Peking University, Dec. 8, 2014 : Prof. Zong Chuanming from Peking University with Prof. Lagarias from University of Michigan will be awarded the 2015 AMS (American Mathematical Society) Levi L. Conant Prize at the Joint Mathematics Meetings in January, 2015 in the US. This is the first time for a mathematician working in China to win the American Mathematical Society prize.

Prof. Zong and Prof. Lagarias win this prize for their article “Mysteries in Packing Regular Tetrahedra”. They systematically reviews the regular tetrahedron packing theories, giving comprehensive commentaries on the major achievements of mathematicians and material scientists in this field. Besides, many new questions and hypotheses are put forward, thereby helping clarify further research directions. Notably, Prof. Zong’s significant breakthrough on Hilbert's eighteenth problem has been the focus of some contemporary commentaries.

Background Information:

The Levi L. Conant Prize is a mathematics prize of AMS. It was established in 2000 to recognize outstanding expository papers published in either the Bulletin of the AMS or the Notices of the AMS in the preceding five years. The award is awarded annually in the amount of US$1,000.

Levi L. Conant was a mathematician and educator who spent most of his career as a faculty member at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. He was head of the mathematics department from 1908 until his death and served as interim president of WPI from 1911 to 1913. Conant was noted as an outstanding teacher and an active scholar. He published a number of articles in scientific journals and wrote four textbooks. His will provided for funds to be donated to the AMS upon his wife’s death.

Written by: Xiao Yunyun
Edited by: Yan Shengnan
Source: PKU News (Chinese)