by Huy Huynh

As the editor of the Asian American E-Zine, but more importantly having experienced his teaching firsthand, I had an opportunity to interview Professor Yuefan Deng.  Professor Deng is a well-loved and respected professor, as well as an established researcher. As one of the recent recipients of the $750,000 IBM Shared University Research grant, otherwise known as IBM SUR, he has once again caught the attention of students and professors alike. This interview will give everyone insight into his work and show how he got his reputation as Stony Brook's most popular math professor. 

The Galaxy Lab, a supercomputer lab on campus, would not be here if it had not been for Professor Deng. His work on supercomputer design began in 1985. During the course of his work, he attended a workshop in Beijing where the problem of not having and being able to afford a supercomputer was discussed. This consequently inspired the beginning of his work on Galaxy. Single computers can be connected through switches in parallel to make them perform like a supercomputer, hence the name parallel computing, but at a fraction of the cost. The single computers are connected through different low latency and high bandwidth networks. With no equipment, not even a screwdriver, he had to go home to get the equipment needed to start on his project. Initially connecting 32 processors, the Galaxy supercomputer is now running 600 processors. The lab is utilized by over 50 Ph.D. students on campus for their various projects from biology to chemistry.

One of the professor's more recent projects is a supercomputer in China called the Nankai-Stars, started in 2002. Designed with one of his former students, Alex Korobka, Ph.D., Stony Brook University , it boasts 768 processors that are able to perform at more than 4.5 Teraflops. Located at Nankai University , it is the most utilized computer by young faculty in Biology, Chemistry, Economics, and Physics.  Professor Deng has also been involved in a supercomputer project in Turkey . He was at an International Conference in Istanbul and was invited by the President of the Middle East Technical University to build Turkey 's first supercomputer.  When built, this computer will be listed amongst the top 500 supercomputers in the world allowing Turkey to vastly improve their computing capabilities.

When he talks about teaching, Professor Deng's face lights up in a radiant smile.  Considered the best Applied Math professor on campus by his students, he reveals his secrets about teaching.  If you are thinking that it is magic, No!  It is not magic that allows him to engage a math class and make it enjoyable. As simple as it may sound, it is his familiarity with the topic and more importantly, it is his love of teaching. Professor Deng truly enjoys what he does. He says that there is a great joy in him to see that students can understand what he is teaching. As a result of his accomplishment, he received the Chancellors Award for Excellence in Teaching.

In the future, he hopes for Stony Brook, Brookhaven National Laboratory, and the other institutions he is working with to improve their computational capabilities so that time required for important research is shortened. The Professor's greatest goal in life, however, was to become a professor. He achieved that and more. Not only can he connect to his students on a multitude of levels, he has instilled a mark of excellence on them. His students are able to learn from him; they are able to learn well. That is the mark, the goal, of a great professor. Professor Deng is certainly a great professor.

Video Interview of Professor Deng
http://www.aa2sbu.org/aaezine/articles/vol12/N8YuefanDeng.shtml 

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