German Math Prize Awarded for Novel Function Systems Research

December 3, 2007

Mathematician Gitta Kutyniok, 35, a researcher in novel function systems, has received Germany's third annual von Kaven Prize in Mathematics. Kutyniok is currently at Princeton University in the Program in Applied and Computational Mathematics.

Kutyniok's research interests concern wavelets, curvelets, and something she herself developed, called shearlets. They are systems of functions that have applications in signal analysis and the detection of the orientation of edges or curves in images. Shearlets can also help in analyzing data generated by tomographs and other medical devices, as well as in data compression of image formats such as JPEG.

Working with other researchers, Kutyniok hopes to use shearlets to identify stable and efficient algorithms that can then help in the analysis of seismic signals. She is also investigating the fundamental properties of function systems as well as the mathematical modeling of sensor networks using the theory of fusion frames.

The von Kaven Prize in Mathematics is provided by the von Kaven Foundation, which was established in December 2004 by mathematician Herbert von Kaven.

Source: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), Nov. 16, 2007.