NEWSLETTER No. 458 May 2016 SOCIETY MEETINGS AND EVENTS • 23 June: Northern Regional Meeting, Manchester page 31 • 29 June: Popular Lectures, London page 33 • 8 July: Graduate Student Meeting, London page 13 • 8 July: Hardy Lecture & Society Meeting, London page 12 • 21 July: Society Meeting at the 7ECM, Berlin page 30 • 15 September: Midlands Regional Meeting, Birmingham page 11 • 21 September: Popular Lectures, Birmingham page 33 • 11 November: Graduate Student Meeting, London • 11 November: Annual General Meeting, London • 20 December: SW & South Wales Regional Meeting, Bath NEWSLETTER ONLINE: newsletter.lms.ac.uk @LondMathSoc NEXT DIRECTOR OF THE ISAAC NEWTON INSTITUTE In October 2016 David Abrahams will succeed John Toland as Director of the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences and NM Rothschild and Sons Professor of Mathematics in Cambridge. David, who is a Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award holder, has been Beyer Professor of Applied Mathematics at the University of Man- chester since 1998. From 2014-16 he was Scientific Director of the International Centre for Math- ematical Sciences in Edinburgh and was President of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applica- tions from 2007-2009. David’s research has been in the broad area of applied mathematics, mainly focused on the theoretical understanding of wave processes including scattering, diffraction, localisation and homogenisation. In recent years his research has broadened somewhat, to now cover topics as diverse as mathematical finance, nonlinear vis- coelasticity and glaciology. He has close links with a number of industrial partners. David plays an active role within the internation- al mathematics community, having served on over 30 national and international working parties, panels and committees over the past decade. This has included as a Member of the Applied Mathematics sub-panel for the 2008 Research As- sessment Exercise and Deputy Chair for the Math- ematics sub-panel in the 2014 Research Excellence Framework, and Chair of EPSRC’s Mathematical Sciences Strategic Advisory Team (2014-15). He has also been involved in a range of public engagement activities over the years. He regularly offers mathematics talks of interest to school students and the general public, and ran the annual Meet the Mathematicians outreach events for sixth form students with Chris Howls (Southampton). With Chris Budd (Bath) he has organised a training conference in 2010 on How to Talk Maths in Public, and in 2014 co-chaired the inaugural Festival of Math- ematics and its Applications. David will be the sixth Director of the Institute.
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NEWSLETTER No. 458 May 2016
SOCIETY MEETINGS AND EVENTS• 23June:NorthernRegionalMeeting,Manchesterpage 31
In October 2016 David Abrahams will succeedJohn Toland as Director of the Isaac NewtonInstitute for Mathematical Sciences and NMRothschildandSonsProfessorofMathematicsinCambridge.David,whoisaRoyalSocietyWolfsonResearchMeritAwardholder,hasbeenBeyerProfessorofApplied Mathematics at the University of Man-chestersince1998.From2014-16hewasScientificDirector of the International Centre for Math-ematicalSciencesinEdinburghandwasPresidentof the Institute ofMathematics and its Applica-tionsfrom2007-2009.David’s research has been in the broad areaof appliedmathematics,mainly focused on thetheoretical understanding of wave processesincludingscattering,diffraction,localisationandhomogenisation.Inrecentyearshisresearchhasbroadened somewhat, to now cover topics asdiverse as mathematical finance, nonlinear vis-coelasticityandglaciology.Hehascloselinkswithanumberofindustrialpartners.Davidplaysanactiverolewithintheinternation-almathematicscommunity,havingservedonover30 national and international working parties,panels and committees over the past decade.This has included as a Member of the AppliedMathematicssub-panelforthe2008ResearchAs-sessmentExerciseandDeputyChairfortheMath-ematicssub-panelinthe2014ResearchExcellenceFramework, and Chair of EPSRC’sMathematicalSciencesStrategicAdvisoryTeam(2014-15).
Hehasalsobeeninvolvedinarangeofpublicengagement activities over the years. Heregularly offersmathematics talks of interestto school students and the general public,andrantheannualMeet the Mathematiciansoutreach events for sixth form students withChris Howls (Southampton). With Chris Budd(Bath)hehasorganisedatrainingconferencein2010onHow to Talk Maths in Public,andin2014co-chairedtheinauguralFestival of Math-ematics and its Applications.David will be the sixth Director of theInstitute.
News items and notices in theNewsletter may befreely used elsewhere unless otherwise stated, al-though attribution is requested when reproducingwhole articles. Contributions to theNewsletter aremadeunderanon-exclusive licence;please contacttheauthororphotographerfortherightstorepro-duce. The LMS cannot accept responsibility for theaccuracy of information in the Newsletter. ViewsexpresseddonotnecessarilyrepresenttheviewsorpolicyoftheLondonMathematicalSociety.
Charity registration number: 252660.
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Publication dates and deadlines
LMS GRANT SCHEMESNext Closing Date for Research Grant Applications: 15 May 2016
Applicationsare invited for the followinggrants:
Conferences (Scheme 1)Grants of up to £7,000 are available toprovide partial support for conferencesheldintheUnitedKingdom.Thisincludesamaximumof£4,000forprincipalspeakers,£2,000 to support the attendance ofresearchstudentswhoarestudyingatuni-versities in theUK,and£1,000tosupportthe attendance of participants fromScheme5orformerSovietUnioncountries.
Celebrating new appointments (Scheme 1)Grants of up to £600 are available toprovide partial support for meetingsheldintheUnitedKingdomtocelebratethe new appointment of a lecturer at aUKuniversity.
Postgraduate Research Conferences (Scheme 8)Grants of up to £4,000 are available toprovide partial support for conferencesheld in the United Kingdom, which areorganised by and are for postgraduateresearchstudents.
GENERAL MEETING
There will be a General Meeting of theSocietyonFriday8July2016at3.30pm,tobe held at JZ Young Lecture Theatre, Uni-versity College London,AnatomyBuilding,Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT. Thebusinessshallbe:1)theappointmentofScrutineers2)toapprovetheminutesoftheSpecialGeneralMeetingheldon5February2016
Visits to the UK (Scheme 2)Grants ofup to £1,500 are available toprovide partial support for a visitor totheUK,whowillgivelecturesinatleastthree separate institutions. Awards aremadetothehosttowardsthetravel,ac-commodation and subsistence costs ofthevisitor.
Research in Pairs (Scheme 4)Grants ofup to £1,200 are available tosupportavisitforcollaborativeresearcheither by the grant holder to anotherinstitutionabroad,orbyanamedmath-ematicianfromabroadtothehomebaseof the grant holder. Grants of up to £600 are available to support a visitfor collaborative research eitherby the grant holder to anotherinstitution within the UK, or by anamed mathematician from withinthe UK to the home base of the grantholder.
International Short Visits (Scheme 5)Grants ofup to £3,000 are available tosupportavisitforcollaborativeresearchby a named mathematician from acountry in Africa (or countries wheremathematics is in a similar position)to the home base of the grant holder.Grants ofup to £2,000 are available tosupportavisitforcollaborativeresearchby the grant holder to a country inAfrica (or countrieswheremathematicsisinasimilarposition).Forfulldetailsofthesegrantschemes,and to download application forms,please visit the LMS website: www.lms.ac.uk/content/research-grants.• Applicationsreceivedby15 May 2016willbeconsideredatameetinginJune.
beenallowedforprocessingoftheapplication.Queries regarding applications can beaddressed to the Grants Administrators,AnthonyByrneandElizabethFisher(tel:020 7927 0807 / 020 7291 9973, email:[email protected]) who will be pleasedto discuss proposals informally withpotential applicants andgive adviceonthesubmissionofanapplication.
OTHER LMS GRANTS AND FUNDINGResearch Workshop GrantsThe Society offers grants to supportResearch Workshops held in the UK.Requests for support (for travel andsubsistence of participants, and rea-sonable associated costs) in the range£1,000-£10,000 will be considered.The maximum award is £10,000, but atypical award is in the range of£3,000 - £5,000.Applicationsforpartialsupport of workshops with othersources of support will be consid-ered. Applications should normallybe submitted 12 months in advanceof the proposed workshop. Forfurther information visit: www.lms.a c . u k / c on t en t / r e s e a r c h -wo r k shop s -grants.
Spitalfields DaysNext Deadline: 15 May 2016Grants ofup to £1,000 are available tosupport an LMS Spitalfields Day, whichhave been run since 1987 and are inhonouroftheSociety’spredecessor,theSpitalfieldsMathematical Society (1717-1845). A Spitalfields Day is a one-daymeeting,whichisusuallyassociatedwitha long-term symposium on a specialisttopicataUKuniversity.Selectedpartici-pants,oftendistinguishedexperts fromoverseas, give survey lectures (or othertypes of lecture accessible to a generalmathematicalaudience)ontopicsinthefield of the symposium. Please see thewebsite for further details: www.lms.ac.uk/content/spitalfields-days.
Grace Chisholm Young FellowshipNext deadline: 30 June 2016The Society offers two fellowships of£1,000 (consisting of £500 personalsupportand£500contributiontoahostinstitution)eachyeartomathematicianswho need support when their math-ematical career is interrupted by familyresponsibilities,relocationofpartner,orothersimilarcircumstance.These fellowships, named after GraceChisholm Young, aim to provide somesupport, making possible some continu-ous mathematical activity, so enablingthe fellow to be in a position to applyforpostswhencircumstancesallow.TheFellowship will give an endorsement ofthe holder's status as a mathematician,sothatthebreakinformalemploymentshouldnotpreventthemfromresuminga career as a mathematician at a laterstage.Pleaseseethewebsiteforfurtherdetails: www.lms.ac.uk/grants/grace-chisholm-young-fellowships.
Small Grants for EducationNext Deadline: 31 August 2016Fundingforgrantsup to £800isavailableto stimulate interest and enable in-volvement in mathematics from KeyStage 1 (age 5+) to Postgraduate leveland beyond. Anyone working/based inthe UK is eligible to apply for a grant.If the applicant is not a member thenthe application must be countersignedby an LMS member or another suitableperson suchasaHead teacheror seniorcolleague. Please see the website forfurther details: www.lms.ac.uk/content/small-grants-education.
Teacher CPD GrantsNext Deadline: 31 August 2016Fundingforgrantsup to £400isavailableto provide opportunities for mathemat-ics teachers to attend training which isspecifically mathematical. It is intendedto facilitate mathematical professionaldevelopment to allow teachers in UK
e)Usetechnologywhenandwhereap-propriatePlease see the website for furtherdetails: www.lms.ac.uk/grants/teacher-cpd-grants.
Computer Science Small Grants (Scheme 7)Next Deadline: 15 November 2016Funding for grants up to £500 isavailable to support a visit for collabo-rativeresearchatthe interfaceofMath-ematics and Computer Science eitherby the grant holder to another institu-tion within the UK or abroad, or by anamed mathematician from within theUK or abroad to the home base of thegrantholder.Pleaseseethewebsiteforfurther details: www.lms.ac.uk/content/computer-science-small-grants-scheme-7.
Caring Supplementary GrantsNext deadline: 15 May 2016Grants of up to £200 are available toparents and carers working in math-ematics to help with the cost of carewhenattendingaconferenceorresearchmeeting. The Society believes that allparents and carers working in math-ematics should be able to attend con-ferencesand researchmeetingswithoutbeing hindered by care costs. Institu-tions are expected to make provisionforcarecostsandparentsandcarersareencouragedtomakeenquiries.However,where this is not available, the Societyadministers a Caring SupplementaryGrants Scheme. Please see the websitefor further details: www.lms.ac.uk/grants/caring-supplementary-grants.
