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A MATHEMATICIAN's SURVIVAL GUIDE 1. an Algebra Teacher I
A MATHEMATICIAN’S SURVIVAL GUIDE PETER G. CASAZZA 1. An Algebra Teacher I could Understand Emmy award-winning journalist and bestselling author Cokie Roberts once said: As long as algebra is taught in school, there will be prayer in school. 1.1. An Object of Pride. Mathematician’s relationship with the general public most closely resembles “bipolar” disorder - at the same time they admire us and hate us. Almost everyone has had at least one bad experience with mathematics during some part of their education. Get into any taxi and tell the driver you are a mathematician and the response is predictable. First, there is silence while the driver relives his greatest nightmare - taking algebra. Next, you will hear the immortal words: “I was never any good at mathematics.” My response is: “I was never any good at being a taxi driver so I went into mathematics.” You can learn a lot from taxi drivers if you just don’t tell them you are a mathematician. Why get started on the wrong foot? The mathematician David Mumford put it: “I am accustomed, as a professional mathematician, to living in a sort of vacuum, surrounded by people who declare with an odd sort of pride that they are mathematically illiterate.” 1.2. A Balancing Act. The other most common response we get from the public is: “I can’t even balance my checkbook.” This reflects the fact that the public thinks that mathematics is basically just adding numbers. They have no idea what we really do. Because of the textbooks they studied, they think that all needed mathematics has already been discovered. -
MY UNFORGETTABLE EARLY YEARS at the INSTITUTE Enstitüde Unutulmaz Erken Yıllarım
MY UNFORGETTABLE EARLY YEARS AT THE INSTITUTE Enstitüde Unutulmaz Erken Yıllarım Dinakar Ramakrishnan `And what was it like,’ I asked him, `meeting Eliot?’ `When he looked at you,’ he said, `it was like standing on a quay, watching the prow of the Queen Mary come towards you, very slowly.’ – from `Stern’ by Seamus Heaney in memory of Ted Hughes, about the time he met T.S.Eliot It was a fortunate stroke of serendipity for me to have been at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, twice during the nineteen eighties, first as a Post-doctoral member in 1982-83, and later as a Sloan Fellow in the Fall of 1986. I had the privilege of getting to know Robert Langlands at that time, and, needless to say, he has had a larger than life influence on me. It wasn’t like two ships passing in the night, but more like a rowboat feeling the waves of an oncoming ship. Langlands and I did not have many conversations, but each time we did, he would make a Zen like remark which took me a long time, at times months (or even years), to comprehend. Once or twice it even looked like he was commenting not on the question I posed, but on a tangential one; however, after much reflection, it became apparent that what he had said had an interesting bearing on what I had been wondering about, and it always provided a new take, at least to me, on the matter. Most importantly, to a beginner in the field like I was then, he was generous to a fault, always willing, whenever asked, to explain the subtle aspects of his own work. -
Mothers in Science
The aim of this book is to illustrate, graphically, that it is perfectly possible to combine a successful and fulfilling career in research science with motherhood, and that there are no rules about how to do this. On each page you will find a timeline showing on one side, the career path of a research group leader in academic science, and on the other side, important events in her family life. Each contributor has also provided a brief text about their research and about how they have combined their career and family commitments. This project was funded by a Rosalind Franklin Award from the Royal Society 1 Foreword It is well known that women are under-represented in careers in These rules are part of a much wider mythology among scientists of science. In academia, considerable attention has been focused on the both genders at the PhD and post-doctoral stages in their careers. paucity of women at lecturer level, and the even more lamentable The myths bubble up from the combination of two aspects of the state of affairs at more senior levels. The academic career path has academic science environment. First, a quick look at the numbers a long apprenticeship. Typically there is an undergraduate degree, immediately shows that there are far fewer lectureship positions followed by a PhD, then some post-doctoral research contracts and than qualified candidates to fill them. Second, the mentors of early research fellowships, and then finally a more stable lectureship or career researchers are academic scientists who have successfully permanent research leader position, with promotion on up the made the transition to lectureships and beyond. -
[email protected]
