautore London: For the first time, the oldest surviving manuscript of Euclid's "Elements", considered the Bible of mathematics, has been published in a digital form at Oxford. Considered the most influential work in the history of mathematics, it has been published in digital form under a collaboration between the University of Oxford's Bodleian Library, the Clay Mathematics Institute and Octavo Corporation. Greek mathematician Euclid wrote the "Elements" around 300 BC, in which he summarised the preceding two centuries of mathematical research. The oldest surviving copy of Euclid's "Elements", handwritten in 888 AD on parchment, has been housed in the Bodleian Library since 1804. Few people have ever seen the manuscript, but this is about to change now that it has been published for the first time in digital form online. In 2004, the Clay Mathematics Institute discussed with the Bodleian Library and Octavo Corporation, one of the leading firms in highest-quality rare book digitisation, a proposal to produce a digital edition of this earliest of Euclid manuscripts. The result, just over a year later, is a complete digital edition of the manuscript that can be consulted online at www.octavo.com. Richard Ovenden, keeper of special collections and western manuscripts at the Bodleian Library, said: "We were delighted to work with Octavo and the Clay Mathematics Institute to make the oldest surviving manuscript of Euclid's 'Elements' available to all in digital form." "The result is access to this most important document unequalled at any time in history. Those who examine the manuscript may find that its physical beauty is as great as its historical value." Now known as the founding document of mathematics, the "Elements" was the standard textbook for mathematical education in ancient times in the Islamic world and in Europe through the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and until almost the present day. The system of thought presented by the "Elements", in which knowledge was distilled in the form of theorems and then given a written proof, inspired fields as diverse as law and physics. Newton's "Principia", which marked the beginning of modern physics, took Euclid's work as its intellectual and stylistic model. Euclid's work on maths now in digital form |
October 31, 2005
Mathematician receives Humboldt AwardJinchao Xu, professor of mathematics, has received the Humboldt Award for Senior U.S. Scientists from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in Bonn, Germany, in honor of his achievements in computational-mathematics research and teaching. The award cites Xu as "one of the most renowned scientists in the field of numerical mathematics in the world," and notes that "his work also has had a significant impact on numerous other fields of research." Xu studies numerical methods for partial differential equations, especially fast iterative methods for solving large-scale algebraic systems that arise from the process of making models mathematically discrete in science and engineering. One major research interest is the theoretical analysis, algorithmic development and practical application of multigrid methods. These methods combine classical iterative techniques with multiscale structures obtained from a given application to yield a class of optimally efficient methods that are far superior to the classic iterative techniques alone. Xu has been invited to present a lecture at an upcoming meeting of the International Council for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (ICIAM). The ICIAM Congress, held every four years, is the largest international conference for industrial and applied mathematics. Xu has presented invited talks at professional conferences and academic institutions worldwide, and has presented several special lectures and short courses, such as the Numerical Analysis Summer School held in the United Kingdom in 1996 and in France in 1997. He presented the Barret Lectures at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville in 2001, and has presented special lectures in mathematics at Peking University from 1998 to 2005. He also has been an organizer for many scientific conferences in the United States and abroad, including the International Conferences on Domain Decomposition Methods from 1993 to 2005; the Conference of Chinese Young Numerical Analysts in Scientific and Engineering Computing in 1993; the International Symposium on Computational and Applied Partial Differential Equations (PDEs) in 2001; the International Conference of Computational Methods in Sciences and Engineering in 2004; and the International Conference on Computational and Mathematical Methods in Science and Engineering in 2004. Xu has published more than 85 scientific papers about his research and, according to the Institute for Scientific Information's (ISI's) Highly Cited Authors in Mathematics, is among the most highly cited mathematicians in the world. He serves on editorial boards for most major journals in computational mathematics, including Mathematics of Computation, Numerische Mathematik, Mathematical Modeling and Numerical Analysis, Mathematical Models and Methods in Applied Sciences, the Journal of Computational Methods in Applied Sciences and Engineering, Advances in Computational Mathematics, Journal of Computational Physics in China, the International Journal of Numerical Analysis and Modeling, and the Journal of Selected Articles from Chinese Universities: Mathematics. He is a managing editor for the Journal of Computational Mathematics. He was an editor for the Journal on Numerical Analysis of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) from 1993 to 2002, and has served as editor for several conference proceedings. Xu earned his bachelor's degree at Xiangtan University in 1982 and his master's degree at Peking University in 1984, both in China. He earned his doctoral degree at Cornell University in 1989. He joined Penn State in 1989 as assistant professor of mathematics. He was promoted to associate professor in 1991 and to professor in 1995. He is the director of the Penn State Center for Computational Mathematics and of the Institute for Computational and Applied Mathematics at Xiangtan University in China. He is a member of the American Mathematical Society and the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics. In 1995, Xu's research accomplishments were recognized with the first Feng Kang Prize for Scientific Computing from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and an Outstanding Achievement Award from the Xiangtan University in China. He received a Schlumberger Foundation Award in 1993 and the Natural Science Award from the National Academy of Science in China in 1989. He currently holds the Chang Jiang professorship at Peking University and the Furong Professorship at Xiangtan University in Hunan, both in China. He also has held visiting professorships at a number of universities in the United States and at several institutions abroad, including Xian JiaoTong University and Hunan University in China; the Academia Sinica and the National Central University in Taiwan; Central University of Lyon in France; the University of Science and Technology in Hong Kong; the Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Switzerland; the University of Oslo in Norway; the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences in the United Kingdom; and the University of Stuttgart, the University of Heidelberg, and the Max Plank Institute in Germany. Mathematician receives Humboldt Award |
