Report for 1996 of the International Mathematical Union and Commissions

    Professor Jacob Palis
    Secretary

    Introduction

    The International Mathematical Union was founded in its present form in 1951. The purpose of the Union is to promote international cooperation in mathematics, to support and assist the International Congress of Mathematicians and other international meetings and to encourage and support other international mathematical activities considered likely to contribute to the development of mathematical science in any of its aspects , pure, applied, or education. IMU has two commissions, the International Commission on Mathematical Instruction and the Commission on Development and Exchange. The International Commission on the History of Mathematics is a joint commission with the International Union of the History and Philosophy of Science.

  • Membership
  • Activities
  • Scientific Meetings
  • Education

    • Membership

    The members of IMU are countries. At the moment IMU has 62 members

    In 1996 information concerning IMU can be found IMU-pages on the World Wide Web. The pages are located through URL: http://elib.zib.de/IMU

    Gopher access is possible through the following address: gopher://elib.zib.de/11imu

    The IMU server can be accessed via telnet as follows:

    telnet elib.zib.de
    Login: imu
    no password required

    Activities

     Several of the present activities including the preparations for the ICM/98, the Special Development Fund, the IMU Archives, Procedures for Elections and the Program Turn of the Century are presented in pages 2-26 of this Bulletin.

    Concerning the World Mathematical Year 2000, the IMU is publishing a Newsletter, whose present Editorial Board if formed by M. Chaleyat-Maurel, G. Tronel, A. Ashour, M. Hassan, A. Marzollo, M. Morimoto, M. Niss, R. Rebolledo, A. Sierpinska.

    Following a resolution of the last General Assembly to celebrate the turn of the century, the IMU will publish a book with articles by a number of distinguished mathematicians on perspectives, achievements and open problems. The committee in charge of this project if formed by V. Arnold (Chairman), M. Atiyah, P. Lax and B. Mazur.

    Scientific Meetings

     Conferences supported by IMU - 1 9 9 6
    INTERNATIONAL COLLOQUIUM ON "LIE GROUPS AND ERGODIC THEORY,
    held in Tata Inst. of Fundamental Research, India, from January 4-12, 1996.
    IMU representative: D. Mumford

    RING THEORY CONFERENCE,
    held at the Univ. of Miskolc, Hungary, from July 15-20, 1996
    IMU Representative: James Arthur

    INTERNATIONAL MATHEMATICAL CONFERENCE - Conference dedicated to 60th anniversary of academician V.G. Sprindzhuk's birth (1936-1987),
    held in Belarus Academy of Sciences/Belarus State University
    IMU Representative: V. Arnold

    INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON CONTEMPORARY PROBLEMS IN THE THEORY OF DYNAMICAL SYSTEMS,
    held in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, from July 1-7, 1996.
    IMU Representative - V. Arnold

    THE 2nd EUROPEAN CONGRESS OF MATHEMATICS,
    held in Budapest, July 21-27, 1996.
    IMU Representative - D. Mumford

    WORKSHOP ON GEOMETRY AND DYNAMICAL SYSTEMS,
    held at PUC, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from July 31 to August 9, 1996.
    IMU Representative - J.Palis

    8th PRAGUE TOPOLOGICAL SYMPOSIUM,
    held in Prague, Czech Rep., August 18-23, 1996.
    IMU Representative - A. Dold

    INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON NONLINEAR DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS AND APPLICATIONS,
    held in Tata Inst. of Fundamental Research, India, from August 19 - 23, 1996
    IMU Representative - J.L.Lions

    INT. CONGRESS ON MATHEMATICAL EDUCATION (ICME 8) held in Sevilla, July 13 - , 1996
    IMU Representative - Jacob Palis

    INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON NUMBER THEORY,
    held in Hungary, from July 29 through August 2, 1996.
    The IMU representative was Prof. James Arthur and IMU gave its imprimatur to the meeting.

    Education

    International Commission on Mathematical Instruction - ICMI Report prepared by Mogens Niss, Secretary

    1. Organization

    The General Assembly of ICMI held its quadrennial session in conjunction with the 8th International Congress on Mathematical Education, ICME-8, held at Reina Mercedes campus of the Universidad de Sevilla, Spain, in July 1996. The General Assembly was held on 17th July 1996. The minutes of the Assembly are published in the ICMI Bulletin No. 41, December, 1996, pp 3-9.

    The Executive Committee had its second meeting at ICME-8 as well. The EC meeting was divided into three sessions, held on the 13th, 14th, and 19th July. Beside in meetings, the work in the EC is conducted by correspondence and electronic communication under the direction of the President and the Secretary.

