Dear Colleague,

Happy New Millennium!

Enclosed is the latest issue of the CAIMS/SCMAI electronic newsletter.
The next issue is slated for May 2001. Submissions (in plain/ascii text)
should reach me by April 30, 2000.

With my best regards,

Sue Ann Campbell,
CAIMS/SCMAI Board Member-at-large and Electronic Newsletter Editor

———————————————————————-

CAIMS/SCMAI Electronic Newsletter Volume 01 Number 1

CONTENTS

1. CAIMS/SCMAI membership forms now available on the web
2. Request for nominations for the CAIMS/CAIMS Board
3. 2001 Canada-China Math Congress
4. PIMS Fluids Dynamics Summer School
5. International Conference on Dynamics of Continuous, Discrete and
Impulsive Systems
6. Postdoctoral positions for 2001-2002 at the Fields Institute.
7. Position at Ontario Power Generation
8. A letter from the NSERC Industrial Chairs for Women in Science
and Engineering
9. A letter from a member of the NSERC GSC 336/337 Steering Committee
for 2000-2001
10. News from the Department of Mathematical Sciences, University of Alberta
11. New book on Partial Differential Equations

———————————————————————-

======
ITEM 1
======

From: Cecil Graham <gac@cs.sfu.ca>
Date: Fri, 5 Jan 2001

CAIMS/SCMAI Membership Renewal/Application forms are now available in
PDF format on the web. The locations are
Regular Membership:
http://www.math.sfu.ca/cams/Society/CAIMS_Reg_Member01.pdf
Student Membership:
http://www.math.sfu.ca/cams/Society/CAIMS_Stu_Member01.pdf
Institutional Membership:
http://www.math.sfu.ca/cams/Society/CAIMS_Institutional01.pdf

———————————————————————-

======
ITEM 2
======

From: Cecil Graham <gac@cs.sfu.ca>
Date: Sun, 7 Jan 2001 13:01:00 -0800

Message from the CAIMS/SCMAI Secretary

As of CAIMS/SCMAI-2001 vacancies arise for the President-elect, Secretary,
Treasurer and two Members at Large on the Board of Directors of the
Society. Nominations for these positions together with appropriate
biographical information on the nominees should be sent by January 31,
2001 to
Cecil Graham,
Applied and Computational Mathematics Program,
Simon Fraser University,
Burnaby, British Columbia,
Canada V5A1S6
e-mail:gac@cs.sfu.ca

———————————————————————-

======
ITEM 3
======

From: “Samuel Shen” <shen@powersurfr.com>
Date: Sat, 6 Jan 2001 22:27:06 -0700

2001 Canada-China Math Congress
August 20-25, 2001, Vancouver

The Centre de Recherches Mathematiques, the Fields Institute for
the Mathematical Sciences, the Pacific Institute for the Mathematical
Sciences and the MITACS Network of Centers of Excellence will host
THE 2001 CANADA-CHINA INITIATIVE IN THE MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES.
The application for support of visiting Chinese mathematical scientists
can start immediately. The application is to be addressed to the
Director of the PIMS. The selection will be made by the Math institutes
directors and the MITACS program leader.

If you wish to organize a session for the congress, please submit
your session proposal to the Director of PIMS. For more information,
please visit the website
http://www.pims.math.ca/science/2001/canada-china/

This initiative builds on the success of the first Canada-China 3×3
Congress held at Tsinghua University in August 1999, and is aimed at
developing further the collaborative research effort between the 2
countries. The support of local and travel expenses within Canada of
selected Chinese mathematical scientists who are planning extended
visits to Canadian Universities around the dates of the Congress.

The congress will revolve around various sessions focusing on:

Number Theory
Math. Physics
PDE/Differential Geometry
Algebraic Geometry
Probability Theory
Signal Processing/Wavelet
Computational and Applied Analysis
Combinatorial Optimisation
Topology
Operator Theory/Functional Analysis
Mathematical Biology
Mathematical Statistics
Mathematical Finance

———————————————————————-

======
ITEM 4
======

From: “Samuel Shen” <shen@powersurfr.com>
Date: Sat, 6 Jan 2001 22:27:06 -0700

PIMS Fluid Dynamics Summer School

The THIRD ANNUAL PIMS Fluid Dynamics Summer School will be held from
May 27 – June 8, 2001. Application deadline is February 15, 2001
Applicants will be notified of their acceptance by email before
March 1, 2001.

