Mikhail Alekseevich Lavrentyev (or Lavrentiev, russian: Михаи́л Алексе́евич Лавре́нтьев) (November 19, 1900 – October 15, 1980) was a
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
mathematician and
hydrodynamicist.
Early years
Lavrentiev was born in
Kazan, where his father was an instructor at a college (he later became a professor at
Kazan University
Kazan (Volga region) Federal University (russian: Казанский (Приволжский) федеральный университет, tt-Cyrl, Казан (Идел буе) федераль университеты) is a public research uni ...
, then
Moscow University).
Lavrentiev entered
Kazan University
Kazan (Volga region) Federal University (russian: Казанский (Приволжский) федеральный университет, tt-Cyrl, Казан (Идел буе) федераль университеты) is a public research uni ...
, and, when his family moved to Moscow in 1921, he transferred to the Department of Physics and Mathematics of
Moscow University. He graduated in 1922. He continued his studies in the university in 1923-26 as a graduate student of
Nikolai Luzin.
Although Luzin was alleged to plagiarize in science and indulge in anti-Sovietism by some of his students in 1936, Lavrentiev did not participate in the notorious political persecution of his teacher which is known as the
Luzin case or
Luzin affair. In fact Luzin was a friend of his father.
Mid career
In 1927 Lavrentiev 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 the
Steklov Institute
Steklov Institute of Mathematics or Steklov Mathematical Institute (russian: Математический институт имени В.А.Стеклова) is a premier research institute based in Moscow, specialized in mathematics, and a part ...
. His main contributions relate to
conformal map
In mathematics, a conformal map is a function that locally preserves angles, but not necessarily lengths.
More formally, let U and V be open subsets of \mathbb^n. A function f:U\to V is called conformal (or angle-preserving) at a point u_0\i ...
pings and
partial differential equations.
Mstislav Keldysh
Mstislav Vsevolodovich Keldysh (russian: Мстисла́в Все́володович Ке́лдыш; – 24 June 1978) was a Soviet mathematician who worked as an engineer in the Soviet space program.
He was the academician of the Academy ...
was one of his students.
In 1939
Alexander A. Bogomolets
Oleksandr Oleksandrovych Bogomolets (russian: Алекса́ндр Алекса́ндрович Богомо́лец, uk, Олекса́ндр Олекса́ндрович Богомо́лець/Oleksandr Oleksandrovych Bohomolets; 24 May 1881 � ...
, the president of the
Ukrainian Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (NASU; uk, Національна академія наук України, ''Natsional’na akademiya nauk Ukrayiny'', abbr: NAN Ukraine) is a self-governing state-funded organization in Ukraine t ...
, asked Lavrentev become director of the
Institute of Mathematics at
Kyiv
One of Lavrentiev's scientific interests was the physics of
explosive processes, in which he had become involved when doing defense work during
World 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 the
Medeu Mudflow Control Dam outside of
Almaty
Almaty (; kk, Алматы; ), formerly known as Alma-Ata ( kk, Алма-Ата), is the largest city in Kazakhstan, with a population of about 2 million. It was the capital of Kazakhstan from 1929 to 1936 as an autonomous republic as part of ...
in
Kazakhstan.
In Siberia
Mikhail Lavrentiev was one of the main organizers and the first Chairman of the
Siberian Division of the
Russian Academy of Sciences
The Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS; russian: Росси́йская акаде́мия нау́к (РАН) ''Rossíyskaya akadémiya naúk'') consists of the national academy of Russia; a network of scientific research institutes from across ...
(in his time the
Academy of Sciences of the USSR
The Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union was the highest scientific institution of the Soviet Union from 1925 to 1991, uniting the country's leading scientists, subordinated directly to the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union (until 1946 ...
) from its founding in 1957 to 1975. The foundation of the Siberia's "Academic Town"
Akademgorodok
Akademgorodok ( rus, Академгородок, p=ɐkəˌdʲemɡərɐˈdok, "Academic Town") is a part of the Sovetsky District of the city of Novosibirsk, Russia, located south of the city center and about west of Koltsovo. It is the edu ...
(now a district of
Novosibirsk) 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 the
Council of Ministers of the USSR
The Council of Ministers of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( rus, Совет министров СССР, r=Sovet Ministrov SSSR, p=sɐˈvʲet mʲɪˈnʲistrəf ɛsɛsɛˈsɛr; sometimes abbreviated to ''Sovmin'' or referred to as the '' ...
was signed January 9, 1958. From 1959 to 1966 he was a professor at Novosibirsk State University.
Lavrentyev was also a founder of the
Institute of Hydrodynamics of the Siberian Division of the Russian Academy of Sciences which since 1980 has been named after Lavrentiev.
Lavrentiev was awarded the honorary title of
Hero of the Socialist Labour
The Hero of Socialist Labour (russian: links=no, Герой Социалистического Труда, Geroy Sotsialisticheskogo Truda) was an honorific title in the Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact countries from 1938 to 1991. It repre ...
, a
Lenin Prize and
USSR State Prize, and a
Lomonosov Gold Medal. He was elected a member of several world-renowned academies, and an honorable citizen of
Novosibirsk.
Mikhail A. Lavrentiev's son, also named Mikhail (Mikhail M. Lavrentiev, 1930-2010), also became a mathematician and was a member of the leadership of Akademgorodok.
[Fortune April 2, 2007 p.36]
Eponyms
*
Street in
Kazan
*
Street in
Dolgoprudny
Dolgoprudny (russian: Долгопру́дный, ) is a town in Moscow Oblast, Russia, located about north of Moscow city center. The town's name is derived from Russian "" (''dolgy prud'', lit. "long pond")—a long and narrow pond situated in t ...
*
Academician Lavrentyev Avenue in
Novosibirsk
*
Lavrentyev Institute of Hydrodynamics
Lavrentyev Institute of Hydrodynamics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (russian: Институт гидродинамики имени М. А. Лаврентьева СО РАН) is the first research institute based in A ...
in Novosibirsk
*
SESC affiliated with
NSU
*
Novosibirsk Lavrentyev Lyceum 130
Novosibirsk Lavrentyev Lyceum 130 — secondary school in Akademgorodok, Novosibirsk.
Location
*In 1959 school was situated in wooden building, in "Shya" district (Northern Akademgorodok).
*In 1960 school was moved to 10, Detskij proezd. It w ...
*
RV Akademik Lavrentyev
*Aiguilles in
Altai and
Pamir
References
External links
*
*
Mikhail Lavrentiev's biography at the site of Lavrentiev Hydrodynamics Institute.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lavrentyev, Mikhail Alekseevich
Soviet mathematicians
Soviet physicists
Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology faculty
Steklov Institute of Mathematics faculty
Mathematicians from Kazan
Scientists from Novosibirsk
Moscow State University alumni
Heroes of Socialist Labour
Members of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
Full Members of the USSR Academy of Sciences
1900 births
1980 deaths
D. Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia faculty
Members of the German Academy of Sciences at Berlin
Second convocation members of the Verkhovna Rada of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic
NASU Institute of Mathematics
Lavrentyev
Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute employees