BREAKTHROUGH PRIZE – “THE OSCARS OF SCIENCE” – CELEBRATES TOP ACHIEVEMENTS IN PHYSICS, LIFE SCIENCES & MATHEMATICS, AWARDS $22 MILLION IN PRIZES AT GALA TELEVISED CEREMONY IN SILICON VALLEY
2018 Breakthrough Prizes in Life Sciences Awarded to Joanne Chory, Don W. Cleveland, Kazutoshi Mori, Kim Nasmyth, and Peter Walter.
2018 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics Awarded to Charles L. Bennett, Gary Hinshaw, Norman Jarosik, Lyman Page Jr., David N. Spergel, and the WMAP Science Team.
2018 Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics Awarded to Christopher Hacon and James McKernan.
New Horizons in Physics Prizes Awarded to Christopher Hirata, Douglas Stanford, and Andrea Young.
New Horizons in Mathematics Prizes Awarded to Aaron Naber, Maryna Viazovska, Zhiwei Yun, and Wei Zhang.
Third Annual International Breakthrough Junior Challenge Won by Hillary Diane Andales.
Laureates to be honored at glittering awards gala hosted by Morgan Freeman, with live performance by Wiz Khalifa and musician Nana Ou-Yang, and presentations from Mayim Bialik, Lily Collins, Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, Katie Ledecky, Kerry Washington, John Urschel, Miss USA Kára McCullough and the founders of the Breakthrough Prize.
２０１８年“科学突破奖”揭晓
２０１８年美国“科学突破奖”获奖名单３日在位于旧金山湾区的美国航天局埃姆斯研究中心揭晓。今年全球共１２名生命科学、基础物理学以及数学领域的顶尖科学家获得表彰，他们将分享总额为２１００万美元的奖金。
２０１８年“生命科学突破奖”５个单项奖分别颁给同时为美国索尔克生物研究所和霍华德·休斯医学研究所工作的乔安妮·乔里、美国加利福尼亚大学圣迭戈分校路德维希癌症研究所的唐·克利夫兰、日本京都大学的森和俊、英国牛津大学的金·内史密斯和加州大学旧金山分校的彼得·沃尔特５名学者。
今年的“基础物理学突破奖”由美国约翰斯·霍普金斯大学的查尔斯·贝内特，加拿大不列颠哥伦比亚大学的加里·欣肖，美国普林斯顿大学的诺曼·雅罗西克、莱曼·佩奇和戴维·斯珀格尔５名学者共同分享。
“数学突破奖”由美国犹他大学的克里斯托弗·哈康和加州大学圣迭戈分校的詹姆斯·麦克南两人分享。
Zhiwei Yun （恽之玮）
Yale University
Wei Zhang （张伟）
Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Columbia University
除上述奖项外，包括恽之玮、张伟两名中国籍学者在内的７人获得面向年轻学者的“新视野物理学奖”和“新视野数学奖”，以表彰他们在科研生涯早期取得的成就。菲律宾科学高中学生希拉里·黛安娜·安代尔斯获得“科学突破新锐挑战奖”。
一年一度的美国“科学突破奖”是目前全球奖金额最高的科学奖，由谷歌公司创始人之一谢尔盖·布林、脸书创始人马克·扎克伯格、俄罗斯互联网投资公司ＤＳＴ创始人尤里·米尔纳等人于２０１２年共同创立。中国腾讯公司董事会主席马化腾也是该奖的创始捐赠人。
“科学突破奖”下设“生命科学突破奖”５个奖项以及“基础物理学突破奖”和“数学突破奖”，每个单项奖金额为３００万美元，自创立以来累计发放奖金约２亿美元。“科学突破奖”每年还面向年轻学者评选“新视野物理学奖”和“新视野数学奖”，面向青少年评选“科学突破新锐挑战奖”。
December 3, 2017 –（San Francisco） – The Breakthrough Prize and sponsors Sergey Brin, Yuri and Julia Milner, Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan, Anne Wojcicki, and Pony Ma, will tonight announce the recipients of the 2018 Breakthrough Prizes, which recognize top achievements in Life Sciences, Fundamental Physics and Mathematics. A combined total of $22 million will be awarded at the gala ceremony in Silicon Valley, to be hosted by Morgan Freeman, which will air live tonight on National Geographic at 10p ET/7p PT. Each Breakthrough Prize award is $3 million, the largest individual monetary prize in science.
