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29 НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ • Січень-Лютий 2023 OUR LIFE: You are just the second woman to win the Fields Medal – a phenomenal achievement. How has the award changed your life? MARYNA VIAZOVSKA: Indeed, very few math - ematicians receive this medal, only four every four years, and among them, I’m just the second woman. Considering that, I felt very honored and just happy. It is a great recognition for my work. Since then, I have had many requests to give lectures and conferences. And, of course, many media requests. But my life has not changed that much as I am above all a mathema - tician, doing fundamental research. OL: Your home base, the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland, is a lead - ing research university in mathematics, physics, and engineering, sometimes referred to as the MIT of Eu - rope. Tell us about your work there. MV: EPFL is a very dynamic university, and a fantastic place to work, study, and do research. The campus is like a small city of 17,000 people, enjoying a magnificent en - vironment with a view of Lake Geneva. And I think we have a group of very nice people working here. OL: You’ve been described as “the world’s preemi - nent sphere-packing number theorist.” Can you ex - plain to a layperson what that means? MV: Sphere packing is part of number theory. I resolved the sphere-packing problem in 8 and 24 dimensions. In doing so, I resolved a question that had stumped math - ematicians for more than four centuries: how to pack spheres – such as oranges stacked in a pyramid – as close together as possible. It was in 1611 that Johannes Kepler posited, without proof, that the best solution for packing spheres in a three-dimensional space was in the shape of a pyramid. That hypothesis was finally proven in 1998. With the third dimension resolved, it was time for us mathematicians to move on to other dimensions. I focused on dimensions 8 and 24 because these are special dimensions, and the solutions are particularly elegant. The way spheres are packed in these particular dimensions is remarkably symmetrical, and uses the E8 and Leech lattices, respectively. OL: Besides being one of the world’s foremost math - ematicians, what is your life like? MV: My life outside work is mostly centered around my family, my husband and our kids. Also, I enjoy jog - ging and drawing. OL: You are an inspiration and a role model for girls and women interested in pursuing studies or a career in STEM – the fields of science, technology, engineer - ing, and mathematics. Based on your own success, what advice or guidance would you offer them? MV: I would give them the same advice I would give a man. She should make sure it's really the career she wants, be curious, look for like-minded people, peers to talk to, look for a teacher who will stimulate her. And be proactive! OL: You grew up in Kyiv. What were you like as a child? MV: I grew up in a family with a strong tradition in natural science and technology. I was very good in mathematics at school and had the chance to meet inspiring teachers who did not kill my interest but made it stronger. OL: Were your parents also mathematicians? MV: No, both my parents have a degree in chemistry. OL: When did you realize that mathematics was your passion? MV: When I studied it at school. OL: Do you still have family in Ukraine? MV: Yes, my parents and relatives live in Kyiv. OL: You have studied and worked outside Ukraine for many years. How have you been affected, directly or peripherally, by the war in Ukraine? MV: The war was a huge shock for me, as for many other people. My sisters and their children became refugees, my parents and grandparents still live in Kyiv, and I am certainly worried about them living through this extremely difficult winter. The war has unified Ukrainians around the world and in a very bit - ter way made me understand how important Ukraine is to me. OL: Does winning the Fields Medal have any special significance for you, coming at a time when Ukraine is fighting for its very existence? MV: These two events are independent; it is impos - sible to compare them. OL: What are your plans, hopes, and dreams for the future? MV: I hope we all do have a future. Recent events have made it clear that we cannot take it for granted and have to work hard towards it. I dream about the end of the war. I also dream about a happy future for my children, and as a mathematician I dream about new theorems.
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