Ji Gao: Renowned Researcher Finds Classes, Success and Happiness at Community College of Philadelphia

Community College of Philadelphia Mathematics Professor Ji Gao is not your typical college professor. He is a citizen of the world and, in many ways, a renaissance man.

He has five degrees, including a Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of Pittsburgh. He is loved by many of his current and former students at Community College of Philadelphia, where he is a renowned mathematics researcher and writer. He is also the creator of the “Gao Constants,” a mathematical equation in which he defined a parameter to describe the squareness of the unit ball of a Banach space. He calls this research “one of his proudest moments.”

With his credentials, Gao could have applied to any college or university around the globe, but he has remained tethered to Community College of Philadelphia, drawn by the students and the opportunity to change lives.

In fact, his feelings for the College run so deep he became a student at the College for his “own personal enrichment.” He became a Music student at the College where he earned an associate’s degree in Music in 1997, putting him into an elite group of faculty who teach here, but also are alumni. He is among tens of thousands of graduates Moving Philadelphia Forward by making contributions at work and in their communities.

Gao says his time spent in the classroom as a Music student has better prepared him to teach. He looked at the institution through a student’s lens. “I love teaching at Community College of Philadelphia,” Gao said. “I totally understand that to make our students succeed it is very important for the teacher and student to form a very close bond. And I think in the 25 years that I’m teaching here, many students have improved and learned a lot. I am very excited when I watch the students walk across the stage when they receive their diploma from the hand of the president each year. So I think that student success is my success in teaching.”

Gao was born and raised in Yangzhou, China. He lived in China for the first 43 years, earning his bachelors and master’s degrees in the field of mathematics at Peking Teacher’s College as well as Nanjing University. Growing up in the 1950s and 1960s in China, Gao said it was very hard for the ordinary Chinese child to get an education. The opportunity for higher education was only open to very few people. He credits his mother, Haung Xiuling , a music teacher, for encouraging him to study hard. Gao came to the United States in 1984 to pursue his Ph.D. in Mathematics. He continued his education in the U.S. receiving his master’s and Ph. D., both from University of Pittsburgh.

Gao, who currently lives in Upper Darby, PA, started teaching at the College in 1990. As he has risen through the teaching ranks here, he has always continued doing scholarly research while teaching full-time in the classroom. He said doing research helps him better translate math concepts like geometry and linear algebra to students.

“You see, modern mathematics is based on basic courses we teach to our students here at Community College of Philadelphia,” he said. “ ...If you want to give students a drop of water, you must have at least a barrel of water yourself and that is why I keep active in research.”

As a personal escape to the pressure of teaching and research, Gao plays the piano and uses that instrument to help him live a better life.

“I play the piano everyday for one hour,” Gao said. “Because of my mother’s influence, I love music. Math activates the left hemisphere of your brain and music activates the right half of your brain... Math is very abstract and music is very emotional, so I think they can work together every day so you’re always happy.”