THE LONDON MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER No. 321 December 2003 Forthcoming COUNCIL DIARY The Publisher had attended a 17 October 2003 workshop on Scenario Planning Society in Publishing, and reported to Meetings Already before the October Council on the issues under dis- Council meeting, members of cussion. There is a need for 2004 Council had been circulated some long term planning to Friday 9 January urgently by email for their deal with long term threats to AMS Meeting, individual responses to the publishing. The Society’s pub- Arizona HEFCE consultation on devel- lishing activities represent both G. van der Geer oping the funding method for a service to the mathematical [page X] teaching in English universi- community and a source of ties from 2004-5. The propos- income which together with Friday 20 February als suggest a 5.4% cut in the our investments funds our 1 London mathematics teaching budg- other activities; we need to D. Schleicher et. Council approved the maintain their health. S.M. Rees excellent document which the As Programme Secretary, (Mary Cartwright Education Secretary had sub- Stephen Huggett reported on Lecture) sequently put together. It has the impact that budget cuts are [page X] necessarily been a fast having on Programme response; it is now important Committee grants. Programme Wednesday 12 May that we find common cause Committee’s policy is to aim to Nottingham with as many others as possi- fund the parts which other Midlands Regional ble, that we target MPs, and grants cannot reach, in other Meeting talk to the Press. words, it tries to complement In this climate, the announce- other grant awarding bodies in Friday 18 June ment from the Treasurer that, the way it directs its funding. London although money is tight, our pro- Hence, for example, the Hardy Lecture posed Mathematics Promotion Committee is currently choos- Unit could go ahead was particu- ing to focus its conference Friday 2 July larly welcome. We shall run it as funding on smaller rather than Newcastle a trial for one year. This venture larger conferences. Council Northern Regional was proposed at the Retreat last approved this strategy. Meeting March, and has a wide ranging Programme Committee is remit which has already been dis- giving support, through its Friday 17 September cussed in this diary. In particular, Mathematics in Africa pro- Exeter with the new unit in place and gramme, to the African South West & South the part-time press officer it will Institute of Mathematical Wales Regional employ, we shall certainly be able Science (AIMS) in Cape Town, Meeting to use the media more effectively which brings in students from than we are able to at present. all over Africa. Malcolm Friday 19 November London Annual General Mti THE LONDON MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER No. 321 December 2003 MacCallum had visited, and reported to INTERNATIONAL REVIEW • Don Dawson, Carleton University, Canada. The panel members will also have many Council on what he had observed. Set in a • Robbert Dijkgraaf, University of Amsterdam, opportunities for discussions with both the former hotel in a seaside resort of Cape OF MATHEMATICS The Netherlands. senior members of our profession and some Town, the institute has good computing Report 9 • Ron Graham, University of California, San of our younger researchers. facilities and an excellent library, an inher- The Steering Group is confident that thanks Diego, USA. They will also be given background brief- itance from an accountant with a passion to the hard work by very many mathemati- • John Guckenheimer, Cornell University, USA. ings on way the Research and Funding for mathematics. The informal teaching cians and statisticians all over the country the • Peter Hall FRS, Australian National Councils, our three learned societies, the methods seem to be very successful, and review will have the best possible chance of University, Australia. Royal Society and research institutes all sup- students and lecturers (many of them achieving its aim of giving us an independent • Niels Keiding, University of Copenhagen, port mathematics, and will hear from various guests from overseas) are extremely enthu- assessment of the standing and potential of Denmark. users of mathematics research. siastic. It sounded like a very good venture research in mathematics and statistics in the • Susan Murphy, University of Michigan, USA. Finally, and importantly, the whole panel to support. UK. • Hans Othmer, University of Minnesota, USA. will have time at the end of the week to Stephen Huggett also reported to The international panel will see some of • Peter Sarnak FRS, Princeton University, USA. reflect on what they have seen and to work Council in his capacity as Scientific our most excellent research, and will be able • Margaret Wright, New York University, USA. together in preparing the first draft of their Secretary to the International Review of to place it in the context of the UK commu- They arrive in London on 1 December and report. Mathematics. Eight venues are being vis- nity in mathematics and statistics and its var- leave on the 6 December. During that week The CMS has already begun discussions with ited, and for some of these programmes ious structures and means of support. they will spend two days (split into four sub- EPSRC on the details of the consultation process have already been set up; there has been Perhaps most importantly, though, the inter- panels) with mathematicians at eight venues: surrounding the publication of the report and the 2 a good spirit of cooperation between national panel will be able to assess our Bristol, Cambridge, Durham, Edinburgh, development of any action plans. 