OTIC-ES OF THE AMERICAN MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY 1990 Steele Prizes page 801 1990 Norbert Wiener Prize page 808 Renewing U.S. Mathematics A Plan for the 1990s page 813 Applying for NSF Support page 838 Mathematical Education page 844 Serving at the NSF page 851 SEPTEMBER 1990, VOLUME 37, NUMBER 7 Providence, Rhode Island, USA ISSN 0002-9920 ' Calendar of AMS Meetings and Conferences This calendar lists all meetings which have been approved prior to Mathematical Society in the issue corresponding to that of the Notices the date this issue of Notices was sent to the press. The summer which contains the program of the meeting, insofar as is possible. and annual meetings are joint meetings of the Mathematical Associ­ Abstracts should be submitted on special forms which are available in ation of America and the American Mathematical Society. The meet­ many departments of mathematics and from the headquarters office ing dates which fall rather far in the future are subject to change; this of the Society. Abstracts of papers to be presented at the meeting is particularly true of meetings to which no numbers have been as­ must be received at the headquarters of the Society in Providence, signed. Programs of the meetings will appear in the issues indicated Rhode Island, on or before the deadline given below for the meet­ below. First and supplementary announcements of the meetings will ing. Note that the deadline for abstracts for consideration for pre­ have appeared in earlier issues. sentation at special sessions is usually three weeks earlier than that Abstracts of papers presented at a meeting of the Society are pub­ specified below. For additional information, consult the meeting an­ lished in the journal Abstracts of papers presented to the American nouncements and the list of organizers of special sessions. Meetings Abstract Program Meeting# Date Place Deadline Issue 860 • October 20-21 ,1990 Amherst, Massachusetts Expired October 861 * November 2-3, 1990 Denton, Texas Expired October 862 • November 10-11 ,1990 Irvine, California Expired October 863 • January 16-19, 1991 San Francisco, California October 10 December t (97th Annual Meeting) 864 • March 16-17, 1991 South Bend, Indiana January 3 March 865 • March 22-23,1991 Tampa, Florida January 3 March 866 • June 13-15, 1991 Portland, Oregon March 26 May/June 867 • August 8-11, 1991 Orono, Maine May 29 July I August (94th Summer Meeting) 868 • October 12-13, 1991 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania August 1 October 869 • October 25-26, 1991 Fargo, North Dakota August 1 October 870 • November 9-11, 1991 Santa Barbara, California September November 871 • January 8-11 , 1992 Baltimore, Maryland October 2 December (98th Annual Meeting) March 27-28, 1992 Springfield, Missouri March 13-14, 1992 Tuscaloosa, Alabama June 29-July 1, 1992 Cambridge, England (Joint Meeting with the London Mathematical Society) January 13-16, 1993 San Antonio, Texas (99th Annual Meeting) August 15-19, 1993 Vancouver, British Columbia (96th Summer Meeting) (Joint Meeting with the Canadian Mathematical Society) January 5-8, 1994 Cincinnati, Ohio (100th Annual Meeting) January 10-13, 1996 Orlando, Florida (102nd Annual Meeting) • Please refer to page 923 for listing of Special Sessions. t Preregistration/Housing deadline is November 16 Deadlines October Issue November Issue December Issue January Issue Classified Ads* August 27, 1990 October 5, 1990 November 2, 1990 December 6, 1990 News Items August 30, 1990 October 9, 1990 November 2, 1990 November 28, 1990 Meeting Announcements** August 14, 1990 September 24, 1990 October 22, 1990 November 28, 1990 • Please contact AMS Advertising Department for an Advertising Rate Card for display advertising deadlines. ** For material to appear in the Mathematical Sciences Meetings and Conferences section. OTICES OF THE AMERICAN MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY ARTICLES DEPARTMENTS 801 1990 Steele Prizes 799 Letters to the Editor The 1990 Steele Prizes were awarded at the Society's ninety-third summer 853 Forum meeting in Columbus, Ohio to R. D. Richtmyer for expository writing, to Bertram Kostant for a fundamental paper, and to Raoul Batt for the career 877 News and Announcements award. 885 Funding Information for the Mathematical Sciences 808 1990 Norbert Wiener Prize 886 Acknowledgment of The 1990 Norbert Wiener Prize in applied mathematics was awarded jointly Contributions to Michael Aizenman and Jerrold E. Marsden at the Society's ninety-third summer meeting in Columbus, Ohio. 910 AMS Elections 911 Proposed Amendments to the 813 Renewing U.S. Mathematics A Plan for the 1990s Bylaws The body of the so-called David II report is reprinted here for the use of 913 Meetings and Conferences of the our readers. Appendix B will be reprinted next month. AMS 838 Applying for NSF Support: Advice for Young Researchers B.E. Trumbo Amherst, MA and Russell Walker October 20-21, 913 Denton, TX When applying for a research grant, a young mathematical scientist faces November 2-3, 916 keen competition for limited funds. Aimed primarily at young researchers, Irvine, CA this article provides advice on generating strong research proposals. November 10-11, 919 844 Mathematical Education William P. Thurston Invited Speakers, 923 San Francisco, CA In this article, William Thurston describes problems and opportunities January 16-19, 928 involved in mathematics education. In addition to giving his view of the Call for Topics, 929 nature of mathematics as a subject, he makes several proposals for dealing with some of the problems. 