| 1 | Name: | Dr. Barry Mazur | |
| Institution: | Harvard University | ||
| Year Elected: | 2001 | ||
| Class: | 1. Mathematical and Physical Sciences | ||
| Subdivision: | 104. Mathematics | ||
| Residency: | Resident | ||
| Living? : | Living | ||
| Birth Date: | 1937 | ||
Barry Mazur is one of the most distinguished mathematicians in America. In 1959 he astonished the mathematical world by introducing the "method of infinite repetition" to prove an appropriate version of the Schoenflies embedding theorem for spheres and other theorems about manifolds. For this work in topology he was awarded (jointly with M. W. Brown) the Veblen Prize of the American Mathematical Society in 1966. Thereafter he switched his attention to algebraic number theory, and in that field he won the Cole Prize in 1982. His work in number theory played a prominent role in the developments leading up to the solution of the Fermat problem a few years ago. He is recognized as a leading expositor in the field of number theory and is also deeply interested in philosophy and the history of mathematics. Dr. Mazur has been affiliated with Harvard University since 1959 and has held the title of Gerhard Gade University Professor since 1999. He won the National Medal of Science in 2012. | |||