JMM Partner Spotlights

Founded in 1888, the American Mathematical Society (AMS) is dedicated to advancing research and connecting the diverse global mathematical community. The AMS counts some 30,000 individual members worldwide in all professions in the mathematical sciences and all stages of their careers, plus 570 institutional members.

The AMS publishes numerous research journals, including the new diamond open-access Communications of the American Mathematical Society, and maintains a well-known book publishing program. The electronic database MathSciNet offers access to reviews, abstracts, and bibliographic information curated by mathematicians. Additionally, the AMS offers fellowships, employment services, professional programs, and more, and it is active in policy and advocacy in Washington, DC.

The AMS is the primary logistics coordinator of the reimagined JMM, ensuring a rich program with contributions from members of the mathematical community and more than a dozen society partners. AMS panels and workshops will explore pure and applied research; careers in business, industry, and government; and equity, diversity and inclusion. In addition, a plethora of AMS Special Sessions organized by members of the community will encompass topics across research and education.

“I’m beyond excited for this collaborative convening of the entire mathematics community at the next JMM,” said AMS Executive Director Catherine Roberts. “Seeing all our partners contribute to the program has been truly inspiring, and I’m confident that the reimagined JMM will offer something for everyone.”

Two new AMS invited addresses will debut at JMM 2022, both aimed at broad audiences. Tyler Jarvis, a professor at Brigham Young University, will deliver the AMS Lecture on Education. Hee Oh, the Abraham Robinson Professor of Mathematics at Yale University, will give the AMS Erdős Memorial Lecture. Seven others will also deliver AMS invited addresses this year:

• Anna Gilbert, Yale University (AMS von Neumann Lecture)
• Daniel Reuben Krashen, Rutgers University
• Dan Margalit, Georgia Institute of Technology (AMS Maryam Mirzakhani Lecture)
• Gaston Mandata N'Guerekata, Morgan State University
• Jill Pipher, Brown University (AMS Retiring Presidential Address)
• Karen Smith, University of Michigan (AMS Colloquium Lectures)
• Eitan Tadmor, University of Maryland (AMS Josiah Willard Gibbs Lecture)

“We’re preparing a new table, one that is created for mathematicians, by mathematicians,” said Torina Lewis, AMS Associate Executive Director for Meetings and Professional Services. “I’m especially looking forward to connecting with mathematicians from around the world.”

Learn more about AMS membership and see a list of AMS Special Sessions for JMM 2022.

Founded in 1839, the American Statistical Association (ASA) is the world’s largest community of statisticians, with more than 19,000 members in academia, industry, and government worldwide. Its vision is a world that relies on data and statistical thinking to drive discovery and inform decisions.

The ASA’s wide-ranging activities include publishing technical journals and general-interest magazines, disseminating educational resources at all levels, providing accreditation for statisticians, and elevating the role of statisticians in policymaking. Its current president is Robert Santos, vice president and chief methodologist at the Urban Institute and President Biden’s nominee to lead the U.S. Census Bureau. Katherine Ensor, the Noah G. Harding Professor of Statistics at Rice University, will serve as president in 2022.

“At the JMM, we will host a reception focused on justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in our profession, called the ASA JEDI reception. Building community is so important, so this event and others at the JMM will allow us to learn from each other and work to support professional development for all,” said Ji-Hyun Lee, a professor of biostatistics at the University of Florida and the ASA’s primary volunteer involved in the JMM. “We invite members of the community to join us in the planning of this event.”

The ASA is playing a key role in the development of the JMM’s scientific program. Along with the Committee on Presidents of Statistical Societies, the ASA will hold a plenary session featuring Xihong Lin, a professor of biostatistics at Harvard University and the coordinating director of the Program in Quantitative Genomics at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. Lin is also organizing a special session on the impacts of COVID-19.

“I am excited to attend the JMM for the first time. The energy that is being poured into this newly reorganized conference is fantastic,” Lee said. “I’m delighted that some ASA colleagues will be presenting at their first JMM, and I cannot wait to share this experience with them.”

