On April 11th, Cédric Villani, the director of Institut Henri Poincare, 2010 Fields Medal Prize Laureate and 2009 Fermat Prize Laureate, gave a excellent lecture named “On Particles, Stars and Eternity: From the Stability of Solar System to Plasma Physics” on the 77^thMaster Distinguished Lecture.

Firstly, Professor Villani explained the application of mathematics in various aspects of life. He walked the audience through mathematicians and physicists’ exploration on the universe and movement of planets in chronological order. By showing how scientists constantly perfect their theories, he revealed the so-called “scientific spirit”.  

Professor Villani also showed a video about how objects move under the Newton’s Law of Motion, and introduced his research on the Boltzmann Equations.  

Towards the end of the lecture, the student organization committee of Master Distinguished Lecture sent an elaborate claysculpture as a souvenir to Prof. Villani, expressing sincere gratitude and warm wishes to him. Prof. Villani left his handprints and inscription and took a group photo with students who worked for this forum to mark the occasion.  

During the tea break after the lecture, Professor Villani had an in-depth discussion with students on questions they were interested in. He also signed his books for students who asked his autograph.  

Lecturer’s Profile:  

Cédric Villani is a French mathematician and the current director of Insitut Henri Poincare. He’s research interest is primarily on partial differential equations in statistics, especially the Boltzmann Equations.  

Cédric Villani was awarded the 2010 Fields Medal for his proofs of nonlinear Landau damping and convergence to equilibrium for the Boltzmann equation.