    In recent years, applications from a number of countries to be co-opted as non-IMU member states of ICMI have been received by the EC. At the end of 1996 ICMI decided, with the endorsement of the International Mathematical Union, to co-opt Thailand as a non-IMU member of ICMI. The Adhering Organization is the Mathematical Association of Thailand under the Patronage of His Majesty the King. Other applications were considered by the EC in 1996. Decisions are likely to be made in 1997.

    It is part of ICMI's general policy to encourage member states to establish National Sub-Commissions of ICMI. In 1996 the EC was not informed of the establishment of new National Sub-Commissions.

    2. ICMEs

    The latest of the quadrennial International Congress on Mathematical Education, ICME-8, was held at Universidad de Sevilla, Reina Mercedes campus, 14-21 July. The congress had an attendance of about 3500 delegates from almost a hundred different countries. The program was very rich and intensive. Proceedings of the Congress are in preparation. A novel feature in the ICME series was instigated at ICME-8. A 10% solidarity tax was imposed on all registration fees in order to provide (partial) financial support of the attendance of about 250 delegates from about 55 different non-affluent countries. The amount thus generated was distributed by a specially appointed Grants Committee which worked incognito in order to minimize potential problems of pressure. The Grants Committee will publish a separate report of its work.

    The next congress, ICME-9, will be held in Makuhari, Chiba, Japan, in 2000. Preliminary dates are 31 July to 7 August. An International Program Committee was appointed in 1996.

    It is chaired by Professor Hiroshi Fujita, Meiji University, Tokyo, Japan. The IPC is expected to begin its work early in 1997.

    3. ICMI Studies

    The mounting and conducting of so-called ICMI studies on crucial themes and issues in mathematics education was continued in 1996. The ICMI studies are published by Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, the Netherlands, under the general editorship of the President and the Secretary of ICMI.

    The study on What is Research in Mathematics Education, and What Are Its Results?, the corresponding conference of which was held at the University of Maryland in College Park, USA, May 1994, is edited by Jeremy Kilpatrick and Anna Sierpinska. The volume is expected to appear in the beginning of 1997.

    The study on Perspectives on the teaching of geometry for the 21st century, the corresponding study conference of which was held at Universita di Catania, Italy, September-October 1995, is edited by Vinicio Villani and Carmelo Mammana. The volume is expected to appear in the course of 1997.

    Reports on the these studies, and on a previously completed one, Gender and Mathematics Education, were given at special ICMI study sessions at ICME-8, in Sevilla, July 1996.

    The next study in the series is devoted to the theme The role of the history of mathematics in the teaching and learning of mathematics. An International Program Committee was appointed in 1996, with John Fauvel, the Open University, UK, and Jan van Maanen, the University of Groningen, the Netherlands as co-chairs. The study conference will be held in France, most probably at CIRM Luminy (Marseille) in April 1998, with Jean-Luc Dorier, Grenoble, France, in charge of the Local Organization.

    The ICMI EC has also decided to mount a study on the Teaching and learning of mathematics at tertiary level. The IPC is expected to be appointed in beginning of 1997. The site of the corresponding study conference is under negotiation.

    4. Regional Conferences

    In 1996, 3-7 June, SEACME-7 (The 7th South East Asian Conference on Mathematical Education) was held in Hanoi (Vietnam) with 135 participants from 17 countries. A brief report of the conference, which was sponsored by ICMI as an ICMI Regional Meeting, was published in the ICMI Bulletin, No. 41, December 1996.

    5. Affiliated Study Groups

    ICMI continues to have four affiliated study groups, HPM (The International Study Group for the Relations Between the History and Pedagogy of Mathematics), IOWME (The International Organization of Women and Mathematics Education), and PME (The International Group for the Psychology of Learning Mathematics), and WFNMC (The World Federation of National Mathematical Competitions). Separate reports of their activities were published in the ICMI Bulletin Nos. 40 (HPM, PME, and WFNMC) and 41 (IOWME), 1996.

    6. The Solidarity Program

    In 1992 ICMI established a Solidarity Program to help the development of mathematics education in countries in which there is a need for it that justifies international assistance. The first stage in this program was the mounting of a Solidarity Fund based on private contributions by individuals, associations, etc. The Fund is to be activated to support concrete initiatives and activities that may foster solidarity in mathematics education between well- defined quarters in developed and less developed countries. The Solidarity Fund has received donations from various organizations and individuals in mathematics education for which it is most grateful. In 1996 no projects were supported by the Solidarity Fund. Although the total funds are not excessive, the ICMI EC would welcome applications concerning projects which are worthy of support in line with the general aims of the Fund.