Lee encouraged those interested in statistics and data science to get in touch with Director of Strategic Initiatives and Outreach Donna LaLonde (donnal@amstat.org) or Executive Director Ron Wasserstein (ron@amstat.org) to offer ideas for the JEDI reception, special sessions, and other activities for JMM 2023 and beyond. “And above all,” said Lee, “come to the meetings and connect with me!”

An international organization founded in 1936, the Association for Symbolic Logic (ASL) provides a forum for the presentation, publication, and critical discussion of scholarly work across the entire field of logical inquiry. Its members include logicians based in departments of mathematics, philosophy, and computer science. ASL publishes three journals and organizes regional meetings in North America, Europe, Latin America, Africa, East Asia, and Australasia.

At JMM 2022, ASL will host seven invited plenary talks by a variety of logicians:

• Lynn Scow, California State San Bernardino
• Jeremy Avigad, Carnegie Mellon University
• Franziska Jahnke, University of Münster
• Omer Ben-Neria, Einstein Institute of Mathematics, Jerusalem
• Erik Walsberg, University of California Irvine
• Peter Cholak, University of Notre Dame
• Sandra M¨ller, Technical University of Vienna

ASL is also organizing a contributed paper session on the model-theoretic classification program as well as a tutorial, "From noncommutative algebra to model theory - via Poisson algebras," led by Omar Leon Sanchez, a lecturer at the University of Manchester.

“Everyone attending JMM is welcome to attend all ASL programming,” said ASL President Julia Knight, the Charles L. Huisking Professor of Mathematics at the University of Notre Dame. “The new tutorial will, we hope, attract a number of mathematicians outside logic.”

ASL’s presence at the JMM strengthens the possibilities for cross-disciplinary connections. “Like many mathematical logicians, I like going to talks by mathematicians from other branches of mathematics,” Knight said. “I also enjoy seeing old friends and meeting and talking math with new people.”

Currently celebrating its 50-year anniversary, the Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM) has played a critical role in increasing the presence and visibility of women in the mathematical sciences. The organization now counts more than 3,500 members from the U.S. and around the world.

AWM programs include research communities, a mentor network, student chapters, and teacher partnerships. The AWM is active in policy and advocacy work, and the first issue of its flagship peer-reviewed research journal, La Matematica, will appear in January 2022. AWM’s current president is Kathryn Leonard, chair of the computer science department at Occidental College and director of the Center for Undergraduate Research in Mathematics.

“I love that AWM allows for connections between women in all sorts of mathematical roles: researchers, educators, administrators, students, retired folks,” said Leonard. “It’s the organization where I’ve been able to work closely with the widest variety of people.”

Active at the JMM for years, the AWM will continue all of its usual programming in 2022 and beyond. Those activities include a graduate student poster session, a career panel (this year on nontraditional career paths), a reception for posters and prize announcements, the AWM-AMS Noether Lecture (this year delivered by Marianna Csörnyei of the University of Chicago), and a business meeting.

At JMM 2022, the AWM will host nine special sessions:

• Women in Algebraic Geometry
• Women of Color in Combinatorics
• Celebrating the Mathematical Contributions of the AWM (this session will also introduce La Matematica)
• Mathematics in the Literary Arts and Pedagogy in Creative Settings
• Women in Geometry
• Women and Gender Minorities in Symplectic and Contact Geometry and Topology
• Women in Topology
• Women in Computational Topology

“JMM is one of my favorite events, and after a year of isolation, I’m looking forward to seeing math happen in person again,” Leonard said. “I’m also excited about the new JMM format. I’ve been told that the new opening reception will be great fun.”

Leonard invites all members of the community to take part in the AWM’s JMM activities. “We especially encourage folks to come learn about our new journal at the special session and to support the graduate students by attending the poster session,” she said.

With a focus on mathematical modeling, the Consortium for Mathematics and Its Applications (COMAP) strives to improve mathematics education at all levels. COMAP offers curriculum materials and professional development for teachers, conducts research on mathematics education, and runs contests in mathematical modeling for middle school, high school, and undergraduate students.

