Mark Burgin, extreme scientist, passed away
Mark was an extreme scientist. He has written more than thousand publications in different fields of science, has held many positions and was not afraid to take on work. When he joined our institute, he did not want to become an honorary member. He wanted to do research and convinced me to do a project together on a Single Integrated Science of Information (SISI). When I took the photo above in Berkeley in 2019, his eyes were the eyes of a youngster who spread freshness looking forward to co-operation. He never tried to gain an advantage at the expense of others. He had a calm nature and was not vain, although there were no questions to which he did not know an answer to.
He died in the midst of his work at the age of 77.
Have a closer look at his vita here. Find also here an obituary of close colleagues.
Comments:1
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
In the summer of 2021, I took Dr. Burgin’s Introduction to Algorithm course (CS 180) at UCLA. I had just transferred to UCLA from community college, clueless yet determined to do research in theoretical computer science. I asked and Dr. Burgin agreed to work on a project together. Under his guidance, I studied the entire undergraduate CS Theory curriculum and had my first research experience. Working within his axiomatic theory of automata and algorithms, our paper “On totalisation of computable functions in a distributive environment” was published. My work with Dr. Burgin was instrumental to my future growth at UCLA and now applying to Ph.D. programs.
Whether it is the foundations of theoretical CS, the process of mathematical research, or kindness and patience to manatees, I will carry the lessons I’ve learned from Dr. Burgin for a long time and will forever owe him many thanks. May he rest in peace.