PITTSBURGH—The Russian Academy of Science's Sobolev Institute of Mathematics has awarded its 2009 Gold Medal for Great Contributions to Mathematics to Dana S. Scott, the Hillman University Professor of Computer Science, Philosophy and Mathematical Logic, Emeritus, at Carnegie Mellon University.
Scott has made fundamental contributions to contemporary logic and is best known for his creation of domain theory, a branch of mathematics that is essential for analyzing advanced computer programming languages. His previous honors include the Association for Computing Machinery's Turing Award in 1976 and the Royal Swedish Academy of Science's Schock Prize in logic and philosophy in 1997, both considered Nobel-level awards.
Scott will receive the Sobolev Gold Medal at the Malt'sev Meeting, an international conference on algebra, mathematical logic and applications, Aug. 24 in Novosibirsk, Russia. Also receiving the Gold Medal this year is Igor R. Shafarevich, a Russian mathematician who was a dissident figure under the Soviet regime.
The Gold Medal was established in 2007 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Sobolev Institute of Mathematics in Novosibirsk. Two medals are awarded each year — one to a Russian mathematician and one to a non-Russian. Part of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Science, the institute includes about 500 researchers who carry on fundamental investigations in mathematics, mathematical physics and informatics.
Scott has taught at some of the world's most prestigious universities, including Oxford University, the University of California at Berkeley, Princeton University, Stanford University and the universities of Chicago, Amsterdam and Linz. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the British Academy. He earned his bachelor's degree in mathematics at Berkeley and a Ph.D. in mathematics at Princeton.