For further information, please visit the following website
http://taylor.math.ualberta.ca/~bruce/
Please direct any administrative inquiries to
Martine Barei(mbareil@ualberta.ca)

———————————————————————-

======
ITEM 5
======

From: Xinzhi Liu <xzliu@monotone.uwaterloo.ca>
Date: Tue, 9 Jan 2001 09:00:30 -0500 (EST)

International Conference on

Dynamics of Continuous, Discrete and Impulsive Systems

London , Canada, July 27-31, 2001

Program Scope: This conference will focus on recent advances in the theory
and applications of continuous, discrete and impulsive systems. There will
be several invited expository addresses covering recent trends and many
invited lectures on problems of current interest and important applications
in various disciplines. Topics of interest include but not limited to:

* Differential equations and difference equations
* Finite dimensional dynamical systems
* Infinite dimensional dynamical systems
* Impulsive and hybrid systems
* Large-scale dynamical systems methodologies
* Sample data systems and digital control
* Stability theory and stabilization
* Bifurcation theory and chaotic dynamics
* Normal forms and dynamical systems
* Nonlinear systems theory and applications
* Modern control theory and applications,
* Optimal, H-infinity, feedback and decentralized controls
* Neural networks and neural computing
* Congestion control and internet modeling
* Fluid dynamics and turbulence

Global Scientific Committee: Agarwal, R.P.; Chen, Yushu; Chua, Leon;
Lakshmikantham, V.; Langford, William F.; Leitmann, George;
Leung, Andrew Y. T.; Liu, Xinzhi (General Chair); Teo, K.L.;
Wong, Roderick S. C.; Yu, Pei (Local Chair).

Keynote Speakers: N. U. Ahmed (University of Ottawa), C.Y. Chan (University of
Louisiana), G.R. Chen (City University of Hong Kong), Z. Gajic (Rutgers
University), S. Grossberg (Boston University), L. Hatvani (Bolyai Institute),
Y. Kevrekidis (Princeton University), V. Lakshmikantham (Florida Institute of
Technology), I. M. Lasiecka (University of Virginia), J. Serrin (University of
Minnesota), D.D. Siljak (Santa Clara University).

Special Sessions:

1. Theory and Applications of Differential Equations
Organizer: C.Y. Chan, chan@louisiana.edu

2. Finite and Infinite Dimensional Systems Theory and Their Applications
Organizers: N.U.Ahmed, ahmed@pop.site.uottawa.ca and A.B. Mingareli,
amingare@math.carleton.ca

3. Nonlinear dynamics with applications
Organizers: Michael Y. Li, myli@pop.srv.ualberta.ca, Liancheng Wang

4. Infinite Dynamical Systems and population Biology
Organizers: Yanping Lin, ylin@hilbert.math.ualberta.ca, Xiaoqing
Zhao, xzhao@math.mun.ca

5. Hybrid and Impulsive Systems
Organizer: Elena Litsen, Elena@wisdom.weizmann.ac.il

6. Delay Differential Equations and Their Applications
Organizers: Sue Ann Campbell, sacampbell@uwaterloo.ca, Jacques Belair,
belair@crm.umontreal.ca

7. Stochastic Analysis and Applications
Organizer: S. Sathananthan, satha@coe.tsuniv.edu

8. Nonlinear Hyperbolic Problems
Organizer: Grozdena Todorova, todorova@math.umn.edu

9. Nonlinear Dynamics in Ecology and Epidemiology
Organizers: Gail S. K. Wolkowicz, wolkowic@mcmaster.ca, Shigui Ruan,
ruan@mscs.dal.ca

10. Neural Networks and Their Dynamics with Applications
Organizer: Xingfu Zou, xzou@math.mun.ca

11. Functional Differential Equations
Organizer: Elena Braverman, maelena@cs.technion.ac.il

12. Singularly perturbed control systems
Organizers: Zoran Gajic, gajic@ece.rutgers.edu, Sherman Shen,
xshen@bbcr.uwaterloo.ca

If you are interested in organizing a special session, please send your
Proposal to Professor Xinzhi Liu, General Chair, Department of Applied
Mathematics, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, CANADA N2L 3G1,
xzliu@monotone.uwaterloo.ca, Tel: (519) 888-4567, Ext. 6007, Fax: (519)
746-4319.

