January 2011
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THE LONDON MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER No. 399 January 2011 Society MEMBERSHIP abolished. Then we heard that Meetings funding for the New Zealand SURVEY – TELL US Institute of Mathematics and and Events YOUR VIEWS its Applications is to be pulled. Even as we reeled under the 2011 The LMS is seeking a wide vari- impact, and commended the Friday 25 February ety of views on various issues, President’s efforts to protest Mary Cartwright including membership. You are against these measures, we re- Lecture, Oxford invited to complete a short flected that this is likely to be [page 3] online survey to inform Coun- only the beginning of a long cil of your opinions on these saga. 21-25 March matters. After this, it was something LMS Invited Lectures Members, former members of a relief to get stuck into [page 4] and non-members are all en- Society business. We first dis- 3-8 April couraged to complete the cussed some recommendations LMS Short Course, survey, which can be found at from the Personnel Committee, Oxford [page 2] www.surveymonkey.com/s/ and then, after lunch, some 66NW3VW and will be open publications issues. One of the Friday 6 May until 21 January 2011. latter was the draft contract Women in Mathematics with Mathematical Sciences Day, London Publishers (MSP) for the new [page 26] LMS COUNCIL DIARY database system for dealing 19 November 2010 Tuesday 17 May with papers submitted to the LMS–Gresham Lecture, The Council meeting on 9 LMS journals. We agreed to London November began as usual with delegate the final negotiations Friday 1 July President’s Business, but in to the working group, with a London contrast to the usual tales of view to going live with the new wining and dining on the LMS’s system in January. Another is- Tuesday 19 July behalf, we were treated in- sue concerned the Journal of Northern Regional stead to a ‘chronicle of disas- Group Theory, currently pub- Meeting, Leeds ters’, to quote the President’s lished by de Gruyter. It is by Friday 18 November words. First, the announcement now public knowledge that the LMS AGM, London of the withdrawal of fund- entire editorial board has re- ing for the Erwin Schrödinger signed, and Susan Hezlet, the Institute in Vienna, an institu- LMS Publisher, invited Council tion of comparable importance to consider whether the LMS NEWSLETTER to the Isaac Newton Institute should get involved in some in Cambridge. Then the news way. For reasons of commercial ONLINE: that Adrian Smith’s position in confidentiality, however, our Go to www.lms.ac.uk/ the Department for Business, conclusions must for the mo- newsletter Innovation and Skills is to be ment remain under wraps. Jan11-NL.indd 1 20/12/2010 15:45:20 THE LONDON MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER www.lms.ac.uk/newsletter [email protected] Most of the rest of the meeting was taken from the current website is proceeding up with routine and/or technical business apace, with the intention of completing which will be of little interest to readers the switch before Christmas. The develop- of this Diary. One possible exception was ment of new content, in particular interac- the design of a survey on membership of tive content, will be our focus thereafter. the LMS, intended to capture some infor- It is becoming increasingly clear to Coun- mation on (for example) the reasons why cil that in the 2st century an effective web people do or do not join the LMS, to help presence is not only vital to our existence, focus our thoughts on these matters in the but also poses significant risks (for example new year. Personally I am sceptical of the to our reputation). Therefore we have to value of such surveys, as when filling them think urgently and carefully about a system in I invariably find that they ask the wrong of devolved editorial control which allows questions. However, we shall see. people who have the time and the enthu- Another item which may be of more gen- siasm to develop parts of the site, while eral interest was an update from Stephen ensuring that Council has effective con- Huggett on the new website. This is now trol over what is published in the name of publically available in a ‘beta test’ ver- the LMS. As the General Secretary, Martin sion (or ‘alpha’, as one member of Council Hyland, eloquently put it, we want a web- 2 quipped) at www.lms.ac.uk/beta, and feed- site which is alive, not one which (like so back from LMS members (and others) is many) is dead. actively encouraged. Copying of content Robert Wilson LMS Newsletter www.lms.ac.uk/newsletter Editorial office: [email protected]; London Mathematical Society, De Morgan House, 57–58 Russell Square, London WC1B 4HS (t: 020 7637 3686; f: 020 7323 