October 26, 2005
Mathematician wins Canuck theatre prizeBy JOHN COULBOURN - Toronto Sun TORONTO - John Mighton won big last night -- and it had nothing whatsoever to do with the Ontario Lottery Corporation. Mighton led six other shortlisted finalists to claim the $100,000 Elinore and Lou Siminovitch Prize in Theatre for 2005, Canada's largest annual theatre award. Mighton was honoured last night at ceremonies at Hart House Theatre. The author of plays like Possible Worlds, A Short History Of Night and most recently the Governor General's Literary Award-nominated Half Life, Mighton juggles careers in playwriting and academia, serving as an adjunct professor at the University of Toronto and coordinating JUMP (Junior Undiscovered Math Prodigies), which tutors children having difficulty in math. It is apparently the collision of those worlds that impressed this year's jury, headed by Leonard McHardy of Theatrebooks. "The jury was particularly impressed by the profound combination of intellect and heart embodied in Mr. Mighton's work," they said in a statement yesterday announcing the winner. "His work has grace, delicacy and a gentle humanity." Mighton, himself, speaking yesterday before the ceremony, sees nothing unusual in his particular combination of careers. "I don't see a lot of difference," he said. "They are both attempts to understand the world. "I've always been interested in the mysteries of existence -- the things that transcend mathematics," he said, adding: "In theatre, I'm often interested in people speaking out of their depths or struggling with ideas that are a little beyond them." Though his work has been produced around the world, Mighton's career in theatre began inauspiciously in Grade 8, he said yesterday. "I tried out for the role of Peter Pan and I didn't get it," he said. Instead he landed the dual roles of the dog and the crocodile and spent the entire production crawling around on all fours or on his belly. "I realized then that if I didn't write something I would never have a speaking part." Mighton will receive a cash purse of $75,000, while an additional $25,000 will go to fellow Toronto playwright, Anton Piatigorsky, whom Mighton chose as his protege. The six other finalists for the award were Daniel MacIvor, Joan MacLeod, Daniel David Moses, Wajdi Mouawad, Djanet Sears and Vern Thiessen. Mathematician wins Canuck theatre prize |
October 26 2005
Turkish School Awards N5m Scholarship to Maths WinnersFrom Juliana Taiwo in Abuja The Nigerian-Turkish International College (NTIC), as part of its effort to the improve the teaching and learning of the mathematical sciences and to ensure fruitful participation at the International Mathematical Olympiads (IMO) competitions, has awarded scholarship worth N5 million to the successful candidates. The Director General/Chief Executive of the National Mathematical Centre (NMC), Prof. Sam Ale told newsmen in a press conference recently that the candidates were successful at the last edition of the NMC/Petroleum Development Fund (PTDF) mathematics competition. "They would enjoy two-year scholarship at the senior secondary school two and three levels. This will give the students the opportunity to prepare for the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) and Pan African Mathematics Olympiad (PAMO). The beneficiaries are Uchendu Ndubuisi, DMGS Onitsha, Anambra State, Muazzam Idris, Day Science College, Kano, Omole Kayode, Bibo Oluwa Academy, Osun and Bello Muktar, GCDSS, Bauchi. Ale said the competition is expected to motivate and encourage secondary school students across the country to appreciate mathematics and study it. He also disclosed that following the formal registration of Nigeria as member of IMO and in order to ensure Nigeria's successful participation at the 2006 IMO, the South African Mathematical Society has invited candidates from Nigeria who were the best selected through stage two of NMC pre-IMO national competition to participate in the pre-Imo 2006 training in problem solving and competition scheduled to take place between December 4 to 9, 2005. The students are Adetunji Olufikayo Semire, Regina Pacis Girls Secondary School, Abuja, Kwarkas Vullong, St. John's College, Jos, Plateau, Abanum Solomon, GSS Army Barracks, Keffi Nassarawa and Segun Ariyibi, Nigerian Turkish International Colleges, Abuja. The center has also selected 12 candidates for camping in preparation for the 2006 IMO. They are Adetunji Olufikayo Semire, Regina Pacis Girls Secondary School, Abuja, Kwarkas Vullong, St. John's College, Jos, Plateau, Abanum Solomon, GSS Army Barracks, Keffi Nassarawa and Segun Ariyibi, Nigerian Turkish International Colleges, Abuja, Olaniyan Ola-Oluwa Anthony FGC Warri, Mohammed Al-Amin Machina, Maiduguri International School (Borno), Akakabota Emmanuel FGC Ijanikin, Ekwue Winner C, Christ The King College Onitsha and Yusuf Aminu, GSS Fatai Hadajia Jigawa. Others are Essiet Inimfon-Abasi, FGGC Ikot Obio Itun, Akwa Ibom State, Bello Mohammed Aliyu, FGC Anka Zamfara State and Ojukwu Endurance, Federal Government Academy Suleja Niger State. Also six students: Adetunji Olufikayo Semire, Regina Pacis Girls Secondary School, Abuja, Kwarkas Vullong, St. John's College, Jos, Plateau, Abanum Solomon, GSS Army Barracks, Keffi Nassarawa and Segun Ariyibi, Nigerian Turkish International Colleges, Abuja, Olaniyan Ola-Oluwa Anthony FGC Warri, Mohammed Al-Amin Machina, Maiduguri International School (Borno), have been picked to be part of the 2006 IMO coming up in Slovenia from July 6 to18, 2006. Turkish School Awards N5m Scholarship to Maths Winners |
October 18, 2005