SIMON GRITSCHACHER April 2021 Department of Mathematical Sciences University of Copenhagen Universitetsparken 5 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark [email protected] NATIONALITY Austrian EMPLOYMENT 10/2017 - present University of Copenhagen Postdoctoral fellow Marie-Curie fellow since 9/2019 EDUCATION 10/2013 - 05/2017 University of Oxford, Lincoln College 05/2017 DPhil in Mathematics Commutative K-theory (Advisor: Prof. Ulrike Tillmann) 10/2011 - 09/2013 Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich 09/2013 MSc in Mathematics (distinction) 07/2010 - 08/2011 Max Planck Institute for Physics, Munich Diploma student 10/2008 - 06/2012 Technical University, Munich 06/2012 BSc in Mathematics (distinction) 08/2011 Diploma in Physics (5 years degree, distinction) 04/2007 - 07/2008 Technical University, Graz BSc in Technical Physics and Technical Mathematics (not completed) AWARDS, PRIZES AND SCHOLARSHIPS Marie Curie Individual Fellowship 2018, European Union (¿ 207.312) 150th Anniversary Postdoctoral Mobility Grant 2017, London Mathematical Society (£ 8.000) EPSRC Scholarship, 10/2013 - 04/2017 Carathéodory Prize for my Master thesis, LMU Munich, 09/2014 Best Study Award for Bachelor Mathematics for the best overall grade, TU Munich, 06/2013 Scholar of the Cusanuswerk 04/2009 - 09/2013 37th International Physics Olympiad, Singapore, Honourable mention 07/2006 1 PUBLICATIONS AND PREPRINTS Preprints On families of nilpotent subgroups and associated coset posets (with B. Villarreal) Preprint (2021) 1–14, arXiv:2104.06869 On the second homotopy group of spaces of commuting elements in Lie groups (with A. Adem and J. M. Gómez) Preprint (2020) 1–52, submitted, arXiv:2009.09045 A remark on the group-completion theorem Preprint (2017) 1–9, arXiv:1709.02036 Published articles Higher generation by abelian subgroups in Lie groups (with O. -
Twenty Female Mathematicians Hollis Williams
Twenty Female Mathematicians Hollis Williams Acknowledgements The author would like to thank Alba Carballo González for support and encouragement. 1 Table of Contents Sofia Kovalevskaya ................................................................................................................................. 4 Emmy Noether ..................................................................................................................................... 16 Mary Cartwright ................................................................................................................................... 26 Julia Robinson ....................................................................................................................................... 36 Olga Ladyzhenskaya ............................................................................................................................. 46 Yvonne Choquet-Bruhat ....................................................................................................................... 56 Olga Oleinik .......................................................................................................................................... 67 Charlotte Fischer .................................................................................................................................. 77 Karen Uhlenbeck .................................................................................................................................. 87 Krystyna Kuperberg ............................................................................................................................. -
Sir Andrew J. Wiles
ISSN 0002-9920 (print) ISSN 1088-9477 (online) of the American Mathematical Society March 2017 Volume 64, Number 3 Women's History Month Ad Honorem Sir Andrew J. Wiles page 197 2018 Leroy P. Steele Prize: Call for Nominations page 195 Interview with New AMS President Kenneth A. Ribet page 229 New York Meeting page 291 Sir Andrew J. Wiles, 2016 Abel Laureate. “The definition of a good mathematical problem is the mathematics it generates rather Notices than the problem itself.” of the American Mathematical Society March 2017 FEATURES 197 239229 26239 Ad Honorem Sir Andrew J. Interview with New The Graduate Student Wiles AMS President Kenneth Section Interview with Abel Laureate Sir A. Ribet Interview with Ryan Haskett Andrew J. Wiles by Martin Raussen and by Alexander Diaz-Lopez Allyn Jackson Christian Skau WHAT IS...an Elliptic Curve? Andrew Wiles's Marvelous Proof by by Harris B. Daniels and Álvaro Henri Darmon Lozano-Robledo The Mathematical Works of Andrew Wiles by Christopher Skinner In this issue we honor Sir Andrew J. Wiles, prover of Fermat's Last Theorem, recipient of the 2016 Abel Prize, and star of the NOVA video The Proof. We've got the official interview, reprinted from the newsletter of our friends in the European Mathematical Society; "Andrew Wiles's Marvelous Proof" by Henri Darmon; and a collection of articles on "The Mathematical Works of Andrew Wiles" assembled by guest editor Christopher Skinner. We welcome the new AMS president, Ken Ribet (another star of The Proof). Marcelo Viana, Director of IMPA in Rio, describes "Math in Brazil" on the eve of the upcoming IMO and ICM. -
Robert P. Langlands Receives the Abel Prize