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LMS PROSPECTS IN MATHEMATICS MEETING
CALL FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTERESTS FOR 2017
TheLondonMathematicalSocietyandtheProspectsinMathematicsMeetingSteeringGroupinviteExpressionsofInterestfromdepartmentstohostthenextLMSProspectsinMathematicsMeetingtobeheldintheUKin2017.Up to £7,000isavailabletosupporteachoftheLMSProspectsinMathematicsMeetings,whichareannualtwo-dayevents(usuallytakingplaceinSeptember)forFinalistMath-ematicsUndergraduateswhoareconsideringapplyforaPhDaftertheyhavecompletedtheircurrentstudies.ThemeetingsfeaturespeakersfromawiderangeofmathematicalfieldsacrosstheUKwhodiscusstheircurrentresearchandwhatopportunitiesareavailabletoprospectivePhDstudents.Fundingisavailabletocoverfaresandaccommodationforupto50students,travelandaccommodationforspeakersandsubsistenceforparticipantsincludingasocialevent.Prospectiveorganisers should sendanoutlineproposal toMartaMazzocco (ChairoftheProspectsinMathematicsSteeringGroup)([email protected])by1 June 2016.• Expressionsofinterestshouldbeshort(max.oneA4sideinlength)andinclude:• Confirmationofsupportfromthedepartment.• ReasonsforwantingtohosttheLMSProspectsinMathematicsMeeting.• Aprovisionallistofspeakersshouldbeincluded.SpeakersshouldberepresentativeoftheUKresearchlandscapebothingeographicaltermsandinscientificterms.
AllExpressionsofInterestwillbeconsideredbytheProspectsinMathematicsSteeringGroup,whowillrecommendashort-listtotheLMSProgrammeCommittee.Short-listedapplicantswill thenbe invited to submitagrantapplication to theLMSProgrammeCommitteeforfunding.ForfurtherdetailsabouttheLMSProspectsinMathematicsMeetings,pleasevisit:www.lms.ac.uk/events/lms-prospects-mathematics-meeting. A list of previously supportedLMSProspectsinMathematicsMeetings,canbefoundat:www.lms.ac.uk/events/previ-ous-prospects-in-maths-meetings.Beforesubmitting:OrganisersarewelcometodiscussinformallytheirideaswiththeMartaMazzocco(ChairoftheProspectsinMathematicsSteeringGroup)([email protected]).
17 mentoring relationships have previously been supported through a MARM project (funded by theNuffield Foundation and Leverhulme Trust) in Cameroon, Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya,Morocco,Nigeria,Rwanda,SouthAfrica,TanzaniaandUganda. This further initiativeaims tobuildonthesesuccessesandtocontinuetosupportmathematicsinAfrica.
Prospectivementorsare required to consider the listofAfrican Institutionsandproposed collaborationareas (lms.ac.uk/grants/mentoring-african-research-mathematics) and to indicate which Institution theywouldliketocollaboratewith.
Application forms shouldbe sent to: KatyHenderson, Council and [email protected]; tel:+442079270809
ThedeadlineforthereceiptofapplicationsisFriday13 May 2016.
Mentoring African Research in Mathematics (MARM)Call for prospective mentors
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RESEARCH
Response to Stern ReviewTheCouncilfortheMathematicalSciences(CMS)hasrespondedtotheSternReviewof the Research Excellence Framework(REF). The response is available on theCMSwebsiteathttp://tinyurl.com/zh6snr6.
Balancing Capability call for evidenceBalancingCapabilityisoneofthreestrate-giesintheEPSRCStrategic PlanandEPSRCis reviewing the research area ration-ales to reflecthow the researchbasehaschangedoverthepastfiveyears.EPSRCisinvitinginputfromtheresearchbaseandwiderstakeholderstohelpidentifyfurtherevidence to support its own evidence,knowledgeandanalysis.For the Mathematical Sciences theguidance document states that EPSRC isparticularlyinterestedtoreceiveevidenceinthefollowingresearchareas:Algebra;ComplexityScience;ContinuumMechanics; Geometry & Topology;Logic and Combinatorics; MathematicalAnalysis; Mathematical Biology; Math-ematical Physics; Non-linear systems;NumericalAnalysis;OperationalResearch;andStatisticsandAppliedProbability.The returns period opened on 11 Aprilandwillcloseon3 June 2016.Moreinfor-mation is available at http://tinyurl.com/zmx4ew3.
EPSRC Deputy CEO announcedProfessorTimRoddenhasbeenappointedas the Deputy CEO of EPSRC, a newposition created to work alongside CEOProfessorPhilipNelsonwhilehealsoactsasChairofRCUKStrategicExecutive.Professor Rodden joins EPSRC on se-condmentfromtheUniversityofNotting-ham where he is currently Professor ofComputing.Moreinformationisavailableathttp://tinyurl.com/je3th56.
HIGHER EDUCATION
Funding of £3.7 billion for higher education in 2016-17HEFCEwill invest£3.7billion inrecurrentand capital funding for universities andcollegesintheacademicyear2016-17.Thebreakdownoffundingisresearch£1.6bn;teaching £1.4bn; knowledge exchange£0.2bn; capital funding £0.2bn; nationalfacilitiesandinitiatives£0.1bnFunding for recurrent research hasincreased by £20 million compared with2015-16. Funding for teaching has beenreduced by £21 million. Within teaching,the total budget for high-cost subjectssuch as science, technology, engineeringand mathematics will be maintained inreal terms.More information is availableathttp://tinyurl.com/jz34lk8.
SCHOOLS AND COLLEGESFar reaching review of 16-18 mathematics educationIn his recent budget the ChancellorGeorge Osborne announced that he hasasked Professor Sir Adrian Smith, Chair,CouncilfortheMathematicalSciences,toreview the case for how to improve thestudy of mathematics from 16 to 18, toensurethefutureworkforceisskilledandcompetitive,includinglookingatthecaseand feasibility of all students continuingtostudyMathematicsto18,inthelongerterm.Thereviewwill reportduring2016.Moreinformationwillbeavailableinduecourse.
How demanding are questions in new A-level mathematics? Ofqual is planning to conduct a researchstudytosupporttheaccreditationprocessfor new A-level mathematics qualifica-tions.The researchwill takeplace in July thisyear and aims to ‘compare the level of
difficulty of exam boards’ sample assess-mentmaterialsbyhavingjudgescomparepairs of exam questions’. The qualifica-tions are being taught for the first timein September 2017. More information isavailableathttp://tinyurl.com/zofqpwh.
Mathematics A-level adds 11% to earningsAstudypublishedintheBritish Education Research JournalhasfoundthatstudentswhotakeA-levelmathematics receivean11percentpremiumontheirsalarybythetimetheyare34yearsold.
Academics from the University of Not-tingham examined data frommore than2,000peopleborn in 1970. Thosepeoplewho had taken A-level mathematicsearned between 2 and 21 per cent ontop of the salary predicted by all othercontributing factors. This equated to anaverage salary premium of 11 per cent.NootherA-levelsubjectattractedawagepremiuminthesameway.The full paper is available at http://tinyurl.com/zd44hne.
DrJohnJohnstonJointPromotionofMathematics
CHALKDUST EVENTSTheendofthewinterdrewnearandwithit,thefinaltoucheswerefirmlyappliedtothemagazine. As the temperature of theairandsoilwarmedupandflowersstartedto blossom, the birth of the ChalkdustSpring Issue drewever closer.At precisely3.14 pm (∏ to two decimal places) on the14 March (American Pi Day), the math-ematicsdepartment common roomatUni-
versity College London opened its doors,welcomingthemultitudeofstudents,staffmembers, colleagues and friends whowere waiting to celebrate the release ofthe third issue, on a special day markedby a rather special number.Möbius stripshung above huddles of curious readers,with hundreds of copies of Chalkdust im-peccably arranged alongside a selection
StudentsreadingChalkdust
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News
of treats. Somepeoplequeuedup for themathematically-themed tombola (primesfor prizes), while others purchased thestylish Chalkdust T-shirts. A perfect atmos-phereformathsloverswantingtofulfilthedesiresoftheirmindsandstomachs.
Chalkdusthadmadeittoitsfirstbirthdayand had published three issues along theway. In order to mark this anniversary, itfelt fitting that this issue should have asecondcelebration.Soonthe16March,amathematical pub quiz was held at UCL’sPrintRoomCafé,withmanyofourreaderstaking part. The battle of mathematicalmindswasunderway:anhourandahalfofmathematicalchallenges,maths-relatednews questions and spot the fake papertitles.Intheend,oneteamstoodabovetheothers andwasdeclared victorious. If youcouldn’tattend,fearnot:thequizisonourwebsite(www.chalkdustmagazine.com).Themagazine’sstunningcover—adaptedfrom Mark J. Stock’s Spherical Dendrite— draws readers to the marvels within: amathematical view of voting systems, thehalfderivativeof functions,how to teachmatchboxes to play noughts and crosses,andahistoryofanaloguecomputing.Thisissue also contains a biography ofMartinGardner as well as an in-depth interviewwith one of the UK’s most prolific popu-larisers ofmathematics, Ian Stewart (whobetween1968and1980was involved inasimilar magazine calledManifold). If thatwasn’t enough, lie back and enjoy ourhilariousDearDirichletcolumn,whereouragony professor answers your personalproblems.Or,ifyou’refeelingcompetitive,enter our fiendishly difficult Crossnumberandstandachanceofwinning£100worthofmathsgoodies.Thanks to the growing backing ofsponsors,we have already delivered closeto2,500copiesofChalkdust tomathemat-ics departments across the country, com-pletely freeof charge. If youareat auni-versity and would like some copies to bedistributedthere,pleasegetintouchwithus directly at contact@chalkdustmagazine.
com. The magazine is available online atwww.chalkdustmagazine.com, where youcanalsorequestcopiesforyourinstitution(if youarenotatauniversity), signup toournewsletterorreadourweeklyblog.
Chalkdust’s existence would not bepossible without the wonderful supportand contribution of our colleagues andgrowing readership, many of whom havededicatedtheirtimetocreatethethought-provoking,funcontentthatyoucanfindinthemagazineandweeklyblog.Wewouldliketothankyouall.Preparation for Issue 4 iswell underway,andwelookforwardtoreceivingarticlesorcontent ideas for it fromyou,our readers.Please get in touch with us at [email protected]. Issue 4 will bepublished in Autumn 2016, but in themeantime,aswellasfollowingourweeklyblog, you can keep in touch with us onTwitter (@Chalkdustmag) and Facebook(/Chalkdustmag).
Friday 8 July 2016 BMA House, Tavistock Square, London (Nearest Tube: Euston)
Opening of the meeting and LMS business, including the announcement of the 2016 Prize winners (open to all)
Tony SchollPlectic Structures in Number Theory and GeometryAbstract: Many spectacular results in number theory have been obtained through the study of Shimura varieties. These are algebraic varieties, defined initially as quotients of Hermitian symmetric spaces by arithmetic groups, which have a very rich arithmetic structure. Joint work with Jan Nekovář suggests that there a large class of Shimura varieties which even more symmetry. This "plectic structure" should have striking arithmetic consequences. In this talk we will describe this (for now largely conjectural) picture.
Tea/Coffee
Jacob Lurie (Harvard) – Hardy LectureWeil's Conjecture for Function FieldsAbstract: Let q be a positive definite quadratic form with integer coefficients. We say that another such quadratic form q' is in the genus of q if, for every positive integer n, the quadratic forms q and q' differ by a change of variable when reduced modulo n. Up to a change of variables, there are only finitely many quadratic forms in a genus. Moreover, there is a formula (the "mass formula" of Smith-Minkowski-Siegel) which counts the number of quadratic forms within a genus. This mass formula was reformulated by Tamagawa and Weil as a statement about the volume of certain adelic homogeneous spaces for the special orthogonal group SO(n). This led Weil to conjecture an analogous statement for the volumes of homogeneous spaces for other groups, which he verified in a number of cases and has subsequently been proven by Langlands, Lai, and Kottwitz. In this lecture I'll describe joint work with Dennis Gaitsgory which establishes the function field analogue of Weil's conjecture, using techniques inspired by algebraic topology
Reception at De Morgan HouseSociety Dinner to be held at a venue TBC.
