IMU Bulletin no. 42, Special Issue, July 1998

    International Commission On The History Of Mathematics (ICHM)

    Report 1995-1997
    Eberhard Knobloch


    The members of the Executive Committee:


    The members of the Executive Committee (EC) of the ICHM and of the ICHM itself served from January 1, 1994 onward and finished their term of office by the end of 1997. The members of the EC were: Eberhard Knobloch (Germany), Chair; Kirsti Andersen (Denmark), Vice Chair; Jeanne Peiffer (France), Secretary; Menso Folkerts (Germany), Treasurer; Laura Toti Rigatelli (Italy), Karen A. Parshall (USA) (1994-1995), representatives of the IMU; David Rowe (Germany), Editor of Historia Mathematica (1994-1995), Karen Parshall (USA), Editor of Historia Mathematica since 1996; further members: Ubiratan d'Ambrosio (Brazil), John Fauvel (UK), Giorgio Israel (Italy), Liu Dun (China), Chikara Sasaki (Japan), Evgeny A. Zaitsev (Russia); past Chairmen: Joseph W. Dauben (USA), Christoph J. Scriba (Germany).

    Meetings of the EC:


    The EC met once a year:
    • October 17, 1995 Centre International de Rencontres Mathematiques Luminy (France)
    • November 6, 1996 Mathematical Institute Oberwolfach (Germany) July 25, 1997 Liege (Belgium)

    Conferences /Symposia/ Congresses (CSC)

    • In 1995 members of the ICHM organized CSC in Berlin (Germany), Groningen (The Netherlands), Luminy /France), Neuhofen (Austria). They contributed to CSC in Hamburg (Germany), Cerisy-la-Salle (France), Leiden and Voorburg (The Netherlands).
    • In 1996 members of the ICHM organized CSC in Seoul (Korea), Oberwolfach (Germany). They contributed to CSC in Milton Keynes (UK), State College (USA), Paris (France), Delphi (Greece), Berlin (Germany).
    • In 1997 members of the ICHM organized CSC in Liege (Belgium). They contributed to a conference in Luminy (France).
    • There are now two European centres for conferences on History of Mathematics: Oberwolfach and Luminy.

    Courses:

    Members of the ICHM contributed to the European Honours Courses in History of Mathematics which took place in Utrecht (1995), Palermo (1996), London (1997).

    Projects:

    1. The ICHM is compiling a database containing information about historians of mathematics around the world.
    2. The ICHM supports the photo archive of the Karl-Sudhoff-Institute at Leipzig University, Germany.
    3. The ICHM is elaborating a historiography of the History of Mathematics, which will be edited by its members J.W.Dauben (USA) and C.J. Scriba (Germany).
    4. The ICHM is supporting the CD-ROM Edition of J.W.Dauben's Selected Bibliography on History of Mathematics. The editor will be A. Lewis (Canada).
    5. In 1996 a committee of coordinators has been established in order to elaborate a suitable proposal for an Oberwolfach meeting in 2000. The new Chairman of the EC belongs to this committee.

    Publications:


    1. The official journal of the ICHM is Historia Mathematica. Every year four issues are published consisting together of 500 pages. It is electronically available, too.
    2. Once a year a Newsletter prepared by the Secretary and the Chairman of the EC was distributed among the members of the ICHM (February 1995, February 1996, May 1997).
    3. Once a year the Chairman and the Secretary of the EC sent a report about the scientific activities of the ICHM to the secretary Jacob Palis (Brazil) of the IMU. The reports are published in the Bulletin of the International Mathematical Union.
    4. In 1995 K. Andersen and M. Dybdahl edited the third edition of the World Directory of Historians of Mathematics for the ICHM.

    Medals - Honours


    In 1997 the Kenneth O. May Prize was awarded for the third time, and that on the occasion of the XXth International Congress of the History of Science in Liege. The prize went to Rene Taton (France).

    New Executive Committee:


    From January 1, 1998 onward there is a new EC:
    Kirsti Andersen (Chair),
    Craig Fraser (Vice Chair),
    Jeanne Peiffer (Secretary),
    Menso Folkerts (Treasurer).