OSU Math Prof Invited to Speak at International Congress

Carolyn Gonzales
Communications Services
Oklahoma State University
(405) 744-6260

 

Dr. James Cogdell, OSU Regents Professor of Mathematics, presented an invited lecture at the recent International Congress of Mathematicians. He is shown teaching at a Princeton University Institute of Advanced Study program held this past summer in Park City, Utah.

Dr. James Cogdell, Oklahoma State University Regents Professor of Mathematics, recently presented an invited lecture at the International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM), which was held in Beijing, China.

“It’s difficult to convey the importance of such a lecture invitation to a lay person, but it’s perhaps the most prestigious speaking invitation a mathematician can get,” said Dr. Benny Evans, OSU Math Department head.

It is believed that Cogdell is the first OSU mathematician ever to be invited to present an ICM lecture.

The ICM is held every four years under the auspices of the International Mathematical Union, a non-governmental and non-profit scientific organization with the goal of promoting international cooperation in mathematics. The first ICM was held in 1897.

At the congress, mathematicians from all over the world gather to discuss recent developments in almost all areas of math. The Fields Medals, which are said to be the equivalent of the Nobel Prize in mathematics, are presented at the ICM meetings.

Cogdell is a number theorist. He was one of nine people invited to present ICM lectures in number theory. Four were from the United States, and the others from Japan, Germany and France. Cogdell also made a presentation at a satellite conference held in Weihai, China a few days before the ICM.

Cogdell said the mathematicians were treated as honored guests in China. For example, Beijing authorities stopped other traffic on the streets each morning and evening as the 100 buses took more than 4,000 ICM participants to and from the Beijing International Convention Center.

The ICM opening ceremonies were held in the main auditorium of the Great Hall of the People, with the President of China welcoming participants and presenting the two Fields Medals.

Cogdell has gained wide acclaim for his research. He’s also presented invited lectures at other prestigious mathematical gatherings in the U.S., as well as in Italy, France and Hong Kong. This past summer, he taught at a math institute summer program in Park City, Utah that was sponsored by the Princeton Institute of Advanced Study. During the 1999-2000 academic year, Cogdell took unpaid leave from OSU to conduct research with his colleagues at Princeton.

Since coming to OSU from Rutgers University in 1987, Cogdell has taught a variety of math classes at all levels in addition to continuing his research. He is on sabbatical leave this year. He will spend the fall semester working with a colleague at Yale University and continue his research at the Fields Institute in Toronto, Canada in the spring.

“Dr. Cogdell’s invitation to lecture at ICM is one more recognition of the quality of our continuing research program,” Evans said. “Past major recognitions include four Sloan Fellowships (Brian Conrey, Amit Ghosh, Zhenbo Qin and David Wright), an American Mathematical Society Centennial Fellowship (Jiahong Wu), and the election of William Jaco as a Fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of Science.”

For information about this page, send e-mail to Carolyn Gonzales.

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