Woman claims top math prize

Karen Uhlemneck

A retired woman math professor

has been awarded a top prize by the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters.

Karen Keskulla Uhlenbeck, who retired from the University of Texas at Austin in 2014, was honored for her "pioneering achievements in geometric partial differential equations, gauge theory and integrable systems, and for the fundamental impact of her work on analysis, geometry and mathematical physics.”

The Abel Prize, named for the 19th century Norwegian mathematician Niels Hendrik Abel, will be presented to Uhlenbek by King Harald V at a ceremony in Oslo on May 21.

The prize includes the equivalent of $700,000.

She is the first woman to receive the prize, which has been issued yearly since 2003.