These lectures are aimed at a general mathematical audience. All interested, whether LMS members or not, are most welcome to attend this event. To register for your place at the meeting, please email Elizabeth Fisher ([email protected]). If you would like to attend the Society Dinner, please email Elizabeth Fisher ([email protected]). The cost to attend the Society Dinner is £35.00 per person (inclusive of wine).
London (UCL, JZ Young, Lecture Theatre,Gower Street, London)8th July 10.00 - 15.30
This meeting is intended as an introduction to the Society Meeting later in the day. All graduate students (and indeed any other mathematicians) are welcome.
Speakers: Ian Grojnowski (Cambridge) and Ambrus Pal (Imperial College)
Student Talks (Six slots available)
Students are invited to give short talks (15 minutes) aimed at a general mathematical audience. Prizes will be awarded for the best two talks. If you would like to give a talk, please email Anthony Byrne ([email protected]) by 24 June
To register, please email Anthony Byrne ([email protected]) by email by 1 July. Places are free and all refreshments including lunch will be provided.
Travel grants of up to £50 are available for students who attend both the Graduate Student Meeting and the LMS General Meeting.
The LMS General Meeting is a Society Meeting, which is open to all.
Tony Scholl (Cambridge) will give the fi rst lecture on Plectic Structures in Number Theory and Geometry. Jacob Lurie (Harvard) will give the 2016 Hardy Lecture; Weil’s Conjecture for Function Fields.
The meeting will also be held at the JZ Young Lecture Theatre, UCL.
After the Society Meeting, there will be a reception at De Morgan House, 57-58 Russell Square. WC1B 4HS
For further details see: www.lms.ac.uk/content/society-meetings
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News
IN HONOUR OF SOPHIE GERMAIN
AspartoftheactivitiesoftheFrenchannualWeek of Mathematics SophieGermainwashonoured at the Institut Henri Poincaré,Paris, on 18 March 2016 in collaborationwiththepostalservicewhoputonsaleanewstampdedicatedtothemathematician,therealisationof aproposal of ananonymousphilatelistof2014.Todate,thereseemstobe only one other woman mathematician,Sofia Kovaleskaya, celebrated by a stamp(USSR,1951andRussia1996).AnexhibitiononSophieGermainpreparedforthisoccasionbyhistoriansofmathemat-ics CatherineGoldstein and Jenny Boucardisondisplay.TalksonThe Sophie Germain PrimesbyGoldsteinandonSophie Germain in the Face of PrejudicesbyAnneBoyéwerebothaimedathighschoolstudentswhilearoundtablediscussionaroundGermainwassteeredbyCedricVillani.Sophie Germain (1776-1831) was born inParis and started studyingmathematics allbyherselfattheageof13whentheFrenchrevolutionbrokeout.Herfamilytriedunsuc-cessfully topreventher frompursuing thisinacceptablepassion.At18,unabletoenterthenewly foundedall-maleÉcolePolytech-niquesheneverthelessobtainedthecoursematerial. She corresponded with stalwartsof thetime likeGaussandLagrangeunderthe male pseudonym of Antoine-AugustLe Blanc, unsure of revealing her femaleidentity. Shewas later unmasked and yetcontinued to impress them by her work.Germain was the first woman scientistallowedtoparticipate in theeventsof theInstitut de France and was posthumouslyawardedanhonorarydoctoratebytheUni-versityofGöttingen.The stamp highlights Sophie Germain’s
TheoremwhichoccursasafootnoteinLeg-endre’s 1823 memoirs and is perhaps heronlywidelyknownresult.Itestablishes,forbothpand2p+1beingoddprimes,thefirst caseofFermat’sLastTheorem,i.e.whentheequationxp+yp=zpissatisfiedforintegersx, y, z and anoddprimep, thenp divides
the product xyz. Recent studies of her un-publishedmanuscriptsandlettersshowthatherworkisactuallymoregeneralthanthisonespecialcase.Other than Number Theory she contrib-utedtoMathematicalPhysicsandexplainedthe experimentally obtained curves of vi-brationsofelastic surfacesofChladniwitha mathematical model opposed to thatsuggested by Poisson. She ultimately wontheGrand Prix of the Academie des Sciences(1816)forthis.Thestampreproducesoneofherdrawings.Her work on the philosophy of science,published posthumously, influenced posi-tivists like August Comte. Yet in generalGermain had remained isolated and underacknowledged,withnoinstitutionalsupport.ThestamphasbeendesignedbyEdmondBaudoin who despite a long illustriouscareer had not drawn a postage stampbefore. The artist confides to being appre-hensiveofhisresponsibilityandsaysthathehadtoputasidehisaweofthefuturecon-sequences of this drawing to work with acertainlightnessofspirit!Baudoinisquotedassaying:“Itwasimportantformethatthefaceresembledasmuchaspossiblethatofa contemporary woman’s while using thestrokes of the period.” The intaglio printengravingisduetoElsaCatelin.
TheMathematical Sciences ResearchInstitute (MSRI) is very pleasedto announce a new $5 millionendowment, named in honor ofShiing-Shen Chern. Chern (an LMSHonorary Member, elected in 1986),was one of the three University ofCalifornia, Berkeley professors whofoundedMSRIintheearly1980s,andthefundwillsupportthemostdistin-guished mathematicians participat-inginMSRI’sprograms.MSRI is oneof theworld’s preemi-nent research centres formathemat-ics, overlooking the UC Berkeley campus.Mathematicians from around the world– over 1,700 per year – come to MSRI forfocusedperiodsofresearchandcollaborationwithcolleagues intheirparticularfield.TheInstitute was envisioned by Chern and twoother UC Berkeley mathematics professors,CalvinMooreandI.M.Singer,inresponsetoa 1979 call for proposals from theNationalScienceFoundation(NSF).MSRIisoneofthelargest single projects funded by the NSF’sDivision of Mathematical Sciences and hasreceivedcontinuousUSgovernmentsupportfor more than three decades, in additionto substantial support from other govern-mentagencies,privatefoundations,corpora-tions, individualdonors,andmorethan100academicinstitutions.In1982,MSRIbeganfullscientificoperationwithChernasthefoundingdirector,andby1984,anewbuildingwasconstructed,whichwasgreatly expanded in2006with stateofthe art facilities. The renovated buildingwasnamed inChern’s honor, as in additionto his role in the development ofMSRI, hegave thefirst significantgift tokickoff thecapital campaign. Chern remained active inMSRIthroughthelate1990s,andareminderof his presence can be found in the statuebysculptorWeiLi(Willy)WangwhichgreetsvisitorstoMSRI.Chern’s legacywasnot limitedtohisworkin Berkeley; among his great mathematical
accomplishmentswerethegeneralizationoftheGauss-Bonnettheoremandthedefinitionofcharacteristicclassesincomplexgeometry.Through Chern’s influence, Chinese govern-ment leaders brought Western mathemati-cians to China and sent Chinese studentsto study abroad. His establishment of theNankai Institute of Mathematics, knowntoday as the Chern Institute of Mathemat-ics,providesabasefor international interac-tionandresearchcollaboration,anduponhisdeathin2004inTianjin,over20,000peopleattendedhisfuneral.The Shiing-Shen Chern Endowment isfundedbyChern’s children, Paul Chern andMayChu;andbyoneofChern’scollaborators,JimSimons,andMarilynSimons.(Simons,nowretiredfromasuccessfulcareerinfinance,co-authoredpaperswithChernwhenhewasamathematician, including the 1974 develop-mentofChern-Simonstheory.)Startingsoon,MSRIwillnameatleastone‘ChernProfessor’eachsemester.ThisgenerousendowmentwillhelptheInstitutetoinvitemoreofthemostdistinguishedmathematicianstoBerkeley,astheyarethecoreofMSRI’sscientificprograms,taking the lead in mentoring postdoctoralfellowsandotherjuniormembers.For more information about MSRI, visitwww.msri.org or contact JenniferMurawski([email protected]).
EUROPEAN NEWSIHES Summer SchoolsSince 2006, IHES (Paris) has been organis-ing Summer Schools aiming to provide PhDstudents, post-docs and young researcherswith an overview of recent developments inkeysubjectsofmathematicsand/ortheoreticalphysics. Inordertoperpetuatethis importantactivity, IHES is launching a call for proposalsforfutureSummerSchoolsonanydisciplineofmathematicsandtheoreticalphysicstobeheldinJuly2018and2019overtwo-weekperiods.Hosting a Summer School has become apriority in the scientific policy conducted byIHES, and the Institute allocates substantialfunds to it. However, search for additionalfunding is crucialand the Institute is support-ingprospectiveorganisers tomakeproposalsthatwillbediscussedaftertheselection.IHEScanalsoprovidehelpinsubmittingfundingap-plications. Thedeadline is20May2016. Forfurtherinformationvisitwww.ihes.fr.
The following items are from the EuropeanMathematical Society web page www.euro-math-soc.eu/recent-news.
Planet Earth: CompetitionIMAGINARY,UNESCO,theInternationalMath-ematical Union (IMU), and the InternationalCommissiononMathematicalInstruction(ICMI)areopeningasecondinternationalcompetitionfor exhibition modules to enrich the currentMathematicsofPlanetEarth (MPE)virtualex-hibition.Thecompetitionaimsinparticulartoaddress thechallenges inAfrica,aswellas inotherregionsoftheworld.Thedeadlineis30June2017.Forfurtherdetails(includinginfor-mation about prizes) go to http://imaginary.org/content/new-mpe-exhibits.
EMS CouncilThe EMS supreme authority, the Council, willconvenefrom16to17JulyinBerlin.Therewillbemuchtodiscuss,mostimportantlythechoiceofthesiteofthenextEuropeanCongressin2020,andtherenewaloftheExecutiveCommittee(EC).Members are encouraged to nominate candi-dateswhocouldstandtofillvacanciesintheEC.
Simons Foundation in AfricaThe EMS expresses its gratitude to the SimonsFoundationwhichhasofferedasubstantialsumto support youngAfricanmathematicians. TheEMS Committee for Developing Countries iscurrentlyworkingonconcreteproposals for itsuse.
EMS NewsletterTheMarcheditionoftheNewsletterisavailableonline at http://tinyurl.com/jw5gyc5 underthe new editorship of Valentin Zagrebnov ofthe Analysis-Geometry-Topology group at theInstitutdeMathématiquesdeMarseille.Aswellastheusualreports,problemsandbookreviewsthere are substantial mathematical articles ongeometric complexity theory (J.M. Landsberg),nonintegrable distributions (F. Presas) andgeometry of polynomial ODEs (S. Yakovenko),andanarticleofwiderinterestonHowMercatorDid It in 1569 by J.A. Gaspar and H. Leitão.ChristineLaurent-ThiébautoffersanaccountofthemathematicalworksofPierreDolbeaultwhodiedlastyear,VirginiaAgostinianiwritesaboutbeing a Mum and a Postdoc at SISSA, Trieste,while our own StephenHuggett contributes apieceon the150thanniversaryof the LMS.Asalways,averygoodread.
