Mark Iosifovich Vishik and His Work:
Award Ceremony of the Honorary Doctorate
at the Free University of Berlin
Bernold Fiedler (ed.)
Institut für Mathematik I, Freie Universität Berlin
Arnimallee 2-6, 14195 Berlin, Germany
My Teacher Mark Iosifovich Vishik
Mikhail Shubin
|
 |
| Misha
Shubin |
Among the speakers at this ceremony I am the only one who represents
Moscow mathematicians, and the only one representing Professor Vishik's
former Ph.D. students.
This places a heavy burden on my shoulders. It is even heavier due to
the fact that
I have to speak in English, a language which "was not sung at my
cradle", as I can repeat
after Hermann Weyl. I ought to be objective, and yet this is clearly
impossible.
I have no choice except making it personal.
I first met Professor Vishik 37 years ago. As far as I remember, this
was actually the
year when Professor Vishik started working at
the Department of Mechanics and Mathematics
(abbreviated in Russian as Mekhmat) of the Moscow State University.
He came there by invitation of I. G. Petrovskii, at that time the President
of the University.
I was then a 19 years old 4th year undergraduate student at Mekhmat.
I had already submitted my first paper for publication,
but had not found my place in mathematics yet.
Starting from the third year of undergraduate study every student was
required to have a
scientific advisor. Unlike most, I acquired my first scientific
advisor in my second year.
At the time of my first meeting with Professor Vishik, I was working
with my third advisor,
and still unhappy academically.
This was certainly not because there was something wrong with my advisors
as mathematicians; it is just that I did not feel good around them.
It is possible that my past life
in the provincial Russian city Samara developed an inferiority complex
in me and I could not
overcome it. So I was afraid even to think of approaching superstars which
were quite numerous at Mekhmat of those days. But Professor Vishik (also
a superstar, of course, but not behaving like one)
immediately attracted me. I liked talking to him, I felt at home
in his apartment where I started coming quite often. (I felt good there and
enjoyed the wonderful lunches and dinners prepared by Asya Moiseevna,
Professor Vishik's wife.) I became Professor Vishik's student almost
immediately and remained with him forever, always enjoying his company
and his wonderful Partial Differential Equations seminar.
I am trying to figure out what are the most important things
Professor Vishik taught me. Of course he taught me wonderful
mathematics, but we already heard a lot about his mathematics these days.
But it was not only mathematics.
One of the things
which made an impression on me even then, when I was an undergraduate student,
was how he explained us what the standards should be. It should not be
the guy next door to you, not even a member of the USSR Academy (which
was the absolute top in the Russian formal academic hierarchy), but
the best people
worldwide, be it in École Polytechnique, Courant Institute of
Mathematical Sciences
or any other place. Seems like an obvious idea, doesn't it? But it
certainly did not
look so obvious back then. The quality of scientific work was not
directly rewarded
at that time in the USSR. A certain other activity was rewarded directly
and much better.
Fortunately, I do not know of any students of Professor Vishik who
were involved in this
other activity. Maybe the ones involved knew better not to choose
Mark Iosifovich
as their advisor?
Here is another of Professor Vishik's advices which I remember very well.
In the time of trouble and difficulties which often depressed me,
he used to say: 'One has to live long'. This meant that bad times will pass
and good ones will certainly come if you live long enough to see them.
These words were definitely prophetic. But now I am happy that
Mark Iosifovich himself is with us to see good times.
I am happy that he did not change much in the 37 years that I know him.
He is in a great shape, and
I am happy to congratulate him today to his Honorary Doctorate.
I wish him and Asya Moiseevna good health, and I wish him new
scientific triumphs
for many more years to come. I wish that he will always enjoy life.
In particular, I hope that he will
celebrate his 100th birthday with us.
He has no choice since we enjoy his company and need
him, and he was always a man of duty.
Continue reading with the personal greetings of Eberhard Zeidler.