Michael McNulty blasting through 2020 with this kickflip! Photo: Brian Guzman
What is/was your major? At what school? What is your goal for life after school using that major?
My major is math and I am working on getting my PhD in the study of singularity formation in nonlinear wave equations. I'm at the University of California, Riverside. My life goal using my major is to indefinitely feed my curiosity while still being able to feed myself.
How has school and/or life been since receiving a scholarship from us? How did the scholarship help you on your journey?
My life this past year has mostly been centered around school and skating. My first paper appeared in an academic journal! Exactly at the same time as receiving the scholarship, I gained a research collaborator and, since then, I've been more motivated than ever to work on my research. I skate as much as possible in between teaching and researching whether on campus or at the various parks within driving distance. The scholarship helped me fund a research trip to Germany to spend some time working with my collaborator (now co-advisor).
What have you enjoyed most during your COVID spread/Stay at Home time?
I've been home in NJ with my family since mid-March. It's been nice to be home for such a long time. I haven't been here for more than a month-ish since I started grad school. The change has been refreshing in such a hectic time.
What is something valuable you have learned during this time?
I've learned some very important mathematical techniques haha. More importantly, I've been learning how to effectively break down huge problems into, possibly many, bite-sized pieces.
How has skateboarding remained a role in your life?
Skateboarding is one of the most important parts of my life and always will be. Whenever I'm exhausted from teaching or frustrated by being stuck on something in my research, skateboarding always provides me with a much-needed escape. I always end skating feeling soothed and clearer in my mind. During the pandemic, I've been forced to skate a lot of local spots since all of the parks were shut down for a good amount of time. We've even found a few I never knew existed which has been really fun. The parks are starting to open back up here in my part of NJ. It's been great getting back to our local park.
What advice would you give to someone just starting their higher education path?
Don't be afraid to totally screw up and to learn slowly. In fact, welcome it. Many people grow up associating a negative feeling with making mistakes or, for lack of a better phrase, falling behind. This is completely understandable and requires some really good influences in your life to feel otherwise. Being confused or stuck, though frustrating, is an amazing thing. It means you are being presented with an opportunity to resolve that confusion and to learn from that process. When presented with that opportunity, don't hesitate to be honest with others. Maybe you know what you're confused about or you don't. Either way, letting others know about this is one of the most effective first steps in resolving it.
Who would you bring on your dream skate session and what would you be skating?
I'd bring my dogs Alan Munger, Brian Guzman, and Jonas Ventura. We'd be skating an empty Poods. In my dream, there's an espresso bar over by the little manny pad.
Let's say the keyholder to your dream job is reading this right now. What is the job, and what do you want to say to them?
The job is a permanent research position at some university in which I get to study the types of things I do now and whatever those things lead me to alongside people who feel as strongly as I do. If this person was someone who works in my specific subfield, I'd definitely strike up a conversation about our respective research in order to get the mathematical juices flowing. I'd hope that we could find some common ground between our interests that could turn into a joint project.
To read Michael’s paper titled Development of singularities of the Skyrme model which appeared in the Journal of Hyperbolic Differential Equations click here for the open access version and click here if you have access through a university to see the formal version.
Interview By: Joshua Rowe