Mathematics + Biology = ?By Margaret Putney You may wonder what mathematics and biology could possibly have in common. Well, as luck would have it, the Oberlin Center for Computation and Modeling had just this question in mind when it brought Dr. Avner Friedman to give two talks on mathematical modeling on the biological sciences. Friedman, distinguished professor of mathematics at Ohio State University, explained that although mathematicians enjoy working with equations of all sorts, they do not tend to ponder the physical applications of the theorems they solve. But, having worked in the industry of mathematics, he now sees the need for expertise in complex math in applied biology. When asked how he became involved with the combination of these two fields, Friedman's reply suggested that other professions do not seem to be picking up on what he feels is of utmost importance: "Someone should do it, and if no one is going to, I might as well." The significance of integrating math and biology was highlighted in Friedman's first talk in which he gave examples of a specific problem his group is currently working on: using mathematical models to find a cure for cancer. Of course, nothing is as simple as just plugging in the numbers and seeing what comes out. Currently there is an effort to use a virus that attacks just the tumor while leaving the healthy cells alone. The cancer that would be most affected by research such as this is the particular type of brain tumor known as glioma, which, when detected, tends to predict a life expectancy of nine to 12 months. So, the problem for researchers is to find a virus that reproduces fast enough and is able to avoid enough of the immune system to effectively reduce the tumor. Although Friedman's group found some parameters that would cause the tumor to be reduced, it is now up to the biologists to create a virus that matches such parameters. Friedman noted that "all models are wrong, but some are better than others." This means that a mathematical model must take many assumptions into account that may make no sense when applied back to the actual biological process, showing that people are only beginning to understand the matter with which they are working. The second talk addressed more biological processes that would benefit from mathematical modeling as well as a closer look at Ohio State's Mathematical Biosciences Institute, where Friedman currently works. The Institute itself has come from the explosion of biological data created by the advancements in the technology used to study biological systems. Such a wealth of data has inspired the need to develop many mathematical models, statistical methods and computational algorithms. A few of the biological processes that contain complex problems from which modeling could benefit encompass the neurological as well as the cellular. In neurological processes, Parkinson's disease is a particularly complicated problem that is barely understood. There are around 1012 neurons in the human brain, and in order to properly understand their relationships with all of the other neurons, differential equations prove to be of great use. In cellular processes, models can help people to understand the role of extracellular signaling in the processes that become muddled in cancerous cells. So, when scientists are able to understand this process more comprehensively in a healthy person or cell, it will ultimately be easier to attack cancerous cells. Friedman said that he is not an advocate for a more general and comprehensive science education; however, he did emphasize that an education should stress the importance of learning through solving specific problems, one after the other, as that is extremely beneficial to students who wish to go into research after school. This method not only teaches main concepts in the particular field, but also teaches students the valuable tools they need to solve the problem. Science has become so expansive that it is impossible for students to learn everything they will need to know in their future research. Therefore, it then becomes vital at least to learn the tools they will need to use in lieu of what they have not had time to learn formally. On mathematics classes for the biological sciences, Friedman did not suggest that students go out of their way to learn how formally to prove theorems in mathematics when statistical mathematics and specific differential equations are more fundamental to the problems they will have to solve. Instead, mathematics classes for the biological sciences can show the specific applications and techniques that will be most beneficial to the students' futures. Currently, the MBI offers positions for 15 post-doctorates as well as a three-week summer program for both graduate and undergraduate students in the sciences. There is also an opportunity for research during Winter Term for those who are ambitious enough. Mathematics + Biology = ? |
October 18 2005
How Things Work: Mathematical Knotsby Sheila Prakash A knot, in the conventional sense, is an intertwining rope or string usually designed to tie objects (or shoelaces) together. Take a piece of rope, twist, pull, and loop it a few times and you get a hitch knot. Loop it again and you get a half hitch knot. Loop it some more and you get a cow hitch knot. Glue those ends of the rope together, though, and you get a mathematical knot. A knot, in the mathematical sense, is a conventional knot on a closed loop. Thus, mathematical knots lack loose ends. This is a critical, fundamental difference between mathematical knots and the knots we tie every day. Regular knots can be easily untangled by manipulating the loose ends of a rope; mathematical knots cannot. Given this definition, a plain rubber band can also qualify as a mathematical knot. This loop — a complete circle — is indeed a special kind of mathematical knot and is given its own name: the unknot. Surely at this point, some of you are scratching your heads. If an unknot is just a loop, is it possible to untangle a mathematical knot into an unknot? Think about it. If a mathematical knot can be transformed into an unknot without cutting it up and gluing it back together, the knot never existed in the first place — and knot theory is in trouble. If one can prove that it is impossible to transform a knot into an unknot, however, the existence of knots is proven — and knot theory is saved. Proving the existence of knots was a longstanding challenge in knot theory. In the 1930s, Kurt Reidemeister took a step in that direction by showing that all transformations between knots can be reduced to three basic moves. These moves — the twist, the