Providence, Rhode Island, USA ISSN 0002-9920 Calendar of AMS Meetings and Conferences This calendar lists all meetings and conferences approved prior to the date this insofar as is possible. Abstracts should be submitted on special forms which are issue went to press. The summer and annual meetings are joint meetings of the available in many departments of mathematics and from the headquarters office of Mathematical Association of America and the American Mathematical Society. The the Society. Abstracts of papers to be presented at the meeting must be received meeting dates which fall rather far in the future are subject to change; this is par­ at the headquarters of the Society in Providence, Rhode Island, on or before the ticularly true of meetings to which no numbers have been assigned. Programs of deadline given below for the meeting. The abstract deadlines listed below should the meetings will appear in the issues indicated below. First and supplementary be carefully reviewed since an abstract deadline may expire before publication of announcements of the meetings will have appeared in earlier issues. Abstracts a first announcement. Note that the deadline for abstracts for consideration for of papers presented at a meeting of the Society are published in the journal Ab­ presentation at special sessions is usually three weeks earlier than that specified stracts of papers presented to the American Mathematical Society in the issue below. For additional information, consult the meeting announcements and the list corresponding to that of the Notices which contains the program of the meeting, of special sessions. Meetings Abstract Program Meeting# Date Place Deadline Issue 876 • October 30-November 1, 1992 Dayton, Ohio Expired October 877 • November 7-8, 1992 Los Angeles,California Expired October 878 • January 13-16, 1993 San Antonio, Texas October 8 December (99th Annual Meeting) 879 • March 26-27, 1993 Knoxville, Tennessee January 5 March 880 • April9-10, 1993 Salt Lake City, Utah January 29 April 881 • April17-18, 1993 Washington, D.C. January 29 April 882 • May 21-22, 1993 DeKalb, Illinois February 26 May-June 883 • August15-19, 1993 Vancouver, British Columbia May 18 July-August (96th Summer Meeting) (Joint Meeting with the Canadian Mathematical Society) 884 • September 18-19, 1993 Syracuse, New York May 18 September 885 * October 1-3, 1993 Heidelberg, Germany (Joint Meeting with the Deutsche Mathematiker-Vereinigung e.V.) October 22-23, 1993 College Station, Texas January 12-15, 1994 Cincinnati, Ohio (1 OOth Annual Meeting) March 18-19, 1994 Lexington, Kentucky March 25-26, 1994 Manhattan, Kansas June 16-18, 1994 Eugene, Oregon October 28-29, 1994 Stillwater, Oklahoma January 25-28, 1995 Denver, Colorado (1 01 st Annual Meeting) March 24-25, 1995 Chicago, Illinois January 10-13, 1996 Orlando, Florida (1 02nd Annual Meeting) March 22-23, 1996 Iowa City, Iowa * Please refer to page 760 for listing of Special Sessions. Conferences January 11-12, 1993: AMS Short Course on Wavelets and Applications, San Antonio, Texas. Deadlines November Issue December Issue January Issue February Issue Classified Ads* October 1 , 1992 November 13, 1992 December 10, 1992 January 7, 1993 News Items September 21, 1992 October 29, 1992 December 2, 1992 December 24, 1992 Meeting Announcements** September 21, 1992 October 29, 1992 December 2, 1992 December 24, 1992 • 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 DEPARTMENTS ARTICLES 683 Letters to the Editor 694 Forum 684 Deane Montgomery (1909-1992) Armand Borel 715 News and Announcements This article pays tribute to the life and career of former AMS President 724 Funding Information for the Deane Montgomery, a distinguished topologist and longtime member of the Mathematical Sciences Institute for Advanced Study. 725 Acknowledgment of Contributions 688 Sloan Foundation Joins AMS to Aid Mathematics in the former Soviet Union 745 1992 AMS Elections Biographies of Candidates, 746 The Sloan Foundation has awarded the Society a $30,000 challenge grant to support the AMS program to assist mathematics in the former 755 Meetings and Conferences of Soviet Union. Allyn Jackson describes the assistance program, and an the AMS accompanying announcement provides information on how to contribute to Dayton, OH this important effort. Ocrober3G-November1, 755 Los Angeles, CA 689 European Meetings Bring Mathematicians Together November 7-8, 758 Invited Speakers, 760 A number of historic ''firsts" took place in Europe this summer-the joint 1992 Symposium on Some AMS meeting with the London Mathematical Society in Cambridge, England; Mathematical Questions the opening of the Isaac Newton Institute in Cambridge; and the first in Biology, 764 European Congress of Mathematics, held in Paris. Allyn Jackson reports on San Antonio, TX these events. January 13-16, 765 767 Mathematical Sciences Meetings FEATURE COLUMNS and Conferences 776 New Publications Offered by the 696 Computers and Mathematics Keith Devlin AMS Andrew Granville writes an expository article based on his paper There are 781 AMS Reports and infinitely many Carmichael numbers, cowritten with Red Alford and Carl Communications Pomerance. Following Granville's piece, Barry Simon presents the results Statistics on Women, 781 of a series of benchmark tests he has run on a number of computer Officers and Committee Members, mathematics systems. 