International Review of Mathematics

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Report 2 - April 2003

In the March Newsletter we reported on the establishment of the International Review and promised that we would report monthly on its progress.

The remit of the Review has been defined as follows:
To assess the standing and potential of mathematics research in UK universities and comparable institutions, in comparison with international work in the field. The Review should look at the width and quality of all aspects of research in mathematics and its applications, encompassing all of pure and applied mathematics, and statistics.

After discussion at the Steering Group and with EPSRC, it has been agreed that Operational Research will not form a part of this Review, but will be addressed separately.

We are delighted that Jean-Pierre Bourguignon, Director of the IHES in France and a former President of the European Mathematical Society, has agreed to chair the International Panel. His standing with the mathematical community and his experience will be enormously valuable to the Review. At the meeting of the Steering Group earlier in March, names of other members of the International Panel were discussed, drawing on suggestions from the mathematical societies and the chairman of the Panel, and also the way in which the broad areas of mathematics will be represented on the Panel. It is hoped to be able to confirm soon the names of the Panel and the dates of its visit to the UK.

As part of the process of disseminating information on the Review, and receiving comments from the mathematical community on it, three presentations will be taking place in the next few months. There will be presentations at both the BMC and BAMC on 8 April. Martin Taylor will be speaking at the former at 1.30 p.m.; Tim Pedley will be speaking at BAMC that evening. In addition, Bernard Silverman, the RSS representative on the Steering Group, will be speaking to the Committee of Professors of Statistics on 2 May.

At a practical level, it is expected that a part-time Scientific Secretary to support the Review, based at De Morgan House, will be appointed in the near future.