930 Mathematical Sciences Meetings and Conferences 851 Serving at the NSF Mathematical Sciences Rotators Tell what it's Like 940 New AMS Publications What is it like for an academic mathematician to work at the National 946 AMS Reports and Science Foundation? Allyn Jackson interviewed the mathematics rotators Communications now leaving the NSF and reports on their reactions. Recent Appointments, 946 FEATURE COLUMNS Statistics on Women, 946 Officers of the Society, 948 858 Computers and Mathematics Jon Barwise 958 Miscellaneous This month's column consists of three articles: a comparative review of Deaths, 958 mathematics programs by Barry Simon, a discussion of computer viruses from a mathematical point of view by William Dowling, and a review of 959 Visiting Mathematicians Solve1 by Gustav Gripenberg. 960 Classified Advertising 870 Inside the AMS 973 Forms John A. Servideo, manager of Editorial Services, outlines the process of how a manuscript becomes a published paper. Also, a list of the Society's non-user-specific email addresses is provided. SEPTEMBER 1990, VOLUME 37, NUMBER 7 797 From the Executive Director ... NATIONAL REPORTS AAIEaJCAN MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY Much has been written about maintaining the vitality of mathematics re­ search in this country and the need for reform in mathematics education. Of particular interest to our community are some recent reports to the nation undertaken at the National Academy of Sciences. Three of these reports are: "Everybody Counts: A Report to the Nation on the Future of Mathemat­ EDITORIAL COMMITTEE ics Education", issued by the Committee on the Mathematical Sciences in Robert J. Blattner (Forum Editor) the Year 2000 (MS2000), which is jointly sponsored by the Mathematical Michael G. Crandall Sciences Education Board (MSEB) and the Board on Mathematical Sciences Robert M. Fossum (Chairman) Lucy J. Garnett, D. J. Lewis (BMS) (the executive summary appeared in Notices, March 1989, pages 227- Nancy K. Stanton 236); "Renewing U.S. Mathematics: A Plan for the 1990s" (David II Report), Robert E. L. Turner (Letters Editor) issued by BMS (the executive summary appeared in Notices, May I June 1990, MANAGING EDITOR pages 542-546, the body of the report appears in this issue of Notices, and Donovan H. VanOsdol Appendix B of the report is scheduled to appear in the October 1990 issue); of Numbers: People in the Mathematical Sciences", issued ASSOCIATE EDITORS and "A Challenge Ronald L. Graham, Spec/a/ Articles by MS2000 (the executive summary appeared in Notices, May I June 1990, Jeffrey C. Lagarias, Special Articles pages 547-554). SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION In addition, MSEB is planning a new report, which will be available before Subscription prices for Volume 37 (1990) are the end of 1990 and will introduce a curriculum philosophy of "strands" of $1131ist; $90 institutional member; $68 individual curriculum. MS2000 member. (The subscription price for members is mathematical concepts that run through the entire K-12 included in the annual dues.) A late charge of is also preparing a major "Report to the Nation", which reviews the state of 10% of the subscription price will be imposed affairs in collegiate mathematical sciences departments. And there are plans upon orders received from nonmembers after for yet more reports. These reports are very good for our community, since January 1 of the subscription year. Add for post­ they identify many crucial issues and present recommendations for action. age: Surface delivery outside the United States and lndia-$11; to lndia-$22; expedited deliv­ Some of these issues and recommendations will find broad acceptance in ery to destinations in North America-$24; else­ the community, while others may not; however, the thought and dialogue where-$49. Subscriptions and orders for AMS stimulated by these reports is important to the process of any reform and publications should be addressed to the Amer­ progress. ican Mathematical Society, P.O. Box 1571, An­ nex Station, Providence, Rl 02901-1571. All or­ Now that we have all these reports, what's next? There are many efforts to ders must be prepaid. disseminate these materials and to stimulate further dialogue. The Society ADVERTISING is participating in these efforts by reprinting parts of the reports in Notices, Notices publishes situations wanted and classi­ reporting on national activities, and supporting panel discussions and other fied advertising, and display advertising for pub­ functions at Society meetings. Opportunities are available for the community lishers and academic or scientific organizations.