Genius of the Rules-Style System

Chapter 1125: Chapter 554 Zhao Yi and Wiles_1

The conference was fast approaching.

Yanhua University became thoroughly busy, with the logistics department treating the organization of the conference as their top priority.

This was a test for the university.

Regarded as a ’small player’ within the Capital University circle, Yanhua University had never hosted an international academic activity.

The significance of the Riemann Conjecture in the mathematical community, and the ample preparation time, differentiated this conference from the one held for the Goldbach Conjecture a few years back. The confirmed list of presenters included Edward Witten, which ensured a greater turnout of mathematicians.

Even though they were prepared for a large number of attendees, the volume of applications to attend the conference was still astonishing.

In just two short weeks, over two thousand qualified applicants from overseas had registered, and domestic interest was even higher, attracting many mathematics professors and researchers in mathematical physics who wanted to participate.

The scale was simply too large.

Yanhua University had to be stricter in the approval process, screening out most of the ’less qualified’ applicants, and then left the task of ’filtering people’ to the security department.

Because Zhao Yi’s conference was involved, security was of utmost importance, and all attendees were top mathematicians with significant influence in their fields. For overseas mathematicians applying to attend the conference, the national security department also scrutinized applications to prevent spies from entering and to ensure the safety of the event.

The national security department’s approach was straightforward: they screened overseas applications based on fame and achievements, while also imposing restrictions on traveling alone and some visa application constraints, which quickly reduced the number of participants.

A week before the conference, the list of participants was finalized.

Two hundred and forty people from overseas and approximately two hundred and twenty from within the country were confirmed, a total of no more than five hundred people.

This was already a considerable size.

In previous years, the average participation at international mathematicians’ conventions was around two thousand. Such a large gathering of mathematicians, especially of this caliber, was definitely a sizable event.

Domestic participants were significantly restricted; a quota of just over two hundred people was not nearly enough, given the immense influence of the Riemann Conjecture. Anyone involved in mathematical research was keen to attend.

For instance, mathematicians and physicists from the Science Academy, including employees from related research institutions, almost wanted to ’group together’ to attend.

Similarly, mathematics professors from various universities around the country also wanted to attend the conference to communicate and network with their peers, an opportunity they couldn’t afford to miss.

However, it was impossible for everyone interested to attend.

In the end, national departments intervened to limit the number of participants, and many were unable to secure qualification to join.

It was unavoidable.

Even with only five hundred participants, the event was already huge, but fortunately, there was no need to worry about the venue. The university had recently built a new Mathematical Center under the School of Sciences, and its large conference hall on the first floor could accommodate over five hundred people.

Yanhua University was fully prepared for the conference, which they also saw as a great opportunity for development.

Yanhua University had always hoped for the rapid development of the School of Sciences, focusing its core efforts on the newly established Mathematical Center. The university kept its recruitment windows open for top mathematicians, but attracting such talent proved to be incredibly challenging. freёwebnovel.com

Zhao Yi was a leading figure at the Mathematical Center, but he didn’t pay much attention to the center’s affairs. However, for a mathematical institution to grow, it certainly needed internationally renowned mathematicians to lead the way.

The awkward truth was, they couldn’t recruit any top mathematicians.

Those who had won prestigious international awards in mathematics like the Fields Medal were already well-established and didn’t care to work at Yanhua University just for the salary. As for cultivating top mathematicians from scratch, it required not only time but also a great deal of luck.

This conference was an opportunity. Maybe some top mathematicians looking for a change of environment might come to work at Yanhua University?

After all, they had Zhao Yi, the most elite mathematician!

...

In the days leading up to the conference, many mathematicians had already arrived early, congregating at the Mathematical Center of Yanhua University.

Zhao Yi was also present at the center, engaging in discussions with the arrivals.

Now was the time for pre-conference exchanges, and many had arrived early precisely for the chance to communicate with their peers.

Zhao Yi met many old friends.

For example, Terence Tao.

The first thing Terence Tao said upon seeing Zhao Yi was, "It’s truly astounding. You and Witten together solved the Riemann Conjecture. I couldn’t believe it when I heard, but at the same time, I’m not surprised. You really are a genius, and that’s the Riemann Conjecture we’re talking about!"

Zhao Yi laughed, "It was a fluke, a coincidence. Actually, we were working on string theory and along the way, it seemed that we had solved the Riemann Conjecture."

"That’s a bit of bragging, right?" Terence Tao teased, tugging at the corner of his mouth in amusement.

"It’s true," Zhao Yi stated with certainty. "Think about it, Edward—would he study the Riemann Conjecture?"

"...Right."

Although Terence Tao was not familiar with Edward Witten, he knew that the latter was a ’string theory fanatic,’ dedicating all his time and energy to the study of string theory, and would be unlikely to focus on solving mathematical conjectures.