DavidChillingworthLMS/EMSCorrespondent
SIR CHRISTOPHER ZEEMAN: A CELEBRATIONThere will be a meeting celebrating Chris-topher Zeeman's life on 11 June 2016 atthe Warwick Mathematics Institute. It willcommencewith lunch from 12:00 to 14:00,themaineventfrom14:00to16:00followedbyteaandcoffeefrom16:00to17:00.Ifyou
areattendingtheevent,orifyouintendtocometothelunchbeforetheeventregisterathttp://tinyurl.com/j36334n.Furtherdetailscan be found from the link on the Math-ematics Institute website at http://warwick.ac.uk/czc
ProfessorAglerwillgive theLMS InvitedLecture Series 2017 on Function theory by Hilbert space methodsattheHerschelBuildingofNewcastleUniversity18to22April2017.JimAgler isaProfessorofMathematicsattheUniversityofCalifornia,SanDiego.Hehasmadedeepcontributionstomathe-maticalanalysis;heisalsoanoutstandingexpositor. His work has had a profoundinfluence on operator theory, interpola-tiontheory,severalcomplexvariablesandnoncommutativeanalysis.Many of his papers are on the topicof analytic functions in one or morevariables, and show how quite elemen-tary facts about operators on Hilbertspace can be used to solve problems infunction theory and complex geometry.His ideas about the function theory andcomplex geometry of polydiscs have ledto thewidespread study of what is nowcalled the Schur-Agler class of functions
onthepolydisc.Heisco-authorwithJ.E.McCarthyofanelegant graduate text Pick Interpolation and Hilbert Function Spaces.In 2016 hewas elected a Fellowof theAMS for outstanding contributions tooperatortheoryandthetheoryofanalyticfunctionsofseveralcomplexvariables.The annual Invited Lecturers schemeaims to bring a distinguished overseasmathematician to the United Kingdomto present a small course of about tenlectures spreadoveraweek.Eachcourseof Invited Lectures is on amajorfield ofcurrentmathematical research, and is in-structionalinnature,beingdirectedbothat graduate students beginning researchand at established mathematicians whowish to learn about a field outside theirownresearchspecialism.
The International Mathematical Union(IMU) has recently launched the novelIMU Breakout Graduate FellowshipProgram.Thanks to a generous donation by thewinners of the Breakthrough Prizes inMathematics–IanAgol,SimonDonaldson,Maxim Kontsevich, Jacob Lurie, TerenceTaoandRichardTaylor–IMUwiththeas-sistanceofFIMU(FriendsoftheIMU)andTWAS (The World Academy of Sciences)has launched a fellowship program tosupport postgraduate studies in a devel-oping country, leading to a PhD degreein the mathematical sciences. The IMUBreakoutGraduateFellowshipswilloffera limitednumberof grants for excellentstudents fromdeveloping countries. Theprogram will be administered by CDC
(CommissionforDevelopingCountries),acommissionofIMU.Professionalmathematiciansareinvitedtonominatehighlymotivatedandmath-ematically talented students from devel-oping countrieswho plan to complete adoctoral degree in a developing country,including their own home country.Nomineesmusthaveaconsistentlygoodacademic record from the high schoollevel and must be seriously interestedin pursuing a career of research andteachinginmathematics.The deadline for online nominations(http://tinyurl.com/gov7yfv) is 9:00 amCET on 22 June 2016. Please help inmakingthisinitiativewidelyknown.
MartinRaussenAalborgUniversity,Denmark
IMU BREAKOUT GRADUATE FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM
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Reports
MARY CARTWRIGHT LECTUREReport
TheMaryCartwrightLecture2016washeldat De Morgan House, London on Friday26 February 2016. The Mary CartwrightLecture isanannualWomen inMathemat-ics event organised by the London Math-ematical Society and forms part of theannual programme of Society Meetings.The meeting brought together over 40mathematiciansfromalloverthecountry.Professor Simon Tavaré, President of theLMS,openedthemeetingandshortlyafterDr Eugenie Hunsicker, Chair of the LMSWomen inMathematics Committee, spokeabout the importance of these meetingsto encourage early-stage researchers topursue a career in mathematics. She thenintroduced the first speaker, ProfessorLasse Rempe-Gillen from the University ofLiverpool,whogavetheopeninglectureonHairs, dreadlocks and Cantor bouquets.Followinganintroductiontotheiterationof transcendental entire functions and anoverviewofthehistoryofthearea,ProfessorRempe-Gillen explained the dynamics ofa function thatwas already considered byFatou in1926.He thenpresented someofhis many contribu-tions on the subjectmostly regarding theescaping set, a setthat arises naturallyin the iterationof transcendentalentire functions. Inparticular, he gave apositive answer to aquestionof Fatoubypresenting a largeclass of functions forwhich the escapingset consists of hairsgoing off to infinity(a Cantor bouquet).Finally, he spokeabout functionswithout hairs and
whatwecansayinthiscasewhichledhimto introduce some topologically intricatesetscalleddreadlocks.The opening lecture was followed by abreakwith teaand coffeewhichgave theopportunity for discussions among partici-pants.After the break, Dr Eugenie Hunsickerintroduced this year's Mary Cartwrightlecturer, Professor Gwyneth Stallard fromTheOpenUniversity, highlighting someofher achievements as amathematician andalsoasaformerChairoftheLMSWomeninMathematicsCommittee.ProfessorStallardhasrecentlybeenawardedanOBEforhercontributions to the promotion ofwomenin mathematics. Her talk was titled Pits, gaps and spiders' webs.Hertalkstartedbypresentingtwofamousopenproblems intheareaofholomorphicdynamics (Baker’s conjecture and Eremen-ko’s conjecture) that have motivated herresearch. She then introduced a structurecalled a “spider’s web” which has sur-prising connections to these two conjec-tures and gave some classes of functions
for which a subset of the escaping set,knownasthefast escaping set,isaspider’sweb. Halfway through the talk ProfessorStallard spoke about Mary Cartwright’shome village, showing some pictures, anddescribed some of her contributions ontheminimummoduluswhichhave connec-tionstoProfessorStallard’swork.Afterthat,she presented her result (joint work withProfessorPhilipRippon)thatallthecompo-nentsofthefastescapingsetareunbounded,an important result towards Eremenko’sconjecture.Finally,ProfessorStallardtalkedabout her work in progress which shows,
roughly speaking, that a certain subsetof the fast escaping set is either a Cantorbouquetoraspider’sweb.Duringhertalk,Professor Stallard described how crucial ithadbeentoreceivethesupportofhercol-leagues in certain moments of her career,especiallyaftermaternityleave,sothatshecouldcontinuedoingresearch.After theMary Cartwright Lecture therewasawinereceptionatDeMorganHousewhich was followed by a dinner at theThistleBloomsburyParkHotel.
Whatfollowsisafragmentofmytalkatthe opening of the Exhibition SublimeSymmetry: The Mathematics behind DeMorgan’s Ceramic Designs, in TowneleyHall, Burnley, on 5 March 2016. TheExhibition is the first one in SublimeSymmetry Tour, www.demorgan.org.uk/subl ime-symmetrytour ing-exhibit ion,organisedbyTheDeMorganFoundationandsupportedbytheLMS.
AlexandreBorovikUniversityofManchester
Last year, the London MathematicalSocietycelebrated its150thAnniversary;it was founded in 1865 by Augustus DeMorgan,fatherofWilliamDeMorgan.Augustus De Morgan obviously influ-enced his son's world view, mathemati-cal in itsnature. This iswhy Iwill try toexplain the roles of symmetry in mathe-maticsandintheArt–asweunderstandthemnow.Mathematics is the art of precision; itdealswithmental constructionsandpro-cedures which can be reproduced witharbitrary(youmaywishtosay,absolute)precision. A theorem proved by Euclid(andWilliamDeMorganwasanadmirerof Euclid) is just as true and valid now,
twomillenniaafterEuclid'stime.Transferof mathematical knowledge from gen-erationtogenerationhasneverresultedinschismsofthekindthattriggeredonereligiouswar after another – and thesewars continue to burn right now, aswespeakhere.I'll show you now a simple example ofhigh precision reproduction of a math-ematical object. As you see, I hold twopapernapkins,andI'llfoldthemforyouintwodifferentways.Ifoldthefirstnapkinthatway:
andanothernapkinthatway:
Asyoucansee,inthebothnapkinsthepoint, where the two creases intersect,is the same point, the centre of thesquare. And this is a mathematical fact:it was true 2,000 years ago, and it istrue now. Please notice also that the
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resulting patterns of creases arevery symmetric –moreover, theyhave well established symbolicmeanings: for example, in thesecondnapkinitisthedistinctiveSt.Andrew'scross.And now I can formulate asimpleprinciple:
Thisisalmostabanality;butthisisoneofreallyimportantrolesofsymmetry: it acts as a certificateofprecisionofreproduction,andthisequallyappliestoMathemat-ics,toNatureandtoArt.LetushavealookatoneofthemostelaborateobjectsofbeautyinNature:apeacock'stail. Ithasattractedtheattentionofartistsover millennia, and was noticedby William De Morgan, you have ofcourse seen his Peacock Dish at this ex-hibition.Thewonderfulornamentofapeacock'stailmakes senseonly if it is appreciatedbypeahens.Whatkindofmessagedoesitsendtoapeahen?Thatahighprecision,high symmetry ornament of a feather(the famous eye) formed by thousandsof individually colored hairs indepen-dently growing from the feather's stemcouldbeproducedonlybyanexception-ally fine-tuned copyingmechanism. And
thismechanismisencodedinapeacock'sgenes.Henceapeacockwithanelaboratetail can be a good biological father ofpeahen's chicks – her own genes willbenefitfromhighprecisioncopying.Why are peacocks' tails attractive tohumans?Becauseinhumansasaspecies,biologicalbeautyisamarkerforhealthygenes. A beautiful face is, first of all, abilaterally symmetric face. A beautifulbodyis(almost)bilaterallysymmetric.And, not surprisingly, beauty as a bio-logical stimulus is thebasis of visual art,
bringingwithitartists'andspec-tators' attention to (and maybeeven obsession with) symmetry.AswecanseeinthisExhibition:
WilliamDeMorgan's art showsthatmathematicsishuman.Fromthebottomofmyheart–thankstoeveryonewhohelpstospreadthismessage.
WilliamDeMorgan:Peacockdish
Close-upofapeacockfeather
Symmetry of an object is a proof of precision of the process that led to its creation.
The London Mathematical Society is a registered charity for the promotion of mathematical knowledge.
CECIL KING TRAVEL SCHOLARSHIP The London Mathematical Society annually awards a £5,000 Cecil King Travel Scholarship in Mathematics, to a young mathematician of outstanding promise. The Scholarship is awarded to support a period of study or research abroad, typically for a period of three months. Study or research in all areas of mathematics is eligible for the award. The award is competitive and based on a written proposal describing the intended programme of study or research abroad, and the benefits to be gained from such a visit. A shortlist of applicants will be selected for an interview during which they will be expected to make a short presentation on their proposal. Applicants must be nationals of the UK or the Republic of Ireland, either registered for or having completed a doctoral degree within 12 months of the closing date. Applications should be made using the form available on the Society's website (www.lms.ac.uk/prizes/cecil-king-travel-scholarship) or by contacting [email protected]. The closing date for applications is Monday 6 June 2016. It is expected that interviews will take place in London in late June or early July. The Cecil King Travel Scholarship was established in 2001 by the Cecil King Memorial Fund. The award is made by the Council of the London Mathematical Society on the recommendation of the Cecil King Prize Committee, nominated by the Society's Research Meetings Committee.
Professor Brian Wood (Oregon State Uni-versityUSA)willbevisitingtheUKbetween29Mayand30June2016.ProfessorWoodsworksonthedevelopmentandapplicationofhomogenisationtechniquesforsystemsof interactingspecies.DetailsofProfessorWood’stalksduringhisvisitare:• NottinghamUniversity,31May
Does cell surface heterogeneity affect adhesion?(contactReubenO’Dea:Reuben.O'[email protected])
• GlasgowUniversity,16JuneDiffusion in cellular systems (contactNickHill:[email protected])For further information about ProfessorWood’s visit, please contact ProfessorHelen Byrne ([email protected]). The visit is supported by an LMSScheme2grant.
