MSRI receives 2012 Mathematics Programs that Make a Difference Award
Apr 13, 2012 - 4:00:00 AM
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MSRI started its Modern Mathematics Workshops so that organizers ofupcoming MSRI research programs could present expository introductionsto the areas of the programs, with the aim of sparking the interest ofmathematicians and students from underrepresented minorities andencouraging them to participate in the programs. Today the workshopis held just prior to the annual conference of SACNAS, the Society forthe Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science, and allof the U.S.-based mathematics institutes are involved. Recently, MSRIplayed a key role developing a collaboration among eight mathematicsinstitutes to run a coordinated series of workshops related tomathematics and diversity, which are funded by the National ScienceFoundation.
By American Mathematical Society,
[RxPG] Providence, RI---The American Mathematical Society is honoring theMathematical Sciences Research Institute (MSRI) in Berkeley for doingan outstanding job of increasing the participation of women andmembers of underrepresented minority groups in the mathematicalsciences. The annual Mathematics Programs that Make a Differenceaward recognizes programs and institutions that have developedsuccessful, replicable methods for increasing participation of thesegroups in the field.
Jeffrey Vaaler, professor of mathematics at the University of Texas atAustin and chair of the selection committee for the award, said: MSRIhas a distinguished record as a leader in promoting diversity in themathematical professions. All of us who work in mathematics benefitfrom their efforts. In my opinion, recognition for MSRI is longoverdue.
As one of the world's largest and most active mathematics researchinstitutes, MSRI organizes and hosts semester-long programs andworkshops at the cutting edge of the mathematical sciences. But theinstitute has also excelled as a leader in promoting diversity in themathematical sciences. In 1992, MSRI was the first math institute toestablish a human resources committee to help reach out to thosegroups historically underrepresented in mathematics. By devotingserious attention and resources to diversity issues, MSRI has not onlymade a difference with the programs and events it has organized, buthas also sent a powerful signal within the mathematical community thatthese issues matter.
In cooperation with other U.S.-based math institutes, MSRI has playeda role in establishing several activities aimed at groupsunderrepresented in mathematics. One of these is the Conference forAfrican-American researchers in the Mathematical Sciences(CAARMS). This was first established at a meeting at MSRI in January,1995, between distinguished minority mathematicians, several of themmembers of MSRI's Human Resources Advisory Committee (HRAC), andthen-Director of MSRI Bill Thurston, who volunteered to have MSRIhost the first conference that year. Nowadays, CAARMS meets annuallyat prominent institutions around the country and showcases currentmathematical sciences research done primarily, though not exclusively,by African Americans. CAARMS 10 returned to MSRI in 2004 to celebratea decade of success.
Another highly successful and visible event is the biennialBlackwell-Tapia Conference, which is named after the lateAfrican-American statistician David Blackwell and the Hispanicmathematician Richard Tapia. This conference is designed to inform thenext generation of students about career opportunities in mathematicsand to provide a chance for them to network with other students andwith mathematical scientists who play a leadership role in theircommunities. It was founded at Cornell University in 2000 by CarlosCastillo-Chavez, then a member of MSRI's HRAC. At the suggestion ofDavid Eisenbud, then-Director of MSRI, the Blackwell-Tapia Prize wasadded as a centerpiece for the second conference, hosted by MSRI in2002. This award honors a mathematical scientist who has contributedsignificantly to his or her field of expertise and who has madeefforts to address the underrepresentation of minorities inmathematics. MSRI continues to serve on the Blackwell-Tapia Prizeselection committee.
MSRI started its Modern Mathematics Workshops so that organizers ofupcoming MSRI research programs could present expository introductionsto the areas of the programs, with the aim of sparking the interest ofmathematicians and students from underrepresented minorities andencouraging them to participate in the programs. Today the workshopis held just prior to the annual conference of SACNAS, the Society forthe Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science, and allof the U.S.-based mathematics institutes are involved. Recently, MSRIplayed a key role developing a collaboration among eight mathematicsinstitutes to run a coordinated series of workshops related tomathematics and diversity, which are funded by the National ScienceFoundation.
In addition to the conferences and workshops that occur on a regularbasis, MSRI has organized various one-off events that put thespotlight on diversity issues. One of the most important of these wasPromoting Diversity at the Graduate Level in Mathematics: a NationalForum, held in October 2008. The purpose of the forum was tostimulate, identify, and disseminate successful models that improveretention of underrepresented groups in graduate programs inmathematics. An article about the forum, ``Revisiting the Question ofDiversity: Faculties and Ph.D. Programs'', by H. G. Grundman, appearedin the October 2009 issue of the
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