Medal win

Mathematician Dr Bob Anderssen has been awarded the George Szekeres Medal for his outstanding research achievements.

The medal's namesake, Emeritus Professor Georges Szekeres, 93, presented the award to Dr Anderssen - CSIRO Mathematical and Information Sciences Chief Research Scientist - at the Australian Mathematical Society's 48th Annual Conference at RMIT University recently.

Dr Anderssen said because of the great respect he has for George Szekeres, it was a great honour for him to have been awarded the medal.

"Receiving it not only places me in the company of those outstanding mathematicians who have already received this award, it also recognises the key role that CSIRO has played in fostering mathematical and statistical expertise in the support of Australian Science."

"To many the importance of mathematics in the support of science and technology is not self-evident. My sincere hope is that this will help enhance the awareness of all Australians of the importance of mathematics and statistics."

Dr Anderssen has built an international reputation for his understanding of the ill-posed nature of a number of practical inverse problems and his mathematical modelling solutions.

Among the many applications of his research was a breakthrough in modelling the way Stuart & Sons pianos radiated sound. It helped produce a piano with an enhanced 'singing' sound of extraordinary clarity. The work has since attracted worldwide interest.

In collaboration with his colleagues Dr Anderssen has improved the modelling of such things as the drying of pasta and the flow and deformation of wheat-flour dough.

The George Szekeres Medal is awarded biennially for outstanding research achievement in a 15 year period. The prize is named for Emeritus Professor Georges Szekeres, whose distinguished career covered number theory, combinatorics, analysis and relativity.

Item provided courtesy of CSIRO