Abstract:

``A  remarkable mathematician whose classical Chinese philosophical ideas helped him build bridges between China and the West. Shiing-shen Chern (1911-2004) is one of the fathers of modern differential geometry. Following a classical upbringing, Chern pursued his mathematical studies in Hamburg and Paris during the 1930s, building on the work of Elie Cartan. After World War II he traveled between the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton and China. In 1960 he moved to Berkeley, where he created a center for geometry, and in 1981 became cofounder of the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute in Berkeley. His reputation led to invitations from the leaders of China to help renew research mathematics in China following the destruction of academic life during the Cultural Revolution.'' -- 54 min

 

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