{"530471":{"#nid":"530471","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Get to Know the School of Math Prof: Dan Margalit","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is your research about? \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMy \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.math.gatech.edu\/users\/dmargalit7\u0022\u003Eresearch\u003C\/a\u003E area is topology. In topology, we study properties of shapes that persist even when we stretch or bend the shapes. For example, if you have two metal rings that are linked, then they stay linked even if you bend or stretch the metal. A typical question in topology is the following: Someone hands you two rings made of metal; if you are allowed to bend and stretch the metal, can you pull the rings apart or not?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMost of my research in topology is about surfaces. The surface could be that of a ball or a donut. Surfaces are central in mathematics. They can describe the possible motions of a robot arm or all the possible solutions of a polynomial. My particular research is on the symmetries of surfaces \u2013 if we really want to understand an object, we must also understand its symmetries! Some symmetries of surfaces are easy to understand. But when we allow bending and stretching, they more challenging.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMathematics is important because it describes the world in a beautiful and coherent way. Even the most far-fetched and abstract mathematical ideas can make their way into everyday life. For example, I was very pleased recently to attend a lecture at Georgia Tech by \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/extopologist.net\/\u0022\u003EJesse Johnson\u003C\/a\u003E, a topologist who is currently working at Google. He described an application of his research on the topology of three-dimensional manifolds to the analysis of large data sets. This was shocking to me and very satisfying.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat has been the most exciting time so far in your research life? \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt\u2019s always the new thing that\u2019s the most exciting. Just recently my computer finished a months-long linear algebra calculation that told my collaborators and me something about an important problem in geometric group theory. We still don\u2019t completely understand what the computer is telling us, but for me that is the most exciting part \u2013 being on the cusp of discovery.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow did you find your way to mathematics research?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI\u2019ve had some great teachers from childhood all the way on up. I remember my grandfather explaining trigonometry to me on his back patio. And I remember my dad explaining binary to me at our kitchen table. Both of them were born mathematicians, but they never got the chance.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhen I was an undergraduate at Brown University, I took a class called \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www3.nd.edu\/~klanser\/claviusgroup\/banchoff4thdimension.shtml\u0022\u003EThe Fourth Dimension\u003C\/a\u003E with \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.math.brown.edu\/~banchoff\/\u0022\u003ETom Banchoff\u003C\/a\u003E. That\u2019s where I first learned about Klein bottles and Mobius strips and other surfaces. I read books by \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.mathaware.org\/mam\/00\/master\/people\/abbott\/\u0022\u003EEdwin Abbott Abbott\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/martin-gardner.org\/\u0022\u003EMartin Gardner\u003C\/a\u003E, and \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/ianstewartjoat.weebly.com\/\u0022\u003EIan Stewart\u003C\/a\u003E. I spent a weekend trying to build a torus (the surface of a donut) with 14 flat triangles. At that point I was hooked.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat advice would you give to a college freshman who wants to be a mathematician?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIf you love math, you should do math. Don\u2019t be discouraged if people around you seem smarter, faster, or more knowledgeable. There is way more to math than being a genius or a prodigy. If you love what you do, you\u2019ll be successful.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EIf you could not be a mathematician, in what line of work would you be now?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI don\u2019t understand the question.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI\u2019m kidding, but I really have no idea. I enjoy writing and teaching. I especially enjoy finding the right way to explain a particular topic to a particular group of people. I could possibly get that kind of satisfaction from teaching high school or writing popular mathematical or scientific nonfiction.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is the most exciting thing about being a part of Georgia Tech?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe science!\u0026nbsp; The sheer volume of exciting scientific research that comes out of Georgia Tech is astounding.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat are you most surprised about in your encounters with Georgia Tech students?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThey work very hard. And they take responsibility for their successes and failures. I don\u2019t know how many times I was expecting a student to complain to me that my test question was too hard, only to have them tell me it was a completely fair question and they should have gotten it.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat unusual skill, talent, or quality do you have that is not obvious to your colleagues?\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI used to be a very avid juggler, doing stage performances and street performances. I once juggled 7 balls for something like 10 seconds. It was glorious \u2013 even though nobody else saw it!\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is your ideal way to relax? \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI love hanging out with my family. I love being in the mountains. I love singing and playing music. I try to do something for myself every day.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat three destinations are still in your travel to-do list\u003C\/strong\u003E?\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI\u2019m not a big traveler. When I lived in Utah, I developed a love for the great outdoors. Places like Alaska, New Zealand, and Patagonia \u2013 dramatic landscapes at the corners of the globe \u2013 are appealing to me.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EIf you won $10 Million in a lottery, what would you do?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI like my life, so I wouldn\u2019t make a lot of changes. I have various fantasies for popularizing math and improving math education, so I\u2019d start thinking about ways to act on those.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Part of a Series of Q\u0026A Miniprofiles for Math Awareness Month"}],"field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"School of Mathematics faculty explain their research, recall highlights of their careers, and share personal insights."}],"uid":"30678","created_gmt":"2016-04-27 14:54:00","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:21:32","author":"A. Maureen Rouhi","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2016-04-29T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2016-04-29T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"530451":{"id":"530451","type":"image","title":"Dan Margalit","body":null,"created":"1461963600","gmt_created":"2016-04-29 21:00:00","changed":"1475895310","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:55:10","alt":"Dan Margalit","file":{"fid":"214744","name":"dan.margalit.1.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/dan.margalit.1.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/dan.margalit.1.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2415446,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/dan.margalit.1.jpg?itok=txdYdLIW"}},"530461":{"id":"530461","type":"image","title":"Dan Margalit","body":null,"created":"1461963600","gmt_created":"2016-04-29 21:00:00","changed":"1475895310","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:55:10","alt":"Dan Margalit","file":{"fid":"214745","name":"dan.margalit.juggling.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/dan.margalit.juggling.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/dan.margalit.juggling.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":829531,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/dan.margalit.juggling.jpg?itok=kTl645kW"}}},"media_ids":["530451","530461"],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"}],"categories":[{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"}],"keywords":[{"id":"4896","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"170196","name":"Dan Margalit"},{"id":"168854","name":"School of Mathematics"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39431","name":"Data Engineering and Science"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA. Maureen Rouhi (\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:maureen.rouhi@cos.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Emaureen.rouhi@cos.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E)\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDirector of Communications, College of Sciences\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E404.385.5207\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["maureen.rouhi@cos.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}