Known as the "Nobel Prize of Mathematics," the Abel Prize is awarded annually by the King of Norway to outstanding mathematicians. In 2001, the government of Norway announced that the bicentennial of Norwegian mathematician Niels Henrik Abel's birth in 2002 would mark the commencement of a new prize for mathematicians, named after Abel.
Dr. Lax was awarded the prize in recognition of his groundbreaking contributions to the theory and application of partial differential equations and to the computation of their solutions. "He has had a profound influence, not only by his research, but also by his writing, his lifelong commitment to education and his generosity to younger mathematicians," the academy said. He will receive the $980,000 prize in Oslo, Norway, on May 24.
Author of "Functional Analysis" and "Linear Algebra," Dr. Lax is Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at New York University (NYU). He has served as Director of the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences at NYU, Director of the Atomic Energy Commission's Computing and Applied Math Center at NYU, and President of the American Mathematical Society. Professor Lax was also awarded the National Medal of Science in 1986, presented by President Ronald Reagan at a White House ceremony. He received the Wolf Prize in 1987 and the Chauvenet Prize in 1974, and shared the American Mathematical Society's Steel Prize in 1992.
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