"I can't tell you how much we appreciate the partnership with JMM,” said Sol Garfunkel, the founder and executive director of COMAP. “Having the opportunity to reach out and show people all our different aspects—our materials, contests, and resources—is quite exciting for us, and we're really looking forward to it."

At JMM 2022, COMAP will hold two workshops. The first will introduce the organization’s new Certificate in Modeling Program for educators; the second will discuss how to bring interdisciplinarity into the math classroom through real-world modeling problems. In addition, COMAP is planning a special session about its modeling contests where attendees will hear from contest directors, faculty advisors, and students.

Garfunkel encourages those interested to stop by COMAP’s booth in the exhibit hall. "COMAP is about community—it's about people who are collaborating on new initiatives. To be able to connect in person is extremely important.”

The International Linear Algebra Society (ILAS) is an international organization that strives to highlight the beauty of research in linear algebra and its wide range of applications. Among its activities, ILAS publishes the Electronic Journal of Linear Algebra, awards internationally recognized prizes to linear algebra researchers, and organizes conferences across the world.

“The JMM is the perfect platform for ILAS to reach a wider audience and to interact with the members of the AMS and other dedicated partner societies in an exciting series of meetings," said ILAS President Daniel Szyld, a professor of mathematics at Temple University. “ILAS is very excited to bring to the JMM the latest research on several recent developments on diverse aspects of linear algebra.”

At JMM 2022, ILAS will host an invited address by Pauline van den Driessche, a professor emeritus at the University of Victoria, on sign pattern matrices and dynamical systems. ILAS is also planning three special sessions:

• The Inverse Eigenvalue Problem for a Graph, Zero Forcing, Throttling and Related Topics
• Matrix Analysis and Applications
• The Interplay of Matrix Analysis and Operator Theory.

Want to get involved with ILAS at the JMM? Szyld encourages you to reach out to ILAS Vice President for Conferences Raf Vandebril at raf.vandebril@kuleuven.be to learn more.

Named for esteemed mathematician Julia Robinson, who made crucial contributions to solving Hilbert’s tenth problem, the Julia Robinson Mathematics Festival (JRMF) seeks to inspire joy in mathematics through collaboration, exploration, and discovery. Since 2007, it has supported local hosts in organizing events in 26 states and 17 countries. JRMF offers high-quality, accessible K-12 educational materials and makes concerted efforts to reach and support underserved and underrepresented populations.

“My favorite aspect of JRMF is that every day we get to show both kids and adults that math is beautiful, joyful, and something that they can do with confidence,” said Daniel Kline, the executive director of JRMF. At the reimagined JMM, “we're excited to share the math that we are passionate about with others who love math as much as we do.”

In 2022, JRMF will have activities at the JMM Grand Opening Reception and hold a three-hour math festival in the exhibit hall at the end of the conference. In addition, JRMF is planning a workshop where attendees can learn how to bring math festivals to their own communities.

“We are also excited to learn about what others are doing in the mathematical community so that we can continue to support the network of individuals and organizations who promote the learning and appreciation of mathematics,” Kline said. To get in touch with JRMF, email info@jrmf.org.

Located in Berkeley, California, the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (MSRI) is one of the world’s preeminent centers for collaborative research. It hosts about 2,000 mathematical scientists each year to advance fundamental knowledge and train the next generation of researchers.

MSRI also cultivates public appreciation of mathematics through the YouTube channel Numberphile and other venues. Its current director is David Eisenbud, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and its current deputy director is Hélène Barcelo, a professor emeritus at Arizona State University.

“The JMM is a great occasion where mathematicians from the widest range of institutions come together to hear talks on the latest research and discuss the issues of the profession,” wrote Eisenbud and Barcelo. “There is no other conference in the U.S. that matches the breadth of the JMM.”

At JMM 2022, MSRI will hold two special sessions: the African Diaspora Joint Mathematics Workshop (ADJOINT) research showcase and the MSRI-UP undergraduate research showcase. Throughout the week, various participants in MSRI’s Summer Research in Mathematics program will present their work.

