Mikhail Lavrentyev | |
|---|---|
Михаил Лаврентьев | |
 | |
| Born | Mikhail Alekseyevich Lavrentyev (1900-11-19)November 19, 1900 |
| Died | October 15, 1980(1980-10-15) (aged 79) |
| Alma mater | Moscow State University |
| Awards | Lomonosov Gold Medal(1977) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Mathematics |
| Institutions | Moscow State University Steklov Institute of Mathematics |
| Doctoral advisor | Nikolai Luzin |
| Doctoral students | Mstislav Keldysh Aleksei Markushevich |
Mikhail Alekseyevich Lavrentyev (orLavrentiev,Russian:Михаи́л Алексе́евич Лавре́нтьев; November 19, 1900 – October 15, 1980) was aSovietmathematician andhydrodynamicist.
Lavrentyev was born inKazan, where his father was an instructor at a college (he later became a professor atKazan University, thenMoscow University).
He enteredKazan University, and, when his family moved to Moscow in 1921, he transferred to the Department of Physics and Mathematics ofMoscow University. He graduated in 1922. He continued his studies in the university in 1923-26 as a graduate student ofNikolai Luzin.
Although Luzin was alleged to plagiarize in science and indulge in anti-Sovietism by some of his students in 1936, Lavrentyev did not participate in the notorious political persecution of his teacher which is known as theLuzin case orLuzin affair. In fact Luzin was a friend of his father.[1]: 5
In 1927, Lavrentyev spent half a year in France, collaborating with French mathematicians, and upon returned took up a position with Moscow University. Later he became a member of the staff of theSteklov Institute. His main contributions relate toconformal mappings andpartial differential equations.Mstislav Keldysh was one of his students.
In 1939,Oleksandr Bogomolets, the president of theUkrainian Academy of Sciences, asked Lavrentyev to become director of theInstitute of Mathematics atKyiv.
One of Lavrentyev's scientific interests was the physics ofexplosive processes, in which he had become involved when doing defense work duringWorld War II. A better understanding of the physics of explosions made it possible to use controlled explosions in construction, the best-known example being the construction of theMedeu Mudflow Control Dam outside ofAlmaty inKazakhstan.
Mikhail Lavrentyev was one of the main organizers and the first Chairman of theSiberian Division of theRussian Academy of Sciences (in his time theAcademy of Sciences of the USSR) from its founding in 1957 to 1975. The foundation of the Siberia's "Academic Town"Akademgorodok (now a district ofNovosibirsk) remains his most widely known achievement.
Six months after the decision to found the Siberian Division of the USSR Academy of Sciences Novosibirsk State University was established. The Decree of theCouncil of Ministers of the USSR was signed January 9, 1958.[2] From 1959 to 1966 he was a professor at Novosibirsk State University.[3]
Lavrentyev was also a founder of theInstitute of Hydrodynamics of the Siberian Division of the Russian Academy of Sciences which since 1980 has been named after Lavrentyev.[4]
Lavrentyev was awarded the honorary title ofHero of Socialist Labour, aLenin and 2Stalin Prizes, and aLomonosov Gold Medal. He was elected a member of several world-renowned academies, and an honorable citizen ofNovosibirsk.
Mikhail A. Lavrentyev's son, also named Mikhail (Mikhail M. Lavrentyev, 1930-2010), also became a mathematician and was a member of the leadership of Akademgorodok.[5]
