25th Anniversary of the Kovalevskaia Prize in Vietnam and the 2008-2009 Kovalevskaia Award Ceremony
Attendingthe Anniversary were Mrs. Nguyen Thi Doan - member of the Central Party Committee, Vice-President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam; Mr. Nguyen Duc Kien - member of the Central Party Committee, Vice-Chairman of the National Assembly; Mrs. Nguyen Thi Thanh Hoa - member of the Central Party Committee, President of Vietnam Women’s Union; Dr. Neal and Ann Koblitz - Directors of Kovalevskaia Fund andrepresentatives from ministries, branches, agencies, international organizations; representatives from formerprizewinners and 22 excellent students studying on natural science from universities around the country.
Three prize winners for the year 2008-2009 are: Associate Professor Dr. Pham Thi Thuy, Department of Plant Protection, Vietnam Institute of Science and Agriculture (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development); Associate Professor Dr. Phan Thi Tuoi, Former Headmaster of Ho Chi Minh Polytechnic University; and Associate Professor Dr. Le Thi Thuy, Deputy - Head of the Science and International Cooperation Division, Department of Cattle Breeding (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development).
The Kovalevskaia Prize Committee was founded in 1985 and headed by Mrs. Nguyen Thi Binh, Former Vice-President of
Speaking at the Anniversary, State Vice-President Nguyen Thi Doan highly appreciated the prizewinners’ achievements and contributions to the national development during the passing years. She also acknowledged the initiatives of Mrs. Nguyen Thi Binh, Former Vice-President of Vietnam, Dr. Neal and Ann Koblitz and Vietnam Women’s Union to establish the Kovalevskaia Prize in Vietnam and expressed her belief that with the good tradition of all Vietnamese women, women scientists, especially Kovalevskaia prizewinners, they will be more confident and active in studying and searching out practical solutions to solve the emerging issues in Vietnam and the world.
Many students who attended the Anniversary were encouraged by hearing the outstanding achievements as well as the great efforts from the women scientists. It was an uplifting message for these excellent students of natural science who have chosen a life that will be hard but also full of victory.
On this occasion, Dr. Neal and Ann Koblitz were conferred the Friendship Medal, a noble award of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, for their great contribution to the Kovalevskaia Fund in
Speech by Dr Neal Koblitz, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Washington and Secretary of the Kovalevskaia Fund and Dr. Ann Hibner Koblitz, Professor of Women and Gender Studies at Arizona State University and Director of the Kovalevskaia Fund