2018 Fields Medal and Nevanlinna Prize Winners
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2018 Fields Medal and Nevanlinna Prize Winners
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Re: 2018 Fields Medal and Nevanlinna Prize Winners
#2Funny bit in Venkatesh's interview:
> Accustomed to meeting the highest of standards, he saw his dissertation as mediocre. Quietly, Venkatesh started eyeing the exit ramps, even taking a job at his uncle’s machine learning startup one summer to make sure he had a fallback option.
Re: 2018 Fields Medal and Nevanlinna Prize Winners
#3It bums me out that the fields medal is largely considered the top prize in mathematics, yet it has age restrictions. To people outside the field, this means that significant developments may go underreported.
Edit: Let me address the down votes / polarization on this comment: Ageism in the most esteemed prize of a particular field seems obviously wrong to me. Is there a better alternative available? (That said: kudos to the winners! Truly great achievements all around.)
Re: 2018 Fields Medal and Nevanlinna Prize Winners
#4It bums me out that the fields medal is largely considered the top prize in mathematics, yet it has age restrictions. To people outside the field, this means that significant developments may go underreported. Edit: Let me address the down votes / polarization on this comment: Ageism in the most esteemed prize of a particular field seems obviously wrong to me. Is there a better alternative available? (That said: kudo…
Echo your concerns. Systemic ageism discriminates against diverse life paths
Re: 2018 Fields Medal and Nevanlinna Prize Winners
#5It bums me out that the fields medal is largely considered the top prize in mathematics, yet it has age restrictions. To people outside the field, this means that significant developments may go underreported. Edit: Let me address the down votes / polarization on this comment: Ageism in the most esteemed prize of a particular field seems obviously wrong to me. Is there a better alternative available? (That said: kudo…
There’s a commonly held belief (myth?) that mathematics is a young person's pursuit in the sense of great discoveries. If you look at Erdös you see most of his great contributions occurring when he was younger and he was prolific throughout his life.
I think the downvotes come from your sentence about significant developments going under reported. I don’t think this happens at all. If someone discovers something great or profound in math no one cares about the age of the discoverer. Wiles was given a special prize because he was past the age of 40 when he proved Fermat's Last Theorem.
Re: 2018 Fields Medal and Nevanlinna Prize Winners
#6It bums me out that the fields medal is largely considered the top prize in mathematics, yet it has age restrictions. To people outside the field, this means that significant developments may go underreported. Edit: Let me address the down votes / polarization on this comment: Ageism in the most esteemed prize of a particular field seems obviously wrong to me. Is there a better alternative available? (That said: kudo…
I agree. If you look at what a mathematician does they sit around and think. You don't have that sort of luxury if you are from a poor family and have to worry about basic survival. In many cases (not all) the people that complete major accomplishment X at young age Y is from an upper middle class to upper class family with lots of life advantages. Not everyone have these advantages early in life and may eventually get to those positions due to their talents, but it may take them longer given their life situations. There are poor but extremely talented underrepresented people out there the world may never know. We tend to celebrate talent from the elite class, not the poor. The elite are given resources they need to succeed, the poor are often overlooked. This can cause a major talent drain from truly exceptional but unknown folks in the world.
Re: 2018 Fields Medal and Nevanlinna Prize Winners
#7It bums me out that the fields medal is largely considered the top prize in mathematics, yet it has age restrictions. To people outside the field, this means that significant developments may go underreported. Edit: Let me address the down votes / polarization on this comment: Ageism in the most esteemed prize of a particular field seems obviously wrong to me. Is there a better alternative available? (That said: kudo…
You're right. It does seem ageist, when seen in isolation from the outside. It seems to suggest that the field of mathematics only and solely cares about the work of young mathematicians.
Yet, is it perhaps possible that this position may signify a person possessed of a wonderful opportunity to become more educated? The Fields Medal is not intended to be the capstone recognition of a mathematcian's career any more than the Clark Medal is in economics. It's intended to award outstanding achievement for a younger contributor in a field that infamously tends to worship the more senior. The IMU awards other medals as well, including one for lifetime achievement.
In short, you're completely right to be bummed out! But perhaps you could take this glorious opportunity to learn more.
Re: 2018 Fields Medal and Nevanlinna Prize Winners
#8It bums me out that the fields medal is largely considered the top prize in mathematics, yet it has age restrictions. To people outside the field, this means that significant developments may go underreported. Edit: Let me address the down votes / polarization on this comment: Ageism in the most esteemed prize of a particular field seems obviously wrong to me. Is there a better alternative available? (That said: kudo…
There’s a commonly held belief (myth?) that mathematics is a young person's pursuit in the sense of great discoveries. If you look at Erdös you see most of his great contributions occurring when he was younger and he was prolific throughout his life. I think the downvotes come from your sentence about significant developments going under reported. I don’t think this happens at all. If someone discovers something grea…
Another example is Yitang Zhang and prime gap. He was over 50, so no Fields Medal, but he won many other prizes.
Re: 2018 Fields Medal and Nevanlinna Prize Winners
#9I find it always a bit sad that I have to accept it that whatever I'll do, I can't reach the genious of their work.
Especially Scholze seems like a very nice guy. I hope he continous his very productive (and hopefully fun!) journy through mathmatics.
Re: 2018 Fields Medal and Nevanlinna Prize Winners
#10It bums me out that the fields medal is largely considered the top prize in mathematics, yet it has age restrictions. To people outside the field, this means that significant developments may go underreported. Edit: Let me address the down votes / polarization on this comment: Ageism in the most esteemed prize of a particular field seems obviously wrong to me. Is there a better alternative available? (That said: kudo…
There’s a commonly held belief (myth?) that mathematics is a young person's pursuit in the sense of great discoveries. If you look at Erdös you see most of his great contributions occurring when he was younger and he was prolific throughout his life. I think the downvotes come from your sentence about significant developments going under reported. I don’t think this happens at all. If someone discovers something grea…
It's possible that things are changing over time.
When the mathematical knowledge increases, does the general character of the mathematical problems stay the same in the terms of required work and time? It's possible the problem set that young people can solve before they turn 40 will decrease after some time.