NEWSLETTER Issue: 478 - September 2018
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i “NLMS_478” — 2018/8/17 — 16:44 — page 1 — #1 i i i NEWSLETTER Issue: 478 - September 2018 APOLLONIUS GRAPH THEORY MATHEMATICS CIRCLE AND BOVINE OF LANGUAGE COUNTING EPIDEMIOLOGY AND GRAMMAR i i i i i “NLMS_478” — 2018/8/17 — 16:44 — page 2 — #2 i i i EDITOR-IN-CHIEF COPYRIGHT NOTICE Iain Moatt (Royal Holloway, University of London) News items and notices in the Newsletter may [email protected] be freely used elsewhere unless otherwise stated, although attribution is requested when reproducing whole articles. Contributions to EDITORIAL BOARD the Newsletter are made under a non-exclusive June Barrow-Green (Open University) licence; please contact the author or photog- Tomasz Brzezinski (Swansea University) rapher for the rights to reproduce. The LMS Lucia Di Vizio (CNRS) cannot accept responsibility for the accuracy of Jonathan Fraser (University of St Andrews) information in the Newsletter. Views expressed Jelena Grbin´ (University of Southampton) do not necessarily represent the views or policy Thomas Hudson (University of Warwick) of the Editorial Team or London Mathematical Stephen Huggett (University of Plymouth) Society. Adam Johansen (University of Warwick) Bill Lionheart (University of Manchester) ISSN: 2516-3841 (Print) Mark McCartney (Ulster University) ISSN: 2516-385X (Online) Kitty Meeks (University of Glasgow) DOI: 10.1112/NLMS Vicky Neale (University of Oxford) Susan Oakes (London Mathematical Society) David Singerman (University of Southampton) Andrew Wade (Durham University) NEWSLETTER WEBSITE The Newsletter is freely available electronically Early Career Content Editor: Vicky Neale at lms.ac.uk/publications/lms-newsletter. News Editor: Susan Oakes Reviews Editor: Mark McCartney MEMBERSHIP CORRESPONDENTS AND STAFF Joining the LMS is a straightforward process. For membership details see lms.ac.uk/membership. LMS/EMS Correspondent: David Chillingworth Policy Correspondent: John Johnston Production: Katherine Wright SUBMISSIONS Printing: Holbrooks Printers Ltd The Newsletter welcomes submissions of fea- ture content, including mathematical arti- EDITORIAL OFFICE cles, career related articles, and microtheses from members and non-members. Submis- London Mathematical Society sion guidelines and LaTeX templates can be De Morgan House found at lms.ac.uk/publications/submit-to-the- 57–58 Russell Square lms-newsletter. London, WC1B 4HS [email protected] Feature content should be submitted to the editor-in-chief at [email protected]. Charity registration number: 252660 News items should be sent to [email protected]. Notices of events should be prepared us- ing the template at lms.ac.uk/publications/lms- newsletter and sent to [email protected]. COVER IMAGE For advertising rates and guidelines see Image courtesy of Matt Warden. lms.ac.uk/publications/advertise-in-the-lms- See article on page 20. newsletter. i i i i i “NLMS_478” — 2018/8/17 — 16:44 — page 3 — #3 i i i CONTENTS NEWS The latest from the LMS and elsewhere 4 LMS BUSINESS Reports from the LMS 11 FEATURES How Graph Theory Can Help Control Cattle Diseases 20 Unifying the Mathematics of Natural Language Grammar and Data 25 Apollonius Circle Counting 31 Société Mathématique de France 35 Oh, the Places You’ll Apply! 36 REVIEWS From the bookshelf 43 OBITUARIES In memoriam 48 EVENTS Latest announcements 50 CALENDAR All forthcoming events 54 i i i i i “NLMS_478” — 2018/8/17 — 16:44 — page 4 — #4 i i i 4 NEWS Forthcoming LMS Events in 2010. He currently holds a Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award and an ERC Advanced Grant. The following will take place in the next two months: Professor Keating has served the wider mathemati- Noether Celebration: 11 Sept, London cal community as a member of the editorial boards tinyurl.com/LMS-IMANoether2018 of several scientic journals, including Nonlinearity, Popular Lectures: 19 Sept, Birmingham for which he was an editorial board member (1997– tinyurl.com/hu58wjk 2004) and joint Editor-in-Chief (2004–2012). Under Good Practice Scheme Workshop: 5 Oct, London his leadership, the Heilbronn Institute of Mathemati- tinyurl.com/y73n9ze9 cal Research has continued to support LMS Research Fisher Trust Joint Meeting: 9 Oct, Edinburgh Schools and sponsor the Bronze Medal for Math- tinyurl.com/y9vwuhws ematical Sciences at the annual STEM for Britain A full listing of forthcoming LMS events can be found competition in the House of Commons. He has also on page 54. been involved directly with the work of the Society as a member of the LMS Prizes Committee (2015–2018). LMS President-Designate Fields Medallists The 2018 Medals were awarded at the Opening Cer- emony of the International Congress of Mathemati- cians in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Professor Caucher Birkar (University of Cambridge) received his award for his ‘proof of the boundedness of Fano varieties and for contributions to the minimal model program’. Professor Peter Scholze (University of Bonn) re- ceived his award ‘for transforming arithmetic alge- braic geometry over p-adic elds