Max Gunzburger
Encyclopedia
Max D. Gunzburger, Francis Eppes Distinguished Professor of Mathematics
at Florida State University
, is an American
mathematician
and computational scientist
affiliated with the Florida State interdisciplinary Department of Scientific Computing. He was the 2008 winner of the SIAM W.T. and Idalia Reid Prize in Mathematics. His seminal research contributions include flow control
, finite element analysis, superconductivity
and Voronoi tessellations. He has also made contributions in the areas of aerodynamics
, materials, acoustics
, climate change
, groundwater
, image processing
and risk assessment
.
in 1966, Gunzburger earned his Ph.D.
degree from the same University in 1969. His thesis, titled Diffraction of shock waves by a thin wing—Symmetric and anti-symmetric problems, was written under the direction of Lu Ting.
until 1976. He then became an Associate Professor and Professor of Mathematics at the University of Tennessee
, a position he held from 1976 to 1982.
Transferring again, he moved from Carnegie Mellon University
in 1981 to 1989, to Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
from 1987 to 1997. In 1989 he completed his influential first book, "Finite Element Methods for Viscous Incompressible Flows: A Guide to Theory, Practice and Algorithms," ISBN 978-0123073501, which according to Google scholar has over 400 citations as of March 2009 http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&q=%22Finite+element+methods+for+viscous+incompressible+flows%3A+a+guide+to+theory%2C+practice%2C+and+algorithms%22&btnG=Search .
as Professor and Chair of Mathematics. In 2001, he was awarded Distinguished Professor of Mathematics. At Iowa State he wrote three other books.
Gunzburger came to the Florida State University in 2002. As an Eppes professor, Gunzburger is among the university's most distinguished scholars. He currently serves as the chair of the Department of Scientific Computing.
Journal on Numerical Analysis
from 2000-2007. He also served as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees in 2003 and has held various other SIAM positions
on May 1, 2009 for "contributions to control of fluids and scientific computing."
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
at Florida State University
Florida State University
The Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...
, is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
and computational scientist
Computational scientist
A computational scientist is a person skilled in scientific computing. This person is usually a scientist, an engineer, or an applied mathematician who applies high-performance computers in different ways to advance the state-of-the-art in their respective applied disciplines in physics, chemistry...
affiliated with the Florida State interdisciplinary Department of Scientific Computing. He was the 2008 winner of the SIAM W.T. and Idalia Reid Prize in Mathematics. His seminal research contributions include flow control
Flow control
In data communications, flow control is the process of managing the pacing of data transmission between two nodes to prevent a fast sender from outrunning a slow receiver. It provides a mechanism for the receiver to control the transmission speed, so that the receiving node is not overwhelmed with...
, finite element analysis, superconductivity
Superconductivity
Superconductivity is a phenomenon of exactly zero electrical resistance occurring in certain materials below a characteristic temperature. It was discovered by Heike Kamerlingh Onnes on April 8, 1911 in Leiden. Like ferromagnetism and atomic spectral lines, superconductivity is a quantum...
and Voronoi tessellations. He has also made contributions in the areas of aerodynamics
Aerodynamics
Aerodynamics is a branch of dynamics concerned with studying the motion of air, particularly when it interacts with a moving object. Aerodynamics is a subfield of fluid dynamics and gas dynamics, with much theory shared between them. Aerodynamics is often used synonymously with gas dynamics, with...
, materials, acoustics
Acoustics
Acoustics is the interdisciplinary science that deals with the study of all mechanical waves in gases, liquids, and solids including vibration, sound, ultrasound and infrasound. A scientist who works in the field of acoustics is an acoustician while someone working in the field of acoustics...
, climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
, groundwater
Groundwater
Groundwater is water located beneath the ground surface in soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations. A unit of rock or an unconsolidated deposit is called an aquifer when it can yield a usable quantity of water. The depth at which soil pore spaces or fractures and voids in rock...
, image processing
Image processing
In electrical engineering and computer science, image processing is any form of signal processing for which the input is an image, such as a photograph or video frame; the output of image processing may be either an image or, a set of characteristics or parameters related to the image...
and risk assessment
Risk assessment
Risk assessment is a step in a risk management procedure. Risk assessment is the determination of quantitative or qualitative value of risk related to a concrete situation and a recognized threat...
.
