Infosys, NIAS come together to promote interest in Maths

Infosys Technologies Ltd and the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS) on Monday announced the first winner of the Infosys Mathematics Prize.

The winner of the prize for 2008 is Manindra Agrawal, N Rama Rao Chair Professor in the department of computer science and engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur.

Agrawal was chosen by a jury of academicians from across the world and will be awarded Rs 10 lakh and a medal for his research in Complexity Theory.

Manindra Agrawal has been awarded the Infosys Mathematics Prize for his work in Complexity Theory, the branch of mathematics concerned with the study of algorithms for solving mathematical and related scientific problems, especially their efficiency and running times.

Announcing the winner here today, N R Narayana Murthy, chairman and chief mentor, Infosys said, “At Infosys, we firmly believe in a strong industry-academia partnership for the advancement of academic research. The Infosys Mathematics Prize recognises contributions of great depth and influence to mathematical sciences. Infosys congratulates Agrawal on being awarded this prize and applauds his work. We hope that the award will reiterate the importance of mathematics across different sciences and encourage students to cultivate an interest in the subject.”

This comes at a time when there has been a fall in interest among students taking to higher studies in mathematics and a consequent lack of mathematics teachers.

The poor quality of maths too could have a detrimental impact. Speaking of the impact of India in Mathematics, K Kasturirangan, director of NIAS, said, “China today sees 361 per cent more papers being produced in Mathematics than India. In 1986, it was only a 76 per cent lead.”

The international impact of mathematics from India has fallen and the quality of research too is much below standards. We cannot lag behind if we have to be a science power, he added. This prize is an important step in nurturing and encouraging academic research in areas critical to India’s development as a scientific and economic power.

The Infosys Mathematics Prize was jointly instituted by Infosys and NIAS earlier this year to encourage and foster an interest in mathematics.

This prize is awarded to a nominated candidate who has made outstanding contributions, to fundamental or applied, in any field of mathematics including the areas of pure mathematics, mathematical foundations of computer science and applied mathematics in natural, life and social sciences.

The award is for mathematicians below the age of 45 years and he should have been associated with an Indian firm/institution and should have spent five years in India.