Wolf prize

Leading Israeli and American mathematicians will share the $100,000 Wolf Foundation for Mathematics in May, to be presented at the Knesset by the president of Israel. In addition, the Wolf Prize in Physics, also worth $100,000, will be divided between leading experts from Germany and France. Considered Israel's Nobel Prizes, the Wolf Prizes - five of which are awarded every year, were established by the late German-born inventor, diplomat and philanthropist, Dr. Ricardo Wolf. Prof. Harry Furstenberg of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem will receive half of the mathematics prize "for his profound contributions to ergodic theory, probability, topological dynamics, analysis on symmetric spaces and homogenous flows". The other half will go to Prof. Stephen Smale of the University of California at Berkeley "for ground-breaking contributions that have played a fundamental role in shaping differential topology, dynamical systems, mathematical economics, and other subjects in mathematics," the international jury said. Born in Germany in 1935, Furstenberg received his doctorate from Princeton University and since 1965 has been at Hebrew University; he has already received the Israel Prize. Smale, who was born in the US in 1930, received his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan and joined UC in 1964. He also was a professor at the City University of Hong Kong for six years. His proof in the early 60's of the Poincar Conjecture for dimensions bigger or equal to five is one of the great mathematical achievements of the 20th century.