Mathematics is the basic language of all natural sciences and all modern technology. In the twentieth century mathematics made tremendous strides both in opening new frontiers and in solving important and difficult old problems. Its influence permeates every creative scientific and technological discipline, and extends into the social science. With the developments in computer science, information technology, and statistics in the twentieth century, the importance of mathematics to mankind will be further enhanced in the twenty-first century.
2004 Shiing-Shen Chern
... for his initiation of the field of global differential geometry and his continued leadership of the field, resulting in beautiful developments that are at the centre of contemporary mathematics, with deep connections to topology, algebra and analysis, in short, to all major branches of mathematics of the last sixty years.
2005 Andrew John Wiles
... for his proof of Fermat's Last Theorem.
2006 David Mumford (shared)
... for his contributions to mathematics, and to the new interdisciplinary fields of pattern theory and vision research.
2006 Wu Wen-Tsun (shared)
... for his contributions to the new interdisciplinary field of mathematics mechanization.
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