The SASTRA-Ramanujan Award 2013 was presented to Peter Scholze from Mathematics Institute, University of Bonn, Germany, at a function held at Srinivasa Ramanujan Centre of the Shanmugha Arts Science Technology and Research Academy (SASTRA) University, at Kumbakonam on Sunday.
J.K. Chandrashekar, Secretary, Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), Department of Science and Technology, presented the award to the 25-year-old mathematician in the presence of R.Sethuraman, Vice-Chancellor, SASTRA University, and Krishnaswami Alladi, Chair of the Prize committee and professor, University of Florida.
“The award is given to him for his path-breaking contribution that lies at the interface of arithmetic algebraic geometry and the theory of automorphic forms, and especially in the area of Galois Representation,” said a citation read out by Mr.Alladi.
The prize was aimed at recognising exceptional talent in mathematics.
The SASTRA-Ramanujan Award has become “one of the most prestigious and coveted prize in the world.” The international community of mathematicians has recognised it, Mr.Alladi said.
The prize was in recognition of Mr.Scholze's unusually original and remarkable Master’s thesis at the University of Bonn in which he gave a new proof of the Local Langlands Conjecture for p-adic local fields that was published in two papers. The prize also recognised his revolutionary Ph.D thesis at the University of Bonn.
“Peter Scholze was born in Dresden in December 1987 at the time of Ramanujan centenary. At 25, he is already one of the most influential mathematicians of the world,” Mr.Alladi said.
Mr. Chandrashekar urged SASTRA University to send a proposal to Department of Science and Technology to start a Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) School for Mathematics at the Srinivasa Ramanujan Centre. Kumbakonam, being the birth place of Ramanujan, would be the appropriate location.
S.Swaminathan, Dean of SASTRA University, said the SASTRA-Ramanujan award was given to mathematicians below 32 years.
This year’s winner was the youngest among the awardees.
Plea to revive Ramanujan chairHe appealed to the Department of Science and Technology to revive the Ramanujan chair in SASTRA University. In response, Mr.Chandrashekar assured him of support if a proposal was sent from the university. Later, Mr.Scholze delivered the Ramanujan Commemorative lecture.
