Elias M. Stein Receives 2005 Bergman Prize

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March 2, 2005

PROVIDENCE, RI---Elias M. Stein of Princeton University has been awarded the 2005 Stefan Bergman Prize. Established in 1988, the prize recognizes mathematical accomplishments in the areas of research in which Stefan Bergman worked. Stein will receive one year's income from the prize fund, about US$17,000.

The prize citation states, "The Bergman prize is awarded to Elias M. Stein in recognition of his work in real, complex, and harmonic analysis. Stein has made decisive contributions through his research, his expository efforts, and his training of graduate students... Stein's fusion of complex analysis, partial differential equations, analysis on nilpotent Lie groups, and Euclidean harmonic analysis has deeply influenced countless mathematicians. His ideas and techniques will continue to impact mathematics for years to come."

Born in Belgium in 1931, Stein has been a major figure in mathematical research for the past few decades. Known for his outstanding expository abilties, he received the AMS Steele Prize for Exposition in 1984. In 2002 he received the AMS Steele Prize for Lifetime Achievement, as well as the National Medal of Science, the nation's highest award for achievement in scientific and mathematical research.

The Bergman Prize honors the memory of the mathematician Stefan Bergman, best known for his research in several complex variables. A native of Poland, he taught at Stanford University for many years and died in 1977 at the age of eighty-two. The AMS was asked by Wells Fargo Bank of California, the managers of the Bergman Trust, to assemble a committee to select recipients of the prize. In addition, the Society assisted Wells Fargo in interpreting the terms of the will to assure sufficient breadth in the mathematical areas in which the prize may be given. Awards are made every one or two years.

Founded in 1888 to further mathematical research and scholarship, the 30,000-member American Mathematical Society fulfills its mission through programs and services that promote mathematical research and its uses, strengthen mathematical education, and foster awareness and appreciation of mathematics and its connections to other disciplines and to everyday life.