VISIT OF ALEXANDER KALYUZHNYIProfessor Alexander Kalyuzhnyi (Instituteof Mathematics, Kiev) will be visitingthe UK between 11 and 25 June 2016.Professor Kalyuzhnyi works on abstract(non-commutative) harmonic analysis andrelated questions of operator algebrastheory. Details of Professor Kalyuzhnyi'stalksduringhisvisitare:• Monday13June,YorkUniversity(con-tactAlexDaletskii:[email protected])
• Friday17June,SwanseaUniversity(contactEugineLytvynov:[email protected])Further details of these arrangementsmay be obtained from Alex Daletskii([email protected]). The visit issupportedbyanLMSScheme2grant.
VISIT OF ALEXANDER SCHUSTERProfessor Alexander Schuster (SanFrancisco State University, California)willbevisitingtheUKfrom5to17June2016.Hisresearchconsistsofthestudyofspacesofasinglecomplexvariableandoperatorsthat act on them with emphasis onfunctions analytic in the unit disk, entirefunctions,Bergman,BlochandFockspaces,and concrete operators such as multipli-cation, composition, Hankel and Toeplitzoperators. During his visit ProfessorSchusterwilllectureat:• LeedsUniversity,Thursday9June(contactVladimirV.Kisis:[email protected])
• King’sCollegeLondon,Thursday16June(contactEugeneShargorodsky:[email protected])For further details contact Jani A.Virtanen ([email protected]).The visit is supported by an LMS Scheme2grant.
VISIT OF JEAN RENAULTProfessor Jean Renault (University ofOrléans, France) will be visiting the UKbetween 6 and 18 June 2016. ProfessorRenault’sexpertise is innon-commutativedynamical systems and groupoid C*-alge-bras.Hewillgivelecturesatthefollowinginstitutions:
• UniversityofAberdeen,June6at4:15pmSome groupoid techniques in math-ematics(contactDrAaronTikuisis:[email protected])
• QueenMaryUniversityofLondon,June10at2pmRandom walks on Bratteli diagrams (contactDrXinLi:[email protected])
• Queen’sUniversityBelfast,June17at2pmSemigroups and higher rank graphs (contactDrYing-FenLin:[email protected])For further details please contactYing-FenLin([email protected]).ThevisitissupportedbyanLMSScheme2grant.
VISIT OF ALEXANDER KOLPAKOVProfessor Alexander G. Kolpakov(Siberian State University of Telecom-munications and Informatics, Novosi-birsk,Russia)willbevisitingUKbetween1 and 24 June 2016. Professor Kolpakov
has made significant contributions toApplied Mathematics and ContinuumMechanics, including development ofefficient asymptotic techniques for in-homogeneous elastic structures. Duringhis visitProfessorKolpakovwillgive thefollowingpresentationsat:• KeeleUniversity,14June
Introduction into network approxima-tion method for differential equations (contactJonathanHealey:[email protected])
• CardiffUniversity,22JuneAsymptotic decomposition in the prob-lem of joined elastic beams and plates (contactFeodorBorodich:[email protected])
• BrunelUniversityLondon,23JuneSolution of many-bodies capacity problem for a system of densely placed bodies (contactAlekseyPichugin:[email protected])For further details contact Danila Pri-kazchikov ([email protected]).The visit is supported in part by an LMSScheme2grant.
Queen Mary, University of London 11May–10.30am–coffeefrom10amFoggLectureTheatre,G.E.FoggBuilding• KarimAdiprasito(Jerusalem)• BélaBollobás(Cambridge)• DavidConlon(Oxford)• AndrewGranville(Montréal)• DanielaKühn(Birmingham)• ImreLeader(Cambridge)
London School of Economics12May–10.30am–coffeefrom10amWolfsonTheatre,NewAcademicBuilding• AlanFrieze(Pittsburgh)• MoniqueLaurent(Amsterdam)• NatiLinial(Jerusalem)• JamesMaynard(Oxford)• BennySudakov(Zürich)• YufeiZhao(Oxford)
COLLOQUIA IN COMBINATORICS Two linkedone-dayColloquia in Combinatoricswill be takingplace in London. Thefirst daywill be held atQueenMary, University of London, onWednesday 11May;thesecondwilltakeplaceattheLondonSchoolofEconomicsandPoliticalScienceonThursday12May.Itishopedthatthetalkswillbeofwideinteresttoallthoseworkingincombinatoricsor relatedfields.2016sees thetenthyearof theColloquia in Com-binatoricsandweareexcitedtocelebratethismilestone.Thescheduleisasfollows:
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Meetings
Anyoneinterestediswelcometoattend.Funds are available to contribute to theexpenses of UK-based research studentsto attend the meetings. Further detailscanbeobtainedfromtiny.cc/ColloquiaorfromRebeccaLumb([email protected]).Therearealsosomefundsavailablefromthe London Mathematical Society forhelpwith childcare costs. Furtherdetailscan be found on theirwebsitewww.lms.ac.uk/content/childcare-supplementary-grants. The Colloquia is supported byan LMS Conference grant and from theBritishCombinatorialCommittee.
ICFT 2016Thetwentieth inaseriesofshortannualmeetings on integrable and conformalfield theories and related topics willbe held at King's College London fromFriday10toSaturday11June2016.ThesemeetingspromotethecohesionbetweenUKresearchersworkinginareasrelatedtoquantum integrable models, give youngacademics (PhD students and Postdocs)the opportunity to present their resultsand thereby allow them to establishthemselves within the community, andshowcase recent developments withinthe field by inviting key internationalspeakers. The meeting consists of fourlong and four short talks spread overFriday afternoon and Saturday morning.Keynotespeakersinclude:• OlallaCastro-Alvaredo(CityU.London)• DanieleDorigoni(Durham)• IngoRunkel(Hamburg)The organisers have limited supportfor young UK-based researchers. Thedeadline for applying for support is 9 May 2016. For more information visitthe website http://tinyurl.com/icft2016or contact the local organisers (GerardWattsandBenjaminDoyon).ThemeetingissupportedbyanLMSConferencegrant,the IOP Mathematical and TheoreticalPhysics Group and the Department ofMathematics,King'sCollegeLondon.
CELEBRATING THE NEW PROBABILITY GROUP AT LANCASTER UNIVERSITYThe working title of this meeting isRandom Permutations and Large Devia-tions for Markov Chains. It will be heldat Lancaster University on Wednesday15 and Thursday 16 June 2016. The aimofthismeetingistocelebratetherecentexpansionoftheProbabilityGroupattheDepartmentofMathematicsandStatisticsatLancasterUniversity.The aim of this event is to present thecurrent research results in the field ofrandom permutations, to discuss variousaspects of limit theorems and large de-viationsforMarkovchainsandtodiscussnewapproachesandnewquestions.Alsothe organiserswould like to use this op-portunitytosharetheirresearchinterestswith their colleagues, including the Sta-tisticsSection.For further information about thismeeting visit the website at www.lancaster.ac .uk/maths /celeb_new_pb_group/. Anyone interested is welcometo attend. Thismeeting is organised byDmitryKorshunov andDirk Zeindler andissupportedbyanLMSConferencegrant.
REPRESENTATIONS OF QUANTUM GROUPS AND CHEREDNIK ALGEBRASA one-day meeting titled Representa-tions of Quantum Groups and Cherednik Algebras will be held in the School ofMathematics and Statistics at NewcastleUniversityon24June2016.Itwillconsistof four talks in the afternoon, followedby the conference dinner. The speakersare:• IainGordon(Edinburgh)• MaximNazarov(York)• AlexanderVeselov(Loughborough)• MartinaBalagovic(Newcastle)The organizer is Martina Balagovic.
Anyone interested is welcome to attend.Somefundsareavailabletocontributetothe expenses of early career researcherswhowish to attend. Furtherdetails canbe found atwww.mas.ncl.ac.uk/representations/index.html.ThemeetingissupportedbyanLMSCon-ference grant Celebrating New Appoint-mentsandbytheSchoolofMathematicsandStatisticsatNewcastleUniversity.
DISCONTINUOUS GALERKIN METHODS The secondworkshop onRecent Advanc-es in Discontinuous Galerkin Methodswilltake place at the Department of Mathe-matics and Statistics, University of Read-ingonMonday13 June2016. The speak-ersinclude:• PaolaAntonietti(PolitecnicodiMilano)• ErikBurman(UCL)• AlexandreErn(CERMICSParis)• CharalambosMakridakis(Sussex)• SandraMay(ETHZurich)• FrederickQiu(HongKong)• JenniferRyan(EastAnglia)• ClaireScheid(INRIAandSophiaAntipolis)
• ThomasWihler(Bern)Anyoneinterestediswelcometoattend.Some fundsmay be available to contrib-ute to theexpensesof research studentswho wish to attend the meeting. Themeeting is supported by an LMS Confer-encegrant. Forfurther informationvisitthe website http://tinyurl.com/j8759q3or contact theorganizersAndreaMoiolaand Tristan Pryer by email ([email protected]).
MATHEMATICAL FOUNDATIONS IN BIOINFORMATICSA post-graduate conference on Math-ematical Foundations in BioinformaticswillbeheldatKing’sCollegeLondonon
20 July 2016. This conference will bringpost-graduatestudentsandpost-doctoralresearchers together to present currentmathematical research in the field ofbioinformatics. The conference proceed-ingswillbepublishedinaninternationaljournal.Fourkey-notespeakerswillbeinattendance. Participantsareencouragedto submit their work. Financial supportwill bemade available upon acceptance.Registrationisfree.This conference is supportedbyanLMSPostgraduate Research Conference grant(Scheme 8) and the Department of In-formatics, King’s College London, UK.For further information contact FatimaVayani([email protected]).
ONE HUNDREDTH TRANSPENNINE TOPOLOGY TRIANGLE MEETINGThe one hundredth Transpennine Topology Triangle (TTT100) meeting willtakeplaceatMIMS,SchoolofMathemat-ics,UniversityofManchester from6 to7September2016The TTT network links topologists atthe Universities of Leicester, Manches-ter, Sheffield and beyond, and has beenfunded by an LMS Scheme 3 grant since1995.The100thmeetingwillbeenhancedby additional LMS support to celebratethe occasion. As a result, there will besixtalksovertwodays.Thesewillincludethe Adams Memorial Lecture, deliveredby Professor Hisham Sati of the Univer-sity of Pittsburgh, whowill speak aboutinteractions between algebraic topologyand theoreticalphysics. A similar thememayunderlieoneortwoothertalks.Forfurther details, such as accommodation,programme, speakers and arrangementsfor the conference dinner, please seewww.ma.man.ac.uk/~nige/ttt100.html orcontactoneoftheorganisers.TTT100 will offer the usual level of
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financial support to participants andspeakers. Postgraduate students areparticularly encouraged to attend, andmay apply for funding to cover bed andbreakfastatWestonHallforthenightof6 September. Additional sponsorship isprovided by MIMS, the Open UniversityandtheUniversityofSheffield.OrganisedbyYumiBoote([email protected]), Nigel Ray ([email protected]) and Gareth Williams([email protected]).
THE STONE-CECH COMPACTIFICATIONAconferenceonThe Stone-Cech Compac-tification: Theory and Applications willbehostedbytheUniversityofCambridgebetweenWednesday 6 and Friday 8 July2016. Itwillbring togetherexperts fromseveralof theareas that intersectat theStone-Cechcompactification:lectureswillbegivenby:• BenBarber(Bristol)• MathiasBeiglboeck(Vienna)• VitalyBergelson(OhioState)• GarthDales(Lancaster)• FredDashiell(UCLA)• StefanoFerri(UniversidaddelosAndes)
• DonaStrauss(Leeds)• YevhenZelenyuk(Witwatersrand)The conference will run from themorning of Wednesday 6 July untillunchtimeonFriday8July.TherewillbeaConferenceDinnerontheThursday.The organisers are Garth Dales(Lancaster)and ImreLeader (Cambridge).
