Tanush Shaska

Tanush Shaska (3 December 1967) is an American mathematician and scientist who works in algebraic geometry and computational algebra.

Early years (1967–1985)

Shaska was born in December 3, 1967 in Vlora, Albania. His family was removed from the city and sent to Kocul soon after his birth. Both his parents were teachers, but were fired by the communist government for political reasons. Shaska completed his elementary education in Kocul. In a very early age it was obvious to his teachers that he was a special kid when it came to mathematics.

He registered in the Gymnazium of Selenica in 1981 and would walk for two hours (each way) every day to go to school. In September 1983, he transferred to the Gymnazium Halim Xhelo in Vlora. During the third and fourth year in high school he won math olympiads in the city of Vlora, but was never allowed to continue in national competitions for political reasons. In June 1985 (17 years old) he graduated with highest honors from the Gymnazium Halim Xhelo. Even though his grades were excellent, he was not allowed to attend the university.

Middle years (1985–1990)

He worked in a state farm (the famous "koperativa") until January 1988. During the years 1988-1989 he served in the Albanian army in the city of Berat. He was back in Vlora in December 1989. His dreams of attending the university were awaken again because of the collapse of all communist governments in all of Eastern Europe.

In September 1990 he was finally allowed to attend the University of Tirana. During that time the degrees that students would pursue were decided from the Ministry of Education. Shaska was sent to the College of Agriculture to become a veterinerian. He refused to attend classes until he managed to change majors and study mathematics.

Shaska was one of the first students to protest against the communist government in December 1990. He was part of the very first group of 10-15 people (part of that group was also Azem Hajdari) during the first night (Dec. 8, 1990) to get on the street and protest the communist government.

He was part of the hunger strike against the government in February 1991 which was done to remove the name of the communist dictator from the University of Tirana. In March 1991, he left in a military boat from the port of Vlora and arrived in Monopoli, Italy.

Scientific Career

Shaska graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from The University of Michigan in December 1994 and with a PhD in mathematics from University of Florida in March 2001. Since then he has held academic positions at University of California at Irvine, University of Idaho, and Oakland University. Currently he is an Associate Professor of Mathematics at Oakland University and Professor of Mathematics at University of Vlora. Starting in 2008, he is serving as Rector of the University of Vlora in Albania.

Most of Shaska's research activity lies in the field of algebra and its applications. He has written extensively on automorphisms of algebraic curves, cryptography, coding theory, and computational algebra. Shaska is the founder of:

• Albanian Journal of Mathematics
• Buletini shkencor
• Mendimi Akademik

Contributions on Education

Shaska has been active, both in the United States and Europe, in issues related to education. In 1998 and 1999, he, then a graduate student, organized a mathematics olympiad in the city of Vlora, where he gave a few thousand dollars of prizes from his own money. Throughout the years, he has been the single voice in the Albanian press expressing concern about the path of higher education in Albania.

In 2008, he was the only candidate for Rector among all public universities in Albania who returned from a career in the West to contribute to the universities in Albania. During his first year at the University of Vlora, Shaska created the following new departments:

• New Departments
  • Department of Mathematics
  • Department of Physics
  • Department of Mechanical Engineering
  • Department of Bio-Chemistry
  • Department of Finance
  • Department of History

and started the following new degree programs:

• Bachelor of Science
  • Mathematics
  • Mechanical engineering
  • Computer science

• Masters:
  • Master of Teaching in Mathematics-Physics
  • Master of Teaching in Mathematics-Informatics
  • Master of Teaching in Mathematics
  • Master of Teaching in Computer Science
  • Diploma e Level Two in Mathematics
  • Diploma e Level Two in Mechanical Engineering

• Doctoral programs:
  • PhD program in Mathematics1

Under his leadership the University of Vlora underwent a major transformation and has become the leading research university in Albania .

External links

• List of mathematical articles by T. Shaska