41. Blackwell-Tapia Lecture Series Is Inaugurated At Cornell Conference lecture series was created to provide a forum for highlighting the research of AfricanAmerican, Latino, and Native american mathematicians and statisticians. http://www.siam.org/siamnews/01-01/blacktap.htm

search: Blackwell-Tapia Lecture Series Is Inaugurated at Cornell Conference Melissa Castillo-Garsow On May 7 and 8, Cornell University held a conference to inaugurate the David Blackwell and Richard Tapia Distinguished Lecture Series in the Mathematical and Statistical Sciences. Both Blackwell, a professor emeritus of mathematics at the University of California, Berkeley, and Tapia, the Noah Harding Professor of Computational and Applied Mathematics at Rice University, attended the two-day conference, which highlighted their contributions as well as those of a new generation of under-represented minority mathematicians and statisticians. The lecture series, established at the initiative of Cornell administrators and faculty, will be given every two years by a distinguished African American, Latino, or Native American mathematician. The lecturer will receive a plaque and an honorarium of $1000. The first speaker will be selected in 2002. "We, the minority communities at Cornell University, would like to honor the mathematical and personal achievements of David Blackwell and Richard Tapia," said Carlos Castillo-Chavez, one of the organizers of the conference and an instigator of the new lecture series. "We feel that it is critically important that current and future generations of African Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans, as well as current and future generations of non-minorities, learn and remember the achievements of these two extraordinarily talented and productive mathematicians. The establishment of this lecture series also recognizes their continuous efforts in creating, supporting, and maintaining opportunities for minority scientists, statisticians and mathematicians across the nation."

42. Spring 2000 Speaker Abstracts This presentation will focus on African and African american mathematicians, sincethese contributions are, for the most part, not included in mathematics http://www.math.vt.edu/org/maa/spr00/abstrcts.html

MAA MD-DC-VA Section Spring 2000 Meeting Bowie State University Invited Speaker Abstracts John W. Alexander Jr. Rebecca Berg Melvin Currie Victor Katz ... Zorn John W. Alexander Jr. The History of Mathematics in Color People from all ethnic backgrounds have made contributions to the development of mathematics and continue to do so today. This presentation will focus on African and African American mathematicians, since these contributions are, for the most part, not included in mathematics history books published in this country. Recent research has come to show that many of the developments in mathematics that had been attributed to the Greeks were, in fact, the work of early Egyptians. Many centuries before the time of the Greeks, the Egyptian priests had developed a complete curriculum for training of their members. This included philosophy, writing, astronomy, geometry, engineering and architecture. Historians contend that upper class Greeks completed their education by studying with Mesopotamian or Egyptian teachers. It is documented that mathematics developed by the Egyptians was highly elaborate and theoretical, as well as quite accurate. These scholars invented algebra, trigonometry, and progression, both arithmetic and geometric. Recordings on the Ahmes Papyrus (1650 BC) and other papyri give evidence to this. Complex construction projects such as the pyramids, temples and cities further attest to the expertise of early Egyptian mathematicians.

43. MD-DC-VA MAA Spring Section Meeting will touch on both African contributions to the mathematics of ancient Greece, aswell as contemporary accomplishments of African american mathematicians. . . http://www.math.vt.edu/org/maa/spr00/

MAA MD-DC-VA Section Spring 2000 Meeting Bowie State University April 28-29 NEW: Mathematical Modeling Competition Presentation Added. Click HERE for details. This page last updated 4/23/2000 Program Highlights Program Details Call for papers Student Information ... Registration Program Highlights The spring meeting of the MD/DC/VA Section of the MAA will be held April 28 and 29 at Bowie State University , Bowie, MD. The program will begin with a reception and banquet Friday evening, featuring an address by John W. Alexander Jr., President of the National Association of Mathematicians (NAM) and Professor at Spelman College. Saturday there will be addresses by Paul Zorn, Editor of Mathematics Magazine and Professor at St. Olaf College, and Melvin Currie, National Security Agency, as well as a workshop by Victor Katz, University of DC, and Rebecca Berg, Bowie State, contributed papers, and exhibits. Featured Speakers John W. Alexander, Jr President, National Association of Mathematicians (NAM) Professor, Spelman College Dr. John W. Alexander, Jr. (Jack) has held faculty positions at a variety of institutions, including Boston State College, Wentworth Institute of Technology, University of the District of Columbia, Atlanta Metropolitan College, and Spelman College. His involvement with education has many facets: teacher, department chair, dean, National Academy of Sciences staff officer, and research mathematician and director for the Board on Mathematical Sciences. In addition he has extensive nonacademic experience, working in industry (General Electric, Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Company, Futures Group "Think Tank") and even serving as a State Department Mathematics Consulting Director to the West African Regional Mathematics Program in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Ghana. He has been president of the National Association of Mathematicians since 1994.

