Last fall I wrote about the Abel Prize ceremony because I was intrigued by the maze constructed for the occasion. I didn’t intend to cover every winner, but I thought that Karen Uhlenbeck becoming the first woman to receive the honor warranted attention. Her work laid the foundation for a whole new branch of mathematics–geometric analysis–and she also provided critical tools to mathematical physicists for working with the Yang-Mills equations, which are central to the Standard Model of particle physics. Beyond her mathematical contributions, she also mentored other women mathematicians and was involved in developing new programs for educators and mathematicians to train and collaborate.
[Read more…] about Science Corner: The Prizes are in Bloom
