Mohamed Omar (mathematician)

Mohamed Omar is a mathematician interested in combinatorics, and algebra. Omar is currently an Associate Professor of Mathematics and the Joseph B. Platt Chair in Effective Teaching at Harvey Mudd College.

Mohamed Omar
Born
Alexandria, Egypt
NationalityCanadian
Alma materUniversity of Waterloo, University of California Davis
Awards
Scientific career
FieldsMathematics, Combinatorics, Algebra
InstitutionsHarvey Mudd College
Doctoral advisorJesús A. De Loera

Early life and education

Omar was born in Alexandria, Egypt to an Egyptian mother and an Ethiopian father, but was raised in Toronto, Canada.[1]

He attended the University of Waterloo, where he received a bachelor's double degree in pure mathematics and combinatorics & optimization in 2006, followed by a master's degree in combinatorics & optimization in 2007. Omar's master's thesis was titled "Combinatorial Approaches to the Jacobian Conjecture" and was advised by Ian P. Goulden.[2]

Omar then attended graduate school in the mathematics department at the University of California Davis. He completed his Ph.D. in mathematics in 2011.[3] Omar's doctoral advisor was Jesús A. De Loera, and his dissertation was titled "Applications of Convex and Algebraic Geometry to Graphs and Polytopes".[4]

Career

After completion of his doctorate, Omar became the Harry Bateman Research Instructor at the California Institute of Technology.[5] In the fall of 2013 Omar moved to Harvey Mudd College and took a position as tenure track faculty in the mathematics department, where he has worked to this day.[5]

Beyond the classroom, Omar has been involved in numerous outreach efforts to promote diversity in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields, as well as mathematical enrichment for high school students. He has participated in the Bridge to Enter Advanced Mathematics (BEAM) program as an instructor.[6] Omar has also served as faculty at the Canada/USA Mathcamp,[7] and eventually served on the board of directors for the Mathematics Foundation of America, which organizes the camp.[8]

Omar's work in promoting diversity has been written about in Forbes Magazine,[9] and he has been a guest on the Scientific American podcast "My Favorite Theorem".[10] He also maintains a Youtube channel where he posts videos about advanced mathematical concepts as well as videos aimed at helping young students prepare for standardized tests.[5]

Honors and awards

Omar has received several awards for the quality of his teaching. In the 2013-2014 academic year, he was awarded the Associated Students of the California Institute of Technology (ASCIT) Teaching Award.[11] In 2018, the Mathematical Association of America awarded him the Henry L. Alder Award.[12] In 2020, Omar was selected as a fellow in the 2020 Inaugural Class of Karen EDGE Fellows.[13] Omar was also recognized by Mathematically Gifted & Black as a Black History Month 2017 Honoree.[1] He was awarded the Inaugural AMS Claytor-Gilmer Fellowship in 2021.[14]

References
  1. "Mohamed Omar". Mathematically Gifted & Black. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
  2. Omar, Mohamed (2007). "Combinatorial Approaches To The Jacobian Conjecture". Thesis.
  3. "UC Davis Mathematics - Degree Recipients". University of California Davis - Mathematics Department. Archived from the original on 2019-09-26. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
  4. Omar, Mohamed (2011). "Applications of Convex and Algebraic Geometry to Graphs and Polytopes". Dissertation.
  5. "Omar, Mohamed | College News". Harvey Mudd College. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
  6. "Testimonials". Bridge to Enter Advanced Mathematics. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
  7. "Mathcamp 2012 Staff". www.mathcamp.org. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
  8. "Mathematics Foundation of America". 2018-07-01. Archived from the original on 2018-07-01. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
  9. Klawe, Maria. "Why We Need More Students Of Color In Math Enrichment Programs". Forbes. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
  10. Lamb, Evelyn. "Mohamed Omar's Favorite Theorem". Scientific American Blog Network. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
  11. "Donut". donut.caltech.edu. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
  12. "Mohamed Omar, Alder Award 2018 | Mathematical Association of America". www.maa.org. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
  13. "2020 Inaugural Class of Karen EDGE Fellows".
  14. "Mohamed Omar Awarded Inaugural Claytor-Gilmer Fellowship" (PDF). Notices of the American Mathematical Society. 68: 2000.
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