While Lu Zhou and Schulz were talking about algebraic geometry, the other two Fields Prize winners were also quietly exchanging their acceptance speech.
"… When I escaped from Kurdistan, I didn't expect this day to come. When I first entered the University of Nottingham, I didn't even know English. " Birkar looked at the medal in his hand and recalled his experience of escaping from Iran to the United Kingdom in his final year of undergraduate.
He went from being forced to leave his hometown and the language barrier to becoming a major contributor to birational geometry. He proved the finiteness of Fano clusters and made outstanding contributions to solving many problems in the Minimal Model Program (also known as the Sen Chongwen Program). The latter was also the main reason why he won the Fields Prize.
"It wasn't easy." Venkatesh, who was sitting next to him, comforted him. He said, "Australia has never had such a tragic event. We're so lucky compared to your past."
The 1980s was during the Iran-Iraq War. It was not easy to maintain a love for mathematics in the era of gunfire.
"It's okay, it's all in the past." Birkar put the medal in his briefcase and squeezed out a smile. He said, "Kurdistan is a place where children aren't interested in mathematics. I hope this award can make 40 million people smile."
After that, the International Mathematical Union also presented the Navarina Prize. As the highest award in the field of computer science and mathematics, the winner was Professor Daskalakis from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
After the award ceremony, the opening ceremony also came to an end.
The local Rio de Janeiro art group brought a performance with unique Brazilian characteristics to the participants from all over the world.
When Lu Zhou looked at the Inca indigenous people with their peacock-like crowns, he always felt that this was more of a performance art than a dance.
At least he didn't feel like there was anything to see.
Maybe this is the difference in culture.
…
After the performance, the chairman of the Alliance, Sen Chongwen, announced the end of the opening ceremony.
Most of the participants left the venue.
Lu Zhou left his seat and was about to leave the venue. When he was about to go to the restaurant for lunch, he was quickly surrounded by reporters.
The first to ask was a CTV reporter.
The reporter had a professional smile on her face, and she asked politely, "Hello, Professor Lu, as the first China scholar to receive this honor, how do you feel at this moment?"
This was a difficult question.
Excited? Pleasure? Have my wish come true?
It seemed to be a little bit, but it wasn't exactly accurate.
He didn't know how to describe his current feelings.
Looking at the camera, Lu Zhou smiled embarrassedly and said, "It feels okay."
Hearing this, the reporter who was carrying the camera almost dropped it.
Sure …
The Fields Medal is okay, Lu … Professor Lu!
If this interview was broadcasted, it would probably become a joke the next day.
The microphone in the reporter lady's hand also shook, but it quickly returned to normal. She changed the question and continued to ask with a smile.
"I heard that you are very famous at Jin Ling University. Many young students see you as a role model. Standing on this international stage, do you have anything to say to them?"
Lu Zhou smiled and said, "Don't forget your original goal!"
Lu Zhou wasn't the only one surrounded by reporters; the other three Fields Medal winners also received a lot of attention.
Especially Birkar.
Even though his academic achievements were slightly inferior to the other three winners, his special status made him unexpectedly more popular in the western media.
However, this popularity didn't necessarily mean that he was a good thing.
Birkar was a little annoyed by the reporters. He was about to find a chance to slip away, but at this moment, something very awkward happened.
"Wait a second, where's my medal?"
A scream was heard, and all of the nearby cameras focused on Birkar.
Ignoring the cameras, Birkar anxiously looked around for the medal that he had just received.
Professor Sylviana, the chairman of the conference's organizing committee, noticed the situation and walked over. He looked at the anxious Karbier and asked.
"My medal, it was in my briefcase …" Birkar said in disbelief.
"My medal, it was in my briefcase …" Birkar said in disbelief. He was about to look for his briefcase when he suddenly froze.
Because he quickly realized that not only was his 14K medal gone, but his briefcase, which contained his phone and wallet, was also gone.
Professor Wiana soon realized the seriousness of the problem. He looked at the secretary next to him and sighed.
"Call the police."
The secretary nodded and took out his phone from his pocket.
As the organizers of the conference, they didn't want to make a big deal out of this.
But at this moment, other than contacting the police, they had no better way.
The news of the Fields Medal being stolen quickly spread and caused a commotion at the venue.
Even though the briefcase was quickly found near the hotel, the phone, wallet, and medal were all gone.
Based on the principle of open communication, the conference itself didn't restrict the identity of the attendees. Anyone could freely express their academic views and discuss academic issues with the people at the conference.
However, no one expected a thief to sneak into the conference.
The spokesperson of the International Mathematical Union expressed disappointment at the security situation in Rio de Janeiro. He also said that if the medal couldn't be found, a special ceremony would be held to reaward the medal to the unfortunate winner.
Lu Zhou, who had just gotten rid of the reporters, heard about Birkar's experience from Hadi.
Lu Zhou deeply sympathized with this Kurdish brother. He subconsciously touched the medal in his pocket.
Luckily, his medal was still there.
When Hadi heard the chatter around him, he had a sad look on his face.
"Professor, although I don't want to say this, the security in Rio de Janeiro isn't good. If you plan on going out, please remember to take care of your medal and wallet. "
Lu Zhou looked at Hadi's serious face and nodded.
"… I will."
After Lu Zhou left the hall where the opening ceremony was held, he decided to walk around the conference venue.
The quality of the reports at the International Congress of Mathematicians was usually very high. In addition to the 1-hour report and 45-minute report, there were also 10-minute reports for general scholars. Any scholar could apply for a report in a field that they were interested in.
There were more than 20 subject groups at the conference, and there were more subgroups.
Lu Zhou obviously wouldn't let go of this opportunity to learn about the latest research trends in the academic community.
When Lu Zhou walked into the corridor, he was thinking about which subject group to go to first. Suddenly, he heard a familiar voice.
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