Ten reasons to remember Ennio De Giorgi 20 years after his death

Abstract

Ennio De Giorgi was one of the most profound mathematicians of the second half of the 20th century. He was acclaimed for solving—before John Nash and independently from him—the 19th problem posed by David Hilbert in 1900, but there are many more reasons to remember him 20 years after his death. When he was very young, he made important contributions to the foundation of the modern geometric measure theory, and he provided deep insights in the study of the regularity of minimal surfaces. In later years, he developed the new concept of Gamma (Γ)-convergence and made original contributions (probably still undervalued) to the foundations of mathematics. He formed generations of new mathematicians. De Giorgi was a fervent Catholic and a strong defender of human rights. All these aspects of his life have been documented in a recently published biography which includes more than 100 interviews.