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i “NLMS_480” — 2019/1/7 — 17:03 — page 1 — #1 i i i NEWSLETTER Issue: 480 - January 2019 TWENTY FIVE LESS CLIMATE- TRANSLATION YEARS OF IMPACTFUL SURFACES AND MACTUTOR CONFERENCES MODULI SPACES i i i i i “NLMS_480” — 2019/1/7 — 17:03 — 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 Grbic´ (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 Roundup: 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- COVER IMAGE newsletter and sent to [email protected]. Images from MacTutor (see page 28). Names For advertising rates and guidelines see of the mathematicians shown can be found on lms.ac.uk/publications/advertise-in-the-lms- MacTutor at tinyurl.com/ybylbo6h. newsletter. i i i i i “NLMS_480” — 2019/1/7 — 17:03 — page 3 — #3 i i i CONTENTS NEWS The latest from the LMS and elsewhere 4 LMS BUSINESS Reports from the LMS 12 FEATURES Translation Surfaces and Moduli Spaces 23 Twenty Five Years of MacTutor 28 An Approach to Less Climate-Impactful Conferences 32 MathsWorldUK: Building a Mathematics Discovery Centre for the UK 34 The New Zealand Mathematical Society 36 EARLY CAREER Applying for Jobs in Europe 37 REVIEWS From the bookshelf 39 OBITUARIES In memoriam 44 EVENTS Latest announcements 48 CALENDAR All forthcoming events 50 i i i i i “NLMS_480” — 2019/1/7 — 17:03 — page 4 — #4 i i i 4 NEWS LMS NEWS Forthcoming LMS Events Dr Tara Brendle (University of Glasgow) The following events will take place in the next four *Professor Mark Chaplain (University of St Andrews) months: *Professor Andrew Dancer (University of Oxford) Professor David E. Evans (University of Cardi) Christopher Zeeman Medal Presentation: *Dr Anthony Gardiner 5 March, Royal Society, London (tinyurl.com/y84gvbyk) *Professor Brita Nucinkis (Royal Holloway) Hirst Lecture and Society Meeting: 21 March, De Dr Mariya Ptashnyk (Heriot-Watt University) Morgan House, London (tinyurl.com/ybewfqz7) *Professor Gwyneth Stallard (Open University) Professor Anne Taormina (Durham University) Mary Cartwright Lecture: 5 April, ICMS, Edinburgh *Dr Alina Vdovina (University of Newcastle) (tinyurl.com/ycv3ssfq) *Members elected in 2017 who are continuing the LMS Meeting at the BMC: 10 April, Lancaster second year of their two-year term. (tinyurl.com/yarpowdo) LMS NOMINATING COMMITTEE: A full listing of upcoming LMS events can be found Also at the AGM, Professor I. David Abrahams (Isaac on page 50. Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences) and Pro- fessor Elizabeth Winstanley (University of Sheeld) LMS Council 2018–19 were elected to the Nominating Committee for three- The results of the 2018 LMS Elections to Council and year terms of oce. Continuing members of the Nominating Committee were announced at the LMS Nominating Committee are: Professor Kenneth Fal- Annual General Meeting on 9 November 2018. Council coner (Chair), Professor Roger Heath-Brown, Profes- membership is as follows: sor H. Dugald Macpherson, Dr Martin Mathieu, and Professor Ulrike Tillmann. Council will also appoint a PRESIDENT: representative to the committee. Professor Caroline Series FRS (University of Warwick) The AGM also saw the following members retire VICE-PRESIDENTS: from Council: Professor Iain Stewart, Professor June Professor John Greenlees (University of Warwick) Barrow-Green, Dr Francis Clarke and Dr Sarah Zerbes. Professor Catherine Hobbs (University of the West The LMS is grateful for their contributions, details of of England) which can be found on page 12. TREASURER: Professor Robert Curtis (University of Birmingham) DeMorgan@21 GENERAL SECRETARY: On 23 October 2019 it will be exactly 21 years since Professor Stephen Huggett (University of Plymouth) the ocial opening of De Morgan House, the LMS’s premises in London. It has been decided to make PROGRAMME SECRETARY : this the occasion for a gathering in De Morgan House Professor Chris Parker (University of Birmingham) for people to reminisce and to celebrate how far the PUBLICATIONS SECRETARY: London Mathematical Society has come since then. Professor John Hunton (University of Durham) The date has been set as the afternoon of Saturday 19 October. EDUCATION SECRETARY: Dr Kevin Houston (University of Leeds) Buying De Morgan House was a major step which has clearly been an enormous success. Who would have MEMBER-AT-LARGE (LIBRARIAN): imagined then the extent to which the LMS would Dr Mark McCartney (Ulster University) expand its role, which has so much depended on the foresight in purchasing the premises? MEMBERS-AT-LARGE OF COUNCIL: Professor Alexandre Borovik (University of The programme will include a talk by June Barrow- Manchester) Green, “It is easier to square the circle than to get i i i i i “NLMS_480” — 2019/1/7 — 17:03 — page 5 — #5 i i i NEWS 5 round a mathematician”: The Wit and Wisdom of Au- funding organisations. As of writing (November 2018), gustus de Morgan, and John Ball, the President who many details are unknown, in particular as to how oversaw the purchase, and Susan Oakes, long-time UKRI intends to formalise this. For example, it is Administrator of the Society, will talk about some of not yet certain if a funded researcher placing an their memories. Members are invited to send in their accepted version of their paper on the arXiv (the reminiscences and reections which will be collated ‘Green OA route’) will be accepted as meeting the and shared. There will also be reminders of some Plan S aspirations. UKRI have already stated that any the changes to and achievements of the LMS since policy changes will only apply to the REF after REF the move as well as some plans for the future. 2021. Part of the long-term hope of the group is to jump-start a transition to open access journals where publication costs are met by alternatives to the tradi- tional subscription model, which currently accounts for something like 85% of journals published. In par- ticular, they wish to see the end of ‘hybrid’ models, journals that are sold as subscription journals but oer an option where authors can pay if they wish or need to have their article made available free to all readers. Relatively few mathematicians are funded directly by cOAlition S members. However in the UK at least it is possible that anyone at an institution which receives QR funding could fall under the UKRI implementa- Augustus De Morgan’s original design for an LMS badge tion. Conceivably, as a worst-case scenario, most UK mathematicians may end up being seriously con- The event will include exhibits and material, including strained as to which of the world’s main mathematics the photos and lm of the opening event and poster journals they may publish in; of course that would boards on the history and purpose of the LMS. There also require institutions to be willing and able to sup- will be plenty of time for conversation among partic- port their sta submitting to OA titles instead, and ipants and the afternoon will be rounded o by tea would depend on the nal decisions about what ‘OA with a birthday cake and champagne toast. compliant’ will actually mean. On the other hand, it is also clear that there is much opposition to the ob- Please contact Susan ([email protected]) if you jectives of Plan S, both from large parts of the world have reminiscences or other material you would like and from academics from a multitude of disciplines, to share. There will be room for an attendance of so how this will all play out is far from clear. about 100 open to the general membership. Watch for further details in future issues of the LMS Newslet- As readers will know, the LMS journals (including the ter. Bulletin, Journal, Proceedings and Journal of Topology, DeMorgan@21 Organising Committee: which are each hybrid titles) use all surplus they Caroline Series, June Barrow-Green, make to fund the Society’s charitable activities; pub- Susan Oakes, Sarah Zerbes lishing accounts for about two thirds of the Society’s income.