pop@ams.org
09/08/2005

Call for the 2007 Summer Research Conferences Proposals

The American Mathematical Society, the Institute of Mathematical Statistics, and the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics welcome proposals from mathematicians, either singly or in groups, for conferences to take place in the summer of 2007 as part of the Joint Summer Research Conferences. For over twenty-five years these conferences have played a vital role in disseminating the latest research to more than 9,000 mathematicians whose research interests span the breadth of the mathematical sciences.

Individuals willing to serve as organizers should be aware that staff of the sponsoring societies handles the logistical details of the conferences, thus making it possible for the organizers to focus almost exclusively on the scientific aspects of their conference. In particular:

1. Core funding for the conferences is provided by a grant from the National Science Foundation (pending for 2007 series).

2. The selected proposals will represent diverse areas of mathematical activity, with emphasis on areas currently especially active. Conferences typically run for one week with forty to fifty participants.

3. Organizers are expected to put an emphasis on the attendance and support of young researchers--students and postdocs--as well as members of underrepresented groups.

4. Organizers are strongly encouraged to publish conference proceedings with one of the sponsoring societies. The sponsoring societies are committed to the rapid and widest possible dissemination of these proceedings as a means of sharing the conference research with those unable to attend.

Proposal Preparation

Proposals will be evaluated by the AMS-IMS-SIAM Committee on Joint Summer Research Conferences in the Mathematical Sciences. Members of this committee are willing to provide guidance on the preparation of proposals.

Proposal preparation is straightforward. All proposals must include:

(1) title of the proposed conference;

(2) the names and affiliations of proposed members and the chair(s) of the Organizing Committee. Please include the curriculum vitae of the chair(s)--compact version, no more than five pages;

(3) a three- to four-page narrative written for the nonspecialist describing the focus of the topic, including the importance and timeliness of the topic. Keep in mind that the members of the Selection Committee are active research mathematicians from a variety of fields;

(4) a list of the recent conferences in the same or closely related areas;

(5) a list of the proposed principal speakers, the majority of whom have agreed to participate (denote with an asterisk those that have been contacted and have agreed to participate) and a description of how you plan to schedule the speakers (i.e., number and length of talks per day); and;

(6) estimated total attendance and a tentative list of individuals to be invited to participate.

Organizers are expected to make a vigorous attempt to include qualified women, underrepresented minorities, and junior scientists (advanced graduate students and recent Ph.D.'s) as participants in their conference.

Preproposal

Members of the Selection Committee are willing to provide feedback on preproposals which address items (2) and (3) above and which include a tentative list of principal speakers who will be contacted IF a complete proposal is submitted. Preproposals should be submitted by October 14, 2005, to insure sufficient time for feedback from a member of the Selection Committee. Submission of preproposals is optional.

Intent to Submit a Proposal

A statement of intent to submit a proposal should be received by December 16, 2005. Submission of intent to submit a proposal is optional.

Proposal Deadlines

For conferences to be held in the summer of 2007, the deadline for submission is January 16, 2006. Conference proposers will be notified of the committee's decisions in early spring.

Sample Proposals

Sample proposals are posted at http://www.ams.org/ meetings/topics.html under sample proposals.

Send To

Submit preproposals and proposals to: Joint Summer Research Conferences, AMS Meetings and Conferences Department, P.O. Box 6887, Providence, RI 02940; fax: 401-455-4004; email: meet@ams.org. Electronic submissions are preferred.

Questions

For questions concerning the proposal evaluation process, contact Dr. Jim Maxwell, AMS Associate Executive Director, via email (jwm@ams.org) or phone (401-455-4101).