Tien "Not Closed Under Identity" Chih
@tienchihmath.bsky.social
Assistant Professor of Mathematics at
Oxford College of Emory University. Father & Husband. Wannabe Cook. I like to teach/do/spread math as I can. https://linopt.tienchih.org/ (He/His)
Oxford College of Emory University. Father & Husband. Wannabe Cook. I like to teach/do/spread math as I can. https://linopt.tienchih.org/ (He/His)
Pinned
Hi followers! I'm Tien Chih and I'm an Assist. Prof of Math at Oxford College of Emory. My research is about the intersections of homotopy theory and combinatorics. Just as importantly, things I'm into are undergrad research, IBL, alt grading, and supporting math teaching with tech.
Homemade cream of mushroom with minced mushrooms, shallots, garlic, roux, the whole deal.
November 27, 2025 at 1:18 AM
Homemade cream of mushroom with minced mushrooms, shallots, garlic, roux, the whole deal.
Reposted by Tien "Not Closed Under Identity" Chih
See also: academia for most of my life.
Some close friends to be get a little frustrated in my tendency to priortise luck in my own career, as they know how I work. I try to explain that work just is buying a lottery ticket. It's necessary, but certainly not sufficient. I know many folks who've worked as hard but the dice have been cruel.
November 26, 2025 at 1:08 PM
See also: academia for most of my life.
Reposted by Tien "Not Closed Under Identity" Chih
Have any ideas on how technology may supplement or enhance teaching? Please consider writing a guest post for our blog!
We'd love to git your post on our MathTech.org blog! All it takes is a web browser and a story to share:
mathtech.org/2025/10/16/g...
mathtech.org/2025/10/16/g...
Calling all Guest Posters!
Continuing my series on Getting Started with GitHub, I thought I should point out that you can directly contribute your own guest post to our blog using your GitHub account, and it’s probably easier t...
mathtech.org
November 25, 2025 at 10:16 PM
Have any ideas on how technology may supplement or enhance teaching? Please consider writing a guest post for our blog!
If only I taught Calc 1 next semester.
November 24, 2025 at 5:18 PM
If only I taught Calc 1 next semester.
This has implications about the drummers drumming and maids a milking.
November 24, 2025 at 1:44 PM
This has implications about the drummers drumming and maids a milking.
Reposted by Tien "Not Closed Under Identity" Chih
It is a sobering thought to realize that we're watching the leaders of American universities determine whether critical thinking-- and by extension, the #humanities --are still worthwhile investments.
Who invests in critical thinking and who invests in an AI chatbot to help you think will be really telling.
November 23, 2025 at 8:45 PM
It is a sobering thought to realize that we're watching the leaders of American universities determine whether critical thinking-- and by extension, the #humanities --are still worthwhile investments.
Reposted by Tien "Not Closed Under Identity" Chih
There are new nylon earring designs in my online math shop! Anemone is a stylized representation of the complex 2/7-power.
To celebrate, all my original nylon designs are at a special price, which includes shipping to the US.
www.diffgeom.com/product-cate...
#MathSky #MathArt #Jewelry #3DPrinting
To celebrate, all my original nylon designs are at a special price, which includes shipping to the US.
www.diffgeom.com/product-cate...
#MathSky #MathArt #Jewelry #3DPrinting
November 6, 2025 at 1:00 PM
There are new nylon earring designs in my online math shop! Anemone is a stylized representation of the complex 2/7-power.
To celebrate, all my original nylon designs are at a special price, which includes shipping to the US.
www.diffgeom.com/product-cate...
#MathSky #MathArt #Jewelry #3DPrinting
To celebrate, all my original nylon designs are at a special price, which includes shipping to the US.
www.diffgeom.com/product-cate...
#MathSky #MathArt #Jewelry #3DPrinting
Dog.
November 23, 2025 at 2:42 PM
Dog.
Was an engineering major, hated it, dropped out of college because I was totally checked out with a 0.0 in my last semester. After working odd jobs for a few years, went back to school. Majored in math because those were the only classes I could transfer. Liked it, kept going.
November 23, 2025 at 2:33 PM
Was an engineering major, hated it, dropped out of college because I was totally checked out with a 0.0 in my last semester. After working odd jobs for a few years, went back to school. Majored in math because those were the only classes I could transfer. Liked it, kept going.
While we spent more time this semester asking questions than answering them, they made a lot of progress and have some initial results, and a strategy moving forward. More to the point, everyone is still excited to keep the train rolling next semester! Very proud of them.
Blowing apart their professor’s (granted unbelievably naive) conjecture. But they’re very psyched to investigate this counterexample!
November 21, 2025 at 8:34 PM
While we spent more time this semester asking questions than answering them, they made a lot of progress and have some initial results, and a strategy moving forward. More to the point, everyone is still excited to keep the train rolling next semester! Very proud of them.
Reposted by Tien "Not Closed Under Identity" Chih
Wisconsin-Madison CS is recruiting faculty for natural language processing!
jobs.wisc.edu/jobs/assista...
jobs.wisc.edu/jobs/assista...
Assistant Professor of Computer Sciences: Natural Language Processing (RISE-AI) - Madison, Wisconsin, United States
Current Employees: If you are currently employed at any of the Universities of Wisconsin, log in to Workday to apply through the internal application process.Job Category:FacultyEmployment Type:Regula...
jobs.wisc.edu
November 21, 2025 at 6:59 PM
Wisconsin-Madison CS is recruiting faculty for natural language processing!
jobs.wisc.edu/jobs/assista...
jobs.wisc.edu/jobs/assista...
