Between Computer Science and Mathematics
Avi Wigderson and László Lovász received the prestigious award for their work on the development of complexity theory and graph theory - and for connecting both fields.
When Avi Wigderson and László Lovász started their careers in the 1970s, theoretical computer science and pure mathematics were two completely different subjects. But today, they're so close it's hard to draw a clear line between them.
The scientists received this year's Abel Prize for their fundamental contributions in both areas - and for merging the two disciplines. This award is given by the Norwegian Academy of Sciences and is considered one of the highest honors in mathematics, comparable to a Nobel Prize.
"In many ways, their work is complementary. Wigderson works on the computer science side, while Lovász is a mathematician. But a lot of the subjects they work on are related," says University of Computer Scientist Russell Impagliazzo California in San Diego …
Pioneers Linking Math and Computer Science Win the Abel Prize article translated and edited by Spektrum der Wissenschaft from Quanta Magazine, a content independent magazine of the Simons Foundation dedicated to the dissemination of research results Mathematics and the natural sciences as a goal.