Further information, including contactdetails,may be found on thewebsite atwww.dpmms.cam.ac .uk/events / s tone-cech/.Thereissomefinancialsupportavailablefor UK-based research students. Themeeting is supported by an LMS Con-ference grant and by Trinity CollegeCambridge.
P-ADIC L-FUNCTIONS DAY IN CAMBRIDGEA conference on p-adic L-functions and Related Topicswillbeheldon1June2016at the Department of Pure MathematicsandMathematicalStatisticsinCambridge.Thisonedayconferencewillbeanoppor-tunity for people inNumber Theory andArithmetic Geometry to approach a newfascinating topic and for people with agoodbackgroundtolearnthestateofartin the subject. There will be both intro-ductory and research focused talks. Thelistofspeakersincludes:• YukakoKezuka(Cambridge)• DavidLoeffler(Warwick)• GuhanVenkat(UCLandWarwick)• ChristopherWilliams(Warwick)• SarahZerbes(UCL)More information canbe foundon theconference webpage at http://tinyurl.com/hpvmxge. Registration ismandatory.Funding for travel and local expensesis available for UK based PhD studentsor young post-docs. When registeringspecifythatyouareapplyingforsupport.Theconference isfundedbyanLMSCon-ferencegrant.
MACTUTOR CELEBRATIONA two-day conference on Mathematical Biography will be held at the UniversityofStAndrews,thehomeoftheMacTutorbiographical website, from 16 to 17September2016.Theaimofthemeetingistobringtogethermathematicians,biog-raphers,historians, readers, andpopular-
iserstodiscussmathematicalbiographies,theirculturalrole,andtheopportunitiesandchallengesfacingauthors.Invited speakers include: Jeremy Gray(Open University), Dagmar Mrozik(Wuppertal), Sydney Padua, StevenSkiena (Stony Brook), Graham Farmelo(Cambridge), Eva Kaufholz (JohannesGutenberg), and Edmund Robertson (StAndrews).Anyoneinterestediswelcometoattend.Some funds are available to contributetotheexpensesofresearchstudentswhowish to attend. For more details, andregistration, see www.mcs.st-and.ac.uk/mathbiog/.The conference is organised by theBritish Society for the History of Math-ematics and the School of MathematicsandStatistics,StAndrewsUniversity. It issupported by an LMS Conference grantandtheEdinburghMathematicalSociety.
REPRESENTATION THEORY AND PHYSICSA conference on Representation Theory and Physicswill take place at LeedsUni-versity from18 to22 July2016.There isadiverserangeofinternationalspeakerswith different aspects of representa-tiontheoryanditsapplicationtophysicsrepresented. Covering the physics sidewill be speakers such as Saleur (as wellas local participants such as Kadar andMartin). For Brauer algebras and blobalgebrasthereareDaugherty,DeVisscher,Doty and Ram. Other topics will becoveredbyBenkart (Kroneckerproducts,Temperley-Lieb algebras), Erdmann(finite dimensional algebras), Graham(cellularalgebras),Mazorchuk (partitionalgebras),Stroppel(KLRalgebras,Braueralgebras and algebraic groups) and Ry-om-Hansen(diagramalgebras).The organisers are Oliver King, PaulMartin and Alison Parker (Leeds),Stephen Doty (Loyola, Chicago), KarinErdmann (Oxford) and Changchang Xi
(Beijing). Further information, includingregistration and contact details, can befound on the website at www.maths.leeds.ac.uk/representation-theory-and-physics.html.Thereissomefinancialsupportavailablefor research students and early careerresearchers. Enquiries should be madeto the local organisers. The meeting issupported by an LMS Conference grant,theUniversityofLeeds,andEPSRC.
INTERACTIONS OF OPERATOR THEORY WITH QUANTUM PROCESSESA half-day workshop on Interactions of Operator Theory with Quantum Processes will take place on Friday afternoon 10June 2016 at the School of Mathemat-ics and Statistics, Newcastle Univer-sity. The topic includes connections ofOperatorAlgebraswithQuantumPhysics,Abstract Harmonic Analysis and Statisti-cal Mechanics. The three talks will begivenby:• IvanTodorov(QueensUniversityofBelfast)
• ChristianVoigt(GlasgowUniversity)• EvgeniosKakariadis(NewcastleUniversity)To register send an email to theorganiser Evgenios Kakariadis ([email protected]). Some funds maybe available to cover standard rail faresofPhDstudentsanditwillbedistributedaccording to the number of registeredparticipants. For additional informationvisit the website at http://tinyurl.com/jtu8t2o.Areceptionwillfollowafterthetalks.The meeting is supported by an LMSConference grant Celebrating New Ap-pointments, for the new appointmentof Evgenios Kakariadis as a Lecturer atNewcastle University, with additionalsupportfromtheSchoolofMathematicsandStatisticsinNewcastle.
The2016LMSHardyFellowisProfessor Jacob Lurie(Harvard).TheHardyLectureshipwasfoundedin1967 inmemoryofG.H.Hardy inrecognitionofoutstandingcontributiontobothmathematicsandtotheSociety.TheHardyLectureshipisalecturetouroftheUKbyamathematicianwithahighreputationinresearch.
Weil's Conjecture for Function Fields 8Julyat3.30pm,London
Organiser: London Mathematical Society
For further information on attending each lecture, please contact the local organisers.For general enquiries about the Hardy Lectures, please contact Elizabeth Fisher ([email protected]).
LONDON (UCL Institute of Education) 29th June 19:00
BIRMINGHAM (University of Birmingham) 21st September 18:30
Heather Harrington (University of Oxford) - The shape of data in biology. In recent years, areas of pure mathematics (maths for maths’ sake) such as algebra, geometry and topology, are being applied to problems in biology. Dr Harrington will describe how to understand living systems using cutting-edge mathematics.
Julia Wolf (University of Bristol) - One, Two, Red, Blue. Ever wondered why noughts and crosses always results in a draw? In this talk Dr Wolf will explore the surprisingly deep mathematics behind this popular game and its variants.
LONDON: Commences at 7.00 pm, refreshments at 8.00 pm, ends at 9.30 pm
Admission is free, with ticket. Register by Thursday 23 June.
BIRMINGHAM: Commences at 6.30 pm, refreshments at 7.30 pm, ends at 9.00 pm
Admission is free, with ticket. Register by Thursday 15 September.
Register for tickets online at:www.lms.ac.uk/events/popular-lectures
LMS NEWSLETTER http://newsletter.lms.ac.uk
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CHRISTOPHER ZEEMAN
Sir Christopher Zeeman,FRS, who was elected amember of the LondonMathematical Society on21 January 1954, died on13 February 2016, aged91. Sir Christopher wasLMS Vice-President from1968-1969andbecametheSociety’s 63rd Presidentfrom 1986-88. He was awarded the SeniorWhitehead Prize of the Society in 1982, andwastheSociety’sfirstForderlecturer,in1987.
David Rand writes:Abrilliantmathematician,exceptionallecturer,prodigiouspolymathanddeep-thinking leaderandadministrator,Chris-topherZeemanhadaremarkableinfluenceonBritishmathematics.Hemademajor researchcontributions to topology, dynamical systems,catastropheandsingularitytheory,andappliedmathematics, and had many other achieve-ments,mostnotableofwhichwashisfounda-tionoftheWarwickMathematicsInstitute.Following a period being trained as anavigatorintheRAFduringtheSecondWorldWar,hisPhDandearlyacademiccareerwerein Cambridge (and briefly in the USA) as ageometric topologist. He rapidly establishedhimself as a leader in the field andwas par-ticularlyproudofhisworkunknottingspheresin 5-dimensions, spinning lovely examplesof knots in 4-dimensions, and proving thePoincaré Conjecture in 5-dimensions. Thiswork and his subsequent topological activityat Warwick is characterised by a pure math-ematicaldepthandelegancedifficult for thenon-specialisttounderstandbutcrystalcleartotheexpert.In the late 60s Christopher startedworkingin dynamical systems and became fascinatedby applyingmathematics to biology. HewasstronglyinfluencedbyCHWaddington’stheoryofepigeneticlandscapes,RenéThom’sThéoriedesCatastrophesandalsotheoriesaboutthebrainandperception.Thisledtohimbecomingtheworld’sleadingexponentofapplicationsofcatastrophetheorytophysics,biologyandthe
social sciences where he made many lastingcontributions.He listedhis favouriteareasofapplication as buckling, capsizing, embryol-ogy, evolution, psychology, anorexia, animalbehaviour, ideologies, committee behaviour,economics and drama. In catastrophe theoryhecomplementedThom’smorephilosophicalapproachwithanAnglo-Saxonclarity.Christopher was a hugely charismaticcharacter: his enthusiasm, intellectual excite-mentandbreadthofinterestswerecombinedwithanoldfashionedcharmandtheabilitytomakepeople feel the centreofhisattention.He was a brilliant lecturer, meticulouslypreparedandbrilliantlydelivered.Buthiswasastyleverydifferentfromtoday’sglossyPow-erpoint performances. Mainly delivered viatheblackboard,histalkswereperfectlyjudgedtomaintainattentionandexciteinterest,andweregivenataspeedandwithaclaritythatallowedtheaudiencetotakeincomplexideas.Hewasequallyathomelecturingtoschoolchildren,students,academicstaffandnon-uni-versityaudiences.Hisoutstanding1978RoyalInstitutionChristmas Lectures for childrenontheBBCandthewayhecharmedandsurprisedWarwickalumniin2004withhismathematicalmodelsofhowtogetcommitteestodowhattheydon’twanttodowereperfectexamplesofthisversatility.Hewasapioneerintheareaofpublicengagementwithmathematicsandearlyonwasheardonradioandhadastronginvolvementwithschoolmathematics,startingmasterclasses at Warwick that led to theRoyal Institution Mathematics Masterclassesfollowing his Christmas Lectures. His lovelybookThree-dimensional Theorems for Schoolswas based on his 2004 Presidential Addressto theMathematical Association. In 1988 hereceivedtheprestigiousRoyalSocietyFaradayMedalforhispublicunderstandingwork.Appointed in 1963 along with eight otherfoundationprofessors,heplayedakeyroleindecidingtheUniversityofWarwick’sfoundingprinciples such as thedepartmental structure,thedominanceofsinglehonoursdegreesandtheabsenceofalayerofdeans.FortheMath-ematics Institute’s 40th anniversary he wroteapersonalhistoryoftheUniversitydescribing
these early discussions and it is remarkablehowmanyoftheprinciplesstillhold.Ibelievethat they provided the foundations for theUniversityofWarwick’ssuccess.The way he so quickly got the Mathemat-ics Institute recognised as a leading interna-tional player is testament to his vision andremarkable skillsasa leaderandplanner.Hewasrareinalwaysapplyingthesamelevelofrigourandintellectualenergytoquestionsofplanning and management as to mathemat-ics. Forexample, in the1960sheproducedabeautifullyarguedpaperabouthowtodesignaMathematics Institute building thatwas soinsightfulthatitwasusedagaintoguidethearchitecturaldesignofthenew2004buildingthatisnownamedafterhim.Hecouldalsobecreativelymischievousinsuchmattersasdem-onstrated by theway he persuaded the firstfiveacademicstojoinhim.Legendhasitthathavingidentifiedthosehereallywantedtostartthings(alltopologistsincludingDavidEpstein,ColinRourkeandBrianSanderson),theyallturnedhimdown.Sohewrotetothemallagainsaying“Buttheotherfoursayyes,”andthentheyallsaidyes.These topologistswere followed in lateryears by coherent groups of firstly alge-braists and then analysts, all pure math-ematicians happy to be away from thepure-applied quarrels seen at some otheruniversities. Intheearly80sprobablyasaresult of his growing interest in applica-tions and his desire to keep the depart-ment developing, he persuaded me, apure mathematician at the time but alittle sullied by my links to theoreticalphysics, to take on the task of buildingappliedmaths. These developments werethe foundation of today’s very successfuldepartment onwhich Zeeman’s influencewas so huge. Christopher left Warwickin 1988, to become Principal of HertfordCollege,OxfordandprofessorofgeometryatGreshamCollegeinLondon.Christopherwasaveryactiveandinnova-tive president of the London Mathemati-calSocietyfrom1986to1988.HereceivedtheSeniorWhiteheadPrizeoftheSociety
in1982andtheDavidCrightonmedaloftheSocietyandthe InstituteofMathematicsandits Applications in 2006. In 2007 the Societycreated the Christopher Zeeman Medal torecogniseandacknowledgethecontributionsof mathematicians involved in promotingmathematicstothepublicandengagingwiththe public. Hismany other awards include aknighthood(1991)andfellowshipoftheRoyalSociety(1975).Heissurvivedbyhiswife,RosemaryZeeman,an acclaimed jeweller, who he married in1960,andhis six children.HisdaughterMaryLou is amathematician and Christopherwasvery proud that he had written three jointpapers with her. There will be an opportu-nity to donate to a fund to support youngmathematicians,beingsetupinChristopher’sname, under the auspices of the LondonMathematicalSociety.