44. ASPIREPUBLICATIONS ASPIRE PUBLICATIONS. FIVE FIRSTS AMONG AFRICANamerican mathematicians BY PROFESSORLINDA C. LOHMAN (MATH), EDITED BY PROFESSOR SHARI BENNETT (MATH) DR. http://aspireworld.homestead.com/aspirepublications.html

This web site was created for FREE at www.homestead.com. Visit www.homestead.com to get your free web site - no programming required. Javascript is either disabled or not supported by this browser. This page may not appear properly. Home Home ASPIRE PUBLICATIONS T HE FOLLOWING PUBLICATIONS ARE NOW AVAILABLE. MORE WILL BE AVAILABLE SOON. FIVE FIRSTS AMONG AFRICAN-AMERICAN MATHEMATICIANS BY PROFESSOR LINDA C. LOHMAN (MATH PROFESSOR) EDITED BY PROFESSOR SHARI BENNETT MARTIN LUTHER KING JR: PORTRAIT OF AN AMERICAN PATRIOT BY PROFESSOR BOB MILLER (PHYSICIST/ENGINEER) EDITED BY PROFESSOR SHARI BENNETT AFRICAN-AMERICAN WINNERS OF THE CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR BY PROFESSOR BOB MILLER (PHYSICIST/ENGINEER) EDITED BY PROFESSOR SHARI BENNETT (MATH) AFRICAN-AMERICAN WINNERS OF THE PULITZER PRIZE BY PROFESSOR BOB MILLER (PHYSICIST/ENGINEER) EDITED BY PROFESSOR SHARI BENNETT (MATH) WOMEN IN SCIENCE: NOBEL LAUREATES BY MRS. KATHERINE MILLER DANNER (PROBATION OFFICER E DITED BY PROFESSOR SHARI BENNETT (MATH) WOMEN INVENTORS AND ENGINEERS BY MS. SANDY HAMMOND (PURDUE) AND BOB MILLER

45. Biographies Of Women Mathematical Scientists And History Of Women In Mathematica PC Kenschaft,Black men and women in mathematical research Discusses notableblack american mathematicians including Gloria COnyers Hewitt. http://www.uoregon.edu/~wmnmath/Publications/Bibliographies/bio-a.html

Biographies of Women Mathematical Scientists and History of Women in Mathematical Sciences Abstracts Math teacher Delores Wilkins dies at age 61 Delores Wilkins, 61, a mathematics teacher at Langston Hughes Middle School in Reston VA who was a past president of the Reston chapter of the National Council of Negro Women, died May 11, 1995 Schools courting teen math whiz Article on math prodigy Ruth Lawrence. D. J. Albers and C. Reid ,An interview with Mary Ellen Rudin Interview on Mary Ellen Rudin conducted an International Congress of Mathematics in Berkeley, CA in 1986. Many photographs accompany the article. R. C. Archibald ,Women as Mathematicains and Astronomers Includes suggested topics for undergraduate math club programs and brief biographical information. H. Bromberg ,Grace Murray Hopper: A Remembrance Memorium of U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Hopper, who died January 1, 1992 and was co-inventor of the computer language COBOL. L. L. Bucciarelli and N. Dworsky ,Sophie Germain: An Essay in the History of the Theory of Elasticity Sophie Germain (1776-1831) of France worked in both number theory and physics. Her work in physics on the modes of vibration of elastic surfaces won a competition sponsored by the French Academy of Science in 1809.

