Friday, May 1, 1998
Mathematics integral part of movie equation
ACADEMICS: Awareness month seeks to educate, dispel widespread
fears
By Teresa Jun
Daily Bruin Contributor
One of the hottest topics making waves in the media are the
dramatic special effects brought to the screen by the creators of
the blockbuster film "Titanic."
What most people don’t realize is that those special effects are
made possible through the specialized use of mathematics.
In observance of National Mathematics Awareness Week (MAW), the
UCLA math department celebrated this year’s theme, "Mathematics and
Imaging," by hosting a series of daily lectures with guest speakers
– including a speaker from Digital Domain, the special effects
creator for "Titanic."
Representing a variety of professional backgrounds such as
motion picture, medicine and academia, each of this week’s speakers
celebrated the diverse applications of math.
Speakers from Digital Domain, as well as two other motion
picture special effects companies, explained how math is used in
creating the digital images that are seen on the screen.
"The purpose is to make the public aware of the excitement and
versatility of math," said Tony Chan, chair of the math
department.
"Most people are not aware of the connection between math and
other things in life," Chan said.
The application of math in imaging is certainly not limited to
special effects. Mathematically aided imaging is also important in
the medical profession.
"Many people don’t associate these machines (CAT scan,
ultrasound) with math, because we’re one step removed," Chan
explained.
"We just see the machinery, the medical technology. But without
math, we can’t have these machines," Chan said, referring to
medical instruments that run mathematical algorithms to produce the
images seen on a screen.
Math is also used for imaging purposes in the military,
surveillance, space programs, image restoration, computer graphics,
and in downloading images from the Internet, Chan said.
"Math underlies all these things," Chan added excitedly.
This week’s talks received positive turnouts, event coordinators
agreed. "Many people are interested. It’s an exciting thing," Chan
observed.
"On Monday (when the speaker from Digital Domain gave a talk), a
few film students who probably never come to South Campus even
showed up," said Peter Blomgren, a fourth-year mathematics graduate
student who helped organize the event.
This week’s speakers from the entertainment industry helped
illustrate an important point, according to coordinators.
"Imaging is a huge area that cuts across many fields. The
entertainment industry has recently caught on to this technology,"
Chan said.
"Now Hollywood is generating a lot of jobs using hi-tech
computers. The university has to adapt and make students aware of
these new job opportunities. (Hollywood) is not just for North
Campus people anymore. It’s for South Campus too."
Stanley Osha, a professor in the math department who was also a
featured guest speaker this week, expressed his enthusiasm for
MAW.
"Math Awareness Week is a great idea," Osha said. "People should
learn to overcome their fear of (math) and see how it applies to
our everyday lives."
Started in 1986 by Ronald Reagan, MAW was established as an
attempt to teach the American public the value and importance of
math.
Every year, the theme relates math to a seemingly unrelated
field to illustrate that math pervades many aspects of our life.
Past themes have included "Mathematics and the environment" and
"Mathematics and the Internet."
Various schools all across the nation have been celebrating MAW
this week. From elementary school festivals to university
symposiums, participating institutions are organizing their own
unique local events to promote math awareness.
"Every (school) has their own different local activities," Chan
explained. "We’re in the middle of L.A., so we thought ‘Hey, we’ve
got to get Hollywood.’"