NEWSLETTER No. 463 November 2016 LMS RECEIVES PRESTIGIOUS ATHENA PRIZE The London Mathematical Society (LMS) has won the LMS introduced a Good inaugural Royal Society Athena Prize, which celebrates Practice Scheme which individuals and organisations that have contributed has helped departments most to the advancement of diversity in Science, Tech- across the UK engage with the challenges of improving nology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) within diversity. Of the scheme’s registered supporter depart- their communities. The prize was presented to the LMS ments, four have now been awarded silver Athena at a ceremony at the Royal Society’s annual diversity SWAN status and 34 have Athena SWAN bronze status. conference on 31 October 2016. In 2013 the LMS published a new report, Advancing The LMS Women in Mathematics Committee, set Women in Mathematics: Good Practice in UK Univer- up in 1999 to support the advancement of math- sity Departments. The report, which was launched at ematics and improve the gender balance within the the House of Commons, raised the profile of gender mathematics community, has been recognised for in- imbalance in mathematics with policy makers. troducing a broad range of initiatives in the field of The committee also holds Women in Mathematics mathematics resulting in a change of culture that has Days to raise the profile of female mathematicians. happened nationwide. The award acknowledges the The events have grown in popularity across the years, huge amount of energy and commitment to the cause with two events being held in 2016, in Cambridge of diversity in mathematics given by many volunteers and Edinburgh, with around 80 delegates attending since the founding of the Women in Mathematics each event. The events bring together enthusiastic Committee in 1999. and capable women mathematicians to inspire other Mathematics has a particularly extreme drop in women in the field. gender balance across the various academic stages. Professor Simon Tavaré FRS, LMS President, Although close to 40% of mathematics undergraduates commented; ‘The London Mathematical Society is are female, this drops rapidly at PhD and postdoctoral delighted to have been awarded the Royal Society’s level. In 1998 only 3% of professors of mathematics first Athena Prize. The award acknowledges the huge were women. The percentage of female mathematics amount of energy and commitment to the cause of professors has doubled since the committee was set up, diversity in mathematics given by many volunteers and now stands at around 7%. since the founding of the Women in Mathematics The LMS Women in Mathematics Committee has Committee in 1999. The progress made in encouraging developed several key initiatives to address the diversity more women to pursue the subject and to see its pos- issues within the mathematics community. In 2009 the sibilities has been the result of real collaboration and SOCIETY MEETINGS AND EVENTS • 11 November: Graduate Student Meeting, • 20 December: SW & South Wales Regional London page 13 Meeting, Bath page 7 • 11 November: Annual General Meeting, London page 12 • 18–22 April 2017: LMS Invited Lectures, • 16–17 December: Prospects in Mathematics Newcastle page 26 Meeting, York page 34 • 5 May 2017: Mary Cartwright Lecture, London NEWSLETTER ONLINE: newsletter.lms.ac.uk @LondMathSoc LMS NEWSLETTER http://newsletter.lms.ac.uk Contents No. 463 November 2016 28 4 Awards Meetings CNRS Gold Medal.....................................4 BAMC.......................................................29 Compositio Prize......................................19 British Mathematical Colloquium..........28 2 Suffrage Science Awards........................3 New Horizons in Twistor Theory.............29 Origins of Numerical Abilities................28 Calendar of Events 35 Singularities, Symmetries and LMS Items Submanifolds.......................................29 Annual General Meeting........................6 T-time......................................................28 Annual Subscription 2016-17..................5 Athena Prize............................................1 News Cecil King Travel Scholarship 2017........20 Edinburgh Mathematical Society...........16 Elections to Council and Nominating European News.......................................17 Committee 2016....................................4 Mathematics Policy Round Up...............14 European Women in Mathematics – membership........................................5 Records of Proceedings Hardy Lectureship Tour 2018 Midlands Regional Meeting...................23 – nominations sought..........................21 Reports Prizes 2017 - Call for nominations..........27 Geometric Models of Nuclear News for Early Career Researchers Matter...................................................25 and Students.........................................6 Open House............................................. 4 LMS Midlands Regional Meeting...........22 Society Conference Grants.....................8 Stochastic Analysis...................................24 LMS Meetings Reviews Annual General Meeting........................12 Basic Discrete Mathematics...................32 Graduate Student Meeting....................13 Combinatorics: A Very Short Invited Lecturer 2017..............................26 Introduction..........................................31 Prospects in Mathematics Meeting.......34 One Hundred Prisoners and a SW & South Wales Regional Meeting.....7 Light Bulb..............................................30 [email protected] No. 463 November 2016 teamwork, and the Athena Prize is a wonderful broadening its work and hopes also to increase recognition of this. the amount of work it undertakes with younger ‘Clearly there is some way still to go in closing university students and with school students, to the gender gap in mathematics. The LMS Women address the problems at the earliest stages of the in Mathematics Committee is working towards mathematics people pipeline’. LMS MEMBERS RECEIVE MATHS AND COMPUTING AWARDS On Tuesday 11 October 2016 at Bletchley Park, The CSC formed the Suffrage Science scheme the MRC Clinical Sciences Centre (CSC) launched five years ago. There are currently two sections, an initiative to celebrate women in maths and one for women in the Life Sciences, and one for computing. As a new branch of the existing those in Engineering and the Physical Sciences. Suffrage Science scheme it is hoped that the The event at Bletchley Park launched a third initiative will encourage women into science, specialism, for women in maths and computing. and to reach senior leadership roles. At the launch, 12 women received awards to celebrate their scientific achievements and ability to inspire others. The LMS is delighted that Professor Dame Frances Kirwan (University of Oxford), former President of the LMS, 3 Professor Gwyneth Stallard (Open University), former Chair of the LMS Women in Mathematics Committee, LMS Member Professor Leslie Ann Goldberg (University of Oxford) and LMS Honorary Member Professor Shafi Goldwasser (MIT) were among the 12 award winners. More information and a Professor Dame Frances Kirwan (left) and complete list of winners are available at Professor Gwyneth Stallard http://tinyurl.com/zrd7dve. 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 CLAIRE VOISIN AWARDED CNRS GOLD MEDAL The London Mathematical Society (LMS) awarded annually to scientific figures who congratulates LMS Honorary Member have made an exceptional contribution Claire Voisin, Professor at Coll�ge de France, to ‘the innovation and influence of French Paris, on her award of the 2016 CNRS Gold research’. Professor Voisin is only the fourth Medal; France’s highest scientific distinc- woman, and first female mathematician, to tion. Professor Voisin is a specialist in the receive the honour. More information about field of algebraic geometry. Since it was the award is available at https://news.cnrs.fr/ created in 1954, the CNRS Gold Medal is articles/claire-voisin-2016-cnrs-gold-medal. SUCCESS