cross, and the poke — are collectively referred to as the Reidemeister moves. Two mathematical knots are topologically equivalent if one knot can be transformed into the other by a finite series of twists, crosses, and pokes. If Reidemeister moves are incapable of transforming a knot into an unknot, the existence of knots is proven. The proof itself is surprisingly intuitive, and can be followed by drawing a trefoil knot as a curve on a sheet of paper, with breaks where the knot crosses itself. It has three sections. These sections can be colored with three different colors so that at each crossing, the three sections involved have either the same color, or three different colors — a property called tricolorability. Reidemeister moves preserve tricolorability, but the single-loop "unknot" has only one section and thus one color. So no amount of twisting and pulling can turn a tricolored knot into a single-colored unknot. Why knots? The fascination with knots began in the 1800s, when scientists still believed that a luminiferous ether pervaded the universe. Lord Kelvin proposed that every element should have a distinct signature based on its entanglement with the ether, prompting mathematicians and scientists alike to conjure up pictures of knots. Although the theory about luminiferous ether was eventually disproved, mathematicians continued to pursue knot theory on purely abstract grounds for over a century. In the 1980s, knot theory again found itself at the forefront of science — this time in biology. DNA can be visualized as a convoluted knot that has been stretched, coiled and packed into the cell's nucleus. Topoisomerase enzymes must quickly untangle this knot to allow replication and transcription to occur. By modeling DNA as a closed loop, scientists were able to obtain a quantitative measure of DNA packing. Topology also allowed researchers to examine the enzyme's ability to untangle and tangle complicated knots in a quick and efficient manner. Other esoteric and far-flung applications of knot theory are delightful to peruse at one's leisure. Interested readers can check out molecular knots and topological stereoisomers in Erica Flapan's When Topology Meets Chemistry. Physicists can flip through Dirk Kreimer's Knots and Feynman Diagrams. The ardent non-scientist is encouraged to take his shoelace and explore the 800 ways to tie it to his desk. I, for one, am profoundly impressed that this is an entire article on knots — with knot one pun. How Things Work: Mathematical Knots |
October 17, 2005
UQ public lecture honours influential mathematicianThe remarkable life and work of one of this century`s most influential mathematicians will be honoured at a free public lecture at The University of Queensland this week. Srinivasa Ramanujan was born in southern India in 1887 and made a huge impact on mathematics research, even though he had only one year of college education and died at the age of 32. Professor Bruce Berndt from the University of Illinois will discuss Ramanujan`s life and notebooks at the 2005 Mahler Lecture. It will be held at 6pm on Thursday October 20 in the Raybould Lecture Theatre, Hawken Engineering Building, UQ St Lucia Campus. Most of Ramanujan`s mathematical discoveries were made in isolation and recorded without proofs in notebooks. Professor Berndt will present a description and history of these notebooks, accompanied by overhead transparencies depicting Ramanujan, his home, his school, his notebooks, and the influential people in his life, including his mother and wife. Professor Berndt is well known for his efforts in establishing the veracity or otherwise of numerous formulae first derived by Ramanujan. He has received many awards and distinguished professorships in recognition of the excellence and high standing of his work. The Mahler Lectureship is awarded every two years to a distinguished mathematician, who works in an area of mathematics associated with the work of self-taught mathematician, Professor Kurt Mahler (1903-1988), who worked on the transcendence of numbers. It is supported by both the Australian Mathematical Society and by the Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute. UQ public lecture honours influential mathematician |
October 11, 2005
Two Game Theorists Win the Nobel Prize for EconomicsBy Michael Muskal and Ken Ellingwood, Times Staff Writers An American and an American Israeli were awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences on Monday for fostering the understanding of conflict and cooperation — in matters such as nuclear arms races, trade battles or price wars. Thomas C. Schelling, 84, an emeritus professor at the University of Maryland and Harvard University, and Robert J. Aumann, 75, an emeritus professor at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, used "game theory" as a way to explain social, political and business interactions. Working separately, the pair have "enhanced our understanding of conflict and cooperation through game-theory analysis," the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said in its prize citation. Game theory is a branch of mathematics and social science that tries to explain actions and decisions in terms of choices that players may make. It can sometimes show why a counterintuitive choice might be better. Schelling, a political economist, and Aumann, a mathematician, took different approaches in trying to explain why sometimes it was in the best long-term interest of players to foster cooperation rather than confrontation. For example, two countries that trade together could find themselves in conflict over a specific product. Traditional power politics would argue that one country should force the other to bow to its will. But Schelling, in his 1960 book "The Strategy of Conflict," explained that a party could have long-term success by giving up some short-term advantages, even if that meant worsening its own options. By making concessions, the stronger party could build trust with the other party and that long-term relationship could be more beneficial to both. The work has had an effect on issues such as nuclear proliferation and building so-called confidence steps in the hope of resolving ethnic and social divisions in the Middle East. It also helps explain why housing segregation continues to be a problem, even in areas where residents say they have no extreme prejudice toward another group. Schelling, who was born in Oakland and worked for the U.S. government on the Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe after World War II, said at a news conference Monday that his greatest