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NEWSLETTER No. 462 October 2016 RICHARD GUY AT 100 Whilst Littlewood notes in his Mis- cellany that mathematicians have a tendency for longevity, reaching a century is still quite rare. Richard Guy, an LMS member since 1960, celebrated his 100th birthday on 30 September 2016 and, moreover, continues to be mathematically and physically active. Richard was born in Nuneaton in 1916, his father having survived the Gallipoli campaign. After attending Warwick School, he graduated in mathematics at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge. He trained and worked as a school teacher, interrupted by war service as a Louise and Richard Guy meteorologist, until 1949 when he joined Goldsmith's College, followed by universi- seven books including Unsolved Problems in ty positions in Malaya and New Delhi. In 1965 he Number Theory, now in its 3rd edition, and its moved to The University of Calgary where he has companion volume on geometry. remained ever since. Richard started research rel- In 1940 Richard married Louise, not herself a atively late on, publishing his first paper of many mathematician, but one who well-understood in 1956. He had no doctorate, though Calgary their quirks. She shared Richard's other passion remedied this in 1991 with an Honorary Degree. of mountaineering, and together they climbed He has made numerous significant contributions many peaks in the Rockies and elsewhere. Since to number theory, game theory, graph theory she passed away in 2010, Richard has each year, and geometry. Richard thrives on easily explained including this year, climbed the 802 steps of the 'intuitive' problems, and inspires many by his en- Calgary Tower to raise money for charity in her thusiasm and his writing, not least through his memory. SOCIETY MEETINGS AND EVENTS • 27 October: Joint Meeting with the RSS and • 16–17 December: Prospects in Mathematics Fisher Memorial Trust, London page 8 Meeting, York page 34 • 11 November: Graduate Student Meeting, • 20 December: SW & South Wales Regional London page 9 Meeting, Bath page 35 • 11 November: Annual General Meeting, London page 7 • 5 May 2017: Mary Cartwright Lecture, London NEWSLETTER ONLINE: newsletter.lms.ac.uk @LondMathSoc LMS NEWSLETTER http://newsletter.lms.ac.uk Contents No. 462 October 2016 26 23 Awards News Postdoctoral Mobility Grants..................6 Athena SWAN Charter - specialists needed...............................................14 Calendar of Events 39 Chalkdust Releases Issue 4....................12 2 LMS Items EMS Publishing House............................14 Annual General Meeting........................3 European News.......................................16 Cecil King Travel Scholarship 2017.........18 IMU Committee for Women in Elections to Council and Nominating Mathematics – funding.........................13 Committee 2016...................................4 Koninlijk Wiskundig Genootschap........15 Hardy Lectureship Tour 2018 Mathematics Policy Round-Up...............11 – nominations sought..........................5 Richard Guy at 100...................................1 Invited Lecture Series 2018 – call Rob Eastaway Awarded the IMA–LMS for proposals..........................................4 Zeeman Medal......................................10 Summer Schools - call for expressions Obituary of interest..............................................28 Shaw, Ron................................................33 LMS Meetings Records of Proceedings Annual General Meeting........................7 London, 8 July 2016................................22 BCS-FACS Evening Seminar......................17 7 ECM, Berlin, 21 July 2016......................23 Good Practice Scheme Workshop...........19 Reports Graduate Student Meeting....................9 Galway Topology Colloquium................29 Joint Meeting with the RSS and Fisher LMS General Meeting and Hardy Lecture...24 Memorial Trust......................................8 LMS Summer School...............................26 Prospects in Mathematics Meeting........34 Topology and its Applications.................31 SW & South Wales Regional Meeting....35 Young Researchers in Mathematics........30 Meetings Reviews Mathematical Models in Ecology and Problems for Metagrobologists..............36 Evolution..............................................32 Prof: Alan Turing Decoded......................37 Topological Dynamical Systems and Visit Operator Algebras.................................32 Antipov, Yuri............................................33 [email protected] No. 462 October 2016 I first met Richard in the mid-1970s when he Richard's centenary was celebrated at a visited Cambridge to work on Winning Ways special session of the Canadian Number with John Conway and Elwyn