IMU Bulletin no. 42, Special Issue, July 1998

    Special Development Fund


    The Special Development Fund helps IMU to fulfill the important obligation of helping developing countries within the framework of mathematical research. The means of the Fund, which go unreduced to mathematicians from developing countries, are used primarily for travel grants to young mathematicians, to make it possible for them to participate in International Congresses of Mathematicians. The Executive Committee of IMU elects an international committee to distribute the grants.
    Means to the Special Development Fund come from donations. Donations can be sent, at any time and in any convertible currency, to the following account:
    Account no. 0862-656208-21
    Schweizerische Kreditanstalt
    Stadtfiliale Zürich-Rigiplatz
    Universitätstrasse 105
    CH-8033 Zürich
    Switzerland
    The following contributions have been received in the years 1994-1997:
     	
1994 
American Mathematical Society		US $ 30.550,06   	
Mathematical Society of Japan  		US $ 18.881,11   	
Royal Society  				US $  4.477,00   	
Com. Nat. Frac. Math., France  		US $  3.404,86   	
CNPq, Brazil  				US $  6.944,44 

1995 
American Mathematical Society		US $ 33.227,89 	
CNPq, Brazil  				US $ 10.000,00 
London  Mathematical Society		US $  3.263,12 	

1996 
American Mathematical Society		US $ 31.807,41 
London Mathematical Society		US $  3.639,60 	

1997
Societe Mathematique de France  	
and Societe des Math. Appl.et Ind.	US $  2.341,81 	
American Mathematical Society		US $ 30.872,76 	
CNPq, Brazil				US $  9.708,05 	
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences	US $    265,95 	
London Mathematical Society		US $  3.121,05

    ICM-2002


    Applications to hold the ICM 2002 has been received from Norway and China. The Site Committee, consisting of the EC members and Prof. M. Groetschel, has decided to recommend to the next General Assembly that the Congress should be held in China. This decision was taken under the fundamental assumption that all mathematicians of the world will be allowed to participate in the meeting. Thus, the Executive Committee expects that the final vote at the General Assembly will take into account the importance of the host country to abide by ICSU's principle of free circulation of scientists.

    Bid To Publish Mathematics Tomorrow

    An IMU Book by Prominent Mathematicians
    World Mathematical Year 2000

    The International Mathematical Union (IMU) is publishing a book entitled "Mathematics Tomorrow" to celebrate the turn of the century, with articles by prominent mathematicians on how they see the present state of Mathematics, its main problems and prospects for the coming century. The editors are V. Arnold (Chair), M. Atiyah, P. Lax and B. Mazur. As of now, we expect to have 33 articles, of about 20 pages each, by early December 1998 and the book to be ready by July 1999. We have asked the authors to provide their texts in Latex or Amstex files, with figures in PostScript.
    The IMU Executive Committee has decided to ask for bids from international publishers. The bids should address the following items:
    1. Expected retail price;
    2. quality of printing;
    3. Number of books in the first edition;
    4. Free copies for authors and for IMU;
    5. Percentage of income from sales as copy rights to IMU
    The following authors have given IMU their preliminary acceptance to contribute to "Mathematics Tomorrow:
    M. Atiyah
    A. Baker
    J. Bourgain
    S.-S. Chern
    A. Connes
    G. Debreu
    M. Freedman
    I. Gelfand
    V. Jones
    D. A. Kazhdan
    M. Kontsevich
    P. Lax
    M. Lighthill
    P-L. Lions
    Y. Manin
    G. Margulis
    A. Majda
    B. Mazur
    S. Mori
    D. Mumford
    S. Novikov
    R. Penrose
    K. Roth
    D. Ruelle
    P. C. Sarnak
    I. Singer
    S. Smale
    R. Stanley
    C. Taubes
    A. Wiles
    E. Witten
    S.T. Yau
    E. Zelmanov

    Change In The Imu Statutes

    The EC decided to recommend to the next General Assembly, the following additions to the IMU Statutes (all the other items remain the same, renumbered as necessary):
    CHANGE IN STATUTES
    of the
    INTERNATIONAL MATHEMATICAL UNION
    Approved in the 63th meeting of the Executive Committee, held in Berlin on May 15-16, 1997

    III. AFFILIATION


    1. For the purpose of facilitating jointly sponsored activities and jointly pursuing the objectives of the IMU, multi-national mathematical societies and professional societies can be affiliated with the Union.
    2. The members of the Union shall elect the affiliate members by Postal Ballots or at meetings of the General Assembly upon recommendation of the EC. The affiliation may be terminated by the same procedure.
    3. Affiliate members have the right to participate in the General Assembly but shall have no voting rights.
    4. Such affiliate members have the right to submit proposals for joint activities to the General Assembly and to the President and Secretary for consideration of the Executive Committee.
    5. The Executive Committee, with the support of the Adhering Organizations and National Committees, shall look for ways to keep close relations with the affiliated organizations and to enhance mathematical activities in their regions. They shall receive the Bulletin of the IMU and be kept informed of all activities relevant to them.

    History Of IMU

    Mathematics Without Borders
    By Olli Lehto
    Springer-Verlag, 1998


    Professor Olli Lehto, who was the Secretary of IMU in the eighties, wrote a book on the history of the Union. This is an invaluable contribution in many ways: besides its historical character, it is also a relevant document in explaining the scenario of cooperation in mathematics in the turn of this century and how IMU was created. It will certainly help to promote IMU and to make it more visible to present day mathematicians.