International Mathematical Union
Encyclopedia
The International Mathematical Union (IMU) is an international non-governmental organisation devoted to international cooperation in the field of mathematics
across the world. It is a member of the International Council for Science
(ICSU) and supports the International Congress of Mathematicians
. Its members are national mathematics organizations in 77 countries.
The objectives of the International Mathematical Union (IMU) are to promote international cooperation in mathematics. By supporting and assisting the International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) and other international scientific meetings/conferences. To acknowledge outstanding research contributions to mathematics, through the awarding of scientific prizes and to encourage and support other international mathematical activities, considered likely to contribute to the development of mathematical science in any of its aspects, whether pure, applied, or educational.
The IMU was established in 1920, but dissolved in September 1932 and then re-established 1950 de facto at the Constitutive Convention in New York, de jure on September 10, 1951 when ten countries had become members. The last milestone was the General Assembly in March 1952, in Rome, Itlay where the activities of the new IMU were inaugurated and the first Executive Committee, President and various commissions where elected. In 1952 the IMU was also readmitted to the ICSU. The current president of the Union is Ingrid Daubechies
(2011–2014).
At the 16th meeting of the IMU General Assembly in Bangalore, India in August 2010, Berlin
was chosen as the location of the permanent office of the IMU, which was opened on January 1, 2011, and is hosted by the Weierstrass Institute for Applied Analysis and Stochastics (WIAS), an institute of the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Scientific Community, with about 120 scientists engaging in mathematical research applied to complex problems in industry and commerce.
Developing countries are a high priority for the IMU and a significant percentage of their budget, including grants received from individuals, mathematical societies, foundations, and funding agencies, is spent on activities for developing countries. Since 2011 this has been coordinated by the Commission for Developing Countries (CDC).
The International Commission for the History of Mathematics (ICHM) is operated jointly by the IMU and the Division of the History of Science (DHS) of the International Union for the History and Philosophy of Science (IUHPS).
The Committee on Electronic Information and Communication (CEIC) advises IMU on matters concerning mathematical information, communication, and publishing.
(ICM) is where the awards are presented: Fields Medal
s (two to four medals are given since 1936), the Rolf Nevanlinna Prize
(since 1986), the Carl Friedrich Gauss Prize
(since 2006), and the Chern Medal Award (since 2010).
Some of IMU Supported Initiatives:
Grants Program for Mathematicians.
The Commission for Developing Countries supports research travel of mathematicians based in developing countries as well as mathematics research conferences in the developing world through its Grants Program which is open to mathematicians throughout the developing world, including countries that are not (yet) members of the IMU.
African Mathematics Millennium Science Initiative
(AMMSI) is a network of mathematics centers in sub-Saharan Africa that organizes conferences and workshops, visiting lectureships and an extensive scholarship program for mathematics graduate students doing PhD work on the African continent.
Mentoring African Research in Mathematics (MARM)
IMU supported the London Mathematical Society (LMS) in founding the MARM programme, which supports mathematics and its teaching in the countries of sub-Saharan Africa via a mentoring partnership between mathematicians in the United Kingdom and African colleagues, together with their students. It focuses on cultivating long-term mentoring relations between individual mathematicians and students.
Volunteer Lecturer Program (VLP) of IMU identifies mathematicians interested in contributing to the formation of young mathematicians in the developing world. The Volunteer Lecturer Program maintains a database of mathematic volunteers willing to offer month-long intensive courses at the advanced undergraduate or graduate level in degree programmes at universities in the developing world. IMU also seeks applications from universities and mathematics degree programmes in the developing world that are in need of volunteer lecturers, and that can provide the necessary conditions for productive collaboration in the teaching of advanced mathematics.
IMU also supports the International Commission on Mathematical Instruction (ICMI) with its programmes, exhibits and workshops in emerging countries, especially in Asia and Africa.
Mathematics in Africa: Challenges and Opportunities
Funded by the John Templeton Foundation, IMU released a report in 2008 "Mathematics in Africa: Challenges and Opportunities" on the current state of mathematics in Africa and on opportunities for new initiatives to support mathematical development.
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
across the world. It is a member of the International Council for Science
International Council for Science
The International Council for Science , formerly the International Council of Scientific Unions, was founded in 1931 as an international non-governmental organization devoted to international co-operation in the advancement of science...
(ICSU) and supports the International Congress of Mathematicians
International Congress of Mathematicians
The International Congress of Mathematicians is the largest conference for the topic of mathematics. It meets once every four years, hosted by the International Mathematical Union ....
. Its members are national mathematics organizations in 77 countries.