This year, a total of seven $3 million prizes will be awarded. In addition, three $100,000 New Horizons in Physics Prizes will be awarded to three early-career physicists, and three New Horizons in Mathematics Prizes totaling $300,000 will be awarded to four early-career mathematicians. The Breakthrough Junior Challenge will recognize one student with a $250,000 scholarship and provide an additional $150,000 in educational prizes for the winner’s science teacher and school.
Since its inception in 2012, the Breakthrough Prize has awarded close to $200 million to honor paradigm-shifting research in the fields of fundamental physics, life sciences, and mathematics.
“The Breakthrough Prize was created to celebrate the achievements of scientists, physicists, and mathematicians, whose genius help us understand our world, and whose advances shape our future,” said Breakthrough Prize co-founder, Mark Zuckerberg. “The world needs their inspiration, and their reminder that even though it doesn’t always feel that way, we are making steady progress toward building a better future for everyone. Priscilla and I want to congratulate all of tonight’s laureates and give our deepest thanks for all that they do.”
The 2018 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences will be awarded to Joanne Chory （Salk Institute for Biological Studies and Howard Hughes Medical Institute）, Don W. Cleveland （Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research at University of California, San Diego）, Kazutoshi Mori （Kyoto University）, Kim Nasmyth （University of Oxford）and Peter Walter （University of California, San Francisco）.
The 2018 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics will be awarded to Charles L. Bennett （Johns Hopkins University）, Gary Hinshaw （University of British Columbia）, Norman Jarosik （Princeton University）, Lyman Page Jr. （Princeton University）, and David N. Spergel （Princeton University）.
The 2018 Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics will be awarded to Christopher Hacon （University of Utah）and James McKernan （University of California, San Diego）.
Laureates will take to the stage tonight at an exclusive gala co-hosted by founders Sergey Brin, Yuri and Julia Milner, Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan, Anne Wojcicki, Pony Ma, and Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter. Academy Award®-winning actor Morgan Freeman will host the show, which will feature a performance by multi-platinum selling hip hop artist and entrepreneur Wiz Khalifa with musician Nana Ou-Yang, presentations from actress Mila Kunis, actor and investor Ashton Kutcher, critically acclaimed actress and producer Kerry Washington, actress and neuroscientist Mayim Bialik, actress Lily Collins, U.S. Olympic swimmer Katie Ledecky, former NFL player turned mathematician John Urschel and Miss USA Kára McCullough, as well as the founders of the Breakthrough Prize. The theme of the evening will be “Sparks of Creation.” The ceremony will be directed and produced, for the fifth time, by Don Mischer alongside executive producers Charlie Haykel and Juliane Hare of Don Mischer Productions.
“It is always the right time to celebrate great scientists,” said Internet investor and science philanthropist Yuri Milner. “All of our futures depend on them.”
In addition, six New Horizons Prizes – an annual prize of $100,000, recognizing the achievements of early-career physicists and mathematicians – will be awarded.
The New Horizons in Physics Prize is awarded to: Christopher Hirata （Ohio State University）, Andrea Young （University of California, Santa Barbara）, and Douglas Stanford （Institute for Advanced Study and Stanford University）.
The New Horizons in Mathematics Prize is awarded to: Aaron Naber （Northwestern University）, Maryna Viazovska （École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne）, Zhiwei Yun （Yale University）, and Wei Zhang （Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Columbia University）.
“Every year I am inspired by the Breakthrough Prize laureates and the deep insights that are made possible by pure curiosity-driven research. This year is no exception," said Breakthrough Prize co-founder, Anne Wojcicki.
