THE INSTITUTE OF MATHEMATICS
AND ITS APPLICATIONS

Third Younger Members' Conference
Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, 19 November 2005

The third 1-day conference for Younger Members was held on Saturday 19 November 2005 at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford starting at 12 noon. On arrival delegates were ushered around a large grassy quadrangle towards the main porch way of Lady Margaret Hall which was clearly signposted by one of our newly acquired IMA banners in the familiar burgundy livery, standing on the steps and illuminated by bright sunlight to counter the chill in the November air.

After registering their arrival the delegates were directed to the refectory for a warm welcome and a sandwich buffet lunch.

Delegates continued to arrive throughout the 'lunch hour' and at 1.00 pm Amanda Padbury, Chair of the Younger Members' Group, welcomed the assembled company of 52 delegates in the main lecture theatre.

The afternoon began with a 1 hour presentation entitled Order and Chaos by Professor Andrew Osbaldestin, University of Portsmouth. This was followed by a 45 minute presentation entitled An Introduction to the Early Universe and How it Evolved by Dr.Daniel Tilley, CMath MIMA, Dstl.

After a short break the third major presentation of the afternoon was given by Dr Matthew Muirhead, AMIMA, QinetiQ entitled Sound Propagation in the Atmosphere.

We then enjoyed three shorter 10 minute presentations from IMA members given by Rachel Sestini, CMath MIMA, PriceWaterhouseCoopers who spoke on Arithmetic in the Workplace, Georgina Griffith, AMIMA, Elsevier Science who spoke on Business Mathematics, and Martin Crozier, CMath MIMA, a Mathematics Teacher from St Antony's Leweston School in Dorset who spoke on Mathematics: The Next Generation.

After a well earned 15 to 20 minute break for refreshments, we all reassembled at 4:30 pm for a session on Game Theory given by Andrew Collins, AMIMA, Dstl. After explaining some of the many applications of game theory , Andrew skilfully used some audience participation techniques to run a simple game and we summarised our findings for him at the end to illustrate his points.

Finally we had just a little time from 5:15 until about 5:30 pm for a very short open discussion about youth issues. The following topics were raised. The need for more younger members to join the Institute, the importance of 'spreading the word' amongst ones peers, the need for more guidance and encouragement for mathematics students to become corporate members and achieve chartered mathematician status, the importance of enhancing IPD and CPD support schemes plus the possibility of offering some linkage to mentors for those who feel isolated in their current fields of employment.

Our thanks, once again go to Amanda Padbury and her Younger Members' Group for identifying such excellent presenters and speakers for the event and for their continued enthusiasm and support for the work and development of enhanced services not only to our Younger Members, but by association, to all members of the Institute.

Advanced publicity for the next event was posted for the fourth Younger Mathematicians' conference being held at the University of Manchester on 20 May 2006.

This event is scheduled to be bigger and better than ever before, running from 10am until 5:30 pm at the Cockcroft Theatre in the University of Manchester Conference Centre, starting with a morning workshop and seminar from Professor Chris Budd, CMath FIMA on the subject of The Future of Applied Mathematics. This will be followed by a one hour sandwich buffet lunch break starting at 12 noon before a presentation by Professor Budd entitled What have Mathematicians done for us?

Additionally there will be a major 45 minute presentation entitled Where are all the Women? from Dr Andrea Donafee, MIMA and three shorter presentations from, Ms Rahki Gupta, CMath MIMA, Dr Stuart Hendren, AMIMA and Dr Ahmer Wadee, CMath MIMA CSci. In addition to refreshments on arrival from 10 to 10:30 and the lunch form 12 noon until 1pm there will be ample opportunity to 'network' with two tea/coffee refreshment breaks scheduled for 2:20 pm and 4 pm. The day will be rounded off with a 30 to 40 minute open discussion on Youth Issues to finish at around 5:30 pm.

Malcolm Davies
Deputy Executive Director