Two young professors at UCLA have been hailed as some of the foremost minds in today's academic environment. Dr. Joseph Teran and Dr. Terence Tao, both of the UCLA Math Department, were honored in this month's issue of Discover magazine, in an article highlighting a group of people, collectively labeled as the "20 Best Brains Under 40." According to Discover, those writing the piece sought to find "the best of the best." Enter Doctors Teran and Tao!
  

Dr. Teran, 31, is a specialist in the field of applied mathematics, recently noted for his contributions to mathematical modeling for the field of medicine, particularly surgical imaging. According to Discover, Teran's work involves turning equations "into a standard digital human that can react, in real time, to a surgeon’s virtual actions." The idea behind creating a virtual doppleganger for surgeons to practice on, has been called the "digital double."

 
Teran told Canyon News that upon hearing of the honor, he was “definitely surprised,” and excited to see his work highlighted. His work has been mainly done on soft tissues and musculoskeletal tissues, though he is also interested in applying this technology to blood flow operations. His research on medical technology is already in use, as he stated that “some surgeries can be handled” by the technology already, including malignant melonoma removal and light cosmetic work, including scar minimizing. He hopes to continue to focus on this particular area for years to come. One of his favorite moments since coming to UCLA was when he first taught an undergraduate calculus course, in which it was “really nice to see students so motivated.” He also enjoyes working with a circle of PhD students, “working on various projects... It's been really nice to have such a large group and all the help they provide.”

Joseph Teran. Photo courtesy of ucla.edu

  
Dr. Tao, 33, is a celebrated professor and no stranger to public renown. UCLA has selected Tao as its "Spotlight" faculty member at least twice, highlighting just some of his accomplishments. Dr. Tao is no stranger to having awards based on his notable intelligence, and is something of a rockstar in the world of math, a legend among students. Tao is mainly a theoretical mathematician. When speaking with Canyon News, Tao stated, "It is of course very flattering to be recognised in this manner, though my ongoing work tends to keep these sorts of awards in perspective: certainly the award does not mean that the research problems that I am trying to solve magically get any easier, or that the students that I teach learn any faster! It was very interesting though to read about the other awardees; I had known of some of them and their work (especially those in mathematics or computer science), but it was good to hear more about them."


Dr. Tao also shared some advice for potential mathematicians. "I have had many students (and parents of students) ask me for career advice in mathematics, to the point where I decided to collect my thoughts on these matters on a page in my blog." His blog can be found at http://terrytao.wordpress.com/career-advice/

Tao stated that his love of math has been a decades-long affair: "I have been fascinated by mathematics for as long as I can remember. My parents tell me that at age two, they found me trying to teach some four and five-year old kids of their friends how to count by using number blocks. I think I always liked mathematics because the rules were clear and well-defined; I could see what it mean to have a right or wrong answer, there were no shades of grey."


Congratulations to both of these brilliant young gentlemen!

Terence Tao. Photo courtesy of ucla.edu

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