influence had been in nuclear deterrence. His use of game theory explains why no nation would use a nuclear weapon because retribution would be assured. Even today, deterrence would probably prevent nations such as Iran or North Korea from using nuclear weapons, he said. "Iran's main use of nuclear weapons is to hold them in reserve or as a deterrent to make sure they do not get into a war with the United States or Russia," Schelling said. As a mathematician, Aumann's contribution was to put the power of numerical analysis behind social insights. He showed that peaceful cooperation is often an equilibrium solution in a game played many times. His use of the theory of "repeated games" has become a common framework for analyzing cooperation. "The theory of repeated games enhances our understanding of the prerequisites for cooperation: why it is more difficult when there are many participants, when they interact infrequently, when interaction is likely to be broken off, when the time horizon is short or when others' actions cannot be clearly observed," the academy said. "Insights into these issues help explain economic conflicts such as price wars and trade wars, as well as why some communities are more successful than others in managing common-pool resources," it said. Aumann's work has been used to explain issues including how competing companies can cooperate to maintain high prices and how countries can enter into environmental agreements, even if some domestic industries are hurt. He is a philosophical heir of the Frankfurt School tradition of focusing on the role of knowledge and information in explaining social situations. Aumann studied how what one player knows about the other can influence the decision-making process. In a primitive example, two players are betting on poker. One knows the other is inclined to bluff with certain low cards, but not with others. He then formulates his betting strategy accordingly. Born in Frankfurt, Germany, and now a dual U.S. and Israeli citizen, Aumann is also a member of Hebrew University of Jerusalem's interdisciplinary Center for the Study of Rationality. He is an observant Jew who said he once considered studying to become a Talmudic scholar. His family fled Nazi Germany in 1938 and settled in the United States. During a news conference Monday in Jerusalem, Aumann said conflict in the Middle East was perfect fodder for game-theory analysis of continuing conflict. "That's what it is. It's an ongoing conflict," said Aumann, with a lively demeanor and a white beard that reaches to his breast pocket. "It's been going on for at least 80 years — more than 80 years. As far as I can see, it's going to go on for at least another 80 years." Americans have now won the economics prize for six consecutive years. The prize, worth about $1.3 million, is the only one of the Nobel awards not established by Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel. It was created in 1968 by the Swedish central bank but is awarded through the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, as are the other Nobel Prizes. Muskal reported from Los Angeles and Ellingwood from Jerusalem. * (BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX) A look at the laureates Robert J. Aumann Born: June 8, 1930, in Frankfurt, Germany Home: Israel Position: Professor of mathematics, Hebrew University of Jerusalem Education: Bachelor's degree, City College of New York, 1950; doctorate, MIT, 1955 Key works: "Values of Non-Atomic Games," 1974; "Repeated Games with Incomplete Information," 1995* Thomas C. Schelling Born: April 14, 1921, in Oakland Home: Bethesda, Md. Position: Emeritus professor, University of Maryland and Harvard University Education: Bachelor's degree, UC Berkeley, 1943; doctorate, Harvard, 1951 Key works: "The Strategy of Conflict," 1960; "Arms and Influence," 1966 * Compiled by Times research librarian Scott Wilson Los Angeles Times Two Game Theorists Win the Nobel Prize for Economics |
October 11, 2005
The mathematician and musicianViola Huang Few professors would be caught wearing jeans and a Hawaiian T-shirt. But Manjul Bhargava GS '98 of the math department isn't your typical professor. At age 30, Bhargava has already finished graduate school, won numerous prestigious awards, been named as one of Popular Science magazine's "Brilliant 10," traveled the world on a Clay Fellowship, worked at the Institute for Advanced Study and received tenure. Today at Oxford University, he will be adding another accomplishment to that list: the Clay Research Award. "At mathematics he's at the very top end," said Peter Sarnak, a colleague and a faculty member at the Institute for Advanced Study. "For a guy so young I can't remember anybody so decorated at his age. He certainly started out with a bang and has not let it get to his head, which is unusual. Of course he couldn't do what he does if he wasn't brilliant. It's his exceptional talent that's so striking." Bhargava works in number theory, one of the oldest branches of math. But Bhargava has made discoveries in certain composition laws that have not been explored for two centuries. "This work for which he's getting his prize was extremely original and unexpected, and that's partly why he's getting this prize. He was able to use them in [a] very masterful way and solve other longstanding unsolved problems," Sarnak said. Though number theory has become more of an applied science in recent years, with uses in coding and cryptography, Bhargava enjoys its beauty and simplicity. "If you're thinking about the application and trying to solve the problem, it hinders you, but if you're just following your nose, then you come upon math that is most likely to be viable," Bhargava said. Music and math Bhargava draws much of his mathematical inspiration from his love of music. An accomplished tabla player, he has studied with Zakir Hussain, a renowned maestro of the classical Indian instrument, and was instrumental in convincing Hussain to spend the semester at the University. The class on music appreciation is one of the most popular in the music department this fall. In Bhargava's point of view, music and math are both forms of art, only in different languages. "Music can be appreciated by a very large audience, but mathematics has language to it that takes some time to learn before you can start working in it. That's why it's sometimes harder to convey that beauty to those who haven't learned the language yet," Bhargava explained. Though the connection between math and music may be hard to see, Bhargava likes to use the tabla as an example. "A lot of math comes into the