Dinner

National Building Museum
401 F Street NW, Washington, DC
July 13, 2001

Following the reception was an elegant dinner which included several courses, and between each course the CMI featured an interesting event. The first event was a talk by Rita R. Colwell, who is a leading researcher in the epidemiology of cholera and Director of the National Science Foundation, followed by the second event, a talk by Alfred R. Berkeley, III, who is Vice Chairman of the NASDAQ stock exchange. Both speakers are leading exponents of the importance of mathematics in other fields. The third important event was also a very entertaining event; Christopher Thompson, accompanied by Milton Granger, performed "The Beauty of Numbers," one of the most inspiring musical pieces from Fermat's Last Tango.

The Clay Mathematics Institute presented the CMI-IMO Award to the four perfect scorers in the 2001 International Mathematical Olympiad. These student winners symbolized the importance that mathematics holds for the future of the world. The Clay Institute was proud to honor them. The award winners were Liang Xiao and Zhiqiang Zhang from China, Reid Barton and Gabriel Carroll from the United States.

Liang Xiao Zhiqiang Zhang

Reid Barton Gabriel Carroll

Also at the dinner, the major sponsors of IMO 2001 were recognized, and the tradition of "Passing the IMO Flag" was continued by Arthur Jaffe, John Ewing, Adam McBride, Claude Deschamps, John Kenelly, George Conrades, and Walter Mientka.

Keynote Addresses

Alfred R. Berkeley, III, Vice Chairman of NASDAQ
Rita R. Colwell, Director of the National Science Foundation

'The Beauty of Numbers' from "Fermat's Last Tango"

Christopher Thompson, accompanied by Milton Granger

Recognition

Organizers and Major Sponsors

The CMI-IMO Award

Liang Xiao and Zhiqiang Zhang from China
Reid Barton and Gabriel Carroll from the United States

Gifts and Passing of the IMO Flag

Presentations from the U.S. to Korea and England
Passing of the Flag to the United Kingdom

Closing Remarks

John Ewing

Video

"Faces and Places of the IMO 2001 in the USA"

Program Notes

Rita R. Colwell, a leading researcher in the epidemiology of cholera, graduated from Purdue University and received a PhD in marine microbiology from the University of Washington. She has held positions in Canada's National Research Council, Georgetown University, and the University of Maryland, where she served as president of The Maryland Biotechnology Institute. Currently Dr. Colwell is Director of the National Science Foundation and also one of the foremost advocates for science in the United States.

Alfred R. Berkeley, III is the Vice Chairman of NASDAQ, the stock exchange based in Washington, DC that lists many of the leading American high-technology corporations. Mr. Berkeley is a graduate of the Wharton School, an Air Force captain, and formerly a senior banker at Alex Brown & Sons. He currently serves as co-chair of the Internet Learning Network, a web-based project sponsored by the Council on Competitiveness, aiming to increase interest and proficiency among school children in mathematics and science.

Fermat's Last Tango is a wonderful musical fantasy inspired by Andrew Wiles' encounters with "Fermat's Last Theorem." Joshua Rosenblum composed the music, his wife Joanne Sydney Lessner wrote the book, and the two of them (both summa cum laude graduates of Yale University) collaborated on the lyrics. The play was staged at the York Theatre Company in New York City, with an outstanding cast of actors and musicians, including lead singer Christopher Thompson who played the role of Daniel Keane (representing Andrew Wiles). The song The Beauty of Numbers states in heroic terms the passion evoked by the beauty of mathematics.