The Breakthrough Junior Challenge is a global science video competition designed to inspire creative thinking about fundamental concepts in the life sciences, physics, and mathematics. In recognition of her winning submission, Hillary Diane Andales receives up to $400,000 in educational prizes, including a scholarship worth up to $250,000, another $50,000 for the science teacher who inspired her, and a state-of-the-art science lab valued at $100,000 designed by and in partnership with Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
This was Andales’ second time in the competition, and last year, she was the Top Scorer in the Popular Vote, a segment of the contest that allows the public to vote for their favorites online. As the Top Scorer in the Popular Vote, she won a DNA molecular-biology laboratory as her school recovered from damage by Typhoon Haiyan in 2013. This year, her overall victory in the competition will secure for her school a Fabrication/Physics/Design/Innovation Lab.
More than 11,000 entries from 178 countries were received in the 2017 installment of the global competition, which kicked off on September 1, 2017. The Breakthrough Junior Challenge is funded by Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan, and Yuri and Julia Milner, through the Breakthrough Prize Foundation, based on a grant from Mark Zuckerberg’s fund at the Silicon Valley Community Foundation and a grant from the Milner Global Foundation.
2018 Breakthrough Prize In Life Sciences
The Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences honors transformative advances toward understanding living systems and extending human life, with one prize dedicated to work that contributes to the understanding of neurological diseases.
Each of the five Life Science winners will receive a $3 million prize.
- Joanne Chory
- Salk Institute for Biological Studies and Howard Hughes Medical Institute
For discovering the molecular mechanisms by which plants extract information from light and shade to modify their programs of shoot and leaf growth in the photosynthetic harvest of light.
- Don W. Cleveland
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research at University of California, San Diego
For elucidating the molecular pathogenesis of a type of inherited ALS, including the role of glia in neurodegeneration, and for establishing antisense oligonucleotide therapy in animal models of ALS and Huntington disease.
- Kazutoshi Mori
- Kyoto University
For elucidating the unfolded protein response, a cellular quality-control system that detects disease-causing unfolded proteins and directs cells to take corrective measures.
- Kim Nasmyth
- University of Oxford
For elucidating the sophisticated mechanism that mediates the perilous separation of duplicated chromosomes during cell division and thereby prevents genetic diseases such as cancer.
- Peter Walter
- University of California, San Francisco and Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Also for elucidating the unfolded protein response, a cellular quality-control system that detects disease-causing unfolded proteins and directs cells to take corrective measures.
2018 Breakthrough Prize In Fundamental Physics
The Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics recognizes major insights into the deepest questions of the universe.
The $3 million physics prize will be shared among the entire 27-member WMAP experimental team, including the following five team leaders:
- Charles L. Bennett
- Johns Hopkins University
- Gary Hinshaw
- University of British Columbia
- Norman Jarosik
- Princeton University
- Lyman Page, Jr.
- Princeton University
- David N. Spergel
- Princeton University
For detailed maps of the early universe that greatly improved our knowledge of the evolution of the cosmos and the fluctuations that seeded the formation of galaxies.
2018 Breakthrough Prize In Mathematics
The Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics honors the world’s best mathematicians who have contributed to major advances in the field.
The joint winners of the $3 million prize, are:
- Christopher Hacon
- University of Utah
- James McKernan
- University of California, San Diego
For transformational contributions to birational algebraic geometry, especially to the minimal model program in all dimensions.
2018 New Horizons In Physics Prize
The New Horizons in Physics Prize is awarded to promising early-career researchers who have already produced important work in fundamental physics.
- Christopher Hirata
- Ohio State University
- Andrea Young
- University of California, Santa Barbara
- Douglas Stanford
- Institute for Advanced Study and Stanford University
2018 New Horizons In Mathematics Prize
The New Horizons in Mathematics Prize is awarded to promising early-career researchers who have already produced important work in mathematics.
- Aaron Naber
- Northwestern University
- Maryna Viazovska
- École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
-
Zhiwei Yun （恽之玮），Yale University
-
Wei Zhang （张伟），Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Columbia University
2017 Breakthrough Junior Challenge
The third annual Breakthrough Junior Challenge will recognize Hillary Diane Andales （18）of the Philippines. She will receive $250,000 in educational prizes; her science teacher will receive $50,000; and her school will receive a new science laboratory valued at $100,000 designed by and in partnership with Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Hillary’s video, submitted in the physics category, focused on reference frames in general relativity.
