Gardner, Greene, Kruskal, and Miura Receive 2006 AMS Steele Prize for a Seminal Contribution to Research

January 13, 2006

Providence, RI:

Clifford S. Gardner, professor emeritus of mathematics at the University of Texas at Austin, John M. Greene, retired from General Atomics, Martin D. Kruskal of Rutgers University, and Robert M. Miura of the New Jersey Institute of Technology are receiving the 2006 AMS Leroy P. Steele Prize for a Seminal Contribution to Research. Presented annually by the American Mathematical Society, the Steele Prize is one of the highest distinctions in mathematics. The prize is being awarded today at the Joint Mathematics Meetings in San Antonio, Texas.

They share the prize for their joint paper:

"Korteweg-deVries equation and generalizations. VI. Methods for exact solution", by Clifford S. Gardner, John M. Greene, Martin D. Kruskal, and Robert M. Miura. (Communications on Pure and Applied Mathematics, volume 27, (1974), pages 97--133.)

The citation states: "This is a fundamental paper in the theory of solitons, inverse scattering transforms, and nonlinear completely integrable systems. Before it, there was no general theory for the exact solution of any important class of nonlinear differential equations." The ideas set forth in this paper were quickly extended to other kinds of equations, triggering important work in other areas, such as dynamical systems, inverse scattering, and symplectic geometry. The citation continues: "In applications of mathematics, solitons and their descendants (kinks, anti-kinks, instantons, and breathers) have entered and changed such diverse fields as nonlinear optics, plasma physics, and ocean, atmospheric, and planetary sciences. Nonlinearity has undergone a revolution: from a nuisance to be eliminated, to a new tool to be exploited."

Find out more about AMS prizes at http://www.ams.org/prizes-awards.

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Founded in 1888 to further mathematical research and scholarship, the 30,000-member American Mathematical Society fulfills its mission through programs and services that promote mathematical research and its uses, strengthen mathematical education, and foster awareness and appreciation of mathematics and its connections to other disciplines and to everyday life.