Fields Medals in Mathematics Won by Four Under Age 40

Four mathematicians whose research covers areas like prime numbers and the packing of eight-dimensional spheres are the latest recipients of the Fields Medals, which are given out once every four years to some of the most accomplished mathematicians under the age of 40. From a report: At a ceremony in Helsinki on Tuesday, the International Mathematical Union, which administers the awards, bestowed the medals, made of 14-karat gold, to Hugo Duminil-Copin, 36, of the Institut des Hautes Etudes Scientifiques just south of Paris and the University of Geneva in Switzerland; June Huh, 39, of Princeton University; James Maynard, 35, of the University of Oxford in England; and Maryna Viazovska, 37, of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne.

Mark Braverman, 38, of Princeton University received the Abacus Medal, a newer award that was modeled after the Fields for young computer scientists. Dr. Viazovska is just the second woman to receive a Fields Medal, while Dr. Huh defies the stereotype of a math prodigy, having not been drawn into the field until he was already 23 and in his last year of college. The Fields Medals, first awarded in 1936, were conceived by John Charles Fields, a Canadian mathematician. They and the Abacus Medal are unusual among top academic honors in that they go to people who are still early in their careers -- younger than 40 years on Jan. 1 -- and honor not just past achievements but also the promise of future breakthroughs. That the Fields are given only once every four years adds prestige through rarity -- something more like gold medals at the Olympics. Another award, the Abel Prize, is modeled more on the Nobel Prize and recognizes mathematicians annually for work over their careers. The recipients learned months ago that they had been chosen but were told not to share the news with friends and colleagues.

Packing

[jeromef]

> the packing of eight-dimensional spheres

Not a problem for me: I don't usually take my eight-dimensional spheres with me when I go on vacation.

Re:Packing

[Whateverthisis]

I was going to go post some joke about "packing" 8th dimensional spheres is a 2nd amendment right" or something. But i did a little research to know what my joke was about, and it turns out 8-dimensional sphere packing is actually really interesting [scientificamerican.com].

Re:

[bill_mcgonigle]

Just tell the kids that's what a soccer ball is.

Re:

[JoshuaZ]

But you take advantage of sphere packing all the time when you use computers and don't realize it! Sphere packing is closely connected to what are called error correcting codes. An error correcting code is a way of sending a signal so that if there's a mistake in the signal, it is easy to detect or is easy to correct. This is especially important because we live in an era where people are constantly using cell phones and other devices to send signals. Natural languages are an example of having natural err

Re:

[Margaretsawyer]

I'm so happy for them, and I'm really interested in personalities who, at such an age, are seriously dealing with something that moves progress. Me being a student, I don't have so much time to deal with this. That's why I use https://edusson.com/admission-... [edusson.com] because independently, I wouldn't have been able to do all this and on top of that work. For me, it is amazing that they are 40 years old and still learning/developing. I hope in the future to be like them. Thanks to Edusson for help with the admissio

/. Headline misleading! (like that's a surprise)

[Another Random Kiwi]

Article headline trumpets "Fields Medals in Mathematics Won by Four Under Age 40" as if it were news. As the article even says, the Fields Medals are ONLY awarded to people under 40, and it's 2, 3, or 4 of them.

Re:

[codeAlDente]

the article is from the moving-forward department, which is clearly tasked with the responsibility of informing us that none of the recipients have turned 40 since the time of the award.

Maynard on Numberphile

[wfmcwalter]

There's a couple of good videos with James Maynard on Numberphile. https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com] and one with June Huh https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]

I know there's lectures and interviews with all four online, but I find Numberphile strikes a nice balance of accessibility (they're not dense post-grad maths lectures) with actual content (they're not just airy-fairy "maths is like a magic butterfly" pop sci stuff).

Sphere packing

[q_e_t]

The maths of N-dimensional sphere packing is related to some work I used to do, years ago, so fantastic to see some Fields Medal recognition of the area.

Nobel's wife

[groobly]

Nobel's wife ran off with a mathematician.