study of music and part of the study of rhythm. Certain rhythmic pieces for the tabla involve long and short strokes. A long stroke takes two beats of time and a short stroke takes one beat of time. If you have eight beats, how many different ways can you fill them with the strokes?" The answer, Bhargava said, is the eighth number in the Fibonacci sequence, 34. In fact, the sequence had been known to Indian musicians as the Hemachandra numbers long before Fibonacci discovered it. The student as professor If Bhargava weren't the one at the front of the classroom giving the lecture, one might think he was a friendly, soft-spoken student. "It's totally weird. In fact many times I don't feel like a professor because all my teachers are still around me," Bhargava said. "They always tell me that 'you're my colleague now,' but sometimes I forget that and call them 'professor.' That's been pretty hard to get used to." Being tenured sets Bhargava apart from friends his age — few of whom have tenure — and it allows him to take more chances in his work. "A lot of the time I have trouble collaborating with people who are the same age because they might not be willing to or can't work on riskier things," Bhargava said. "I've been in subjects where nobody was working and people thought there was nowhere to go anymore. If you do find something there, it has a big payoff, but the chance it's going to work is a little less. If you're at a point in life where you don't have tenure and people want you to produce things you're more likely to take the surer path." Bhargava acknowledged that being youthful and a professor allows him to connect more easily with students; in fact, most of his friends are students rather than faculty. "It helps a lot having been a student so recently," he said. "I remember the places where I got stuck and how to help, it's all in recent memory." But Wei Ho, a second-year graduate student advised by Bhargava, believes what really sets him apart is not his age or his position, but how down-to-earth he is and his wide range of interests. "He ends up being a very good role model because he has so many other interests," she said. "He plays tennis and goes to the U.S. Open every year; he plays video games and just does things that sound like fun. We talk about Harry Potter, about current events and pop culture ... You can really connect with him." Bhargava is rumored to have met another one of his advisees in the graduate student lounge when they were watching the final episode of "Friends." Ho also testified to Bhargava's skill as a lecturer. She chose to come to the University for graduate work after being taught by Bhargava while he was visiting for a semester at Harvard. "The way he taught made me say, 'Wait a minute, I really like this stuff. I want to be a mathematician.' I understood why people care about the things he talked about and that really made a difference for me personally," Ho said. Sarnak is not surprised by Bhargava's success with his students. "He is very charming and not arrogant," Sarnak said. "I think he will find himself having a tremendous number of graduate students because he has kind of a magnetic personality." Princeton vs. Harvard Bhargava, who did his undergraduate work at Harvard and graduate work at the University, was coveted by both institutions when it came time for him to find a teaching post. "The minute we set eyes on him and saw his work we made sure he didn't go anywhere else," Sarnak said. "It is one of our worries to make sure we keep him here. We had to play our cards carefully and we seem to have played them correctly." Bhargava said he chose Princeton because of the opportunities to work with many of his closest advisers, increased flexibility offered by the University and the beautiful campus. "My negotiation skills are not very good," Bhargava said. "I never thought I would be back here tenured in two years. I love what I do and would've been happy anywhere. Being at Princeton is just a big bonus." The mathematician and musician |
October 11, 2005
New theories on Darwin in lecture seriesProfessor Mike Hendy, executive director of the Allan Wilson Centre for Molecular Ecology and Evolution, will be the second of three speakers in the annual Allan Wilson Centre lecture series. For the first time, the series is touring campuses of other universities as well as Massey. Professor Hendy, a mathematical biology specialist, will discuss the significant role played by New Zealand scientists in increasing understanding of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. Professor Hendy notes that in 1835 Darwin spent 10 days in New Zealand towards the end of his voyage on the Beagle but was not impressed by what he found here and did not use those observations significantly in developing his famous theory. He postulates that Darwin missed an opportunity and outlines why he thinks New Zealand's unique environment might explain why our scientists have made such a major contribution to all branches of science. His lectures begin at Victoria University on 13 October, followed by Massey, Albany, (17 Oct), Canterbury (19), Otago (20) and concluding at Massey, Palmerston North, on 25 October. The third and final lecture will be by Professor John Jungck of Beloit College, Wisconsin, starting 21 November in Palmerston North. An academic at the cutting edge of international research into HIV was the first of three speakers in the 2005 Allan Wilson Centre lecture series. Allen Rodrigo, a professor of Computational Biology and Bioinformatics at Auckland University, is an associate investigator of Massey's Allan Wilson Centre. His lecture, delivered on university campuses at Dunedin, Christchurch, Auckland, Palmerston North and Wellington from 19-28 September, gave examples of how evolutionary biology has assisted humans since the time of Darwin including work he has been involved in to find a vaccine against HIV. New theories on Darwin in lecture series |
October 11, 2005