Ph. D.
After completing his BS degree at New York UniversityNew York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
in 1966, Gunzburger earned his Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
degree from the same University in 1969. His thesis, titled Diffraction of shock waves by a thin wing—Symmetric and anti-symmetric problems, was written under the direction of Lu Ting.
Early career
Gunzburger began his career at New York University as a Research Scientist and Assistant Professor of Mathematics, a position he held from receiving his Ph. D. until 1971. He then spent two years working as a post-doctorate at the Naval Ordinance Laboratory before transferring to the Institute for Computer Applications in Science and Engineering at NASANASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
until 1976. He then became an Associate Professor and Professor of Mathematics at the University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
, a position he held from 1976 to 1982.
Transferring again, he moved from Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
in 1981 to 1989, to Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, popularly known as Virginia Tech , is a public land-grant university with the main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia with other research and educational centers throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and internationally.Founded in...
from 1987 to 1997. In 1989 he completed his influential first book, "Finite Element Methods for Viscous Incompressible Flows: A Guide to Theory, Practice and Algorithms," ISBN 978-0123073501, which according to Google scholar has over 400 citations as of March 2009 http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&q=%22Finite+element+methods+for+viscous+incompressible+flows%3A+a+guide+to+theory%2C+practice%2C+and+algorithms%22&btnG=Search .
Distinguished Professorship
In 1995, Gunzburger took a position with Iowa State UniversityIowa State University
Iowa State University of Science and Technology, more commonly known as Iowa State University , is a public land-grant and space-grant research university located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Iowa State has produced astronauts, scientists, and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, along with a host of...
as Professor and Chair of Mathematics. In 2001, he was awarded Distinguished Professor of Mathematics. At Iowa State he wrote three other books.
Gunzburger came to the Florida State University in 2002. As an Eppes professor, Gunzburger is among the university's most distinguished scholars. He currently serves as the chair of the Department of Scientific Computing.
SIAM
Gunzburger served as Editor-in-Chief of the SIAMSociety for Industrial and Applied Mathematics
The Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics was founded by a small group of mathematicians from academia and industry who met in Philadelphia in 1951 to start an organization whose members would meet periodically to exchange ideas about the uses of mathematics in industry. This meeting led...
Journal on Numerical Analysis
Numerical analysis
Numerical analysis is the study of algorithms that use numerical approximation for the problems of mathematical analysis ....
from 2000-2007. He also served as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees in 2003 and has held various other SIAM positions
Awards and honors
In 2007, issues 3-4 in volume 4 of the "International Journal of Numerical Analysis and Modeling" were dedicated to Professor Gunzburger to honor the occasion of his 60th birthday. In 2008, Gunzburger was awarded the W.T. and Idalia Reid Prize in Mathematics, an award given for "research in, or other contributions to, the broadly defined areas of differential equations and control theory." The award was given based on "fundamental contributions to control of distributed parameter systems and computational mathematics." Gunzbuger was elected a fellow of SIAMSociety for Industrial and Applied Mathematics
The Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics was founded by a small group of mathematicians from academia and industry who met in Philadelphia in 1951 to start an organization whose members would meet periodically to exchange ideas about the uses of mathematics in industry. This meeting led...
on May 1, 2009 for "contributions to control of fluids and scientific computing."
Publications
As of March 2009, Gunzburger has published 153 peer-reviewed articles in scholarly journals (162 according to MathSciNet). Three of the most highly cited are- Qiang DuQiang DuQiang Du, , Verne M. Willaman Professor of Mathematics at Pennsylvania State University, is a mathematician and computational scientist affiliated with the Pennsylvania State University Department of Mathematics and Materials Sciences.-Ph. D.:...
, Max Gunzburger, and Janet S. Peterson, "Analysis and approximation of the Ginzburg-Landau model of superconductivity", SIAM Review 34 (1992), no 1, 54-81. - Qiang Du, Vance FaberVance FaberVance Faber is a mathematician, known for his work in combinatorics, applied linear algebra and image processing....
, and Max Gunzburger, "Centroidal Voronoi tessellations: Applications and algorithms", SIAM Review 41 (1999), no. 4, pp. 637–676. - Pavel B. Bochev and Max Gunzburger, "Finite element methods of least-squares type", SIAM Review 40 (1998), no. 4, 789-837.