News & Notes: Alumnus earns prestigious mathematics prize

Mathematician John Milnor GS ’54 has won the the 2011 Abel Prize, the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters announced on March 23.

The Abel Prize, named after Norwegian mathematician Niels Henrik Abel, was created in 2002 and is awarded each year by the King of Norway to one or more mathematicians. The prize includes a financial award of roughly $1 million.

Milnor is most well-known for his 1956 proof of the existence of seven-dimensional spheres with nonstandard differential structure. He is a former recipient of the Fields Medal, often viewed as the top award for mathematicians, and the Wolf Prize.