46. NOAA, History Of Tidal Analysis And Prediction Among the american mathematicians who have had an important part in the developmentof this subject may be named Professor William Ferrel and Dr. Rollin A http://co-ops.nos.noaa.gov/predhist.html

History of Tidal Analysis and Prediction Early example of a "real-time" tide gauge. Mechanical tide gauges were first used in the United States in the 1850s. This old wooden station, used in 1897 at Fort Hamilton, New York, is one of the earliest examples of a real-time, tide-measuring device. When entering or leaving the port, mariners would view this station through binoculars. The pointer indicates the present level of the water while the vertical arrow indicates whether the tide is rising or falling. People who live in coastal areas or who look to the sea for their livelihood have been observing the tides and tidal currents for many years. They have used their observations and practical knowledge in a variety of ways to their advantage. For example, it has aided them in timing the sailing of ships to and from port. It has also aided them in maintaining aquaculture and fishery activities in the inter-tidal zone near their shores. Back A more theoretical study of tidal phenomena was undertake by notable people from the past. The work of the people highlighted here has formed the basis of present-day tidal analysis and prediction as practiced in the National Ocean Service. Sir William Thomson (Lord Kelvin) devised the method of reduction of tides by harmonic analysis In 1867 the British Association for the Advancement of Science appointed a committee for the purpose of promoting the extension, improvement, and harmonic analysis of tidal observations. The report on the subject was prepared by Sir William Thomson and was published in the Report of the British Association for the Advancement of Science in 1868. Supplementary reports were made from time to time by the tidal committee and published in subsequent reports of the British association. A few years later a committee, consisting of Professors G. H. Darwin and J. C. Adams, drew up a very full report on the subject, which was published in the Report of the British Association for the Advancement of Science in 1883.

47. A 5th Century B http//www.cs.yale.edu/homes/tap/Files/hopperstory.html. Information about Africanamerican mathematicians http//www.math.buffalo.edu/mad/00.INDEXmad.html. http://faculty.salisbury.edu/~jabergner/women.htm

Women and mathematics: An abbreviated timeline th century B.C. Theano (wife of Phythagoreas ) and her 2 daughters run his school after his death th century A.D . Hypatia Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia received the Doctorate of Philosophy degree from the University of Padua . At age thirty-two she was the first woman in the world to receive a doctorate degree. 1748 Maria Gaetana Agnesi published her textbook on calculus that she wrote for her brothers’ instruction, it caused a sensation in the academic world. It was one of the first and most complete works on finite and infinitesimal analysis. (1776-1831) Sophie Germain persistently pursued studying mathematics, even published under male pseudonyms Sofia Kovalevskaia earns the first doctorate in mathematics in modern times, she actually wrote 2 dissertations on the subject “Many who have had an opportunity of knowing any more about mathematics confuse it with arithmetic, and consider it an arid science. In reality, however, it is a science which requires a great amount of imagination” Christine Ladd-Franklin leaves John Hopkins after completing her dissertation in logic but not beign awarded a doctorate because she was a woman 1886 Winifred Edgerton is the first woman to be granted the Ph.D. in mathematics

48. Voices From The Field There are supplementary resources for teachers in every subject, ie math teacherscan introduce Africanamerican mathematicians or early African mathematicians http://education.indiana.edu/cas/tt/v2i2/when.html

Voices From the Field The articles that follow represent either actual or adapted responses from various educators regarding issues relating to diversity. When the Teacher is a Minority Working with a Racially Mixed Population Teaching in an African-American Immersion School When the Teacher is a Minority Dear Colleagues, I just want to let you know what it's like being a black teacher in a predominantly white school. I approach my teaching the same way I would approach it if I were in a racially mixed school. Since one of my firm beliefs in teaching is to integrate multiculturalism, I put up a display about scientists from different ethnic backgrounds each month. For example, September was Hispanic heritage month (nationally) and I made a bulletin board of Hispanic scientists. I chose October to be German month, since nationally it was not designated for a special ethnic group. I come from the island of St. Marten and was raised speaking British English, so my students find my choice of words sometimes funny and they like to correct me. Since the purpose of class is to learn, I look at it as a chance for students to teach me as well. I teach them chemistry and they teach me how to pronounce "picture" correctly. Sometimes it is a revelation for them to find out that things are correct even if it is not the "normal" way of saying them. For example, I say the plural of fish is fishes, they say it is fish. We looked it up in a dictionary and found out that we were both right, even though my way was different. We learn from each other.

