Sungwook Lee

My full name is Sungwook Lee (李 昇 郁 written in Chinese characters) but I usually go by Sung Lee. I was born and raised in South Korea. While I cherish my Korean heritage, I am now a pround citizen of the United States of America. I also go by John which is my Catholic confirmation name. (It is named after John the Apostle.)

I am a mathematician and a physics buff. I am as much passionate about physics as I am about mathematics! I am also passionate about computers and computing. I am a Linux mania and a hacker wannabe. Don't be alarmed by the word "hacker!" Most people are using the word "hacker" incorrectly. Simply speaking, hackers are builders and creators. They are the people who try to understand the system well enough so that they don't have to be bound by the rules that control the system and they can modify the system or create a new (better) one. While hackers are builders, folks like Anonymous and Guccifer are breakers. They should be called crackers rather than hackers. Historically hackers are the ones who are responsible for the computer revolution from the 1970's through the 1980's including the Unix and Linux operating systems and the internet. They are also the driving force behind open-source software movement. I have a great respect for the real hackers, for what they have contributed to our society and civilization, and for what they stand for: the freedom! Hopefully someday I can become one of them.

My hobbies include writing about mathematics and physics, solving math and physics problems, computer programming, and learning languages. It started out as a hobby in the beginning but I have gotten more serious about learning languages nowadays. I am trying to learn related languages together by groups from linguistic point of view. It's fun!

My Curriculum Vitae: Last updated on 3/16/2020.

• MSc in Mathematics (Universal Algebra), Keimyung University, 1993
• Ph.D. in Mathematics (Differential Geometry), University of Connecticut, 2002

• My Short Academic Genealogy

My Ph.D. advisor was Professor Kinetsu Abe. He was a student of Professor Katsumi Nomizu who was a student of late Professor Shiing-Shen Chern.

I have been employed by the University of Southern Mississippi since August, 2001 right out of graduate school.

• Appointments

• July, 2012 - June, 2014: Interim Chair, Department of Mathematics, University of Southern Mississippi
• January, 2012 - June, 2012: Service Course Program Director, Department of Mathematics, University of Southern Mississippi
• September, 2011 - June, 2012: Math Zone Director, University of Southern Mississippi
• June, 2011 - August, 2011: Interim-Director, Math Zone, University of Southern Mississippi
• August, 2007 - Present: Tenured Associate Professor, Department of Mathematics, University of Southern Mississippi
• August, 2001 - July, 2007: Tenure-Track Assistant Professor, Department of Mathematics, University of Southern Mississippi

• Awards

• Aubrey K. & Ella Ginn Lucas Award, College of Science & Technology Excellence in Teaching, The University of Southern Mississippi, 2007
• Outstanding Faculty Teaching Award, College of Science and Technology, The University of Southern Mississippi, 2006