Newsletters

Newsletter 1 - January 2022

With the end of our organizational phase in 2021, we are pleased to present this first newsletter from the Association for Mathematical Research. We report here on what the AMR achieved in its first year, and on the projects and plans underway in 2022.

Much of the past year was spent putting necessary logistics into place and setting up the overall structure of the AMR. We filed paperwork with various state and federal agencies and implemented the software needed for website development, membership tracking, and basic accounting. We opened bank accounts and created avenues for donations. We discussed and instituted a governance structure with a board and bylaws, as required for nonprofit entities. We moved to a membership structure that was open to all, and free of dues or charges. This decision maximizes our reach, and allows members from across the world to contribute to the innovative projects we are pursuing. While it limits our income, and accordingly slows down the growth of our programs, we believe it is the right way to develop the open and international organization we envision. Mathematicians have traditionally provided their time on a volunteer basis to run meetings, to found, edit and review publications, and to participate in committees that award prizes or organize workshops. We are optimistic that with new technologies we can amplify these contributions productively in many different directions, even with limited financial assets.

At the beginning of 2022 we opened the AMR for general membership (see the report from the Secretary for details.) The resources available to members will grow over time; at present, members will be notified of events, will be invited to participate in initiatives and in working groups, and will receive periodic notifications of new features on our website. We’ll also be soliciting suggestions for new initiatives from all members.

Many members have indicated that they would like to contribute and to be involved. What can you do now? Here are a few initial opportunities.
1. Send in suggestions for software, video sites, and open problems. You can do this using the forms at the website.
2. Contact Sergei Tabachnikov about writing a review.
3. Contact Alex Kontorovich about getting involved in publication developments.
4. Contact Joel Hass with suggested features for our website.
5. Suggest other AMR activities in which you would like to be involved. Perhaps you are developing video animations that illustrate a current research area, or have notes explaining and giving background to an important classic result. Would you like to create and record an interview that gives context to the development of a key mathematical idea? Consider the AMR as a place to host your work. If you are involved in a project that would be suitable for AMR hosting, we encourage you to send us a note.

The AMR has created working groups that are developing a few of the ideas that our members have put forward. The following are brief reports on some of the projects underway:

AMR Publications Working Group - Alex Kontorovich

This group is considering the feasibility of various models for new journals, and more generally for publications that are freely available to all worldwide, either as arxiv overlays or by other technologies. The group is also exploring innovative approaches to the refereeing process and other publishing-related issues. Any member interested in participating in these discussions is encouraged to directly contact the committee chair, Alex Kontorovich.

AMR Colloquia Series Working Group - Susan Friedlander

The members of this working group are

  • Craig Evans, UC Berkeley
  • Henri Darmon, McGill University
  • Susan Friedlander, University of Southern California (Chair)
  • Mark Goresky, Institute for Advanced Study
  • Eva Miranda, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya and Centre de Recerca Matemática in Barcelona

Our goal is to explore and use technologies in the virtual academic realm to bring exciting mathematical lectures with related material to an international audience.

Reviews - Sergei Tabachnikov

Website resources - Joel Hass

We hope to make the AMR website a useful resource for mathematical researchers. In response to early feedback, we plan to reorganize the layout and presentation of the current material in the coming year, as well as adding further content.
Our initial efforts include:

  • A collection of open problem lists, sorted by area and date when appropriate.
  • A compendium of videos recording research seminars and workshops. This includes links to video libraries of past talks at math institutes and universities.
  • A collection of sites hosting software related to mathematical research.

Also on the website is a growing collection of research reviews from the reviews project. Hosting of additional resources is planned. Traffic to the website has oscillated from a few to over a thousand visitors a day. Send a note to Joel Hass if you have ideas of features you would like to see and to contribute to. Finally, a request to all members: please add a link to the AMR website at https://amathr.org on your academic web page, as this will help search engines find us.

Youtube Channel and Social Media - Robert Ghrist

The creation of high quality videos and animations that illuminate aspects of mathematical research is increasingly feasible for mathematicians.  You can see some early efforts at the AMR youtube channel. To find this, you can go to youtube.com and search for Association for Mathematical Research, or you can go directly to the AMR Youtube Channel at

youtube.com/channel/UCIiM9JGiU01JTi1jCQBPaUw

Those of you who use twitter can follow the AMR twitter feed at @AMathRes. This provides regular updates on interesting mathematical research announcements, and already has over 500 followers.

Treasurer’s report - Robert Ghrist

We are pleased to report that due to generous initial contributions we raised over six thousand dollars in 2021. Net assets, as of the end of January 2022, have passed $9,000. Our expenditures involve items such as website hosting, software, bank fees and insurance. We have no paid staff at this time, and our only source of income is donations. We are very grateful to the generous donors who have helped launch the organization.

Secretary's report - Abigail Thompson

On January 11, 2022 the AMR opened its doors to general membership. Anyone who wishes to contribute to the mission of the organization can join by filling in a form available on our website. We are pleased to report that in the first week in which general membership became available, more than 130 new members joined. As of the end of January, 2022 we have over 430 members. Our members come from across the globe and represent the full range of mathematical fields. While founded in the US and Canada, our goal is to become a global mathematical association. More than a third of our current members are based outside the US, as are many of the newer members now joining. As David Hilbert said, “Mathematics knows no races or geographic boundaries; for mathematics, the cultural world is one country.” Please invite your colleagues and students to join the AMR.