A woman wins for the first time the Abel prize, the "Nobel" of mathematics

The Norwegian Academy of Sciences has awarded the Abel Prize – considered "the Nobel of Mathematics" – to the American Karen Keskulla Uhlenbeck "for her groundbreaking achievements in differential geometric partial equations, gauge field theory and fundamental integrated systems of his work in geometry and mathematical physics ".

Uhlenbeck, who works in the mathematics department of the
University of Texas at Austin, in the

United States

, is also known for its activism for gender equality in science and mathematics.

Karen Uhlenbeck receives the 2019 Abel Award for her fundamental work in geometric badysis and gauge field theory, which has changed mathematics, and her theories have revolutionized our understanding of minimal surfaces such as soap bubbles. "
said Hans Munthe-Kaas, chairman of the Abel committee.

The prestigious prize will be awarded on 21 May by King Harald V of

Norway

in Oslo.

In addition to working at the University of Texas at Austin, Uhlenbeck is a visiting professor at Princeton University. He was one of the founders of the Park City Institute of Mathematics and co-founder of the Women and Mathematics Program of the Institute.

The Abel Prize. The Abel Award recognizes "extraordinary and influential" contributions to mathematics. It is awarded once a year and handed over by King Harald V to Oslo, the capital of Norway. It is administered by the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters and includes NOK 6 million (just over US $ 700,000).

The choice of the awarded person is based on the recommendations of the Abel Committee, composed of five internationally renowned mathematicians. The Abel has been awarded since 2002, the 200th anniversary of the birth of Niels Henrik Abel, a Norwegian mathematician who made a significant contribution to mathematics, and 19 people were awarded.