782 783 Miscellaneous 711 Inside ~he AMS Personal Items, 793 Alice Schafer, Chair of the AMS Committee on Human Rights of Deaths, 793 Mathematicians, reports on the Committee's activities and accomplishments 794 Classified Advertising over the past two years. 809 Forms 712 Washington Outlook Lisa Thompson discusses how the government allocates resources among the various elements of the scientific enterprise. SEPTEMBER 1992, VOLUME 39, NUMBER 7 681 --------·········· ................................................................................................................................................................................... From the Executive Director ... RESOURCES FOR EXCELLENCE AMERICAN MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY There have been numerous national reports pointing out the need for the renewal of academic mathematical sciences departments. The reports call upon the departments to maintain the tradition of first class research; reform mathematics education at all levels; revise the curriculum to introduce experimental classes, varied instructional approaches, and new technologies; become involved in teacher enhancement and preparation; en­ EDITORIAL COMMITIEE gage in interdisciplinary activity and university service; increase the participation of Michael G. Crandall underrepresented minorities and women; and contribute to economic competitiveness. Amassa Fauntleroy This is only a partial list. Information is available, in varying degrees of detail and Robert M. Fossum (Chairman) clarity, as to how to go about doing all these things. Carolyn S. Gordon (Forum Editor) D. J. Lewis These reports have been useful in providing a springboard for debate, in distributing L. Ridgway Scott (Letters Editor) important information, and in outlining means for change. However, it is time to move Robert E. L. Turner beyond the reports and into action, and mathematical sciences departments are the natural institutions to take actions to bring about substantial, long-term change within MANAGING EDITOR the community. There is general agreement on what needs to be done, and there are John S. Bradley laudable examples of activities of individuals, groups, and departments that are doing ASSOCIATE EDITORS exciting things. But, is the academic mathematical sciences community positioned to Ronald L. Graham, Special Articles respond? Does this community have the resources (or the political sophistication to get Jeffrey C. Lagarias, Special Articles them) necessary to meet these challenges and opportunities? SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION Mathematical sciences departments, on the whole, are not viewed as major players Subscription prices for Volume 39 (1992) are in acquiring academic resources. There is a history of little attention being paid to the $131 list; $105 institutional member; $79 individ­ political avenues by which mathematical sciences departments might position them­ ual member. (The subscription price for members selves more favorably. The current challenges and opportunities come at a time when is included in the annual dues.) A late charge of there is a shortage of federal research funds and there is a depressed economy that is af­ 10% of the subscription price will be imposed upon fecting academic finances. Indeed, department resources are vulnerable to serious cuts. orders received from nonmembers after January 1 Distressed departments cannot respond adequately to the new challenges confronting of the subscription year. Add for postage: Surface them. Faculty, staff (including technical assistance), appropriate space, computers and delivery outside the United States and lndia-$15; networking, libraries, instructional labs, and research and travel funds are just some of to lndia-$28; expedited delivery to destinations in for departments to respond to the recommendations that are North America-$32; elsewhere-$67. Subscrip­ the resources necessary tions and orders for AMS publications should be being made. How can we make the case