Four mathematicians have received a Fields Medal, which is given out every four years to some of the most accomplished mathematicians under 40 and rewards them for their breakthroughs in the subject area.
The ceremony was held in Helsinki, the capital of Finland, on Tuesday, July 5. The International Mathematical Union, which organizes the event, awarded the 14-karat gold medal to Hugo Duminil-Copin, 36, of the Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques and the University of Geneva, June Huh, 39, of Princeton University, James Maynard, 35, of the University of Oxford, and Maryna Viazovska, 37, of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology.
Viazovska is just the second woman to receive a Fields Medal. Mark Braverman, 38, of Princeton University, received the Abacus Medal, a newer award for young computer scientists.
The Fields Medals, first awarded in 1936, were created by John Charles Fields, a Canadian mathematician. The award, along with the Abacus Medal, goes to those who are still early in their careers and honors not just past accomplishments but also the promise of future breakthroughs.
The event is held every four years, imitating that of the Olympics, which is also held every four years. This adds prestige to the award, like the gold medal in the Olympics has. Another award, the Abel Prize, is more based on the Nobel Prize and is given out every year to mathematicians for their work throughout their careers.
The honorees learned months ago that they had been chosen but decided not to share the news with family and friends. They were also not clued in on who else was chosen to receive the medal alongside them. “Officially, I don’t know,” Huh said last week. “I have guesses.”
In the past, the ceremonies for events like these often took place as part of the International Congress of Mathematics, a gathering of mathematicians every four years. This year’s congress was to be held in St. Petersburg, Russia, but the leadership of the International Mathematical Union later decided to hold the meeting as an online event outside the country. The in-person awards ceremony was held in Helsinki.
Link to article: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/07/05/science/fields-medal-math#an-olympic-like-honor-for-younger-mathematicians
The ceremony was held in Helsinki, the capital of Finland, on Tuesday, July 5. The International Mathematical Union, which organizes the event, awarded the 14-karat gold medal to Hugo Duminil-Copin, 36, of the Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques and the University of Geneva, June Huh, 39, of Princeton University, James Maynard, 35, of the University of Oxford, and Maryna Viazovska, 37, of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology.
Viazovska is just the second woman to receive a Fields Medal. Mark Braverman, 38, of Princeton University, received the Abacus Medal, a newer award for young computer scientists.
The Fields Medals, first awarded in 1936, were created by John Charles Fields, a Canadian mathematician. The award, along with the Abacus Medal, goes to those who are still early in their careers and honors not just past accomplishments but also the promise of future breakthroughs.
The event is held every four years, imitating that of the Olympics, which is also held every four years. This adds prestige to the award, like the gold medal in the Olympics has. Another award, the Abel Prize, is more based on the Nobel Prize and is given out every year to mathematicians for their work throughout their careers.
The honorees learned months ago that they had been chosen but decided not to share the news with family and friends. They were also not clued in on who else was chosen to receive the medal alongside them. “Officially, I don’t know,” Huh said last week. “I have guesses.”
In the past, the ceremonies for events like these often took place as part of the International Congress of Mathematics, a gathering of mathematicians every four years. This year’s congress was to be held in St. Petersburg, Russia, but the leadership of the International Mathematical Union later decided to hold the meeting as an online event outside the country. The in-person awards ceremony was held in Helsinki.
Link to article: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/07/05/science/fields-medal-math#an-olympic-like-honor-for-younger-mathematicians