49. Tracing The African American Experience TOP OF PAGE. Mathematicians of African Diaspora Profiles of over 400male and female African and Africanamerican mathematicians. http://gateway.library.uiuc.edu/doc/Exhibits/AfricanAmericanHistory/AfricanAmeri

Tracing the African American Experience Governmental Online Resources Non-Governmental Online Resources home This website is designed as a resource for researching and exploring African American history and culture. You will find that these resources are an amazing, although select, few of online Governmental and Non-governmental documents and images available via the World Wide Web. Through these links, the Government Documents Library hopes that you learn and expand your appreciation of the history and contributions made by African Americans. Governmental Online Resources African-American History and Culture by the Library of Congress An illustrated guide offered by their Manuscripts Division, this site has valuable collections. The Library's holdings include information about slavery, the slave trade, aspects of plantation life, papers of slaveholders, slave narratives, manuscripts of black and white abolitionists such as Frederick Douglass and Salmon P. Chase, records of the American Colonization Society that detail the saga of African Americans who left the United States and establishing the West African nation of Liberia in the mid- nineteenth century. Papers relating to black participation and victimization in the Civil War abound, and African-American history during Reconstruction is reflected in collections pertaining to newly elected black officials such as John Mercer Langston, Blanche K. Bruce, Hiram R. Revels, and Francis L. Cardozo. TOP OF PAGE Underground Railroad Archeological Initiative The Underground Railroad Archeological Initiative is being coordinated in partnership with government, scholarly, avocational, and historic preservation communities. This project is a multi-year effort to identify, interpret and protect nationally significant archeological properties associated with the Underground Railroad.

50. Mid-Hudson Library System /ALL Num Mark SUBJECTS (12 of 2) Year Entries 2 Found 1 Afro american mathematicians1987 1 2 Afro american mathematicians Biography 1991 1. http://gigcat.midhudson.org:90/kids/10,889,932/search/d?Afro-American mathematic

51. Mathematics Library Resources--College Of St. Catherine Libraries Mathematicians of the African Diaspora African american mathematicians. Createdby the Mathematics Department of the State University of New York at Buffalo. http://www.stkate.edu/library/guides/math.html

St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota research guides library handouts quick reference guides library workshops ... help with technology issues Mathematics: a library resource guide Contents: Indexes to journal articles Full-text Journals World Wide Web sites Reference books ... Books Indexes The following indexes can be used to identify citations to articles in the field of mathematics. Full-text options follow this section. General Science Index (Wilson) Print - covers 1978-1995. Lower Level Indexes Q1 .G4 . Your best bet for finding older articles. The following are FirstSearch databases, available to the St. Catherine community only: General Science Index (Wilson) Online - covers 1984 present. Select topic area General Science. (Wilson) Online - covers 1983-present. Select topic area About off-campus access Full-Text Journals Databases: The following databases provide articles in full-text and are available to the St. Catherine community. Users from off-campus will be prompted to enter the 14 digit library barcode found on the college ID card. ScienceDirect (journals published by Elsevier and Academic Press): Coverage for most titles begins in 1996 through the present issue. To browse mathematics journals on ScienceDirect, select "Journals," then change "specific subject" to Mathematics journals and change "display" to Subscribed journals.

