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

Mark Iosifovich Vishik Konrad Gröger
	Konrad Gröger

Dear Professor Vishik, dear Mrs. Vishik,

 

Mr. Vice-President, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am very happy to have the opportunity to say a few words on this very special occasion.

First of all, I would like to thank you, Professor Vishik, very much for everything you did for us, for everything you did for the development of mathematics.

Secondly, as a member of the Humboldt University, I would like to congratulate the colleagues of the Free University! To have Mark Vishik as an Honorary Doctor, is also an honor for them, for their university. They can be proud of it and - as Bernold Fiedler's words showed - they are.

Your name, Professor Vishik, has been with me throughout all my scientific life. I heard it for the first time more than forty years ago, in September 1958. At that time I had just graduated from Humboldt University and knew almost nothing about partial differential equations. Nevertheless, I started as a doctoral student in this field and my supervisor recommended me to read some papers. The authors were: Solomon Mikhlin, Mark Vishik and Louis Nirenberg.

Since that time I never lost contact to Vishik's work and I have always been attracted by it.

I do not remember when it was that I first heard a lecture by Vishik, when I had the first opportunity to speak to him. It was in the seventies at the Weierstrass-Institute. I remember well that we, my colleagues and I, were impressed by the lectures, and we were impressed by the person.

I have to confess that my feelings towards Professor Vishik are influenced not only by mathematics. Once, about ten years ago, he and his wife were guests at our home. It was then that I heard about his fate and the fate of his family.

Of course I am very glad the political situation has changed so much that nowadays it can be regarded normal to have an honorary doctor from Moscow at the Free University and to have someone from Humboldt University speaking on this occasion.

Once more let me thank you, Professor Vishik, very much. I wish you and your family the very best.

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Continue reading with a grandmaster's insight into Vishik's work by Roger Temam.