Berlekamp, Theory Association, held in Calgary a classic on the theory and practice of a in June. His colleague Hugh Williams huge variety of mathematical games which reviewed Richard's life and work, and continues to instruct and entertain a wide afterwards Richard talked about aliquot audience. Amongst my encounters with sequences and Conway's Game of Life, Richard, I particularly remember an occasion before receiving a standing ovation when he was staying in my flat in Bristol. from a large audience. This presenta- I returned home from hospital around tion is available at www.mathtube.org/ 5 am to find him still up and working, and lecture/video/life-and-numbers-richard- informed him that my wife had just given guy birth. 'Yes,' he replied. '– I have calculated We send Richard our warmest congrat- the volume of that extremal tetrahedron we ulations and best wishes. were discussing yesterday...'. Maths is never Kenneth Falconer far from his mind! University of St Andrews ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING The Annual General Meeting of the Society 5. Presentation of Certificates to the 2016 3 will be held at 3.00 pm on Friday 11 November LMS Prize Winners 2016 at BMA House, Tavistock Square, London It is hoped that as many members as WC1H 9JP. The business shall be: possible will be able to attend. The Annual 1. Elections to Council and Nominating General Meeting will be followed by a Society Committee Meeting at which Professor S. Jon Chapman 2. Review of Society Activities 2015-16 (Oxford) will give the Naylor Lecture. Also 3. Report of the Treasurer speaking will be Professor Alan Champneys 4. Resolutions (Bristol). See page 7 for further details. a. Adoption of the Trustees’ Report 2015-16 Fiona Nixon b. Appointment of the Auditors Executive Secretary Editorial team Publication dates and deadlines http://newsletter.lms.ac.uk Editorial office General Editor Published monthly, except August. Items and adver- London Mathematical Society, Mr A.J.S. Mann tisements by the first day of the month prior to publi- De Morgan House, 57–58 Russell ([email protected]) cation, or the closest preceding working day. Notices Square, London WC1B 4HS and advertisements are not accepted for events that Reports Editor occur in the first week of the publication month. (t: 020 7637 3686; Professor I. A. Stewart f: 020 7323 3655) ([email protected]) News items and notices in the Newsletter may be freely used elsewhere unless otherwise stated, al- Events calendar Reviews Editor though attribution is requested when reproducing Updates and corrections to Professor D. Singerman whole articles. Contributions to the Newsletter are [email protected] ([email protected]) made under a non-exclusive licence; please contact Articles Administrative Editor the author or photographer for the rights to repro- Send articles to S.M. Oakes duce. The LMS cannot accept responsibility for the [email protected] ([email protected]) accuracy of information in the Newsletter. Views expressed do not necessarily represent the views or Advertising Typeset by the LMS at De policy of the London Mathematical Society. For rates and guidelines see Morgan House; printed by newsletter.lms.ac.uk/rate-card Holbrooks Printers Ltd. Charity registration number: 252660. LMS Items LMS NEWSLETTER http://newsletter.lms.ac.uk 2016 ELECTIONS TO COUNCIL AND NOMINATING COMMITTEE The Electoral Reform Society (ERS) will terms of two years. One candidate has once again be managing the LMS elections been nominated for the role of Member- to Council and Nominating Committee. at-Large (Librarian). Six candidates have LMS members will be contacted directly been proposed for four vacancies in the by the Electoral Reform Society (ERS), membership of Nominating Committee. who will send out the election material The slates and candidate biographies for for the 2016 elections. All LMS members the election can be found on the LMS registered for electronic communication website at www.lms.ac.uk/about/council/ will receive an online ballot only, though lms-elections. may subsequently request a paper ballot For both electronic and postal voting if so desired. In advance of this, an the deadline for receipt of votes is email will be sent by the Society to all Thursday 3 November 2016. members who are registered for elec- Members may like to note that a LMS tronic communication informing them Election Forum, moderated by the Scruti- that they can expect to shortly receive neers, can be found at http://discussions. some election correspondence from the lms.ac.uk/elections2016/. ERS. Those not registered to receive email Future elections 4 correspondence will receive all commu- Members are invited to make sugges- nications in paper format, both from tions for future nominees for election the Society and from the ERS. Members