Barcelo and Eisenbud invite all JMM attendees to come to the special sessions and see the research done at MSRI, adding, “please also consider joining MSRI’s Archimedes Society and attending the special reception on Friday, January 7.”

Since its inception in 1969, the National Association of Mathematicians (NAM) has promoted excellence in the mathematical sciences. While membership is open to everyone, NAM seeks to advance the mathematical development of all underrepresented American minorities in general and African Americans in particular.

“NAM is a network of mathematicians, allies, and co-conspirators that support and empower each other in their personal and professional endeavors,” the organization’s executive committee wrote. “As such, NAM events are a reunion of friends and a time for rejuvenation of our commitment to racial and social justice and the mathematical sciences.” Currently leading the executive committee are President Omayra Ortega, an assistant professor at Sonoma State University, and Executive Director Leona Harris, a program analyst at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The other committee members are Vice-President Naiomi Cameron, Secretary Shea Burns, and Treasurer Cory Colbert. Each spring, NAM holds a two-day Regional Faculty Conference on Research and Teaching Excellence; each fall, it runs a three-day Undergraduate MATHFest, which encourages students to pursue advanced degrees in mathematics and mathematics education. Both gatherings are geared towards attendees from Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

NAM is helping shape the future of JMM, and JMM 2022 will feature six of NAM’s key annual events. Monica Jackson, interim deputy provost and dean of faculty at American University, will deliver the Claytor-Woodard Address, which recognizes concerted efforts to advance mathematical research for underrepresented American minorities. Robert Berry will present the Cox-Talbot Address, which honors both personal achievement and service to the mathematical community. Berry is the Samuel Braley Gray Professor of Mathematics Education and associate dean of diversity, equity, and inclusion at the University of Virginia. At the Haynes-Granville-Browne Session, recent PhD recipients will present their research. NAM will also hold a banquet, panel, and business meeting.

“We are sure that everyone is excited to engage with each other in person again. We miss our members!” wrote the executive committee. “NAM has been doing some great virtual meetings to keep our membership engaged, but we are ready now to connect more deeply, reunite with old friends, network, and meet old and new colleagues for face-to-face collaborations.”

To learn more about NAM members and events, check out the archive of NAM newsletters and visit the NAM booth in the JMM exhibit hall. The executive committee also encourages you to support the organization’s activities at JMM and beyond by donating to NAM.

The U.S. national mathematics honor society, Pi Mu Epsilon (PME) has chapters at more than 400 colleges and universities across 48 states and Washington, D.C. It promotes mathematical scholarship among undergraduates by awarding grants to support enrichment activities, publishing the work of its members in the Pi Mu Epsilon Journal, and funding students’ conference travel.

At JMM 2022, PME will host a panel called “What Every Student Should Know about the JMM” to help students get the most out of their JMM experience. The organization will also run two undergraduate student poster sessions.

“The student poster sessions promise to be an exciting and rewarding experience for presenters and attendees alike,” said PME Acting President and President-Elect Chad Awtrey, professor and chair of the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at Samford University. “The process of having students provide feedback to their fellow presenters is new for the JMM poster session, and all students will benefit from both receiving and producing such narratives.”

If you are an undergraduate student interested in presenting a poster, you can apply for travel funding through a National Science Foundation grant secured by the American Mathematical Society. Awtrey also invites JMM attendees to visit the exhibit hall to learn more about PME, collect freebies, and meet the leadership team.

The Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) advances the application of mathematics and computational science to engineering, industry, science, and society. With more than 14,000 individual members and 500 institutional members, SIAM’s community includes activity groups, student chapters, and geographic sections.

SIAM publishes high-impact books and journals, holds topical conferences, and offers a variety of career and educational programs, especially for students. The organization also advocates for science funding in Washington, D.C. and maintains an active presence in national discussions of STEM education. Its current president is Susanne C. Brenner, a Louisiana State University (LSU) System Boyd Professor. She holds a joint appointment with the LSU Department of Mathematics and the Center for Computation and Technology.