Images and select video from the 2018 Breakthrough Prize Gala – red carpet and ceremony – can be downloaded for media use at: http://www.epklink.com/2018breakthroughprize
About the Breakthrough Prizes
For the sixth year, the Breakthrough Prizes will recognize the contributions of the world’s top scientists. Each prize is $3 million and awarded in the fields of Life Sciences（up to five per year）, Fundamental Physics（up to one per year）and Mathematics（up to one per year）. In addition, up to three New Horizons in Physics and up to three New Horizons in Mathematics Prizes are given out to early-career researchers each year. Laureates attend a televised awards ceremony designed to celebrate their achievements and inspire the next generation of scientists. As part of the ceremony schedule, they also engage in a program of lectures and discussions. The Breakthrough Prizes were founded by Sergey Brin, Yuri and Julia Milner, Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan, Anne Wojcicki, and Pony Ma. Selection Committees composed of previous Breakthrough Prize laureates choose the winners.
Information on the Breakthrough Prizes is available at breakthroughprize.org.
Contacts
For Breakthrough Prize
Contact：Rubenstein
Janet Wootten – Jwootten@Rubenstein.com / 212-843-8024
Emily Gest – Egest@Rubenstein.com / 212-843-8061
Kristen Bothwell – Kbothwell@Rubenstein.com / 212-843-9227
中国真正的骄傲！
北京时间2017年12月4日，2018年度科学突破奖在美国硅谷揭晓。恽之玮、张伟因为发现证明了函数域中的高阶Gan-Gross-Prasad猜想而获得了数学新视野奖。也许这两个名字对我们而言似乎有些陌生，但在数学界却早已是传奇般的存在。今天主页君带你走进他们的故事。
每年的12月都会有这样一天，一群平时看似木讷寡言的科学家们聚集在硅谷NASA艾姆斯研究中心，在镁光灯下举办一场盛大的颁奖礼，盛况丝毫不逊奥斯卡，当然今年也不例外。
这是一年一度的美国“科学突破奖”，被誉为科学界的“奥斯卡”，同时也是全球奖金额最高的科学奖。由Google联合创始人谢尔盖·布林、Facebook CEO马克·扎克伯格、硅谷著名投资人、与霍金合作开启「突破摄星」计划的尤里·米尔纳，以及来自中国的马云和马化腾等人共同捐赠组成。
倘若能拿下此奖，不仅是对自己学术成就的肯定，更可以获得高达300万美元的奖金，相当于是诺贝尔奖单项奖金的三倍。
