Peking University, Jan 13, 2016: Recently, Louis Nirenberg, professor emeritus of Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences at New York University, was conferred the title of Honorary Professor at Peking University by Professor Tian Gang, Dean of the School of Mathematical Sciences (SMS) in New York.
Professor Nirenberg is a world-class mathematician and pioneer of geometric analysis.
His history of interaction with Chinese mathematicians can be traced back toas early as 1975 when he visited Beijing and prophesized that China would grow into a promising power in mathematics for the talents and diligence of Chinese mathematicians. In 1980, he came to China as a keynote speaker for the first “double-differential” conference (differential geometry and differential equation). The conference was initiated by Professor Shiing-Shen Chern and was the first international conference after Chineseeconomic reform in the 1970s. In 1988, he was conferred the degree of Honorary Doctorate at Nankai University and visited Peking University during that time. In 2000, he was invited by Professor Zhang Gongqing to Peking University.
Apart from his multiple visits to Chinese institutes, Professor Nirenberg also provided guidance and help to Chinese mathematicians. Professor Zhang was the first Chinese visiting scholar welcomed by Professor Nirenberg. Zhang’s student Wang Zhiqiang joined Courant Institute after graduation. Professor Tian Gang, shortly after receiving his doctorate, also joined the Institute in the 1990s. In 1980, Professor Nirenberg and Professor Peter Lax, who was titled with the degree of Honorary Doctorate at Peking University in the 1980s, suggested that Courant Institute award scholarships to Chinese graduates. And the first scholarship was awarded to Guo Maozheng, an SMS graduate from Peking University.
Background Information:
Professor Nirenberg has received many honors and awards, including the Bôcher Memorial Prize (1959), the Steele Prize for Lifetime Achievement (1994), the National Medal of Science (1995), and was the inaugural recipient of both the Crafoord Prize (1982, shared with Vladimir Arnold) and the Chern Medal (2010). In 2015 he was awarded the Abel Prize along with John Nash. He is a fellow of the American Mathematical Society. He was also conferred the degree of Doctor of Science, honoriscausa, at the University of British Columbia in 2010. (Wikipedia: Louis Nirenberg)
Written by: Shengnan Yan
Edited by: Zhang Jiang
