Annual Report
The 2011 Institute of Mathematics and its Applications Annual Report.
Executive Director's Introduction
2011 was a very successful year for the Institute with major progress in a number of areas of our work for mathematics.
Our research and journals committees have worked successfully to advance our learned society agenda. Our new journal ‘Information and Inference’ has established an excellent editorial board. There has been extensive debate with EPSRC concerning the International Review of Mathematics Sciences and engagement with the vexed issue of the EPSRC Shaping Agenda.
Our mathematics promotion activities have included the launch of the Mathematics Matters case studies at the House of Lords in April, leading the Math Zone at the Big Bang Fair in March, and launching the new IMA website in the Spring.
Our regular programme of conferences, grants for research, and education grants have continued as usual.
We have engaged with Government on numerous mathematics education HE consultations.
We have championed mathematics within the National HE STEM Programme working to promote widening participation, curriculum and support development, and engagement with employers.
To complement our research activity we continued to compile a series of Mathematics Matters case studies to show to politicians, officials and scientists the substantial way that mathematics empowers society and our economy. The case studies were launched at the House of Lords in April 2011. Council has funded a second tranche of case studies to be produced in 2011.
The Chartered Mathematics Teacher designation, which was launched at the NCETM conference in Nottingham on 1 December 2009, has bedded down well in 2011 and is now available to all teachers who wish to use the designation to recognise their professionalism and their contribution to society.
The Professional Affairs Committee, which advances the interests of mathematics in industry and commerce, has maintained our professional development schemes and our relations with employers of mathematicians. 2011 has seen a good number of members increasing the recording of their CPD as part of their commitment to the Chartered Scientist designation.
The IMA advanced the contract as the mathematics learned society in the National HE STEM Programme. This project has allowed us to support mathematics within this cross-disciplinary programme, and to encourage many mathematics departments to apply for funding for widening participation, employer engagement, and with colleagues from the MSOR and sigma to advance curriculum development and mathematics support in universities. This major project is a complement to our routine activities in support of mathematics education.
Council also decided to refresh our corporate image, leading to a rebuild of our website which was re-launched earlier in 2011.
Our leading work on the MathsCareers.org.uk website has continued to pay dividends. The site is now the leading STEM careers website in the UK with more than 10,000 visitors per month.
Finally the IMA Council spent a weekend in Birmingham in the Spring to develop a Strategy for 2012 to 2016. This will form the basis for a range of actions that will grow the IMA, developing a whole that is more than the sum of its parts, as symbolised in our new logo.
I hope that you enjoy reading the full report which can be downloaded below.
DAVID YOUDAN
Executive Director
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