A Remarkable Week for IHES in New York and California

The week began in New York with the second Friends of IHES Public Lecture at the CUNY Graduate Center, featuring Helmut Hofer of the Institute for Advanced Study, and in presence of Marilyn Simons, Chair of Friends of IHES.

Helmut introduced the audience to the life and work of Andreas Floer and explored the lasting influence of Floer theory on modern mathematics and physics. The lecture also offered a preview of his upcoming book with Siobhan Roberts, The Floer Jungle: Charting the Development of a Theory, which is now available for pre-order through the American Mathematical Society Bookstore.

From New York, the IHES delegation traveled west to continue its visit with the Friends of IHES community in California.

Their first stop was The International School of San Francisco, where students were introduced to the beauty of mathematics beyond the traditional curriculum thanks to mathematics teachers Pauline Fontaine and Laurent Hoarau.

IHES postdoctoral researcher Alex Nolte and Harrison Bray, Assistant Professor at George Mason University, led engaging sessions exploring modular arithmetic, complex numbers, spherical geometry, and the Euler characteristic for graphs, offering students a glimpse into the creativity and beauty of mathematical research.

On Wednesday evening, the Friends of IHES community gathered in Menlo Park for a special event hosted by Eugénie Rives, Board member of Friends of IHES, and IHES supporter Stefan Madjarov at Benhamou Global Ventures.

The evening featured an inspiring discussion on foundational AI models in biology with Steve Quake, Lee Otterson Professor of Bioengineering and Professor of Applied Physics at Stanford University, and continued with thoughtful conversations at the intersection of science, innovation and entrepreneurship.

On Thursday, IHES was welcomed to the French Residence in San Francisco for a joint event with the Simons Laufer Mathematical Sciences Institute.

Hosted by Valérie Brisset, Consul General of France in San Francisco, Emmanuelle Pauliac-Vaujour, Science Attachée at the Consulate General, the evening featured a fireside chat between Emmanuel Ullmo, Director of IHES, and Tatiana Toro, Director of SLMath, on the future of mathematics, the evolving funding landscape, and the role of artificial intelligence in research.

The event offered a wonderful opportunity to bring together the IHES and SLMath communities around a shared commitment to international scientific collaboration.

The week concluded in Los Angeles with a Science Luncheon at the French Residence, where the Institute was hosted by Adrien Frier, Consul General of France in LA, and Virgine Molle, Science Attachée, and where conversations continued with Hong Wang, Permanent Professor of Mathematics at IHES, and Terence Tao, Professor of Mathematics at UCLA.

The following evening brought particularly exciting news for IHES at the 12th Breakthrough Prize Ceremony.

Two IHES researchers were recognized among this year’s laureates:

Frank Merle received the Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics for his exceptional contributions to nonlinear partial differential equations and finite-time blow-up phenomena.

Hong Wang received the New Horizons in Mathematics Prize for her groundbreaking work on the Kakeya conjecture, one of the most important problems in harmonic analysis and geometry.

To everyone who welcomed IHES, hosted conversations, and helped strengthen the Friends of IHES community: thank you for making this week so memorable.