Reposted by Tien "Not Closed Under Identity" Chih
What To Know About ‘Pluribus’ https://theonion.com/what-to-know-about-pluribus/
November 21, 2025 at 5:00 PM
What To Know About ‘Pluribus’ https://theonion.com/what-to-know-about-pluribus/
Reposted by Tien "Not Closed Under Identity" Chih
A combinatorialist: there are bijections all around for those with eyes to see
November 21, 2025 at 4:14 PM
A combinatorialist: there are bijections all around for those with eyes to see
Reposted by Tien "Not Closed Under Identity" Chih
Here's a fun theorem I (no doubt re-) discovered while working on a visualization project:
Let Σ ⊆ ℝ³ be an embedded closed compact surface and let X be a nonvanishing smooth vector field on ℝ³. If Σ is not a torus, then there exists a point p on Σ with normal direction parallel to X(p). 🧮
Let Σ ⊆ ℝ³ be an embedded closed compact surface and let X be a nonvanishing smooth vector field on ℝ³. If Σ is not a torus, then there exists a point p on Σ with normal direction parallel to X(p). 🧮
November 18, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Here's a fun theorem I (no doubt re-) discovered while working on a visualization project:
Let Σ ⊆ ℝ³ be an embedded closed compact surface and let X be a nonvanishing smooth vector field on ℝ³. If Σ is not a torus, then there exists a point p on Σ with normal direction parallel to X(p). 🧮
Let Σ ⊆ ℝ³ be an embedded closed compact surface and let X be a nonvanishing smooth vector field on ℝ³. If Σ is not a torus, then there exists a point p on Σ with normal direction parallel to X(p). 🧮
Reposted by Tien "Not Closed Under Identity" Chih
This piece is important. It is also a great (annoyingly great) example of what a properly resourced team of journalists can do. There are five bylines and almost 20 additional reporting credits on this piece. I've wanted to write this story for months but... do not have that many colleagues
The cost of Trump's immigration surge: Stalled investigations into child sexual abuse, Iranian oil smuggling and human trafficking, among others. My latest piece is a big team effort on how DHS has been transformed into the Department of Deportation.
Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/16/u...
Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/16/u...
Homeland Security Missions Falter Amid Focus on Deportations
www.nytimes.com
November 17, 2025 at 12:28 PM
This piece is important. It is also a great (annoyingly great) example of what a properly resourced team of journalists can do. There are five bylines and almost 20 additional reporting credits on this piece. I've wanted to write this story for months but... do not have that many colleagues
Reposted by Tien "Not Closed Under Identity" Chih
I mostly tilt at other windmills, but academics don’t have to participate in this economy. It’s a choice. You could make a different choice. you could do it tomorrow.
Elsevier has a 38% profit margin, and the other journal publishers aren't far behind.
"academic publishing is dominated by profit-oriented, multinational companies for whom scientific knowledge is a commodity to be sold back to the academic community who created it... The dominant four collectively generated... $12 billion in profits between 2019 and 2024."
November 18, 2025 at 12:38 PM
I mostly tilt at other windmills, but academics don’t have to participate in this economy. It’s a choice. You could make a different choice. you could do it tomorrow.
Mod-shake
November 17, 2025 at 9:28 PM
Mod-shake
Reposted by Tien "Not Closed Under Identity" Chih
A lot of education discourse is at root an inability to decide whether the purpose of our education system is to 1) teach material and measure learning 2) reward students who work hard 3) separate the smart kids (destined for smart guy jobs) from the dumb kids (destined to serve the smart guys)
November 15, 2025 at 5:52 PM
A lot of education discourse is at root an inability to decide whether the purpose of our education system is to 1) teach material and measure learning 2) reward students who work hard 3) separate the smart kids (destined for smart guy jobs) from the dumb kids (destined to serve the smart guys)
A cooking project I did this week.
November 15, 2025 at 2:40 PM
A cooking project I did this week.
Reposted by Tien "Not Closed Under Identity" Chih
Happening tomorrow! My sessions are 11:30-12:30 and 1-2 (same activities both times). Register at www.reed.edu/academics/sp....
November 14, 2025 at 9:44 PM
Happening tomorrow! My sessions are 11:30-12:30 and 1-2 (same activities both times). Register at www.reed.edu/academics/sp....
I'm sick to my stomach.
Message to all faculty: your expertise is no longer trusted or valued at this so-called “university.”
November 14, 2025 at 1:31 PM
I'm sick to my stomach.
Reposted by Tien "Not Closed Under Identity" Chih
Daina Taimina, a Cornell University mathematician uses crochet to demonstrate Hyperbolic Geometry #womensart
November 13, 2025 at 5:53 AM
Daina Taimina, a Cornell University mathematician uses crochet to demonstrate Hyperbolic Geometry #womensart
Come join us!
Okay hey let's do this. Join me and the @mathtech.org gang on our Discord: mathtech.org/chat
We'll pilot this game night idea this Friday, 8pm-10pm Eastern. You can also jump into our #games text channel to suggest ideas and talk casually with other community members in the meantime.
We'll pilot this game night idea this Friday, 8pm-10pm Eastern. You can also jump into our #games text channel to suggest ideas and talk casually with other community members in the meantime.
November 12, 2025 at 10:26 PM
Come join us!