Anna Tao accepted for her Ph.D. at Brown University

My name is Anna Tao, and this summer, I’ll be attending the seventh annual Summer School on Dynamical Systems at the University of Houston, from May 27 to June 6, before moving on to the PhD program at Brown University. My intention for going into the summer school is to learn a bit more on dynamical systems and ergodic theory, to expand my breadth before specializing to a field for academia.

I chose to study math because it was the one subject I found out that I consistently enjoyed throughout high school and college. In particular, I like figuring out puzzles, finding logical explanations to concepts, and learning about weird applications of these concepts; math hits all three of these points.

One aspect I’ve noticed in doing math is that it’s an activity best done with peers, and I am very fortunate to find so many people, particularly my peers and the faculty at CCNY’s mathematics department, who are just as enthusiastic about subject as I am. Without their support, I don’t think I would have made it this far.

Thank you, Jason Redman, George Braithwaite, and Prof. Bak, for being so exceptionally considerate and accommodating, and for making feel right at home with the department. Thank you, Prof. Davey and Prof. Daugherty, for your wonderful and inspiring lectures, recommendation, and for your encouraging pep talks that were much needed to set myself straight right before I graduate. Thank you, Prof. Hooper and Prof. Chinta, for your extraordinary patience and guidance, especially with our projects, as well as for the recommendations for internships and programs! Thank you, Pavel Javornik—I value our friendship so much, I’ll never forget the times we’ve talked to each other about math casually, working through homework problems and studying for exams together, running Math Club / AWM events, and having each other’s backs whenever life gets tough. I KNOW you’ll do well in the future. And thank you, Wolfgang Yassiyevich—for your amazing crystal-clear lectures, for the graduate school advice, for introducing me to the World Cup, for your enthusiasm and generosity and…there’s so much I could say, the list goes on and on. All in all, you’ve been such a significant role model for me, when it comes to cultivating my mathematical maturity, and teaching mathematics to others. I hope that one day, I can emulate your style in professorship.

In general, THANK YOU to the CCNY mathematics community—I promise I’ll bring your ideals and values along with me, and pass them forward to the future.

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