Georgetown College. Georgetown University.

Dr. Der-Chen Chang (Photo: Roland Dimaya)

What do you regard as your greatest academic success?
I would consider the more than 100 papers and four books I have written my greatest success.

What is your idea of happiness?
Happiness is to serve and help others. I believe more pleasure comes from giving than receiving.

Who or what was the greatest influence in your life that led to your career?
I have two people who have greatly influenced my life that led to my career. The first is Professor Elias Stein, who was my Ph.D. thesis advisor at Princeton. He is a member of the National Academy of Science. The second was Professor Peter Greiner, who was a professor of mine during graduate school at Princeton and also a member of the Royal Society of Canada. They both taught me not only mathematics but also how to be an effective teacher. They both cared about their students greatly.

If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?
If I were to do it all over again, when I was studying mathematics I also would like to pursue others interests such as music and art.

What do you enjoy about teaching?
I believe teaching is a calling for me because I believe a teacher is responsible for guiding students academically and also in their life. Teachers should not impress, but impact the lives of their students.

Who are your favorite heroes/heroines in real life (and why)?
The astronomer Copernicus is my hero because he had great wisdom to look at the universe differently and he dared to oppose the general consensus about the universe. I think every scholar should have this attitude and I admire him for this.

Who is your favorite musician?
Mozart is my favorite musician because he is a true musical genius.

Who is your favorite thinker?
Confucius is my favorite thinker.

If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be?
I would like to make it possible for everyone to have the opportunity to be educated. This is why I believe Confucius is the most important thinker.

If you could change one thing at Georgetown, what would it be?
I would also like to build a large science building and put the mathematics department in there and hope Georgetown would become known not only for its great liberal arts but also for its science programs.

What is your favorite word?
Peace.

What, if any, is your phobia?
Snakes!

How do you have fun?
I enjoy traveling with my family. I also really enjoy talking with my students and my fellow church members.

What is the best piece of advice you could give to your students?
I would like to tell them how precious the opportunity to study at Georgetown is and to use the skills acquired to serve the larger community in the future.

What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
One of my spiritual mentors, physicist Dr. John Huang, once told me, “We are only called to be faithful, not successful, but we can be successful if we are faithful.”

What is your motto?
“To serve our lord with no reserve, no retreat, and no regret.” -William Borden

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