through his intro- duction of perfectoid spaces, with application to Ga- lois representations and for the development of new The LMS is pleased to announce Jonathan Keating FRS cohomology theories’. He is an Honorary Member of as President-Designate. Professor Keating has been the LMS. the Henry Overton Wills Professor of Mathematics at the University of Bristol since 2012 and Chair of the Professor Alessio Figalli (ETH Zurich) received his Heilbronn Institute for Mathematical Research since award for his ‘contributions to the theory of optimal 2015. He will take over from the current President, transport, and its application to partial dierential Professor Caroline Series FRS, in November 2019. He equations, metric geometry, and probability’. is known for his contributions to random matrix the- Professor Akshay Venkatesh (Stanford University) ory and quantum chaos, and their connections with received his award for his ‘synthesis of analytic number theory. number theory, homogeneous dynamics, topology, He obtained his PhD from the University of Bristol and representation theory, which has resolved long- in 1989 under Professor Sir Michael Berry FRS. He standing problems in areas such as the equidistribu- began his career at Bristol as a Royal Society Re- tion of arithmetic objects’. search Fellow, before taking up a lectureship at the Professor Caroline Series, LMS President, said: “I University of Manchester in 1991 and returning to would like to oer my heartiest congratulations to Bristol as Reader in Applied Mathematics in 1995. all the 2018 Fields Medallists, in particular Caucher His research mainly concerns the quantum mechan- Birkar of the University of Cambridge. I am delighted ics of chaotic and complex systems, random matrix to have been present at the opening ceremony when theory, and applications of random matrix theory to the winners were announced. I will be presenting the theory of the Riemann zeta function and other Peter with his LMS Honorary Membership certicate L-functions. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal in Rio”. Society in 2009 and received the LMS Fröhlich Prize i i i i i “NLMS_478” — 2018/8/17 — 16:44 — page 5 — #5 i i i NEWS 5 LMS Elections 2018 In the rst instance, the Council for the Mathematical Sciences (CMS) has issued the statement of support Voting for the LMS Elections for Council and below. The CMS was established in 2001 by the Insti- Nominating Committee will open on 4 October tute of Mathematics and its Applications, LMS and 2018. The slate of candidates can be found Royal Statistical Society and joined by the Edinburgh at lms.ac.uk/about/council/lms-elections and an Mathematical Society and Operational Research Soci- online forum for discussion is available at ety in 2008. It is an authoritative and objective body discussions.lms.ac.uk/lmselections. that exists to develop, inuence and respond to UK policy issues that aect the Mathematical Sciences Instructions on how to vote will be sent to members in higher education and research, the UK economy by email or post before the ballot opens. Members and society in general. are encouraged to check that their contact details are up to date at lms.ac.uk/user. The election results Again, post your thoughts on the blog mentioned will be announced at the LMS AGM on 9 November. above. LMS Honorary Members 2018 Statement from the CMS The Mathematical Sciences community welcomes the The LMS elected Peter Scholze (Bonn) and Maria J. Bond Review Report, which clearly demonstrates the Esteban (CNRS) as Honorary Members of the Society. importance of mathematics and its impact across an Peter Scholze has made revolutionary contributions exceptionally wide range of disciplines, technologies to arithmetic geometry and the theory of automor- and industries. The review has recognised the need phic forms, in particular to p-adic arithmetic geome- to develop a sustainable people pipeline of top-level try, and has made decisive contributions to several Mathematical Sciences talent within academia, nur- fundamental open problems in number theory. turing individuals keen to engage with government, industry and wider research challenges. Maria J. Esteban has made major contributions to the theory of nonlinear partial dierential equations and The report highlights the current shortage of such the use of variational methods in relativistic quantum individuals and makes a strong case for increased mechanics and quantum chemistry. investment in the discipline. It also recognises the need to establish infrastructure to facilitate eective Bond Report: an Update and timely communication and interaction between mathematicians and potential users. Members will be aware of Philip Bond’s report The The CMS has met with individuals from the Mathe- Era of Mathematics highlighting the importance of matical Sciences community for a high level discus- mathematics and its impact on society and the econ- sion of the report and its recommendations and with omy, which was highlighted by Caroline Series, LMS regard to the various areas covered in the report it President in the July LMS Newsletter (page 4).