Maria Gaetana Agnesi by Bianca Milesi Mojon (1836) and 祖冲之铜像.jpg by 三猎.
I wrote a mathematics-themed competition for British Science Week, which is a UK-wide event lasting ten days taking place this month.
The competition calls for individuals or groups to research the life and/or work of a mathematician and produce a poster to share their findings. The six mathematicians available to choose from are:
In recent days there have been calls for the International Mathematical Union (IMU) to not hold in the International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) in Russia in July 2022 due to the developing situation in Ukraine.
This is in addition to previous complaints that Russia is not a safe place to host the ICM, particularly because of its laws affecting LGBTQ+ people.
The IMU announced today that the ICM and associated General Assembly of the IMU will not be held in Russia. Instead, the ICM will be a wholly virtual event – and free to attend. They are seeking an alternative location outside Russia for the General Assembly and prize-giving.
Here’s a roundup of mathematical things that have happened in February 2022.
Ukraine
The deeply troubling and developing situation in Ukraine has implications for the 2022 International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) due to take place in St. Petersburg, Russia in July. A group of Ukrainian mathematicians has issued a call for mathematicians to boycott the event. National organisations around the world have been issuing statements setting out their positions, standing down their participation and calling on the International Mathematical Union to not hold the event as planned. Here are some we spotted:
The International Mathematical Union (IMU) itself wrote to its member organisations expressing its deep concern, acknowledging the calls and saying it is assessing the situation.
Other news
The organisers of the Gathering 4 Gardner recreational maths conference have announced that this year’s event, taking place in April, will be a hybrid event with 50% discount for online-only places, making them a snip at $200. Registration is restricted to previous attendees and invitees, but it is possible to nominate yourself or someone else for an invitation.
Casualties of the recent storms in the UK apparently also include Newton’s apple tree – not the actual tree an apple fell on his head from, but scions of the original are planted all over the UK and one of the ones at Cambridge, which was planted in 1954, hasn’t survived the combined effects of Storm Eunice and gravity. More info in this excellent Twitter thread.
The Royal Statistical Society has released a report entitled Behind the numbers: The RSS puts the statistical skills of MPs to the test, in which they report the results of asking an anonymous unspecified group of Labour and Conservative MPs a series of simple stats and probability questions. The survey concluded that while MPs performed better than they did in a similar test ten years ago, their stats skills were still sub-par. It may not be as unambiguous as the research seems to claim though – Rob Eastaway has thoughts about the questions used.
The winners of the 2022 Mathical book prize, an annual award for fiction and nonfiction books that inspire children of all ages to see maths in the world around them, have been announced. The winners look to include some lovely titles, including Maryam’s Magic – the story of mathematician Maryam Mirzakhani – and the fantastic-sounding Uma Wimple Charts Her House. (via Jordan Ellenberg)
It’s that time of year when we take a look at the UK Government’s New Years Honours list for any particularly mathematical entries. Here is the selection for this year – any more, let us know in the comments and we’ll add to the list.
Owen Abbott, Head, Census and Population Statistics Methodology, Office for National Statistics. Appointed OBE for services to Census and Population Statistics.
Veronica Bowman, Statistics and Data Science Fellow, dstl. Appointed OBE for services to defence and the Covid-19 response.
Henrietta Brown, Business Operations Lead, Office for National Statistics. Appointed OBE for services to the Census of England and Wales.
Alexander Lambert, Deputy Director, Covid Infection Survey Operations, Office for National Statistics. Appointed OBE for services to statistics and public health.
William Marks, Senior Policy Liaison, Analysis and Civil Contingencies Secretariat Dashboard, Cabinet Office and Office of National Statistics. Appointed OBE for public service.
Kevin Sweeney, Lately Head, Central Survey Unit, Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. Appointed OBE for public service, particularly during Covid-19.
Arron Maspero, Programme Delivery Manager, Census Field Devices, Office for National Statistics. Appointed MBE for services to Census 2021 Field Operations.
One day in February 2014, I was fortunate enough to battle through London during a Tube strike to attend a reception at the House of Commons for MathsWorldUK – an initiative then just two years in development which aimed “to establish a national Mathematics Exploratorium in the United Kingdom … an interactive centre full of hands-on activities showcasing mathematics in all its aspects for people of all ages and backgrounds”.
That initiative took a huge leap forwards last week with the launch of MathsCity Leeds, which my son and I visited on its opening weekend.
The next issue of the Carnival of Mathematics, rounding up blog posts from the month of September, is now online at Comfortably Numbered.
The Carnival rounds up maths blog posts from all over the internet, including some from our own Aperiodical. See our Carnival of Mathematics page for more information.