Jewish Scientists and Mathematician to Receive 2020 Breakthrough Prize

The annual Breakthrough Prize — established eight years ago by, among others, Jewish philanthropists Yuri Milner, Sergei Brin, Mark Zuckerberg, and Anne Wojcicki — is considered one of the most prestigious awards in the field of the sciences and mathematics. It’s also the most generous: Each prize comes with a $3 million award. On September 5, 2019, the winners of the 2020 Breakthrough Prize were announced:
 
The Prize in Fundamental Physics will go to 347 members of the Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration, the team responsible for producing the first image of a black hole (see above). One key member of the team: Jewish computer scientist Katie Bouman, who was featured previously in this section of AmazingJews.org. The team undoubtedly included other Jewish members as well.
 
The Prize in Life Sciences will be awarded to five scientists, two of whom — Jeffrey M. Friedman and Arthur L. Horwich — are Jewish.
 
The Prize in Mathematics will be presented to Jewish mathematician Alex Eskin.
 
On November 3, the prizes will be handed out at a star-studded ceremony, the “Oscars of Science,” on the National Geographic Channel.
 
Quote: “We had developed and tested our algorithms for years on data we thought would mimic that of the Event Horizon Telescope, but still there are always surprises in data. Pressing ‘Go’ on a computer program I had written and immediately seeing a ring come into focus for the first time was amazing and exhilarating.” — computer scientist Katie Bouman
 
Sources: Markets Insider, Newsweek
 
For additional details about the recipients’ award-winning work, read the press release about the 2020 Breakthrough Prize. >>
 
Learn more about the Breakthough Prize on Wikipedia. >>
 
Photo: usatoday.com