The objectives of the International Mathematical Union (IMU) are to promote international cooperation in mathematics. By supporting and assisting the International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) and other international scientific meetings/conferences. To acknowledge outstanding research contributions to mathematics, through the awarding of scientific prizes and to encourage and support other international mathematical activities, considered likely to contribute to the development of mathematical science in any of its aspects, whether pure, applied, or educational.
The IMU was established in 1920, but dissolved in September 1932 and then re-established 1950 de facto at the Constitutive Convention in New York, de jure on September 10, 1951 when ten countries had become members. The last milestone was the General Assembly in March 1952, in Rome, Itlay where the activities of the new IMU were inaugurated and the first Executive Committee, President and various commissions where elected. In 1952 the IMU was also readmitted to the ICSU. The current president of the Union is Ingrid Daubechies
Ingrid Daubechies
Ingrid Daubechies is a Belgian physicist and mathematician. She was between 2004 and 2011 the William R. Kenan Jr. Professor in the mathematics and applied mathematics departments at Princeton University. In January 2011 she moved to Duke University as a Professor in mathematics. She is the first...
(2011–2014).
At the 16th meeting of the IMU General Assembly in Bangalore, India in August 2010, Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
was chosen as the location of the permanent office of the IMU, which was opened on January 1, 2011, and is hosted by the Weierstrass Institute for Applied Analysis and Stochastics (WIAS), an institute of the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Scientific Community, with about 120 scientists engaging in mathematical research applied to complex problems in industry and commerce.
Commissions and Committees
IMU has a close relationship to mathematics education through its International Commission on Mathematical Instruction (ICMI). This commission is organized similarly to IMU with its own Executive Committee and General Assembly.Developing countries are a high priority for the IMU and a significant percentage of their budget, including grants received from individuals, mathematical societies, foundations, and funding agencies, is spent on activities for developing countries. Since 2011 this has been coordinated by the Commission for Developing Countries (CDC).
The International Commission for the History of Mathematics (ICHM) is operated jointly by the IMU and the Division of the History of Science (DHS) of the International Union for the History and Philosophy of Science (IUHPS).
The Committee on Electronic Information and Communication (CEIC) advises IMU on matters concerning mathematical information, communication, and publishing.
Prizes
The scientific prizes awarded by the IMU are deemed to be the highest distinctions in the mathematical world. The opening ceremony of the International Congress of MathematiciansInternational Congress of Mathematicians
The International Congress of Mathematicians is the largest conference for the topic of mathematics. It meets once every four years, hosted by the International Mathematical Union ....
(ICM) is where the awards are presented: Fields Medal
Fields Medal
The Fields Medal, officially known as International Medal for Outstanding Discoveries in Mathematics, is a prize awarded to two, three, or four mathematicians not over 40 years of age at each International Congress of the International Mathematical Union , a meeting that takes place every four...
s (two to four medals are given since 1936), the Rolf Nevanlinna Prize
Nevanlinna Prize
The Rolf Nevanlinna Prize is awarded once every 4 years at the International Congress of Mathematicians, for outstanding contributions in Mathematical Aspects of Information Sciences including:...
(since 1986), the Carl Friedrich Gauss Prize
Carl Friedrich Gauss Prize
The Carl Friedrich Gauss Prize for Applications of Mathematics is a mathematics award, granted jointly by the International Mathematical Union and the German Mathematical Society for "outstanding mathematical contributions that have found significant applications outside of mathematics". The award...
(since 2006), and the Chern Medal Award (since 2010).
Membership and General Assembly
The IMU's members are Member Countries and each Member country is represented through an Adhering Organization, which may be its principal academy, a mathematical society, its research council or some other institution or association of institutions, or an appropriate agency of its government. A country starting to develop its mathematical culture and interested in building links to mathematicians all over the world is invited to join IMU as an Associate Member. For the purpose of facilitating jointly sponsored activities and jointly pursuing the objectives of the IMU, multinational mathematical societies and professional societies can join IMU as an Affiliate Member. Every four years the IMU membership gathers in a General Assembly (GA) which consists of delegates appointed by the Adhering Organizations, together with the members of the Executive Committee. All important decisions are made at the GA, including the election of the officers, establishment of commissions, the approval of the budget, and any changes to the statutes and by-laws.Organization and Executive Committee
The International Mathematical Union is administered by an Executive Committee (EC) which conducts the business of the Union. The EC consists of the President, two Vice-Presidents, the Secretary, six Members-at-Large, all elected for a term of four years, and the Past President. The EC is responsible for all policy matters and for tasks, such as choosing the members of the ICM Program Committee and various prize committees.Publications
Every two months IMU publishes an electronic newsletter, IMU-Net, that aims to improve communication between IMU and the worldwide mathematical community by reporting on decisions and recommendations of the Union, major international mathematical events and developments, and on other topics of general mathematical interest. IMU Bulletins are published annually with the aim to inform IMU’s members about the Union’s current activities. In 2009 IMU published the document 'Best Current Practices for Journals'.IMU’s Involvement in Developing Countries
The IMU took its first organized steps towards the promotion of mathematics in developing countries in the early 1970s and has, since then supported various activities. In 2010 IMU formed the Commission for Developing Countries (CDC) which brings together all of the past and current initiatives in support of mathematics and mathematicians in the developing world.Some of IMU Supported Initiatives:
Grants Program for Mathematicians.