52. Director's Notes despite the strong internationalism of these places, they naturally favor germansand french; although there is a group of North american mathematicians who go http://www.pims.math.ca/birs/past_menu/dirnotes.html

PIMS Director's Notes Nassif Ghoussoub, FRSC I will always remember how quickly Uffe Haagerup solved our problem. It was in 1986, late at night in one of the many memorable visits to Oberwolfach. My main contribution was simply to realize that a great specialist in Von Neumann Algebras was living among us. My first visit to Luminy came much later during a sabbatical leave from PIMS in the fall of 1999. By then, I had a new angle or perspective on mathematical research. Now, I was not only interested in how to practice it as a researcher, but also in how to facilitate it as an institute director. It soon became clear to me that the time had arrived for North America to develop its own Oberwolfach/Luminy center. Soon after, the PIMS executive committee enthusiastically endorsed the idea and here we are, almost 18 months later, awaiting a crucial site visit on June 15 and a historic decision by NSERC, ASRA and the NSF. The arduous journey of building PIMS wouldn't have been accomplished without the unconditional support and commitment of friends like Arvind Gupta and Ed Perkins. The road to the MITACS network couldn't have been travelled without visionary companions like Don Dawson, Luc Vinet and Steve Halperin. Here again, call it luck, I feel extraordinarily priviledged to be working on this initiative with colleagues like Robert V. Moody and David Eisenbud. With their outstanding scientific credentials, vision, dedication and integrity, the Banff station will soon be ready to be a great new resource for the world's scientific community.

53. Links position articles. National Association of Mathematicians (NAM) Lookingfor African american mathematicians? This is for you. NAM http://www.units.muohio.edu/sumsri/links.html

Useful Links Table of Contents Historical Information Finding a Graduate School and Funding It Undergraduate Research Opportunities Finding Internships ... Other Networking Sources Historical Information Mathematicians of the African Diaspora- www.math.buffalo.edu/mad/mad0.html Women in Math Project- http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~wmnmath/ The MacTutor History of Mathematics Archives- http://www-history.mcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/history/index.html Finding a Graduate School that is right for you Graduate School Survivor Information www.cs.umd.edu/~oleary/gradstudy/gradstudy.html This is a 13 chapter on-line booklet on everything from finding the right graduate school in computer science and mathematics, to jobs in government and industry. The author also discusses such mundane topics as applying for graduate school, the life of a graduate student and professional ethics. Compare Ph.D. granting institutions www. phds.org/ratings/ This is a site strictly for science, math and engineering careers. If you are looking for the right graduate school, you can actually choose what parameters you wish to compare. Number of minorities granted Ph.D.'s? Number of women granted Ph.D.'s? Size of campus? Student/Prof ratio? Small town vs. City? This site also has articles on career development for mathematicians! The AMS publishes a book called Assistantships and Graduate Fellowships in the Mathematical Sciences every year. It can be found through the AMS bookstore

54. Mathematics Links parents. General Mathematical References Africanamerican mathematiciansThis list is from the Ask Dr. Math portion of the Math Forum. http://www.unc.edu/depts/cmse/mathlinks.html

CMSE Online Front Page Mathematics Links A Super Site! Math Forum A large and very well organized site, the Math Forum includes links to lesson plans, software, and many other resources including the outstanding Ask Dr. Math feature. Special index pages for students , for teachers , and for parents General Mathematical References African-American Mathematicians This list is from the Ask Dr. Math portion of the Math Forum. It includes links to more information on each mathematician. Ask Dr. Math Look here first for answers to questions about any school mathematics topic. Biographies of Women Mathematicians This very comprehensive site is maintained by mathematics students at Agnes Scott College in Atlanta. Dave's Math Tables Assorted mathematical reference information, including geometric formulas, algebraic identities, and formulas from trig and calculus. Posted by Scientific Instrument Services, Inc. Dictionary of Units of Measurement CMSE Director Russ Rowlett's site.Complete dictionary of units, both metric and traditional, with conversion factors. MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive This site, maintained by the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, has biographies of more than 1300 mathematicians, plus a variety of interesting articles on mathematics history.