今年，来自中国的80后科学家恽之玮、张伟就拿到了这个奖项。然而这几日频频登上微博热搜榜的却是同样出现在科学界“奥斯卡”现场的奶茶妹妹和欧阳娜娜，她们本次亮相的穿着及才艺被吃瓜群众们热议。
但主页君想说，今天，请大家把更多的目光给到这两个80后中国小伙恽之玮、张伟，他们才是这场颁奖典礼最应该被关注的人。
也许这两个名字对我们而言似乎有些陌生，但在数学界却早已是传奇般的存在。
左为恽之玮，右为张伟
北京时间2017年12月4日，2018年度科学突破奖（Breakthrough Prize）在美国硅谷揭晓。恽之玮、张伟因为发现证明了函数域中的高阶Gan-Gross-Prasad猜想而获得了数学新视野奖（New Horizons in Mathematics Prize）。
他们分别从表示论和数论的方向，在所谓的函数域的情形将Gross和Zagier的公式扩展到了高阶导数，几乎打破了这一领域30年来的毫无进展。
他们对于数学的热爱其实早就在学生时期显现出来了....真是让人不禁感慨“优秀是一种习惯”啊。
►我一直生活在“恽神”的阴影之下
恽之玮高中毕业于江苏省常州高级中学，因为成绩优异，大家都喜欢称他为“恽神”，甚至更有学生时期的“竞争对手”坦言“自己的初中、高中都生活在他的阴影之下”，"他真的很聪明，世界上没有能难倒他的数学题”。
同样，他也凭借着满分获得第四十一届国际数学奥林匹克金牌，保送到了无数学子梦寐以求的北京大学。
步入大学的恽之玮，没有想象中的“泯然众人矣”，反倒是继续延续了自己在高中时期的辉煌。在本科期间，数学专业课19门100分，7门99分，其中不乏大一时便已修过的高级课程。主页君不免要感慨一句，这样的成绩，我只在小学一年级的时候考过。
当别人还忙着在球场上挥洒汗水，被社团活动缠身或者约会谈恋爱，恽之玮每日只是默默的收拾好书去图书馆，一坐就是一天，每天研究10小时以上的数学乐此不疲。
正因为他的专注，大一上学期他就顺利修完挂了无数高年级学长学姐的抽象代数，大三读完了哈茨霍恩的《代数几何》，看理论书籍津津有味的样子，就像在阅读小说。
旁人看起来如此枯燥乏味的大学生活，竟被他用“快乐”二字定义，“因为我可以用所有的时间来学数学，而且是向深度学习。”
在网上甚至有人发文讨论“恽之玮究竟有多强？”，文章一开始就这么说道：“其实YUN神有多强这个问题，从大学起一直都在折磨着我和其他很多人，每次有了一些结论的时候，都会被不断地发现的evidence推翻，导致每次我们都发现又低估了YUN神”。
而谈及自己在大学时期的“种种成就”，恽之玮似乎淡定得很，他说，“我喜欢数学，兴趣才是我走上这条路最大的动力”。
2004年，北大毕业后，恽之玮到美国普林斯顿大学攻读博士学位，2009年获博士学位。2012年因在“表示论、代数几何和数论等方向诸多基本性的贡献”获得SASTRA拉马努金奖，现任美国耶鲁大学教授，并即将于2018年任美国麻省理工学院教授。
►他只是个“普通”的农村娃
相对恽之玮那般万众瞩目的存在，张伟则显得“低调”得多，他的朋友说道，“张伟更像是厚积薄发，他一直有着很好的眼光，对未来的发展也始终有着自己的规划”。
张伟是四川达州人，出生在大竹县农村。当时奥数还不流行，当然也更不普及，数学老师也只是在课余给班上数学成绩比较好的学生一些参考资料，包括韩信点兵、哥尼斯堡七桥问题等趣味数学，以满足少数人的求知欲。而张伟便是这少数人之一。
他觉得数学世界仿佛是一座藏满奇珍异宝的宝库，每一个数字背后都有着巨大的秘密。从一开始只是对数学故事的简单兴趣，到后来的痴迷，张伟在数学的海洋里越陷越深。
因为数学竞赛成绩优秀，张伟还被成都最好的中学录取了。
上了高中的他并没有被封“神”，因为大竹方言和成都话有着很大的区别，同学们经常听不懂他在说些什么，张伟只好每日坐在座位上，不停的演算，偶尔从书堆里抬起头来，望望周围的同学，然后很快便又埋下头沉溺在自己的世界里。
一次偶然的机会，邻座的同学向张伟询问一道题的做法，张伟耐心并且极其细致地为他讲解了这道题的正确做法，因为讲得比老师还透彻，张伟的数学天赋很快在同学之间传开了，于是每个星期专门设有一堂课，讲台固定是属于“伟哥”的——为同学解答数学疑难。
