John Milnor Receives 2004 AMS Steele Prize for Mathematical Exposition

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January 8, 2004

PROVIDENCE, RI---John Milnor of the State University of New York, Stony Brook, is receiving the 2004 Leroy P. Steele Prize for Mathematical Exposition. Presented annually by the American Mathematical Society, the Steele Prize is one of the highest distinctions in mathematics. The prize will be awarded today at the Joint Mathematics Meetings in Phoenix, Arizona.

Milnor is being honored for a lifetime of expository contributions ranging across a wide spectrum of disciplines. The prize citation says: "The phrase 'sublime elegance' is rarely associated with mathematical exposition, but it applies to all of Milnor's writings, whether they be research or expository. Reading his books, one is struck with the ease with which the subject is unfolding, and it only becomes apparent after reflection that this ease is the mark of a master... Milnor's many expository contributions to the mathematical literature have influenced more than one generation of mathematicians. Moreover, the examples that they provide have set a standard of clarity, elegance, and beauty for which every mathematician should strive."

Further information about AMS prizes may be found at http://www.ams.org/prizes-awards.

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