After they arrived at the hotel, Lu Zhou put down his suitcase. He didn't even have time to rest before he was dragged to the restaurant on the top floor of the hotel by Luo Wenxuan.
It wasn't even dinner time yet, but it was just right for afternoon tea.
Many scholars had the habit of discussing academic issues during afternoon tea. Especially at academic conferences, people who didn't usually drink afternoon tea would come to the restaurant at this time.
The only problem was that even though the organizer paid for the food and accommodation after paying the registration fee, it didn't include coffee and pastries for afternoon tea.
Lu Zhou had just satisfied Xiao Ai and applied for an international patent, so he was a little short of money.
He only had five Franklin's on him when he came to America. He was waiting for the US $100,000 Cole Prize to cover his daily expenses.
At the restaurant on the top floor, Luo Wenxuan took Lu Zhou to a table in the corner of the cafe.
At the table in the corner, there was a dark-skinned, short foreigner. He was looking at his laptop and researching something.
Luo Wenxuan obviously knew this guy, so he walked over and greeted him. He then smiled at Lu Zhou and said, "Let me introduce you, this is my friend, George Williams!"
George's eyes lit up when he saw Lu Zhou. He smiled and stood up. He reached out his hand and said, "Nice to meet you. I've read your report at the Princeton conference. It still leaves a deep impression on me."
"Lu Zhou, nice to meet you too." Lu Zhou briefly introduced himself and shook his hand. He smiled and said, "Do you study mathematical physics?"
George: "No, I'm studying economics."
"Economics? That's a promising major … "Lu Zhou looked at George and said," But isn't your supervisor Professor Witten? "
Luo Wenxuan smiled and said, "Mr. Witten's field of research isn't just mathematical physics. His major is history, and his master's is economics. Last year, he had a master's in history, but he graduated this year and went to Stanford."
Lu Zhou: "Awesome …"
An economist with a background in history switched to physics and won the Fields Award, one of the highest honors in mathematics? If string theory is proven centuries later, will he still be the founder of "future physics"?
With such a comparison, Lu Zhou always felt that compared to him, this guy was more like a cheat.
George asked, "Will you be giving a report at this academic conference?"
Lu Zhou said modestly, "I'll pass this time. I'm just here to be a listener."
Luo Wenxuan whistled and said, "And also give an acceptance speech."
"Cough!"
Lu Zhou coughed and gave him a warning look.
George smiled and said, "Buddy, don't be nervous. We all know that this award will definitely go to you. There's no doubt about it. The twin prime conjecture is already worthy of this honor, let alone the Polignac's conjecture. If the Federal Mathematics Society gave this award to someone else, I believe a lot of people would be unhappy. "
Other than a smile, Lu Zhou did not know what to say.
There was no doubt that this award would go to him. Even the "laymen" in economics thought that this award would go to him.
…
Berkeley was a very powerful place, especially its mathematics department. Although it was not as powerful as Princeton, it was still one of the top three in North America and top five in the world.
The late Mr. Chen Shengshen used to teach here. Also, Mr. Qiu, who gave Lu Zhou the award, also obtained his PhD here.
Also, Tao Zhexuan, who was known as the "Mozart of numbers", taught here.
Over the past few days, Lu Zhou did not go anywhere else. He spent his days wandering around the Berkeley campus. In the afternoon, he would usually go to the restaurant on the top floor.
Although he rarely participated in discussions with other people, he could still learn a lot from other people's discussions.
There were a lot of big names attending this academic conference, even more than the Princeton academic conference.
Everyone had been researching for a year, so they had to find a place to brag and show off.
Of course, it was not just to brag.
The academic discussions between powerhouses would result in a clash of ideas, and the sparks produced would also be unusually intense. Although some of the new ideas were not necessarily correct, they were often very inspiring.
For Lu Zhou, even if he just sat there and drank a cup of coffee, it would be better than listening to an entire lecture.
After waiting quietly for three days, the academic conference finally began.
The opening ceremony of the conference was held in the Berkeley conference room.
During the opening ceremony, Mr. Francis, the president of the Federal Mathematics Society, stood on stage. He held the microphone and spoke in a slow and steady voice.
"This year is an extraordinary year.
"In the field of number theory, Lu Zhou, a master's student from China's University of Jin Ling, solved the twin prime conjecture and Polignac's conjecture. He also supplemented the sieve theory with the principles of topology and created a number theory research tool called the 'Group Structure Method'.
"In the field of algebra, Peter Schulz from Germany solved the famous Weight-monodromy conjecture in abstract algebra through his own PS theory.
"According to tradition, this year we should be awarding the Cole Prize in Algebra, but considering the major achievements in the field of number theory this year, we can't ignore it. Therefore, our award committee has been arguing for more than a month about this award. "
The Cole Prize was divided into the number theory award and the algebra award. According to tradition, it was usually given in turns.
For example, last year, the award was given to the outstanding contributor in the field of number theory. This year, it should be given to the outstanding contributor in the field of algebra.
It wasn't that this convention hadn't been broken before, but the number of times it was broken was quite rare in history.
If it was only the twin prime conjecture, this year's award would most likely be given to the German god, Schulz. This was because the Weight-monodromy conjecture not only solved the conjecture, but it also proved that his PS theory was a powerful mathematical tool.
Coincidentally, no one expected that at the end of the year, Lu Zhou would also solve the strong twin prime conjecture, the Polignac's conjecture. Not just that, but the "Group Structure Method" that he created was also of high research value in the field of number theory.
Both of their contributions were outstanding, which made it more difficult.
However, for Lu Zhou, who already knew the result, there was no suspense.
Mr. Francis paused for a second before he continued.
"In the end, we made a bold decision.
"The winner is —"
Lu Zhou, who was sitting in the audience, fixed his collar and prepared to go on stage.
"Schulz from Germany!"
Lu Zhou's hand on his collar froze, and he looked up with a muddled expression.
WTF？
Clap clap clap …
The audience applauded.
A tall, thin man with pale skin stood up, smiled, and bowed to express his thanks to the applause next to him.
Lu Zhou: "???"
The f * ck?
Where's my trophy?
Luo Wenxuan also looked at Lu Zhou with a muddled expression. He did not understand what was going on.
The applause gradually subsided.
Mr. Francis, who was standing on stage, coughed and continued to speak.
"… And Lu Zhou from China!"
Lu Zhou: "…"
MMP！
It's not that I don't know how to respect the old, but can't you just say it all at once?
Up and down, his heart almost stopped beating!
Wait a minute …
Lu Zhou suddenly realized something and instantly snapped back to reality.
This year's Cole Prize …
They made an exception and awarded two?!
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