高中毕业那年，张伟作为四川省代表队的一员参加了全国数学冬令营，由此获得了保送北大数学系的资格。
上了大学后的他，格外的珍惜这一宝贵的机会，能够在全国最高学府修读简直是他从未曾想过的梦想。“我只是个普通的农村娃，但我也想做出不一样的成就”。
不同于恽之玮的“图书馆一待待一天”，张伟的兴趣则显得比较广泛，他认为做数学要张驰有度，不能一直神经紧绷着，做数学是需要休息的。
2004年同样在北大毕业的他，选择了进入美国哥伦比亚大学学习，2009年获博士学位。2010年因其在“数论、自守形式、L函数、迹公式、表示论和代数几何等数学的广泛领域的贡献”获得SASTRA拉马努金奖。
2011年起在美国哥伦比亚大学任教，2017年任美国麻省理工学院教授。要知道哥伦比亚大学、麻省理工学院这样的世界名校，年纪轻轻便登上终身教授之位，没有一定量级的研究成果那是绝对不可能的。张伟的数学天赋和背后付出的努力可想而知。
让主页君意料之外的是，在学术研究上取得如此大成就的二人，竟然没有微信，也不用智能手机，在接受采访的时候，恽之玮还从口袋中掏出了一款诺基亚的直板手机来表示自己可没有“撒谎”。
他说道，“现在是科技的时代，但我的期望却是反方向的，我觉得我们不能过多的依赖电子产品，特别是手机。因为手机会让我们分心，它严重影响了我们的思考，尤其是对于事业处在上升期的人来说，手机还会影响他们的思维方式。”
而张伟则坦言，自己非常怀念在没网的火车上静静思考的时光，“你会把所有的注意力都集中在眼前，没有任何人、任何事能够干扰到你，那时候的你是坦然和幸福的”。
他们认为正是数学研究，才能让自己时刻保持着对世界的客观思考。“其实很多乍一听很有道理的话，其实稍微用点数学和计算证明，就发现是荒谬的。”
“比如，小时候很多人会听说，从中国往地心打个洞，就能到美国，你们也都相信了吧。但你仔细一想其实是错误的，因为两个国家都在北半球。”恽之玮说。
相较于恽之玮说话的沉稳而谨慎，张伟则显得“活泼”些，他表示更爱在办公室以外的空闲时光，尤其是“突然上不了网、没事可做”的场合思考，“做学术是一件专注的事情，但同样也是一件快乐的事情。”
虽说，恽之玮和张伟在北大读书的时候选的课程比较接近，但到了博士时，研究的领域却是两个截然不同的方向。张伟很早就选择了数论作为主攻方向，而恽之玮表示自己一直“有点怕数论，觉得这是个很难的学科”，最后选择代数几何作为切入点。
张伟以为他们不太可能再有共同的研究课题了，但随着更多的交流，他发现数论和代数几何，只是使用了两种不同的数学语言，数论翻译成恽之玮熟悉的代数几何“语言”后，在数学本质上的距离并不远。
张伟这么比喻：“可能跟爬山一样，我们俩选择了不同的路，但是好像在某一个岔路口相遇了。”而恽之玮也兴奋得回应道：“我一下子觉得能欣赏数学更多领域的东西，数论的报告也是越听越多。”
这篇获奖的论文，是恽之玮和张伟直接合作的首个发表成果，在颁奖典礼上，恽之玮称"对他们而言，这还只是个起点，能引申出很多的问题，以后的部分会越来越困难，但至少我们有事情可以做。”
而张伟的颁奖感言则引发了现场的几阵笑声：“我很感谢我的父母，他们一直支持我的研究，也很放心，因为他们觉得我完全和数字打交道，不会错。但我没告诉他们，其实我只是在和想象中的数字打交道。”
当被问及美金的用处时，另一位新科数学“新视野奖”得主、西北大学的阿伦·纳博（Aaron Naber）脱口而出：当然是还房贷，而旁边的恽之玮和张伟也连连点头，并无奈地感叹了一声“杯水车薪”。
而谈及自己被誉为北大数学的黄金一代时，张伟则笑了笑，“可能是因为我们当时比较傻，都选了数学”，嘴上是调侃，可眼睛里却流露出的却是坚定，没有丝毫的后悔。
的确，他们是新一代科学家的代表，正如一缕阳光，正透着窗照进来，终将点亮整个学术殿堂。未来的他们想要去更广阔的世界看看，“可这并不代表着我们不会回来”。
Ref：
http://www.guancha.cn/Education/2017_12_05_437935.shtml
http://www.guancha.cn/GuanKeJi/2017_12_05_437850_3.shtml
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