Sundaram Thangavelu, professor at the Department of Mathematics, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, has been chosen for the ‘mathematician of the year’ award, said National Institute of Technology, Warangal, director G.R.C. Reddy.
The award — instituted by the Ponnala Foundation, a charitable organisation — is presented by the NIT, Warangal, every year. Supreme Court Judge Justice Jasti Chelameshwar will present the award to Mr. Thangevelu on Wednesday at the NIT campus here. Mr. Reddy said mathematics lies at the core of our existence without which the world would fall apart. “It is known that mathematics is an immensely vast area and the possibilities for its exploration abound. According to an estimate, the world would be in need of 15 million mathematicians in the years to come.It is a global fact that we Indians are endowed with exceptional mathematical skills, besides diligence,” he said.
Ponnala Foundation founder Ponnala Rama Krishna said a committee of eminent members formed with members of the NIT chose the awardee. “Prof. S. Thangavelu is an alumnus of Princeton University and specialised in harmonic analysis. He was the recipient of the Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar prize for science and technology in 2002 – the highest science award in India for the mathematical science category,” he said.
Other founder members of the foundation, including E.V. Srinivas and Bathini Srinivas, were also present.