The medals were presented during the International Congress of Mathematicians, held August 3 through 11 in Zurich, Switzerland.
The Fields Medals--officially known as the International Medals for Outstanding Discoveries in Mathematics--are presented every four years to two to four individuals under the age of 40 in recognition of both their existing work and the promise of future achievements. Unlike the Nobel and other big prizes, however, the Fields Medals carry no monetary award.
Winners are decided upon by a committee within the International Mathematical Union--a professional mathematical society of worldwide membership, headquartered this year in Rio de Janiero, Brazil--which arranges the International Congress. Thirty-four individuals have been honored since 1936.
Zelmanov, 38, was recognized for his work in the area of abstract algebra and group theory, specifically for his proof of a mathematical conjecture called the restricted Burnside problem, named for British mathematician William Burnside.
"In 1902, Burnside formulated a ...
