James G. Glimm Elected as Next AMS President

November 30, 2005

Providence, RI---James G. Glimm, Distinguished Professor of Applied Mathematics and Statistics at Stony Brook University, has been elected as the next President of the American Mathematical Society. His two-year term begins in January 2007, when he will succeed the current AMS President, James G. Arthur of the University of Toronto.

Glimm is one of the outstanding mathematicians of recent times. He has made deep and original contributions in a variety of areas in both pure and applied mathematics. His early work in the theory of operator algebras was seminal, and today the "Glimm algebras" that bear his name continue to play an important role in this vibrant area of research. In mathematical physics, Glimm worked on problems in quantum field theory, quantum statistical mechanics, shock wave theory, and scientific computation. He represents a new breed of mathematicians who see no boundaries between purely theoretical research and practical applications.

As the chair of the Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics at SUNY Stony Brook, Glimm built up existing groups in fluid dynamics and statistics and also launched new efforts in computational geometry and computational biology. He has also provided essential scientific leadership for the establishment of the Center for Data Intensive Computing at Brookhaven National Laboratory.

Born in 1934 in Peoria, Illinois, Glimm received his PhD in mathematics from Columbia University in 1959. His honors include the New York Academy Prize in the Physical and Mathematical Sciences (1979), the Dannie Heineman Prize for Mathematical Physics (1980), and the AMS Steele Prize for a Seminal Contribution to Research (1993). He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1984. In 2002, he received the National Medal of Science, the country's highest honor for research in mathematics and science.

For the full results of the 2005 AMS Election, visit the web page http://www.ams.org/secretary/ams-election-results.html.

For more information, contact:

Mike Breen or Annette Emerson, AMS Public Awareness Officers
Email: paoffice@ams.org
Telephone: 401-455-4000

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Founded in 1888 to further mathematical research and scholarship, the more than 30,000-member American Mathematical Society fulfills its mission through programs and services that promote mathematical research and its uses, strengthen mathematical education, and foster awareness and appreciation of mathematics and its connections to other disciplines and to everyday life.