The Youthful Spirit of Mathematics

Abstract

Great ideas in mathematics are usually made by the young. But the constantly increasing volume of mathematics makes it more and more difficult for students to absorb all that has been created. How does youth succeed? How long can progress go on? The speaker will address such questions with optimism.

About the speaker

Sir Michael Atiyah is a British mathematician, widely considered to be one of the greatest geometers of the 20th and the 21st century. He was President of the Royal Society and Master of Trinity College, Cambridge from 1990-1997, and was President of the Royal Society of Edinburgh from 2005-2008. He has been member of the HKUST IAS International Board since 2006. He was also our Visiting Member from 2007 to 2010.

Sir Michael has made fundamental contributions to many areas of mathematics, in particular on topology, geometry and analysis. From his first major contribution - topological K-theory - to his more recent work on quantum field theory, Sir Atiyah has been influential in the development of new theoretical tools and has supplied far-reaching insights.

Sir Michael is a notable collaborator, with his name linked with other outstanding mathematicians through their joint research. He has been the recipient of many honors and awards, including the Fields Medal in 1966 and the Abel Prize in 2004. He was knighted in 1983 and made a member of the Order of Merit in 1992.