First Mikhail Lavrentyev Prizes Awarded

The first prizes in honour of academic Mikhail Lavrentyev, founder of the Siberian branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (based near Novosibirsk in western Siberia), were awarded to Russian scientists on Monday. Academic Lev Ovsyannikov won the "Outstanding contribution to the development of mathematics, mechanics and applied physics" prize. Academic Georgy Marchuk received the award for "outstanding results with paramount significance for the development of science and education." Nikolai Dobretsov, chairman of the Siberian branch and chairman of the honorary council of the M.A. Lavrentyev Foundation, received an award from his fellow academics. The prize foundation was established in 2000 to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of the leading academic, specialist in mathematics and mechanics, and scientific and public figure. The prizes themselves are awarded every two years in two categories. Every winner receives a monetary prize and a gold medal with the image of M.A. Lavrentyev. Moreover, it was announced at the award ceremony that an M.A. Lavrentyev prize for young scientists had been instituted.