3 departments in each region. There is a potential for the future. Imperial College, Manchester, Oxford and Please monitor the website (www.cms.ac.uk/irm) lot of paperwork to prepare, landscape For convenience let us summarise, very Warwick. During these visits there will be for the latest developments; you can email com- documents and numerical data. The briefly, the plans for the review week here. presentations (given by people from a wider ments to me at [email protected]. panel will spend a week in the UK, split- The international panel is group of institutions) on the UK's strongest Stephen Huggett ting into four teams of three to visit two • Jean-Pierre Bourguignon, IHES, France. and most dynamic mathematics and statistics. Scientific Secretary to the Review venues each over a period of two days. • Michel Broué, Institut Henri Poincaré, Sarah Rees France. • Stephen Davis, Northwestern University, USA. LONDON MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY MARY CARTWRIGHT LECTURE LMS Newsletter Friday 20 February 2004, University College London General Editor: Dr D.R.J. Chillingworth ([email protected]) Reports Editor: Dr S.A. Huggett ([email protected]) 3.30 – 4.30 Professor Dierk Schleicher (Bremen) Reviews Editor: Professor M.P.F. du Sautoy ([email protected]) Understanding Complex Dynamical Systems and their Administrative Editor: Miss S.M. Oakes ([email protected]) Parameter Spaces Editorial office address: London Mathematical Society, De Morgan House, 4.30 – 5.00 Tea 57-58 Russell Square, London WC1B 4HS (tel: 020 7637 3686; fax: 020 7323 3655; 5.00 – 6.00 Mary Cartwright Lecture Professor Mary Rees (Liverpool) email: [email protected], web: www.lms.ac.uk) The Topographer's View of Parameter Spaces Designed by CHP Design (tel: 020 7240 0466, email: [email protected], web:www.chpdesign.com). Publication dates and deadlines: published monthly, except August. There are limited funds available to contribute in part to the expenses Items and advertisements by first day of the month prior to publication. of members of the Society or research students to attend the Society Information in the Newsletter is free to be used elsewhere unless otherwise stated; attribution is meeting. Requests for support, including an estimate of expenses, may requested when reproducing whole articles. The LMS cannot accept responsibility for the accuracy be addressed to the Programme Secretary at the Society (web: of information in the Newsletter. Nor do views expressed necessarily represent the views or policy www.lms.ac.uk; email: [email protected]). of the London Mathematical Society. Charity registration number: 252660. THE LONDON MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER No. 321 December 2003 2004 LONDON Kingdom on 1st January of year X. The only grounds for the award of the Medal are the MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY candidate's contributions to mathematics. PRIZES The Senior Berwick Prize is named after Announcement and Call for Professor W. E. H. Berwick, a former Vice- Nominations President of the Society, and is awarded in even-numbered years. The Senior Berwick A Prizes Committee has now been appointed Prize for year X can only be awarded to a for 2004. The membership is: mathematician who is a member of the • Chair: Professor Frances Kirwan Society on 1st January of year X; it is award- • Dr Kevin Buzzard ed in recognition of an outstanding piece of • Professor Edward Corrigan mathematical research actually published by • Professor Robert Curtis the Society during the eight years ending on • Professor Angus Macintyre 31st December of year X-1; and it may not be • Professor Mary Rees awarded to any person who has previously • Professor Miles Reid received the De Morgan Medal, Polya Prize, • Professor David Sloan Senior Whitehead Prize or Naylor Prize. In 2004, Council expects to award the De The Naylor Prize and Lectureship in 4 Morgan Medal, the Senior Berwick Prize, the Applied Mathematics is awarded in even- 5 Naylor Prize, the Fröhlich Prize and up to numbered years, in memory of Dr V. D. four Whitehead Prizes. Naylor. The Naylor Prize for year X can only Members wishing to nominate candidates be awarded to a mathematician who is nor- should use the designated form, which is mally resident in the United Kingdom on 1st available to download from the LMS website January of year X.