3655) Events calendar: please send updates and corrections to [email protected] General Editor: Mr A.J.S. Mann ([email protected]) Reports Editor: Dr S.A. Huggett ([email protected]) Reviews Editor: Dr C.M. Roney-Dougal ([email protected]) Administrative Editor: S.M. Oakes ([email protected]) Typeset by the London Mathematical Society at De Morgan House; printed by Holbrooks Printers Ltd. Publication dates and deadlines: published monthly, except August. Items and advertisements by the first day of the month prior to publication, or the closest preceding working day. Advertising: for rates and guidelines, see www.lms.ac.uk/newsletter/ratecard.html News items and notices in the Newsletter are free to be used elsewhere unless otherwise stated, although attribution is requested when reproducing whole articles. Contributions to the Newsletter are made under a non-exclusive licence; please contact the author or photographer for the rights to reproduce. The LMS cannot accept responsibility for the accuracy of information in the Newsletter. Views expressed do not necessarily represent the views or policy of the London Mathematical Society. Charity registration number: 252660. Jan11-NL.indd 2 20/12/2010 15:45:20 www.lms.ac.uk/newsletter [email protected] No. 399 January 2011 from the current website is proceeding apace, with the intention of completing the switch before Christmas. The develop- LONDON MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY ment of new content, in particular interac- tive content, will be our focus thereafter. It is becoming increasingly clear to Coun- MARY CARTWRIGHT MEETING cil that in the 2st century an effective web presence is not only vital to our existence, Friday 25 February 2011 but also poses significant risks (for example to our reputation). Therefore we have to Oxford University Museum of Natural History think urgently and carefully about a system of devolved editorial control which allows people who have the time and the enthu- siasm to develop parts of the site, while Programme: ensuring that Council has effective con- trol over what is published in the name of 3.30 Opening of the meeting the LMS. As the General Secretary, Martin Hyland, eloquently put it, we want a web- Peter Donnelly (Oxford) site which is alive, not one which (like so Modelling Genes 3 many) is dead. Robert Wilson 4.30 Tea 5.00 Mary Cartwright Lecture LMS Newsletter www.lms.ac.uk/newsletter Alison Etheridge (Oxford) Editorial office: [email protected]; London Mathematical Society, Evolution in a Spatial De Morgan House, 57–58 Russell Square, London WC1B 4HS (t: 020 7637 3686; f: 020 7323 3655) Continuum Post Evening Wales South the of Courtesy Events calendar: please send updates and corrections to [email protected] Mary Cartwright General Editor: Mr A.J.S. Mann ([email protected]) Reports Editor: Dr S.A. Huggett ([email protected]) Reviews Editor: Dr C.M. Roney-Dougal ([email protected]) Administrative Editor: S.M. Oakes ([email protected]) A reception will be held after the meeting at the Mathematics Institute Typeset by the London Mathematical Society at De Morgan House; printed by Holbrooks Printers Ltd. followed by a dinner at the Ashmolean Museum at a cost of £30 per Publication dates and deadlines: published monthly, except August. Items and advertisements by the person, inclusive of wine. Contact Isabelle Robinson (isabelle.robinson@ first day of the month prior to publication, or the closest preceding working day. lms.ac.uk) by Friday 18 February 2011 if you would like to attend. Advertising: for rates and guidelines, see www.lms.ac.uk/newsletter/ratecard.html News items and notices in the Newsletter are free to be used elsewhere unless otherwise stated, There are limited funds available to contribute in part to the ex- although attribution is requested when reproducing whole articles. Contributions to the Newsletter are made under a non-exclusive licence; please contact the author or photographer for the rights to penses of members of the Society or research students to at- reproduce. The LMS cannot accept responsibility for the accuracy of information in the Newsletter. tend the meeting. Contact Duncan Turton/Elizabeth Fisher Views expressed do not necessarily represent the views or policy of the London Mathematical Society. ([email protected]) for further information. Charity registration number: 252660. Jan11-NL.indd 3 20/12/2010 15:45:20 THE LONDON MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER www.lms.ac.uk/newsletter [email protected] LMS INVITED LECTURER 2011 Professor Emmanuel Cand�s (Stanford) Compressed Sensing 21–25 March 2011 Centre for Mathematical Sciences, Cambridge Emmanuel Cand�s will give an eight-lecture minicourse, at a level suitable for graduate students, on Compressed Sensing.