55. Great Mathematicians: Recommended Reading: Science And Technology Department: Ca buffalo.edu/mad/mad0.html This is a list of important African american mathematicianscompiled by the Math Department at the University of New York at Buffalo. http://www.clpgh.org/locations/scitech/reading/mathematicians.html

Select Library Area: Article Search Ask a Librarian Branches Careers at CLP Computer Classes Directions Employment Genealogy/History Homework Help Hours Kids' Site Library Subject Guide Renew a Book Request a Book Search Subject Departments Support the Library Teens' Site Web Resource Guide Sci/Tech About Us Sci/Tech Links Sci/Tech Databases ... Contact Us Subject Search: Web Site Catalog Internet Search Sci/Tech Recommended Reading Great Mathematicians GENERAL REFERENCES Franceschetti, Donald R., ed. Biographical Encyclopedia of Mathematicians Marshall Cavendish, 1999 This two volume set chronicles the lives of the most prominent mathematicians form Galileo to Von Neumann. Each entry includes personal information, as well as an explanation of his or her mathematical work. Simmons, George Finlay Calculus Gems: Brief Lives and Memorable Mathematics McGraw-Hill, 1992 Rather than listing mathematicians alphabetically, Calculus Gems uses a chronological format. It is a great reference for someone interested in an era of mathematics. The second part of the book includes some of the most important discoveries in the field. Young, Robyn V. and Minderovic, Zoran

56. Encryption Policy Statement This is exactly the strategy employed by many respected american mathematiciansand jurists in their attempts to educate American judges and government http://www.manifold.net/home/crypt.html

Encryption Policy Statement Secure Communications with Manifold: If you have PGP, use our PGP key to send us unbreakable messages. When sending a PGP-encrypted message, send it as an attachment to your email. Do not include it as the "body" of your email, since some mailers will alter the sequence of characters slightly and thus render the encrypted message undecodable. Although it is illegal for us to provide you with PGP, we have been informed by our international clients that there are many international sites providing free download of PGP. See the commentary below for examples of international access to PGP If you do not have PGP, you may write a message into a plain text file and then encrypt it by using WinZip , or ARJ or similar archiving program with a password Attach the archived or zipped text to an email message and send it to us. You may include the password in the same email, or for maximum security, send the password in a second email. This method is not as secure as PGP, but it is secure as most bank transactions. Editorial Commentary on Encryption Regulations manifold.net

57. BPS Patriotic Themes - March School, March. Brockton High School. · The Math and Science Departments willtake the lead for March by honoring american mathematicians and scientists. http://www.brocktonpublicschools.com/media/patriotic-march.htm

BPS Home Page Patriotic Happenings - March BROCKTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS PATRIOTIC THEMES School March Brockton High School The Math and Science Departments will take the lead for March by honoring American mathematicians and scientists Displays will be set up around the school There will be Main Office announcements recognizing the contributions of American mathematicians and scientists Ithaka The Lincoln School will highlight local family members who have been deployed in the Mideast Crisis. Emphasis will focus on the impact and hardships placed on the families and their pride and support of their family member Phoenix Alternative Program The Cost of Violence theme will continue The District Attorney's Office will continue working with students Social studies classes are grappling with issues presented by current events as we wage war on terrorism East Junior High School March is designated National Women's History Month, with the theme "Women Pioneering the Future" Students will learn about women who inspired, influenced, and impacted our nation's history Students will gain their knowledge by conducting research on specified topics, with some students selected to present their projects at a breakfast celebration at the end of the month

58. Nature Publishing Group North american mathematicians will soon be able to immerse themselves in theirthoughts at a purposebuilt hideaway high in the Canadian Rockies. http://www.nature.com/cgi-taf/DynaPage.taf?file=/nature/journal/v412/n6850/full/

59. Nat'l Academies Press, Experiments In International Benchmarking Of U.S. Researc One panel consisted mostly of mathematicians (it included eight american mathematicians),the other mostly of non mathematicians (it included two American http://www.nap.edu/books/0309068983/html/49.html

Experiments in International Benchmarking of U.S. Research Fields National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine ( SEM Related Books Openbook Linked Table of Contents Front Matter, pp. i-x Executive Summary, pp. 1-3 1 Introduction, pp. 4-8 2 Methodology, pp. 9-12 3 Results of the Benchmarking Exper..., pp. 13-19 4 Findings, pp. 20-23 5 Discussion, pp. 24-26 6 Conclusion, pp. 27-28 Appendix A: Committee on Science, E..., pp. 29-36 Appendix B: Excerpts from National ..., pp. 37-48 Appendix C: Workshop on Internation..., pp. 49-58 Attachment I: International Benchma..., pp. 59-126 Attachment II: International Benchm..., pp. 127-248 Attachment III: International Bench..., pp. 249-306 THIS PAGE You may want to explore these Related Books Openbook Linked Table of Contents Front Matter, pp. i-x Executive Summary, pp. 1-3 1 Introduction, pp. 4-8 2 Methodology, pp. 9-12 3 Results of the Benchmarking Exper..., pp. 13-19 4 Findings, pp. 20-23 5 Discussion, pp. 24-26 6 Conclusion, pp. 27-28 Appendix A: Committee on Science, E..., pp. 29-36 Appendix B: Excerpts from National ..., pp. 37-48