LMS NEWSLETTER http://newsletter.lms.ac.uk
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Obituaries
JAMES RILES
Professor James B. Riles, whowas elected amemberoftheLondonMathematicalSocietyon15November1962,diedon30November2015,aged77.
Christine Stevens and Russell Blyth write:JamesB.Riles completedthePhD in1967atQueen Mary College, University of London,under the direction of Karl Gruenberg andKurt Hirsch. In the same year, he joinedthe mathematics department of Saint LouisUniversity in theUSA,wherehe served as aprofessor and administrator for more thanthreedecades,attainingtherankofProfessorofMathematicsandComputerSciencein1976.He spent sabbatical leaves at Queen MaryCollege (1975) and Cambridge University(1983and1990).Jimwastheadviserofthree
PhD students: Richard Scherer, MohammadAzarianandMarkHopfinger.Jim'smathematicalinterestsfocusedonthestudyofinfinitegroups,towhichhecontrib-utedthenotionsofnearlymaximalsubgroups,near and non-near generators, and thenceof near Frattini subgroups. He also intro-ducedthenotionofanearcomplementofanormalsubgroupofagroup. Hedevelopedtheseconceptsinapairofpapers,thesecondof which was published in the Journal ofthe LondonMathematical Society. Hisworkwas subsequently used by Azarian andR.B.J.T. Allenby, among others, to establishresults about generalized amalgamated freeproductsofgroups. Anenthusiastic lecturer,Jimwasalwayseagertolearnnewmathemat-ics, and his carefully prepared seminar talksweremodelsofprecisioninwhichthecomple-tionof a tricky proofwas oftenpunctuatedwithatwinkleinhiseye.AlthoughmathematicswasJim'spassion,hewasdeeplyinterestedinmusic,aswell.HehadplayedtheFrenchhornintheAllSouthernCal-iforniaJuniorHighSchoolOrchestraandcouldalwaysbecounteduponforaknowledgeableandenlighteningcommentaryonanyconcertthatheattended.Jimwasalsoakeenmoun-taineerwhoenjoyedclimbing,withoutspecialequipment, some of the highest peaks inRockyMountainNationalPark.Jimissurvivedbyhiswife,Linda,theirthreechildren,andsixgrandchildren.
THE LONDON MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY JOINTLY WITH GRESHAM COLLEGE
Tuesday, 24 May 2016 6:00pm at The Museum of London
Mathematics, Measurement and Money
Professor Norman Biggs London School of Economics
Throughout its brief history, mathematics has been closely linked with measurement and money. In the ancient settlements the rules of arithmetic and geometry were used to solve problems about the allocation of food and resources. When life became more complex, the use of coined money led to computational problems that required good algorithms for their solution.
Nowadays we rely on mathematics for security, and the links between information and money have become blurred. Can mathematics keep us safe?
ADMISSION FREE
NO RESERVATIONS REQUIRED – FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED
Museum of London, London Wall, London EC2Y 5HN
Nearest underground stations: Barbican, St Paul’s, and Moorgate
To modern eyes, apt to see the past as aforeign country, JohnDee (1527-1609) hasbecome a quintessentially Renaissancefigure.Thesubjectofmultiplebiographiesandspecialiststudies,hisnamecanbecon-fidently dropped in academic discussionsof mathematics, astronomy, philosophy,alchemy, astrology, navigation, geography,theoccultandmagic,inthesureknowledgethathewillbeafamiliarpointofreference.Beyond the academy he has reached thatpointofself-reinforcingcelebritywherehisname pops up in children’s fantasy books,ingraphicnovelsand in literaryfictionsetaround the court of Queen Elizabeth. Heeven appeared centre stage in a recentEnglish National Opera production ofDamonAlbarn’spop-operaDr Dee.Intellectually,Dee seems impossiblywide-ly-spread to amodern specialist. How and
whydidheaspiretosuchall-encompassingknowledge?Theansweristhroughhisbooks.Dee built an extraordinarily large library –easilythemostimpressiveinTudorEngland– inwhich thebroadextentofRenaissancelearningwascaptured.Hecouldreasonablysupposethathehadnotonlysurveyedtheboundariesofhumanknowledge,buthadwarrant toexplorebeyond, intotherealmofthesupernatural.The dispersal of Dee’s library began inhisownlifetime,andthevolumesarenowwidelyscattered.ThelargestsurvivinggroupofhisbooksistobefoundinLondon’sRoyalCollegeofPhysicians.GiventotheCollegein the late 17th century, they now formthebasisforacompellingexhibitionwhichprovidesbothanoverviewofDee’slifeandan intimateglimpse intotheminutedetailofhisscholarlyformationandhabits.
SCHOLAR, COURTIER, MAGICIAN: THE LOST LIBRARY OF JOHN DEE RoyalCollegeofPhysicians,Regent’sPark,London18January-29July2016,Monday-Fridayonly,9am-5pm.Freeentry.
THE PROOF AND THE PUDDING: WHAT MATHEMATICIANS, COOKS, AND YOU HAVE IN COMMON byJimHenle,PrincetonUniversityPress,2015,pp176,£19.95,US$26.95,ISBN978-0691164861.
In 1975 Jon Barwise’s Admissible Sets and Structures appeared under the Springerimprint. At the end of Section 6 of thesecond chapter, Barwise suggests that thematerialbe‘supplementedwithcoffee(notdecaffeinated)andalightrefreshment’.Hethenprovidesa recipeforHeathertonRockCakes and ends with the observation thatthey tastebetter than they sound. At thattime James Henle (now at Smith College,Northampton, Massachusetts) was a younglogicianandBarwise’sinclusionofarecipeinalogictextmayhavestruckachord.Atanyrate, Henle has produced a volume whichseekstodrawparallelsbetweencookeryandmathematics,anditincludesnoshortageofrecipes.IhadbeenlookingforwardtoHenle’sbook,sinceIfoundmuchtoenjoyinhispaper‘TheHappy Formalist’, which appeared in The Mathematical Intelligencer in 1991. Whatmay have struck observers of mathemati-cal publishing as odd was that two books
relatingmathematicsandcookingappearedin the same year. Eugenia Cheng’s Cakes, Custard and Category TheorywasreviewedinthisNewsletterinOctober2015,andshehasindicated that shewas unaware of Henle’sbookassheworkedonherown. Ifoneislooking for an explanation of the coinci-dence,perhapsthegeneralshiftinacademictreatises toward putting something aboutbodies in either the title or the contentsmay be to blame. There is no danger ofconfusingeitherthemethodsorthecontentsof Cheng’s and Henle’s books, neither ofthemaimedatstudentsofdomesticsciencefiguringouthowtomultiplyingredientsbyafactorof2.5.Henle is legitimately proud of his accom-plishmentsasamathematician,andthisbookprovides many examples of his accomplish-mentsinthekitchen.Whilethelistofrecipesgiven in the index is extensive, his descrip-tionofhowhecameupwitheachoneaddsinteresttotheguidelines.Heisnotinclined
TheexhibitionrevealsforalargerpublicthaneverbeforejustwhatitmeanttobeaRenaissanceintellectual.Deedidnotjustownhisbooks,heactivelydigestedthem.Oncepastatitlepagewithhisnameandoftentheplaceanddateofpurchase,weseehisunderliningsandmarginalia,asheextracted headings and topics for laterretrieval. Occasionally there are doodlesandnoteswhich revealpersonal snippetsbutitistheannotations’collectiveimpres-sionoforder andengagement thatmostimpresses.The books are skilfully displayed andthere will be individual volumes toappeal to the subject interests of almostanyone. Mathematics is represented intexts suchasCopernicuson trigonometry,but in following Deewholeheartedlyweare taken not just through the fields hehimself published on, but into natural
and human histories, to the origins oflanguage and to such classical authorsas Cicero and Ovid, essential to theformation of any self-respecting Tudorhumanist.The exhibition is installed on a galleryin the large entrance space of DenysLasdun’sstriking1960smodernistcreationoverlookingRegent’sPark.Thebuilding–worthseeinginitsownright–providesanopenratherthanimmersiveexperiencefortheshow,whosemainsequenceendswithsome judicious loans of magical objectsthatpointtoDee’spiousbutnownotoriousconversationswith angels. Upstairs thereisashortaddendumonDee’ssubsequentreputation, right up to the present day.Recommended!
StephenJohnstonTheMuseumoftheHistoryofScience,
Oxford
LMS NEWSLETTER http://newsletter.lms.ac.uk
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tofollowanyone’ssuggestionsslavishly,andhewouldrathererronthesideofunsuccess-ful experimentation than rest contentwithtraditionalwaysofpreparingadish.Thatis,infact,oneoftherecommendationsthatheofferstothemathematicalstudentsof readers of the book. Henle notes theextenttowhichstudentsareencouragedtoavoidmakingmistakesandwarnsthatsuchan attitude is likelyto inhibit creativity.By contrast, just asgreat cooks achievetheirgoalsbytakingchances, so goodma t h ema t i c i a n shavetobereadytobewronganumberoftimesbeforetheycan expect signifi-cantlytochangethefield in which theyareworking.Henle examinesthecharacteristicsofgood mathematicsandarguesthattheyare similar to thoseof good cooking.Hequotesthewordsof mathematicians,whose descrip-tion of their pro-fession could alsobe applied to theculinary arts. Hequotes the words of cooks, whose descrip-tionoftheiractivitiescouldalsobeappliedtomathematics.Sometimesheisevenabletofindanexplicit comparison in thewordsof others, e.g., Keith Devlin’s comparisonof ‘solving a challengingmath problem’ to‘baking a soufflé’. He pays tribute to JuliaChild for her role in altering the attitudetoward food in the United States and toMartin Gardner for his role in altering theattitudetowardmathematicsthereaswell.The book is divided up into bite-sizedchapters,withtheresultthatnothing(math-
ematical or culinary) is pursued at length.Cheng’s book has a more easily identifiedcentral themefromthemathematicalpointof view. Henle ishappy tobemaking criti-cismsofthewaypeoplecookinbetweenhisdrawingonexamplesofsolvingproblemsbyvirtueoflookingatthemtherightway.Hedisownstheintentionofprovidingaunifiedtext,evenabouttherecreationalmathemat-
icsthatisthesubjectofmostofthemath-ematical examples.In the midst of hisdefense of recrea-tional mathemat-ics as a genuinelyserious topic, onecan even hearechoes of the philo-sophical formalismabout which hewroteaquarterofacenturyago.Henle hasproduced a bookthatcanbeenjoyedby a wide varietyof audiences. Hespins stories aboutwhat he has donein his kitchen andwhat he has doneto solve math-ematical problems.He demonstratessome of the ways
inwhich he feels that he has been practic-ing similararts inbothpursuits. Therehasbeen much written on the relationship ofmathematicsandthefinearts.WhileHenlemight be prepared to defend cookery as afineartwhenfinelypracticed,hehasgivenmathematicians another field with whichto compare their subject when seeking toexplain its interest and value to thosewhohavenoqualmsaboutdefendingtheuseful-nessoffood.
