Entries by Zenith Farin

In Memoriam: Richard Tapia (1939-2026)

Photo courtesy: American Academy of Arts & Sciences. It is with great sadness to announce the passing of Mathematician and Rice University Professor Richard Tapia (1939-2026). Tapia’s family immigrated from Mexico to Los Angeles, where he was born and raised. Richard Tapia was the first in his family to attend college, earning his B.A., M.A., […]

Professor Chenfanfu Jiang Collaborates with Toyota Research Institute for URP 3.0

UCLA Mathematics Professor Chenfanfu Jiang is collaborating with the Toyota Research Institute (TRI) as a part of the next five-year phase of their University Research Program, known as URP 3.0. This marks Jiang’s second collaboration with TRI. “Starting in 2026, URP 3.0 supports 69 research projects across 31 universities, bringing together 88 TRI researchers and 104 […]

UCLA Undergraduate Team Ranked ‘Finalists’ in 2026 Mathematical Contest in Modeling

Under the guidance of Professor Mason Porter, six UCLA Undergraduate Math students were named Finalists in the 42nd annual Mathematical Contest in Modeling (MCM) and the 28th annual Interdisciplinary Contest in Modeling (ICM). This year, 32,213 teams representing 28 countries and regions participated, with 93,977 students working in teams of up to three to research […]

Professor Terence Tao, UCLA Computer Scientists Awarded Laude Moonshots Grant to Build AI System as Research Partner

Image Courtesy of Laude Institute “A team of six UCLA faculty members spanning artificial intelligence, computer science and mathematics has received a $250,000 seed grant from the Laude Institute as part of its inaugural Moonshots initiative, which supports university-led efforts to solve some of humanity’s hardest, undiscovered problems. The UCLA team was one of just eight selected […]

UCLA Research Team Signs $5M Contract with DARPA for AI Research

Image Courtesy of DARPA expMath webpage. UCLA recently signed a $5 Million Dollar Contract with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) for the expMath: Exponentiating Mathematics initiative. Professors Wei Wang, Andrea Bertozzi, Terence Tao, Kai-Wei Chang, Nanyun Peng, and Amit Sahai are involved in this effort led by PI Wei Wang.  Exponentiating Mathematics (expMath) […]

Professor Terence Tao receives Princeton’s James Madison Medal

Photo Credit: Princeton University Alumni Website. Professor Terence Tao has been awarded the 2026 James Madison Medal, the highest distinction for a Princeton University alumnus. Tao was honored at Princeton’s annual Alumni Day this past February for his exceptional contributions to the field of mathematics. Tao received his PhD from Princeton University in 1996 at […]

Professor Andrea Bertozzi featured on SIAM for Women’s History Month

In honor of Women’s History Month, the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) has featured UCLA Mathematics Professor Andrea Bertozzi for her diverse research work and contributions to SIAM. When asked about advice to early-career professionals, Bertozzi stated, “Do not be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and learn new things; it’s […]

UCLA Putnam Team ranks #31

In the 86th annual Putnam Competition held on December 6th, 2025, the UCLA team was ranked #31. Listed below are the students who ranked in the top 500, listed alphabetically by first name: Ricky HuJason LiuAkash MadirajuKenneth RenHaoran SunMuztaba SyedDiana ToluSahan WijetungaThomas Wu The Basil Gordon Prize, for the top scorer among UCLA students, will […]

Professor Monica Visan Receives Inaugural Edmond and Nancy Tomastik Prize

UCLA Mathematics Professor Monica Visan has received the Inaugural Edmond and Nancy Tomastik Prize, presented by the American Mathematical Society. Visan is being honored for her contributions to nonlinear dispersive and wave equations, specifically through the introduction, development, and applications of the method of commuting flows. She was honored at the Awards Celebration on January […]