Robert P. Langlands receives the Abel Prize The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters has decided to award the Abel Prize for 2018 to Robert P. Langlands of the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, USA “for his visionary program connecting representation theory to number theory.” Robert P. Langlands has been awarded the Abel Prize project in modern mathematics has as wide a scope, has for his work dating back to January 1967. He was then produced so many deep results, and has so many people a 30-year-old associate professor at Princeton, working working on it. Its depth and breadth have grown and during the Christmas break. He wrote a 17-page letter the Langlands program is now frequently described as a to the great French mathematician André Weil, aged 60, grand unified theory of mathematics. outlining some of his new mathematical insights. The President of the Norwegian Academy of Science and “If you are willing to read it as pure speculation I would Letters, Ole M. Sejersted, announced the winner of the appreciate that,” he wrote. “If not – I am sure you have a 2018 Abel Prize at the Academy in Oslo today, 20 March. waste basket handy.” Biography Fortunately, the letter did not end up in a waste basket. His letter introduced a theory that created a completely Robert P. Langlands was born in New Westminster, new way of thinking about mathematics: it suggested British Columbia, in 1936. He graduated from the deep links between two areas, number theory and University of British Columbia with an undergraduate harmonic analysis, which had previously been considered degree in 1957 and an MSc in 1958, and from Yale as unrelated. -
Commodity and Energy Markets Conference at Oxford University
Commodity and Energy Markets Conference Annual Meeting 2017 th th 14 - 15 June Page | 1 Commodity and Energy Markets Conference Contents Welcome 3 Essential Information 4 Bird’s-eye view of programme 6 Detailed programme 8 Venue maps 26 Mezzanine level of Andrew Wiles Building 27 Local Information 28 List of Participants 29 Keynote Speakers 33 Academic journals: special issues 34 Sponsors 35 Page | 2 Welcome On behalf of the Mathematical Institute, it is our great pleasure to welcome you to the University of Oxford for the Commodity and Energy Markets annual conference (2017). The Commodity and Energy Markets annual conference 2017 is the latest in a long standing series of meetings. Our first workshop was held in London in 2004, and after that we expanded the scope and held yearly conferences in different locations across Europe. Nowadays, the Commodity and Energy Markets conference is the benchmark meeting for academics who work in this area. This year’s event covers a wide range of topics in commodities and energy. We highlight three keynote talks. Prof Hendrik Bessembinder (Arizona State University) will talk on “Measuring returns to those who invest in energy through futures”, and Prof Sebastian Jaimungal (University of Toronto) will talk about “Stochastic Control in Commodity & Energy Markets: Model Uncertainty, Algorithmic Trading, and Future Directions”. Moreover, Tony Cocker, E.ON’s Chief Executive Officer, will share his views and insights into the role of mathematical modelling in the energy industry. In addition to the over 100 talks, a panel of academics and professional experts will discuss “The future of energy trading in the UK and Europe: a single energy market?” The roundtable is sponsored by the Italian Association of Energy Suppliers and Traders (AIGET) and European Energy Retailers (EER). -
Math Spans All Dimensions
March 2000 THE NEWSLETTER OF THE MATHEMATICAL ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA Math Spans All Dimensions April 2000 is Math Awareness Month Interactive version of the complete poster is available at: http://mam2000.mathforum.com/ FOCUS March 2000 FOCUS is published by the Mathematical Association of America in January. February. March. April. May/June. August/September. FOCUS October. November. and December. a Editor: Fernando Gouvea. Colby College; March 2000 [email protected] Managing Editor: Carol Baxter. MAA Volume 20. Number 3 [email protected] Senior Writer: Harry Waldman. MAA In This Issue [email protected] Please address advertising inquiries to: 3 "Math Spans All Dimensions" During April Math Awareness Carol Baxter. MAA; [email protected] Month President: Thomas Banchoff. Brown University 3 Felix Browder Named Recipient of National Medal of Science First Vice-President: Barbara Osofsky. By Don Albers Second Vice-President: Frank Morgan. Secretary: Martha Siegel. Treasurer: Gerald 4 Updating the NCTM Standards J. Porter By Kenneth A. Ross Executive Director: Tina Straley 5 A Different Pencil Associate Executive Director and Direc Moving Our Focus from Teachers to Students tor of Publications and Electronic Services: Donald J. Albers By Ed Dubinsky FOCUS Editorial Board: Gerald 6 Mathematics Across the Curriculum at Dartmouth Alexanderson; Donna Beers; J. Kevin By Dorothy I. Wallace Colligan; Ed Dubinsky; Bill Hawkins; Dan Kalman; Maeve McCarthy; Peter Renz; Annie 7 ARUME is the First SIGMAA Selden; Jon Scott; Ravi Vakil. Letters to the editor should be addressed to 8 Read This! Fernando Gouvea. Colby College. Dept. of Mathematics. Waterville. ME 04901. 8 Raoul Bott and Jean-Pierre Serre Share the Wolf Prize Subscription and membership questions 10 Call For Papers should be directed to the MAA Customer Thirteenth Annual MAA Undergraduate Student Paper Sessions Service Center. -