Mathematician rides curve toward new type of securityBy Loring Wirbel EE Times Scott Vanstone is the co-founder and executive vice president of Certicom Corp., a security company specializing in a special version of publickey cryptography called elliptic curve. A mathematics professor at the University of Waterloo in Toronto, he has been the Canadian voice of public-key advocacy in the cryptography community. But Vanstone's bet in setting Certicom's direction was not validated until the U.S. National Security Agency licensed the company's software in 2003, announcing this past spring that it would specify elliptic-curve key-agreement tools in the upcoming Suite B federal security protocol suite. One associate told Vanstone he "gets a lifelong achievement award for perseverance." Loring Wirbel of EE Times spoke with Vanstone recently. EE Times: Were you involved in any of the early debates in the 1970s on the classification of public-key research? Scott Vanstone: In 1974 and 1975, I was involved in pure mathematics, doing theoretical work in discrete systems in areas like finite fields. I wasn't really that interested in the subject when the first Diffie-Hellman work came out. But in 1977, preprints of the RSA [Ron Rivest, Adi Shamir and Len Adelman] paper first appeared. I was teaching first-year algebra, and this paper demonstrated a perfect example of the type of algebra I was teaching. That turned me from exploring pure-research realms and got me more interested in applied work. Later, the CRC [Communications Research Centre] in Ottawa had me work on a synchronization problem between a satellite and a basestation. We could apply the Diffie-Hellman scheme at 127 bits, and at one point, a VLSI device had been developed. We learned that 127 bits was too small for a secure system. Remember that when Rivest, Shamir and Adelman wrote their original RSA paper, 80 bits seemed infeasible to try and attack. The CRC work was what led me to the general conclusion that stronger crypto than first-generation public-key systems was necessary for many commercial applications. EET: And that's what led to the founding of Certicom in 1985? Vanstone: When we founded Certicom, it was not done with the intention of commercializing elliptic curve specifically. We discovered a new mathematical method and a new chip architecture, which became the basis for some first-generation products sold by Certicom in those first few years. Coincidentally, elliptic-curve cryptography also was introduced in 1985. I heard about ECC at Crypto '85, when Victor Miller of IBM Yorktown Heights gave one of the first talks on ECC, as far as I'm aware. I thought to myself, right then at the conference, that if ECC could be shown to be secure, it would be more efficient than anything implemented to date. While I continued studies at Waterloo, Certicom was building a VLSI device and was finding some design wins in secure fax applications. But to be really honest, it was a me-too device, with no compelling reason for people to adopt it. In 1993, we took the approach, maybe unusual at the time, of evangelizing the [ECC] algorithm and the technology on a parallel track to introducing products. It was clear to everyone at Certicom that a new solution would have to be standards-based for people to consider it, so we pushed for the IEEE standardization process under the P1363 Public-Key Cryptography working group. The real push was in our specific key-agreement algorithm, MQV [Menezes, Qu, Vanstone], which we saw as one of the most efficient applications of general elliptic-curve work. If you look at the way we addressed ECC standards, alongside Diffie-Hellman or RSA, there was a similar strategy in products. We had no intention of taking on RSA in every application, as they were already the established company. We didn't try to say ECC was ideal for everything. [Certicom's] ECMQV, in particular, was best for small hardware environments, mobile platforms in particular, and that drove early strategy. EET: When did you begin to open up software environments to partners in embedded applications? Vanstone: The introduction of the ECC Toolkit in 1997 really widened our market strategy, and that is still growing and evolving today, into a range of Security Builder products. EET: What was the University of Waterloo's response to all this? Vanstone: Even in the late 1990s, this was still pretty unique in math realms, to be involved in a startup and stay active in the university. By late in the decade, it was pretty common in computer science or EE departments, but not in math. [Nevertheless], the university has always been very supportive, and I count myself as fortunate to have kept one foot in academia since the 1980s. Waterloo is big on supporting spin-off companies, as are most universities these days. It's important for successful members of the business community who come out of academia to remember your roots and give something back. EET: When studies demonstrated the greater efficiency of ECC for key agreements, were there skeptics? Vanstone: Definitely, particularly when you consider that many of those early studies came from Certicom. I'd be skeptical of us too. When NIST [the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology] came out with a table of key size and relative efficiency similar to ours, we considered that a huge endorsement. And of course, to have the NSA license ECC in 2003 and endorse its use in Suite B crypto standards made a huge difference. EET: Did you have to proactively make your case with the National Security Agency? Vanstone: We never had to convince them of anything. The ECMQV algorithms used in key agreement represented a step ahead in acceptance for elliptic curve in a specific security area. But we never realized NSA's specific interest in ECMQV until just before their 2003 announcement. NSA's discussion last spring of their upcoming Suite B standards shows that they see the value of different tools, both symmetric and public-key crypto, at different points. It's important to use the right tools for the right application. Public key is not suited for bulk encryption in general, and we've advocated use of symmetric protocols like AES [Advanced Encryption Standard]. EET: Some might say that an NSA endorsement won't gain you a lot of business. The agency has promoted concepts, like the Clipper chip, that never took off. Vanstone: True, but look at DES [Data Encryption Standard]. DES became very popular, went on to Triple-DES and led directly to AES development. Despite all the talk of the agency losing its edge to private development, when the NSA designs something, they design it well. I am not one of those who think the DES was designed with deliberate trapdoors. NSA may not be as omniscient as some think, and they may not always have their thumb on the pulse of commercial security trends. But their experience still counts for an awful lot. EET: Was it hard to get customers to think about specific authentication and key-agreement tasks in an end-to-end security architecture? Vanstone: Oh, sure. The basics of AAA [authentication, authorization, accounting], PKI [public-key infrastructure] tools and the like really weren't understood or even considered by anyone in the