Math in the Media: The 2016 Abel Prize

Andrew Wiles, (well..., actually, Sir Andrew John Wiles), the British mathematician, currently at Oxford who is credited with solving the famous "Last Theorem" of Pierre de Fermat, has been awarded the 2016 Abel Prize for outstanding contributions to the field.  From the Abel Committee of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, 

[t]he prize is meant to recognize contributions of extraordinary depth and influence to the mathematical sciences. Such work may have resolved fundamental problems, created powerful new techniques, introduced unifying principles or opened up major new fields of research. The intent is to award prizes over the course of time in a broad range of fields within the mathematical sciences.

One can easily say Professor Wiles is qualified, no? 

Congratulations, Professor!  Read up on this amazing accomplishment here:

Fermat's Last Theorem proof secures mathematics' top prize for Sir Andrew Wiles

The 2010 J.J. Sylvester Awards!

I am proud to announce this year's winners of our J.J. Sylvester Award for Outstanding Performance by a graduating senior (we will fix this link problem shortly). This year's winners are:

• Adam Saltz
• Xinlu Huang

These two overachievers quite well-represent two of the three types of students we find here at Hopkins.

Adam is a math major intent on seeking a graduate degree in mathematics, although he will take an academic sabbatical this next year before attending graduate school. He will graduate with department honors with a perfect GPA in math, and receive a master's as well as a bachelor's degree in mathematics as part of our BA/MA program. He has also worked in the department as a Teaching Assistant, acting as a recitation instructor for our freshman classes. In this capacity, he is one of our best.

Xinlu, instead, is a combination Mathematics and Physics major who is also a student of the Peabody Institute. She averages about twice the normal number of credit hours per semester here (I am convinced that she owns a time-turner like the one Hermione uses at Hogwarts!), and carries an almost perfect GPA also. She will stay here at Hopkins for another year, however, to achieve her Master's at Peabody.

Congratulations to both of them. With credentials like these, many doors now stand open for each of them.

Incidentally, these two students represent the "I have always and only wanted to do math and view Hopkins as a stepping stone to graduate school" type and the "math is a great outlet for my creative side and I want the math degree to compliment my other interests and add a good credential to my resume/CV" type. The third type of student we see here at Hopkins is the Pre-Med, a wholly different yet equally as complex and interesting species. ;-)