Mostmathematicians,ifaskedaboutthe levelofenthusiasm thegeneralpublic would show for a Museumof Mathematics, would express atleast some scepticism. Most wouldsay that while math is definitelyfun, a public museum would mostlikely end up being too didacticor outright boring. Fortunately,enough people thought otherwise,andtheNationalMuseumofMathe-matics,nicknamedMoMath,openedinNewYorkin2012withthemissionof `conveying the magic of math’.In addition to housing a numberof exhibits that popularize math-ematical ideas through catchy in-stalments involving, among others,toy trains fashioned into beavers,hands-onFamilyFridays,oragallerylinking together math and art, themuseum also supports the researchcommunity in the appropriatelychosenareaofrecreationalmath.The Mathematics of Various En-tertainingSubjects consistsof someof the contributions presented atMOVES2013,organizedatMoMathasthefirstinstalmentofabiannualeventbringing together researchers in gametheory, puzzles, and recreational math,as well as game and puzzle enthusiasts,students and teachers. The collection’s17 articles offer something for each ofthese groups. The articles range frommostlyentertainmenttomostlyresearch,with all of themwritten at a high levelof mathematical rigor and languageaccuracy. The editors have rightlydecidedtoapplytheusualstrictrulesweexpectofresearchpublications,whileatthe same time allowed the authors toshow their (highly contagious) love fortheir subject. One of the editors even
contributed an article co-authoredwithher father that leaves no one doubtingthat love for serious recreational math-ematicsrunsinthefamily.The collection is thematically dividedinto five areas: Vignettes, ProblemsInspiredbyClassicPuzzles,PlayingCards,Games,andFibonacciNumbers,withthelongest section devoted to problemsrelated to puzzles. The foreword byRaymond Smullyan centres on the bynow classical examples from proposi-tional logic of lying and truth telling,and is itself an example where recrea-tionalmathematics leads to thedeepesttopics in logic. Peter Winkler’s Should
THE MATHEMATICS OF VARIOUS ENTERTAINING SUBJECTS: RESEARCH IN RECREATIONAL MATH edited by Jennifer Beineke and Jason Rosenhouse, forewordby Raymond Smullyan, Princeton University Press, 2015, pp 288, £55.95, US$75.00, ISBN978-0691164039.
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You Be Happy explores the pitfalls ofunderstanding more subtle points of el-ementaryprobability.One-Move Puzzles with Mathematical Content includea combination of sophisticated ideaswithgameswhose solutionsperplex thereader. Jennifer and Lowell Beineke’sSome ABCs of Graphs and Gamesdonotdisappoint graph enthusiasts. And thelistgoeson.Weenjoyedthenicesurveyof Parallel Weighings of Coins or theinteresting take on analyzing the diffi-cultyofcrosswordpuzzlesduetoJohnK.McSweeney (who is a former colleagueof the secondauthorof this review,butwhom we did not know to be interest-ed in the mathematics of crosswords).The Cookie Monster Problem, strangelysimilarinflavourtoSolving the Tower of Hanoi with Random Moves, isconnectedto Fibonacci numbers, while it alsoinvolves a fair amount of cookie eating.The majority of the topics demonstrateconnections to non-trivial mathemat-ics. Some involve affine planes, someothers explore error correcting codes,Sperner’s Lemma, or the representationof numbers. All of them provide a well-motivated gateway to further research,andcouldalsoserveasaninspirationforexcitingprojectsforstudentsofalllevels.Weapologizetothosewhosecontribu-tions we failed to specifically mentioninourreview-wehopeourreaderswilldecidetoreachforthebook.It isaverynicebookinmanydifferentways. Itcanbe read straight through, and it can beread at random order. It is entertain-ing,andatthesametimepresentsdeepmathematics. It proves the point madeby establishing the MoMath museum:Well done popularization of mathemat-ics does not have to be boring and itdoesnothavetobeshalloweither.Nexttime you visit New York, you shouldprobablyaddMoMathtoyourschedule;meanwhile,enjoyreadingthisbook.
Free to read in 2016Visit iopscience.org/msb to discover first-class research in mathematics.
Special collection This year we are celebrating the 150th anniversary of Matematicheskii Sbornik, and to mark the occasion, we have put together a collection of the most influential work published in the English translation of the journal, Sbornik: Mathematics, in 1967–2015.
Highlights from the past 150 years
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DATA LINKAGE: TECHNIQUES, CHALLENGES AND APPLICATIONS
12 – 16 September 2016
inassociationwiththeIsaacNewtonInstituteprogramme Data Linkage and Anonymisation (4July–21December2016)
Theoverallaimoftheprogrammeistobringtogetherresearchersandpractitionersfromvariousresearchdisciplinesandapplicationdomainstofosterexchangebetweendifferentpartsofthemathematicalscienceswherethetopicsofdatalinkageandanonymisationarebeingaddressed,aswellasbetweenresearchersinvestigatingdatalinkageandprivacyprotection. These topics have so far often been considered separately. This aimof theprogrammeisquitedifferentfromotherverytopicanddomainspecificINIprogrammes.
Withthis inmind, theobjectiveofthis secondworkshopondata linkage is tostronglyencourageinteractionbetweenparticipantsfromdifferentdisciplines,tofacilitatecross-disciplinarylearning,andtosetanagendaofthebigchallengesintheareaofdatalinkage.Topicstobecoveredanddiscussedwillrangefromcomputationalandstatisticalaspectsofdatalinkage,toprivacyandconfidentiality,andapplicationcase-studiesandexamples.
Toencouragecross-disciplinaryinteractions,besidesinvitedpresentationsbyworldleadingresearchersandpractitionersindatalinkage,therewilltobeseveralinteractivesessionsthat follow a ‘speed-dating’ approachwhere participants in short pair-wise discussionspresenttoeachothertheirbackgroundandinterests,andissuesandchallengestheyseeintheareaofdatalinkagefromtheirperspective.Thekeyideasandchallengeswillthenbesynthesisedonthelastworkshopdaywiththeaimofproducinganinterdisciplinaryposition/state-of-play/callforaction/greatchallengespaper.Thispaperistoberefinedbykeyworkshopparticipantsandtheworkshoporganisersintoapotentiallyfulljournalarticleaftertheworkshop.Someoftheidentifiedchallengesandproblemswillbeworkedonduringtheremainderofthemainprogramme.
Madrid 12-16 Sept 2016 Hitchin 70: Celebrating 30 years of Higgs bundles & 15 years of generalized geometry
Photo: Elyce Winters
Information & registration: http://projects.au.dk/hitchin70/
Confirmed speakersDavid BaragliaOlivier Biquard Philip BoalchGil CavalcantiBrian CollierXenia de la OssaMario García-FernandezPeter GothenMarco GualtieriSergei GukovTamás HauselJacques HurtubiseFrançois LabourieRafe MazzeoBảo Châu NgôAna Peón-NietoBrent PymLaura SchaposnikAnna Wienhard
Confirmed speakersChristian Bär David CalderbankVladimir FockPaul GauduchonSergei GukovTamás HauselLisa Jeffrey Thomas Bruun MadsenSergei Merkulov Simon SalamonJörg Teschner
Confirmed speakersMichael AtiyahSasha Beilinson Fedor BogomolovPhilip Candelas Bill GoldmanKlaus HulekMaxim Kontsevich Marta MazzoccoShigefumi Mori
Organising Committee Luis Álvarez-Cónsul Jørgen Ellegaard AndersenSteven Bradlow Andrew Dancer Oscar García-Prada Frances Kirwan Henrik Pedersen Yat Sun Poon Andrew Swann
With funding from:
This event is organised in partnership with the Clay Mathematics Institute
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CALENDAR OF EVENTSThiscalendarlistsSocietymeetingsandothermathematicalevents.FurtherinformationmaybeobtainedfromtheappropriateLMSNewsletterwhosenumberisgiveninbrackets.AfullerlistisgivenontheSociety’swebsite(www.lms.ac.uk/content/calendar)[email protected].
MAY 20162-4Hilbert'sSixthProblemWorkshop,Leicester(455)11ColloquiainCombinatorics,QueenMary,UniversityofLondon(458)12ColloquiainCombinatorics,LondonSchoolofEconomics(458)12TheDavidCrightonLecture,ProfessorFrankKelly,TheRoyalSociety,London(458)16-19Operators,OperatorFamiliesandAsymptotics,Bath(455)18-20TheDymamicsofComplexSystems,Warwick(454)20-21GroupsinGalway,NationalUniversityofIreland,Galway(454)
JUNE 20161p-adicL-functionsDay,Cambridge(458)1CombinatoricsatOxford(457)6-9ComputationalandAnalyticProblemsinSpectralTheory,Cardiff(457)6-10QuantumPhysicsandLogic,Strathclyde(457)6-10FromtheContinuumtotheTectonicINIWorkshop,Cambridge(455)9-10ScottishPartialDifferentialEquationsColloquium,Dundee(457)10InteractionsofOperatorTheorywithQuantumProcesses,Newcastle(458)10-11ICFT2016,King'sCollegeLondon(458)11SirChristopherZeeman:ACelebration,Warwick(458)
JULY 20164-8PDESoftwareFrameworks2016,Warwick4-8ModernTopicsinNonlinearPDEandGeometricAnalysis,Reading(458)4-8Modelling,AnalysisandSimulation:CrimeandImageProcessing,Oxford(457)5-8DataLinkageandAnonymisationINIWorkshop,Cambridge(457)6-8TheStone-CechCompactification,Cambridge(458)8LMSGraduateStudentMeeting,London(458)8HardyLecture&LMSMeeting,London(458)11-15GraphLimitsandStatisticINIWorkshop,Cambridge(457)11-25AlgebraicCombinatoricsandGroupActions,HerstmonceuxCastle,EastSussex(456)13-15RepresentationTheoryofAlgebraicGroupsinhonourofStephenDonkin,York(457)15MathematicalFoundationsinBioinformatics,KingsCollegeLondon18-22RepresentationTheoryandPhysicsWorkshop,Leeds(458)18-227ECM,TUBerlin(456)20MathematicalFoundationsinBioinformatics,King’sCollegeLondon(458)
AUGUST 20161-4YoungResearchersinMathematicsConference,StAndrews2-5TopologyanditsApplications,Leicester25-26CaucasianMathematicsConference,Turkey(453)30-2SepTheNatureofQuestionsArisinginCourtthatcanbeAddressedViaProbabilityandStatisticalMethodsINIWorkshop,Cambridge(458)
SEPTEMBER 20165-8Hitchin70,Aarhus(458)5-9CombinatoricsandOperatorsinQuantumInformationTheoryLMSResearchSchool,Belfast(458)6-7TranspennineTopologyTriangle,Manchester(458)9-11Hitchin70,Oxford(458)12-16Hitchin70,Madrid(458)12-16DataLinkage:Techniques,ChallengesandApplicationsINIWorkshop,Cambridge(458)13-16LMSMidlandsRegionalMeetingandWorkshop,Birmingham(458)16-17MathematicalBiography,AMacTutorCelebration,StAndrews(458)21LMSPopularLectures,Birmingham(458)18-23HeidelbergLaureateForum(454)26-30ClayResearchWorkshops,Oxford(456)28ClayResearchConference,Oxford(456)
NOVEMBER 201611LMSGraduateStudentMeeting,London11LMSAnnualGeneralMeeting,London
DECEMBER 201620LMSSouthWest&SouthWalesRegionalMeeting,Bath