late 1990s, outside a small security-conscious community. The customer base is more aware now, but there's still a lot of education to be done. The interest in end-to-end security is improving, though. IPsec [Internet Protocol Secure], in particular, had a slow start but is doing well now. EET: How did your business evolve once you decided to back ECC? Vanstone: Many things were a surprise, and continue to be a surprise. Take the popularity of SSL [Secure Sockets Layer]. We acquired Consensus Development Corp. in 1998 to gain SSL experience, because we hadn't planned for that as an important element of the original business plan. EET: Did observing RSA Security, which broadened its offerings after merging with Security Dynamics, lead to any changes in your business plan? Vanstone: We realized from a very early point in Certicom's history that our primary customer could not be on the desktop, because RSA was so dominant in that space. In the early 1990s, we identified wireless as a market where the efficiency in terms of code density and supporting hardware could really make a difference, and we went after the wireless market. As that particular market got bigger, we got more attention. As ECC got to be known within handheld environments, it was around that time that RSA put up a page on their Web site that said, "ECC, not for prime time." It didn't stay up that long, but that's been the tone of RSA-Certicom relations. EET: Did you take care not to be pigeonholed as having an algorithm optimized only for wireless? Vanstone: Absolutely, that was part of the motivation for the broad approach in getting the ECC Toolkit out there. Sun Microsystems did a great study on server implementations of verification. That's the basis of the tool for elliptic-curve digital-signature algorithm verification we introduced last month, Fast ECDSA Verify. Traditionally, secure signing is very fast, but verifying can be very slow, and the Fast ECDSA Verify tool will augment use of ECC in servers. EET: How much do you rely on general work in academia vs. proprietary work inside Certicom? Vanstone: For strategic products, it's almost entirely an in-house effort. ECMQV was completely developed in-house, we had 13 engineers and programmers dedicated to that project. Same thing with Fast ECDSA Verify. You can build off general work in industry, but you don't want to rely on it. At the same time, you'll notice that we pushed hard for getting ECMQV standardized. The last thing you want to do with a new in-house protocol is to keep it secret. EET: Do you still keep your hand in the editorial work for Designs, Codes & Cryptography? Vanstone: I started that journal, longer ago than I'd like to remember, but I haven't served as editor in chief for five years or so. I try to keep up with it and with all major journals in the field, and it's interesting to see that cryptography is very fashionable right now. EET: With ECC a belated hit, is there a danger Certicom will be defined as virtually synonymous with elliptic curve? Vanstone: No more so than RSA, the company, being defined as identical to RSA, the public-key crypto system. It would be nice to see ECC as a technology being defined by its merits and Certicom being defined by its products. I'd like to see more embedded use of ECC by OEMs. What's important to understand is that people have this rudimentary grasp of crypto systems — even if they're IT security specialists — that they sometimes confuse with understanding. Years ago, people used to say to me, "Scott, I understand RSA, but not ECC." I would tell them, "No, you don't really understand RSA — you're familiar with its uses and basic principles because of how much it's around." That's where we want to be with ECC. When I told them that, elliptic curve was barely on anyone's radar, except in some wireless environments. Now, I think we can say that the broader community is becoming familiar with ECC.
Scott Vanstone
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October 11 2005
CMU scientist honored for novel method of using computers |
October 05, 2005
NSF grant used for biological, mathematical researchBy KATIE NIELAND The complexities of a turtle and an algebraic formula are not often thrown into the same equation. But the integration of mathematics and biology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is the focus of a $710,970 grant from the National Science Foundation. Glenn Ledder, associate professor of mathematics, said the grant would fund the Research for Undergraduates in Theoretical Ecology (RUTE) program. "It's primarily to train students who will be capable of doing research at the interface of mathematics and biology," Ledder said. He said a team of two biology and two mathematics undergraduate students, along with at least one faculty member, will start preparing in January 2006. That summer, he said, they will go to the UNL-operated Cedar Point Biological Station in western Nebraska to gather data. In the fall, the students will analyze the collected data. The following spring semester, they'll write papers and create presentations. Larkin Powell, associate professor of wildlife ecology, will be one of the faculty members on site during the summer session. He said students would be working with turtles he had taken data from during the previous year. "There'll be mathematics people to predict the size distribution of the turtles for the next year," Powell said, "and then there's the interaction in the field that will come from a biological perspective." He said in most biology-related classes he teaches, lessons doesn't delve into the science's related math topics because not everyone has a background for it. Likewise in the mathematics courses, he said there's not usually physical application of topics. Ledder said after the first year of the program, he hopes to expand work to two groups. "We hope that after the NSF funding runs out in five years, the university will be able to keep the program going," Ledder said. In addition to the RUTE program, Ledder said there would be a five-week summer course to introduce students to research skills in mathematics and biology. Students interested in either course can find applications on the math department's Web site later this year. Ledder said the combination of biology and mathematics is becoming increasingly important in both fields. "Science goes back and forth between experiment and observation and theory," he said. "Mathematicians can contribute to the theory part because it sometimes shows up as mathematical formulas." NSF grant used for biological, mathematical research |