“SIAM excels at building cooperation between mathematics and the worlds of science and technology,” Brenner said. “Our Coordinating Committee for the JMM has put together an exciting program for JMM 2022.”

This year’s SIAM Invited Address, “Analysis and Applications of Nonlocal Models,” will be delivered by Qiang Du, the Fu Foundation Professor of Applied Mathematics at Columbia University. SIAM will also hold a reception on industrial mathematics modeling, as well as eight minisymposia:

• Nonlocal and Fractional Problems in Analysis and PDEs
• Advancing Racial Equity in Applied Mathematics
• Quantum Algorithms
• Lessons Learned: The Future of Online and Hybrid Modalities in Education and the Workplace
• Advances in Mathematical Biology
• Mathematics of Complex Systems
• Sensitivity Analysis and Uncertainty Quantification for Scientific and Biological Modes
• Graduate Research in Industry and National Laboratory Internships.

“I am looking forward to the reimagined JMM,” Brenner said. “The expanded programming will certainly provide an enriched conference experience for everyone.”

SIAM’s programming for JMM 2022 includes joint sessions with other JMM partner organizations. Among these are the Joint Policy Board for Mathematics Communications Award Lecture (this year delivered by Talithia Williams of Harvey Mudd College), the MAA-SIAM-AMS Hrabowski-Gates-Tapia-McBay Lecture (Dave Kung of the University of Texas at Austin), and the AMS-MAA-SIAM Gerald and Judith Porter Public Lecture (Lauren Williams of Harvard University).

Brenner invites all who are interested in applied mathematics to mark their calendars for the lectures and minisymposia. “We look forward to seeing you there!”

Spectra, the Association for LGBTQ+ Mathematicians, seeks to provide community and to advocate for gender and sexual minority mathematicians. “For example, over the last year I have really enjoyed working with a diverse group of academics from a range of fields to help push for more trans-inclusive naming practices in math and beyond,” said board member Juliette Bruce, a postdoc at the University of California, Berkeley.

At JMM 2022, Spectra will hold a panel on navigating the job market as an LGBTQ+ mathematician and a workshop on inclusive practices for LGBTQ+ mathematicians. The new Spectra Lavender Lecture will honor LGBTQ+ mathematicians who have made significant contributions to the mathematical sciences, mathematical education, or the mathematical community at large. Autumn Kent, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, will deliver the inaugural Lavender Lecture.

With the return to an in-person conference, “I am extremely excited for the social aspects of the JMM,” Bruce said. “I cannot wait to meet and catch up with friends and colleagues.” Spectra will also host a reception for LGBTQ+ mathematicians, students, and allies.

To become more involved in Spectra’s JMM efforts, Bruce invites you to contact her at juliette.bruce@berkeley.edu. And to learn more about Spectra’s activities beyond the JMM, read articles in the Notices of the AMS highlighting the history of Spectra and the rise of conferences for LGBTQ+ mathematicians.

Working closely with faculty leaders, university administrations, membership associations, and disciplinary societies, Transforming Post-Secondary Education in Mathematics (TPSE Math) pursues mathematically rich and relevant education for all students, regardless of their field of study. It aims to enable all students to develop the mathematical knowledge and skills necessary for productive engagement in society and in the workplace.

“We are excited for the opportunity to present to a large audience of community members and for the opportunities provided by the new JMM format,” said TPSE Math Chair Phillip Griffiths, a professor emeritus at the Institute for Advanced Study. “The mathematics community is facing special challenges and undergoing many changes. We are looking forward to being a voice in formulating future education directions.”

At JMM 2022, TPSE Math will inaugurate a series on the future of mathematics education. The panel will feature Johanna Hardin (Pomona College), Deanna Needell (University of California, Los Angeles), and Talitha Washington (Atlanta University Center Consortium), all innovators in undergraduate data science curricula. “Data science is providing our community the opportunity to offer a curriculum relevant to everyone’s daily life,” Griffiths said. TPSE Math will also hold a panel on strategies for enrollment and inclusion in innovative upper-division mathematics pathways.

Learn more about the activities of TPSE’s Mathematics Advisory Group