THE INSTITUTE OF MATHEMATICS
AND ITS APPLICATIONS

Other Mathematics News

The Plus new writers award — bring maths to life
Maths is the language of the universe, so what have you got to say?

Plus magazine (http://plus.maths.org) is looking for the science writers of the future, who can make mathematics lively and interesting for a general audience. 

Published online and free of charge, Plus is an award-winning magazine about maths which is aimed at the general public. Its articles by top mathematicians and science writers provide a window into the world of maths with all its beauty and applications, and cover fields as diverse as art, medicine, cosmology and sport. The Plus new writers award gives our readers a chance to join our acclaimed list of authors, including physicist Stephen Hawking, mathematician and writer Marcus du Sautoy, and NASA astronaut Michael Foale.

We invite all our readers, including secondary school and university students, to write an article on any mathematical topic they choose. This could be a mathematical idea or concept, an application of maths, a historical topic, the story of a mathematician, or a mathematical controversy. Whatever it is, we would like to read it! It's a great chance to communicate your passion to people who'd normally run a mile when they hear the word maths! The competition has separate categories for university and secondary school students.

The winning entries will be read by an international audience of over a hundred thousand in the June 2009 issue of Plus. The closing date is March 31st 2009, and more information on the competition can be found on the Plus site, http://plus.maths.org/competition/index.html. 

Besides the fame and glory of seeing your article published in Plus, there are also prizes for the best submissions, including signed copies of popular science books and an Apple iPod.

The Banff International Research Station
The Banff International Research Station (BIRS) is a joint Canada-US-Mexico initiative that provides an environment for creative interaction and the exchange of ideas, knowledge, and methods within the Mathematical Sciences, and with related sciences and industry. BIRS is located on the site of the world-renowned Banff Centre in Alberta. It has its own building (Corbett Hall) and facilities which allow mathematical scientists a secluded environment, complete with accommodation and board, and the necessary facilities, for uninterrupted research activities in a variety of formats, all in a magnificent mountain setting.

Programme of events 2008-2009

The Abel Prize 2009
The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters hereby calls for nominations of candidates for the Abel Prize 2009. Nominations should be send no later than 15 September 2008.

Adams Prize 2008
The Chairman of the Adjudicators for the Adams Prize invites applications. The Prize will be awarded this year for achievements in research on mathematical aspects of Representation Theory.

The deadline for receipt of applications is 31 October 2008.

European Research Consortium for Information & Mathematics
The latest edition of ERCIM News "Mathematics for Everyday Life", can be read on-line or downloaded as a pdf.

EPSRC: Public Communication Training
We will, if requested, provide support on all research grants for public communication training.

The skills needed for addressing public audiences differ from those needed when communicating with peers, especially when using unfamiliar means such as video or writing for the popular press. Funding provides the opportunity for specialist training to acquire these skills.

To apply, all you need to do is include within your research proposal a sum for training in public communication, and justify your request in the case for support.

EPSRC Calls for Proposals
Email Alert from the EPSRC Website
A new email alert from the main EPSRC website allows you to register for a weekly email that lists all of the latest EPSRC calls for proposals available on the website.

Industrial Mathematics Knowledge Transfer Network
The KTN harness the UK's world-leading strengths in modelling and analysis to accelerate innovation. Their interests span a full range of business opportunities.

Industrial Mathematics Internships
An Industrial Mathematics Internship is a way for companies and university research groups to develop strong working relationships, through engaging a dedicated postgraduate researcher to work on a specific project over a period of 3-6 months.

Industrial-scale Software Verification
The industrial-scale software verification workshop aims to elicit problems in a range of UK software engineering domains to provide a focus for the future development of the Verified Software Initiative.

Industrial CASE Awards in Industrial Mathematics
The KTN for Industrial Mathematics receives an annual allocation of CASE awards through EPSRC to support postgraduate researchers working on new industrial-academic collaborations. A new allocation of four awards has been confirmed for projects starting between April 2008 and September 2009.

The Royal Society 350th Anniversary Campaign
The Royal Society will be celebrating its 350th Anniversary in 2010. To mark this important event, the Society seeks to raise £100 million in order to strengthen all aspects of its work.

The Royal Society General Prize shortlist announced
Controversial scientist, J. Craig Venter, is one of three newcomers shortlisted for this year’s Royal Society Prizes for Science Books – the world’s most prestigious awards for science writing – which was announced today.

Venter has been shortlisted for his autobiography A Life Decoded. Other newcomers are journalist Mark Lynas for his book Six Degrees and Stuart Clark, writer for the European Space Agency and magazines such as New Scientist and BBC Focus, for his book The Sun Kings. 

The three previously shortlisted authors are Steve Jones, Professor of Genetics at University College London and winner of the Prize in 1994, Ian Stewart, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Warwick and Gerd Gigerenzer, Director of the Center for Adaptive Behaviour and Cognition at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin.

Wellcome Library psci-com
The psci-com web site contains a Calendar of Events relating to public engagement with science and popular science. It includes information about forthcoming lectures, seminars, conferences and other events on science communication, public engagement and science in society. Coverage is both UK-based and worldwide in its scope. In addition, it lists popular science events aimed at a general audience that are taking place within the UK alone. There is a search facility that enables visitors to search the events database as well as browse the calendar. You can submit details about forthcoming events by using the 'Submit an event' located on the Calendar of Events web page.

The Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences Call for Proposals
The Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences is a national research institute in Cambridge. It aims to bring together mathematical scientists from UK universities and leading experts from overseas for concentrated research on specialised topics in all branches of the mathematical sciences from pure mathematics, applied mathematics and statistics, to theoretical aspects of any discipline.

At any time there are two visitor programmes in progress, each with about twenty scientists in residence. Included within these programmes are periods of particularly intense activity including instructional courses and workshops.

The Institute invites proposals for research programmes in any branch of mathematics or the mathematical sciences. The Scientific Steering Committee usually meets twice each year to consider proposals for programmes (of 4-week, 4-month or 6-month duration) to run two or three years later. Proposals to be considered at these meetings should be submitted by 31 January or 31 July respectively.

Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences Workshops and Events
Applications to participate in Newton Institute workshops and other events are welcome. Full details and online application forms are available via the events web page. Telephone +44 (0) 1223 335999 or E-mail: info@newton.cam.ac.uk

The Newton Institute now records videos of its seminars and workshops and puts them online for free download at http://www.newton.cam.ac.uk/webseminars/.

The Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences: Junior Membership
The Institute recognises that junior researchers have much to contribute to and much to gain from Institute programmes and events. In order to maximise the information available to junior researchers, and to facilitate their involvement in Institute activities, they have introduced a category of Junior Membership of the Newton Institute. To be eligible for Junior Membership of the Institute you must be a Research Student or within 5 years of having received a PhD (with appropriate allowance for career breaks) and you must work or study in a UK University, in a UK academic institution or in a R & D group in industry or commerce.

STEMNET
Successful economies are underpinned by a strong supply of people with a range of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) qualifications, working across a range of spheres. A STEM literate population is crucial too. 

STEMNET works with a range of partner organisations, including government, industry, professional institutions, education and other major companies, to ensure that the UK has both of these.