60. A European Mathematical Database North american mathematicians already in effect own such a database via theownership of Mathematical Reviews by the American Mathematical Society. http://www.emis.de/etc/coates.html

A European Mathematical Database J.H. Coates Chairman Database Committee European Mathematical Society Europe has been the cradle of mathematical research and publication over the last four hundred years. However, Europe's historical role in both publication and research is being threatened on several fronts. In particular, new electronic technology is currently bringing about a profound revolution in the communication and publication of mathematical research. While it is still impossible to foresee at present the full ramifications of this electronic revolution, it is already clear that there is now both the need and the technology to create a comprehensive database of all mathematical publications, which is centred in Europe and owned by the European mathematical community via the European Mathematical Society. Such a European database would be an invaluable research tool for future generations of mathematicians around the world. In addition, it would provide both competition and different traditions to databases emanating from North American sources. The present article sets out both the background and plans for achieving this goal, via an evolution of Zentralblatt f"ur Mathematik und ihre Grenzgebiete. Why action is needed now. Firstly, the current state of technology now makes it feasible to build comprehensive electronic databases, with efficient accessing procedures. In parallel, there is the fact that many journals are now published with an electronic version, and consequently it is much easier to transfer data about the contents of these journals to a central database. It should also be stressed that the vital commercial interests of both private companies and mathematical societies need in no way be compromised by transferring limited information about the contents of their journals (e.g. tables of contents and summaries of articles) to a central database at the time of publication. It may even be possible to eventually persuade many publishers to provide the database with complete copies of their journals several years after their initial publication. Secondly, it is self evident that the ownership of all major databases in mathematics should be clearly vested in the community of mathematicians which produced much of the mathematics in them in the first place. North American mathematicians already in effect own such a database via the ownership of Mathematical Reviews by the American Mathematical Society. Until such time as the European Mathematical Society succeeds in establishing a comprehensive database of its own, there is a danger of the vacuum in Europe being filled by the American Mathematical Society dominating databases on the world scene. This scenario would ultimately lead to a downgrading of Europe's place in international mathematical research. Finally, all mathematicians are aware of the explosive growth in the numbers of both journals and less formal forms of publications which has come with the electronic revolution. In many ways, the cosy traditional world which existed up until the early 1980's, in which a mathematician could keep track of most publications in his field by scanning the contents of a fairly stable list of journals, many of them of long pedigree, on the shelves of his or her university library, is now being profoundly modified. If future generations are to maintain the great mathematical practice of citing in research papers all closely related earlier literature, it seems that this will only be feasible by the systematic use of a comprehensive database. Short term plans. The European mathematical community is fortunate in already possessing the beginnings of an excellent database. Zentralblatt f"ur Mathematik exists both as a conventional printed reviewing journal, and as the electronic database MATH covering all Zentralblatt back issues until 1931, which is available either on CD-ROM or via WWW-access. Zentralblatt is currently run by the Heidelberger Akademie der Wissenschaften, and published by FIZ Karlsruhe, and Springer Verlag. These bodies have invited the European Mathematical Society to collaborate with them to ensure the future evolution of Zentralblatt into a database second to none in the world, which will become an everyday tool for the working mathematician. The European Mathematical Society has willingly accepted this invitation, with the firm understanding that the ownership of this database should in the long term be placed in the hands of the mathematical community. As a first step in the development of this database, the European Mathematical Society has already taken several concrete steps to encourage a more widespread electronic use of Zentralblatt as part of its electronic information service EMIS. Indeed, EMIS now provides a service by which any user, irrespective of whether or not he or she is a subscriber to MATH, or a member of the European Mathematical Society, can carry out limited searches in MATH. Secondly, the Society has just launched a new facility on EMIS called CAP-EMS (Current Awareness of Mathematical Publications). In this new service, publishers will automatically provide the basic data needed by Zentralblatt from the electronic files used for the publication of their