Pure Math hosts 2013 Ostrowski Prize presentation

The Department of Pure Mathematics hosted the 2013 Ostrowski Prize presentation on June 10 and 11, 2014. The prize was awarded to Yitang (Tom) Zhang from the University of New Hampshire who presented a lecture on his work on small gaps between prime numbers and was subsequently honored at the prize ceremony.

Yitang (Tom) Zhang

The Ostrowski Prize for 2013 is awarded to Professor Yitang (Tom) Zhang for his breakthrough work on small gaps between prime numbers. Yitang Zhang was granted a Bachelor's degree in 1982 and a Master's degree in 1985 from Peking University. He then travelled to the United States for further graduate work and in 1991 obtained a PhD degree from Purdue University. In 1999 he joined the Department of Mathematics at the University of New Hampshire, where he remains to this day.

Professor Zhang's work deals with a fundamental question about the distribution of prime numbers. In 2013, Zhang established that there are infinitely many pairs p and q of primes such that the difference p - q is less than 70,000,000. This represents a stunning step forward and brings the twin prime conjecture into view.

The Ostrowski Foundation

The Ostrowski Foundation was created by Alexander Ostrowski, a professor at the University of Basel from 1928-1958. He endowed a prize to be awarded every other year to a mathematician or to a group of scientists who have produced the best result in the field of pure mathematics or in the foundations of numerical mathematics. The prize carries an award of 100,000 Swiss francs.
The prize jury consists of representatives from the universities of Basel, Jerusalem, and Waterloo and the scientific academies of Denmark and the Netherlands. The present jury members are: Christian Berg, Marcus Grote, Gil Kalai, Alexander Schrijver, and Cameron Stewart (Chair).

More information about the Ostrowski Foundation and previous Ostrowski Prize winners can be found on the Ostrowski Foundation website.

Tom Zhang (center) with (left to right) Cameron Stewart (Pure Mathematics, University of Waterloo), Hans-Christoph Im Hof (President, Foundation A.M. Ostrowski), John Friedlander (University of Toronto), and Ian Goulden (Dean, Faculty of Mathematics, University of Waterloo).

Ian Goulden (Dean, Faculty of Mathematics, University of Waterloo) makes welcoming remarks.

John Friedlander (University of Toronto) give the prize laudation.

Hans-Christoph Im Hof (President, Foundation A.M. Ostrowski) presents the Ostrowski Prize to Tom Zhang.

Tom Zhang reads his prize certificate.

Ian Goulden (Dean, Faculty of Mathematics, University of Waterloo) admires Tom Zhang's prize medal.