Writing the History of Dynamical Systems and Chaos
Historia Mathematica 29 (2002), 273–339 doi:10.1006/hmat.2002.2351 Writing the History of Dynamical Systems and Chaos: View metadata, citation and similar papersLongue at core.ac.uk Dur´ee and Revolution, Disciplines and Cultures1 brought to you by CORE provided by Elsevier - Publisher Connector David Aubin Max-Planck Institut fur¨ Wissenschaftsgeschichte, Berlin, Germany E-mail: [email protected] and Amy Dahan Dalmedico Centre national de la recherche scientifique and Centre Alexandre-Koyre,´ Paris, France E-mail: [email protected] Between the late 1960s and the beginning of the 1980s, the wide recognition that simple dynamical laws could give rise to complex behaviors was sometimes hailed as a true scientific revolution impacting several disciplines, for which a striking label was coined—“chaos.” Mathematicians quickly pointed out that the purported revolution was relying on the abstract theory of dynamical systems founded in the late 19th century by Henri Poincar´e who had already reached a similar conclusion. In this paper, we flesh out the historiographical tensions arising from these confrontations: longue-duree´ history and revolution; abstract mathematics and the use of mathematical techniques in various other domains. After reviewing the historiography of dynamical systems theory from Poincar´e to the 1960s, we highlight the pioneering work of a few individuals (Steve Smale, Edward Lorenz, David Ruelle). We then go on to discuss the nature of the chaos phenomenon, which, we argue, was a conceptual reconfiguration as -
Alwyn C. Scott
the frontiers collection the frontiers collection Series Editors: A.C. Elitzur M.P. Silverman J. Tuszynski R. Vaas H.D. Zeh The books in this collection are devoted to challenging and open problems at the forefront of modern science, including related philosophical debates. In contrast to typical research monographs, however, they strive to present their topics in a manner accessible also to scientifically literate non-specialists wishing to gain insight into the deeper implications and fascinating questions involved. Taken as a whole, the series reflects the need for a fundamental and interdisciplinary approach to modern science. Furthermore, it is intended to encourage active scientists in all areas to ponder over important and perhaps controversial issues beyond their own speciality. Extending from quantum physics and relativity to entropy, consciousness and complex systems – the Frontiers Collection will inspire readers to push back the frontiers of their own knowledge. Other Recent Titles The Thermodynamic Machinery of Life By M. Kurzynski The Emerging Physics of Consciousness Edited by J. A. Tuszynski Weak Links Stabilizers of Complex Systems from Proteins to Social Networks By P. Csermely Quantum Mechanics at the Crossroads New Perspectives from History, Philosophy and Physics Edited by J. Evans, A.S. Thorndike Particle Metaphysics A Critical Account of Subatomic Reality By B. Falkenburg The Physical Basis of the Direction of Time By H.D. Zeh Asymmetry: The Foundation of Information By S.J. Muller Mindful Universe Quantum Mechanics and the Participating Observer By H. Stapp Decoherence and the Quantum-to-Classical Transition By M. Schlosshauer For a complete list of titles in The Frontiers Collection, see back of book Alwyn C. -
A Fairly Complete History and Tour of Aynho Village – Updated January 2017 Aynho Is a Two-Part Name
A Fairly Complete History and Tour of Aynho Village – updated January 2017 Aynho is a two-part name - ‘Ayn’ is either a corruption of a Saxon personal name, or more likely the Saxon word for a spring or stream. The ‘Hoh’ is a Saxon word for a promontory/projecting ridge of land standing on a plain as Aynho does. The earliest mention (in the Domesday Book) of an owner of the manor of Aynho is Asgar - a Danish thane (knight). He was standard bearer for Edward the Confessor who reigned from 1042 to 1066. (Edward was born at Islip about fifteen miles south east of Aynho, so he probably knew Asgar). The entry showed 3¼ hides (about 400 acres altogether), land for 8 ploughs, a mill and 20 acres of meadow. Why was Aynho so relatively important in the mid-ten hundreds? Probably because of its location high up overlooking the whole Cherwell valley. There were very few significant houses in existence within a radius of twenty miles at that time, and it is believed that Aynho had a substantial wooden Saxon manor house then. For example Oxford Castle was not built until 1073, Banbury Castle 1135, Broughton Castle 1300, Rousham House 1635 and Upton House 1695. The first proper Oxford College, University College, wasn’t founded until1249. Apart from Aynho north of Oxford only Sulgrave Manor is recorded as having an Anglo-Saxon Manor House around the late 9th century. William the Conqueror gave the village to one of his barons, Geoffrey de Mandeville, for helping him win the Battle of Hastings in 1066.