Abel and Ramanujan Meet in Mumbai

Niels Henrik Abel and Srinivasa Ramanujan were born 85 years apart, Abel in Norway in 1802 in Norway and Ramanujan in India in 1887. Two international mathematical prizes have been established in their names, the Abel Prize and the Ramanujan Prize for Young Mathematicians from Developing Countries. On 23 February the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) in Mumbai, India, will host an Abel symposium that will start with the Ramanujan Prize being presented to Professor Philibert Nang (44) from Gabon followed by his prize lecture.

The Ramanujan Prize is awarded jointly by ICTP, the Niels Henrik Abel Memorial Fund, and the International Mathematical Union. It carries a US$15,000 cash award. The Prize is awarded annually to a researcher from a developing country less than 45 years of age.

Nang, of the École Normale Supérieure, Laboratoire de Recherche en Mathématiques, Libreville, Gabon, receives the Ramanujan Prize in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the algebraic theory of D-modules. The Prize is also in recognition of Nang's determined pursuit of high level research while engaged in an academic career in his home country of Gabon, Africa. It is hoped that his example will inspire other young African mathematicians working at the highest levels while based in Africa.

Professor Dipendra Prasad, Dean, School of Mathematics, TIFR, and Professor Nils Christian Stenseth, President of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, will give the opening speeches. In 2012 two mathematical jubilees will be celebrated. On 22 December it is 125 years since Srinivasa Ramanujan was born. The Ramanujan Mathematical Society has planned a series of mathematical activities throughout the year to celebrate. The 10th anniversary of the Abel Prize will be celebrated in connection with the award ceremony in Oslo, Norway, in May. The double jubilee will be marked at TIFR.

The Abel symposium will include lectures by Noga Alon, Tel Aviv University, Israel; Ragni Piene, University of Oslo, Norway; David Donoho, Stanford University, USA; and Terence Tao, UCLA, Los Angeles, USA. Tao recently was awarded the Crafoord Prize in Mathematics by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. The symposium is jointly organized by the School of Mathematics and the Centre for Theoretical Studies, both departments of TIFR.

The winner of the 2012 Abel Prize will be announced on 21 March. The Abel Laureate will receive the Prize at an award ceremony in Oslo, Norway, on 22 May.