Jeremy J. Gray Receives 2009 AMS Whiteman Prize

January 6, 2009

Providence, RI---Jeremy J. Gray of the Open University and the University of Warwick is receiving the 2009 AMS Albert Leon Whiteman Memorial Prize. Presented every three years by the American Mathematical Society, the prize honors notable exposition that centers on the history of mathematics and that reflects exceptional mathematical scholarship. The prize will be awarded on Tuesday, January 6, 2009, at the Joint Mathematics Meetings in Washington, DC.

According to the citation, the prize "recognizes the value of [Gray's] many historical works, which have not only shed great light on the history of modern mathematics but also have given an example of the ways in which historical scholarship can contribute to the understanding of mathematics and its philosophy. In addition, Gray's work as an editor, teacher, translator, and organizer of forums for historical work has helped invigorate the study of the history of modern mathematics internationally." Specifically mentioned in the citation are three books by Gray, Ideas of Space (1979), Linear Differential Equations and Group Theory from Riemann to Poincaré (1986), and The Hilbert Challenge (2000), as well as an undergraduate textbook, Worlds Out of Nothing (2007). The prize citation concludes, "Jeremy Gray's spirited presentations of a wide range of subjects of nineteenth and twentieth century mathematics have earned the respect of his colleagues for the quality of both their historical scholarship and their mathematical accuracy and insight, exactly the traits that the Whiteman Prize is meant to recognize."

The full citation for this prize and additional information can be found in the Prize Booklet. 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, today the American Mathematical Society has more than 32,000 members. The 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.