journals. This data will consist of tables of contents, together with abstracts when available (or in some cases the first page of each article). It will be freely available for all to consult in EMIS for one year from its date of deposit. At the same time, the data sent to CAP-EMS will be stored permanently in MATH, and will be subject to the usual editorial and review procedures of Zentralblatt. It is hoped to persuade the vast majority of journals published in Europe, and many from elsewhere, to participate in the CAP-EMS scheme. The ownership of the data submitted to CAP-EMS will already be vested in the European Mathematical Society. It should also be stressed that a number of European initiatives are already under way with the aim of exploiting new technology to develop mathematical publication and documentation. The European Mathematical Society has launched its ``Electronic Library of Mathematics'' in EMIS. It will soon contain 30 journals plus conference proceedings, and is freely accessible to any user from 30 mirror servers around the world. The MathDocCell in Grenoble, which is a joint partnership between the University Joseph Fourier, the CNRS and the French Ministry of Education, has made important contributions to the development of software for making efficient searches in the database MATH of Zentralblatt. More generally, the MathDocCell provides an excellent model for a much broader European involvement in Zentralblatt. French and German mathematicians are also participating in developing an electronic version of ``Jahrbuch ueber der Fortschritte die Mathematik'' from 1868-1940. Longer term plans. It is self evident that the long term success of a major database depends on three key ingredients. Firstly, the contents must be very comprehensive, covering nearly all current publications and as large a part as possible of past mathematical literature. Secondly, it must be widely and frequently used by most working mathematicians, who perceive it as a tool as important as the traditional university library (indeed, one might hope with the development of technology that the full contents of most older journals would become available in the database). Thirdly, it must have a sound financial basis, with subscriptions prices being set at a level just sufficient to meet the true costs of running the database and to provide the financial investment needed for its long term development. The European Mathematical Society plans to take action to determine what facilities and services most mathematicians would like in a database of the future. Key questions here include whether or not such a database should be purely electronic, what status a publication should have to be included in the database, and how much effort should be expended in seeking reviewers for articles listed in the database. At the same time, it will do all in its power to promote the use of Zentralblatt by the mathematical community, and to persuade publishers to provide free data for Zentralblatt. In this way, it hopes to come up with a series of concrete proposals about how it might be best for Zentralblatt to evolve over the next five years. Because of the rapid evolution of electronic technology, there will also be a long term need for regular evaluations of the database by the Society. Once the longer term plans of operation for Zentralblatt as a database have been agreed by all relevant parties, The European Mathematical Society will seek the support of the national mathematical societies to appoint a database officer and to establish a database node in each European country. Any costs attached to running these nodes would eventually have to be met from subscriptions to the database. The role of the node would be to generally oversee the automatic collection of material for the database from journals published in that country. The node would equally oversee the operation and access to the database by mathematicians working in that country. An excellent model for such a node is provided by the MathDocCell in Grenoble. Its existence is a first concrete step towards the development of Zentralblatt on a Europe wide basis. The issue of funding the database both in the short term and in the long term remains a difficult one, which must at all costs be solved for the future health of European mathematical research. The European Mathematical Society does not have the financial resources to make a direct financial contribution towards the running of the database, and it recognizes fully that the same is true for the national mathematical societies. It believes that a major part of the funding required to run the database will always have to come from subscriptions. It also believes that the mathematical community will indeed be willing to pay a fair subscription price for a database which genuinely meets its needs. However, the Society feels it can make important contributions to the problems of funding. Specifically, it will do all in its power to persuade the European Union to provide significant financial support to establish the database as an essential large facility for mathematical research in Europe. It will also work with the Heidelberger Akademie der Wissenschaften, FIZ Karlsruhe, and Springer Verlag to make transparent and public the basic cost of running the database and will then advise these bodies on what it feels are fair subscription levels.

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