In a first, Chinese woman wins the prestigious Fields Medal

Wang Hong is the third woman—and first from China—to be awarded the world's most prestigious mathematics prize. Simons Foundation hide caption toggle caption Simons Foundation For the first time, a Chinese woman has been awarded the world's most prestigious mathematics prize, the Fields Medal, bringing the total count of Chinese-born medalists to three, as two mathematicians from the country clinched medals this year. Often referred to as the Nobel Prize of mathematics, Fields Medals are awarded every four years to between two and four mathematicians under 40, recognizing both achievement and potential. This year marks only the third time a woman has ever won the coveted award in its 90-year history. The recipients, whose medals were presented at the opening ceremony of the International Congress of Mathematicians in Philadelphia on Thursday, included Chinese mathematicians Hong Wang and Yu Deng, American John Pardon and Canadian Jacob Tsimerman. "All four mathematicians have made tremendous contributions to their respective fields," Ulrike Tillmann, vice-president and incoming president of the International Mathematical Union (IMU), the institution responsible for organizing the a...