Marquis Who's Who Millennium Magazine

123 A Marquis Who's Who Magazine A love for mathematics inspired Dr. Michele Elia to embark on a path toward becoming a great educator. Dr. Elia’s mother’s dream was for him to become an engineer. She nurtured his love for math by teaching him the problem-solving skills necessary to flourish in the field. Dr. Elia took those skills with him throughout his academic career, obtaining a PhD in engineering at Politecnico di Torino in Turin, Italy. During his time there, he became attracted to information theory, which is the mathematical study of the coding of information and how quickly the information can be transmitted, as well as the practical application of abstract mathematical theory. Dr. Elia was inspired by Dr. James L. Massey, who is a pioneer in digital communications. Having received the education necessary to fulfill his mother’s dream, Dr. Elia became a researcher for FIAT, the Italian car company. He then became a researcher for his alma mater and remained with the university until his retirement in 2015. Never losing his passion for mathematics, Dr. Elia taught the subject as an associate professor from 1977 through 1990. Although Dr. Elia is now retired, he still lives an active life. He has co- authored a book with other respected mathematicians and written a book of his own, titled “The Information Theory Approach to Communications (CISM International Centre for Mechanical Sciences).” Dr. Elia has been an editor of several math journals and has contributed to other professional journals as well. He is currently working on two books. Dr. Elia attributes his success to having a clear vision and working to fulfill that vision. When presented with challenges, he is able to solve them by tackling less complicated problems first and then proceeding with the more complex ones. This is a method he taught to his students as well. Michele Elia, PhD Mathematics Educator (Retired) Politecnico di Torino Turin, Italy