Maryna Viazovska: The second woman who won the Fields Medal or the Nobel for Maths
Mathematics is a subject that has solutions to some of the toughest and strange problems of the world. One award that recognises the brains behind these wonderful mathematical solutions is known as the Fields Medal, often regarded as the Nobel for Mathematics. This year, Maryna Viazovska, a Ukrainian mathematician, won this prestigious award. She is the second woman to have been honoured with the Fields Medal. Now, that is something to be proud of!
You must be curious to know the work that won her this recognition. Well, Viazovska answered a very complex question with mathematical proof that mathematicians have been grappling with. Simply put, the question is somewhat like this: In a universe that has eight dimensions, how can eight spheres be arranged in the most stable way? The other awardees for this year’s Fields Medals include: Hugo Duminil-Copin from the Geneva University, James Maynard from Oxford University, and June Huh from the Princeton University.
This year, Fields Medal ceremony was scheduled to happen at St. Peterburg’s in Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin was supposed to inaugurate it. However, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, many mathematicians signed an opened letter and demanded a a venue change. This is when location was shifted to the Finnish capital Helsinki where the Fields Medal 2022 was conferred. Let’s find out a little more about this award.
Fields Medal: A bird’s eye view
Fields Medal is awarded once every four years to one or more mathematicians under the age of 40. It recognises “outstanding mathematical achievement for existing work and for the promise of future achievement.” If you want to know who gives away these awards, here’s your answer: The International Mathematical Union (IMU). It is a global non-governmental and non-profit scientific organisation. The winners of the Fields Medal are announced at the International Congress of Mathematicians.
The prize includes a 14-carat gold medal, that is 63.5mm in diameter and weighs 169 grams. It is priced at 5500 Canadian dollars approximately. Apart from the medal, the winners are also rewarded with a cash prize worth Canadian dollar 15000. Interestingly, the face of the medal is engraved with the head of Archimedes, and below it is written in Latin words that translates into, “To pass beyond your understanding and make yourself matter of the universe.” Similarly, the back side too has an inscription in Latin which, when translated in English, means, “The mathematicians having congregated from the whole world awarded (this medal) because of outstanding writings.”
Origin of this Award
During the 1924 International Congress of Mathematicians (held in Toronto), a resolution was adopted. It was decided that henceforth, at each ICM conference, two gold medals would be awarded for brilliant contributions in the field of mathematics. Later, the secretary of the then ICM, Canadian mathematician, Professor J C Fields donated funds to launch the medals. As you can guess, the Fields Medal thus derived its name from its founder. Fast forward to 1966. This is when the number of awardees was increased to four.
Two Indians who received the Fields Medal
Before 2022, 60 mathematicians have won the Fields Medal and out of them 59 were men. The only female laureate of this prestigious honour was Maryam Mirzakhani from Iran, who had won in 2014. Interestingly, two mathematicians of Indian origin have also received this award. One among them was Akshay Venkatesh of the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton (2018 winner) and the other was Manjul Bhargava of the Princeton University’s Department of Mathematics (2014 winner).