Director of San Diego Math Circle
Interdisciplinary Research Scientist at University of California, San Diego

B.S. in Mathematics and Physics, Bucknell University
Ph.D. Theoretical Physics, Rochester of University

Dr. Brown received his Bachelors degree in mathematics and physics from Bucknell University, and his Ph.D. in theoretical physics from the University of Rochester. Following a career as an interdisciplinary research scientist at UCSD, his children led him to a heightened appreciation for the exceptional needs of gifted youth and to involvement with non-traditional education. Dr. Brown enjoys finding creative ways of opening young minds to new ideas. In SDMC he sees the opportunity to provide enriching experiences for talented young people who thrive on challenge, within a peer group that is self-selected for their aptitude and enthusiasm for mathematics.
As Director of SanDiego Math Circle (SDMC), Dr. Brown seeks constantly to find ways to connect high-ability students with well-motivated professionals who have significant expertise. This includes advanced students, who may not yet possess a litany of advanced degrees, but who may understand what it means to struggle with the challenge of independent advanced learning.

In recent years, Dr. Brown has become involved with international math competitions involving Pacific Rim countries, as part of a effort to expose US students to the broader realities inherent in global competition.

James H. Choi, Ph.D.

Director of Sabio Research
Former Director of e-Learning Technologies at Motorola
Former Research Scientist at Siemens Medical Imaging

B.S. in Mathematics and Physics, University of Illinois at Chicago
M.S. Electrical Engineering, University of Illinois at Chicago
Ph.D. Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, Northwestern University

Dr. Choi has worked as a researcher at several global companies such as Siemens, Motorola, Aon and Borg Warner. His research topics include 3D Medical Image Reconstruction, Automatic Electronic Circuit Inspection, Earthquake Damage Prediction, Engine Component Defect Detection, etc. Currently he is running his own company Sabio Research which solves customers’ problems in data analysis as well as process/factory automation. He uses his areas of expertise – math, physics, image processing, signal processing, pattern recognition and artificial intelligence – in order to come up with innovative solutions for difficult problems.

Dr. Choi finds it baffling that computers made so little difference in math education so far. In fact, he feels math, physics and computer science should not even be separate subjects because he never saw a problem in the real world that can be solved without using all three subjects at the same time. (By “problem in the real world“ he means “problems so real that someone is willing to pay to have them solved.”) He is now creating a curriculum that, he believes, will better prepare students for the real world so that students can also get paid – as opposed to getting high scores in tests – by making this world a better place for the customer. An interesting unintended side-effect of this training/knowledge is that it also raises test scores in math, physics and computer science.

Dr. Choi also enjoys sharing his real world problem solving techniques and experiences with students. Many of his students presented their solutions at science fairs and went on to win prizes at ISEF (International Science and Engineering Fair) as well as KSEF (Korean Science and Engineering Fair) over the years. Dr. Choi has volunteered as a judge at ISEF and IJAS Region 6 (Illinois Junior Academy of Science) for many years as well.