Happy birthday to the Proceedings of the London Mathematical Society
As well as being the 150th Anniversary of the London Mathematical Society, 2015 also sees the 150th Anniversary of the Proceedings of the London Mathematical Society including the first paper published, which is the speech given by Augustus de Morgan at the first Society meeting. The Proceedings has published many famous papers in its 150 years including particular papers by Hardy and Ramanujan, Turing, Marstrand, Atiyah, and Donaldson, to name but a very few, but each of them a landmark in their field. During 2015 Oxford University Press has kindly agreed to make several famous papers published by the Society freely available. These will be publicised via Twitter and also the LMS website.
150th Anniversary Historical Book
The LMS is working with author John Heard in the publication of a book that examines the history and role of the LMS from its foundation up until just after the First World War. This publication, which will highlight the role of the LMS in the formation of pure mathematics as a new discipline in Britain, is scheduled for publication towards the end of 2015.
150th Anniversary Impact Case Studies
To highlight the ongoing impact of mathematics to UK technology and culture, the Society will be releasing a series of case studies written by prominent academics. These case studies will examine how a specific field or aspect of mathematics has changed the UK, often over decades or even centuries of use. These case studies will be released online via the LMS Website and will vary in length from short, 1500 word essays, to longer, more in-depth examinations of mathematical fields and their widespread effects.
150th Anniversary Edition of the Members' Handbook
Membership is at the heart of the Society and to celebrate the Society's 150th Anniversary we will be releasing a special edition of the Members' Handbook, recording the membership as at 2015. This commemorative Handbook will contain the names of all Society members, along with details of the Society during its sesquicentennial year.
Sir Christopher Zeeman Archive celebrates two landmark birthdays
To mark the occasion of his 90th birthday in the year of the Society’s 150th Anniversary, the Zeeman family have produced an online archive of Sir Christopher’s lifetime correspondence and papers. The Society is delighted to host the archive of the work of one of its Past Presidents. The archive was launched on Thursday 19th March at the University of Oxford.
Who's Where in UK Mathematics
Since 1865 the LMS has existed to serve the UK mathematics community. With the intention of furthering this goal, we have recently begun work on a database of UK mathematicians aimed at facilitating communication and collaboration. This database will be launched during the 150th Anniversary year. It is hoped that this project will be of use to those seeking experts in the field, whether for research, degree supervision, paper refereeing, lecturing, or other purposes. If recognised, owned and maintained by the wider mathematics community the database would be extended to provide ongoing anonymised analytical data about UK mathematics to inform evidence-based representation to national funders and policymakers about the health of the discipline and its contribution to the UK economy, including which industries and sectors provide employment to those mathematicians who move away from academia on graduation.