The Commission for Developing Countries supports research travel of mathematicians based in developing countries as well as mathematics research conferences in the developing world through its Grants Program which is open to mathematicians throughout the developing world, including countries that are not (yet) members of the IMU.
African Mathematics Millennium Science Initiative
(AMMSI) is a network of mathematics centers in sub-Saharan Africa that organizes conferences and workshops, visiting lectureships and an extensive scholarship program for mathematics graduate students doing PhD work on the African continent.
Mentoring African Research in Mathematics (MARM)
IMU supported the London Mathematical Society (LMS) in founding the MARM programme, which supports mathematics and its teaching in the countries of sub-Saharan Africa via a mentoring partnership between mathematicians in the United Kingdom and African colleagues, together with their students. It focuses on cultivating long-term mentoring relations between individual mathematicians and students.
Volunteer Lecturer Program (VLP) of IMU identifies mathematicians interested in contributing to the formation of young mathematicians in the developing world. The Volunteer Lecturer Program maintains a database of mathematic volunteers willing to offer month-long intensive courses at the advanced undergraduate or graduate level in degree programmes at universities in the developing world. IMU also seeks applications from universities and mathematics degree programmes in the developing world that are in need of volunteer lecturers, and that can provide the necessary conditions for productive collaboration in the teaching of advanced mathematics.
IMU also supports the International Commission on Mathematical Instruction (ICMI) with its programmes, exhibits and workshops in emerging countries, especially in Asia and Africa.
Mathematics in Africa: Challenges and Opportunities
Funded by the John Templeton Foundation, IMU released a report in 2008 "Mathematics in Africa: Challenges and Opportunities" on the current state of mathematics in Africa and on opportunities for new initiatives to support mathematical development.
Members
- Member Countries: http://www.mathunion.org/members/countries
- Associate Members:
- Sociedad Ecuatoriana de Matemática - SEdeM
- Mathematical Society of Kyrgyzstan
- Mathematics Association of Kenya (MAK)
- Mathematical Association of Thailand, The Center for Promotion of Mathematical Research of Thailand (CEPMART)
- Committee for Mathematics of Cambodia
- Mathematical Society of the Republic of MoldovaMathematical Society of the Republic of MoldovaThe Mathematical Society of the Republic of Moldova is is a non-governmental organisation promoting interests of mathematicians.- External links :...
- Committee for Mathematics of Nepal
- Committee for Mathematics of Oman
- Affiliate Members:
- African Mathematical UnionAfrican Mathematical UnionThe African Mathematical Union or Union Mathematique Africaine is an African organization dedicated to the development of mathematics in Africa. It was founded in 1976 in Rabat, Morocco, during the first Pan-African Congress of Mathematicians with Henri Hogbe Nlend as its first President...
(AMU) - European Mathematical SocietyEuropean Mathematical SocietyThe European Mathematical Society is a European organization dedicated to the development of mathematics in Europe. Its members are different mathematical societies in Europe, academic institutions and individual mathematicians...
(EMS) - South East Asian Mathematical Society (SEAMS)
- Unión Matemática de América Latina y el Caribe (UMALCA)
- African Mathematical Union
- Candidacies for Membership: Currently there are no candidacies for membership.
External links
- International Mathematical Union
- http://www.alphagalileo.org/ViewItem.aspx?ItemId=83171&CultureCode=en, First Woman President of the International Mathematical Union, August 2010,AlphaGalileo
- http://www.ias.edu/news/press-releases/2010/08/19/fields-2010, Fields Medal 2010
- http://www.ammsi.org/, African Mathematics Millennium Science Initiative (AMMSI)
- http://www.lms.ac.uk/content/mentoring-african-research-mathematics, Mentoring African Research in Mathematics (MARM)