Place: The conference will be held at the University of Western Ontario,
London, Ontario, Canada. For information on accommodation, travel, etc,
please contact Professor Pei Yu, Local Chair, Department of Applied
Mathematics, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1,
pyu@pyu1.apmaths.uwo.ca, Tel: (519) 661-2111, Ext. 88783, Fax: (519) 661-3523

Call for Papers: Contributed papers are invited. Abstracts must be
submitted by March 31, 2001 to Professor Sue Ann Campbell, Program Chair,
Department of Applied Mathematics, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario,
Canada N2L 3G1, sacampbe@uwaterloo.ca, Tel: (519) 888-4567, Ext. 5461,
Fax: (519) 746-4319

Proceedings: The proceedings for the conference will be published as a
special series of the Journal of Dynamics of Continuous, Discrete and
Impulsive Systems. All manuscripts will be refereed. The deadline for
submission of papers for refereeing is September 30, 2001.

Registration: Registration deadline is April 30, 2001. Please send your
registration to Professor Sherman Shen, Registration Chair, Department of
Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo,
Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1, xshen@bbcr.uwaterloo.ca, Tel: (519) 888-4567, Ext.
2691, Fax: (519) 746-3077

For further information and future updates, please check the conference
web page at http://monotone.uwaterloo.ca/~journal/conference.htm

———————————————————————-

======
ITEM 6
======

From: Ken Jackson <krj@cs.toronto.edu>
Date: Fri, 11 Aug 2000 05:57:32 -0400

Call for Postdoctoral Fellows for the 2001-02 NA Year
at the Fields Institute in Toronto

This is a followup to my earlier announcement of a Thematic Year on
“Numerical and Computational Challenges in Science and Engineering”
(NCCSE) at the Fields Institute in Toronto from August 2001 to August
2002. More information about the Fields Institute in general and the
NCCSE Thematic Year in particular can be found at
http://www.fields.utoronto.ca
and
http://www.fields.utoronto.ca/numerical.html
respectively.

The main point of this announcement is to inform prospective applicants
that there are several openings for postdoctoral fellows associated
with the program. More information about the fellowships, as well as
an update on the program, can be found on our web-page
http://www.fields.utoronto.ca/numerical.html

———————————————————————-

======
ITEM 7
======

From: Paul Sermer <paul.sermer@ontariopowergeneration.com>
Date: Wed, 29 Nov 2000 20:05:03 -0500

Position at Ontario Power Generation

Job title: Engineer/Scientist

Company: Ontario Power Generation Inc., Nuclear Division
Station Engineering Support/Nuclear Analysis Department

Location: 700 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5G1X6

General Accountabilities:

Apply existing statistical and computational methodologies, or develop new
ones, for the modeling and analysis of key parameters related to nuclear
reactor operations and performance.

Specific Accountabilities:

Perform uncertainty analyses in support of safe reactor operations
and compliance with licence requirements. Recommend or develop
improved analytical tools and methods for reactor core performance
monitoring. Individually, or as part of a team: carry out studies
in response to Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC)
actions/questions; prepare formal written submissions to the CNSC;
meet with and make presentations to the CNSC as required.

Selection Criteria/Skills and Knowledge:

Candidates should have a Ph.D. in statistics or applied mathematics.
Background in the following areas will be considered an asset: data
analysis; multivariate analysis, uncertainty analysis, computational
methods. An interest in applying statistical, mathematical, and
computational tools for solving practical problems is essential. Must
have the ability to work independently or within a team setting, and
must possess excellent written and verbal communications skills. Must
be willing to undergo specific training, as required by the position.

Candidate must be employable in Canada.

Remuneration:

Competitive. Commensurate with qualifications.

Starting Date:

ASAP, no later than 2nd quarter 2001.

———————————————————————-

======
ITEM 8
======

From: Serpil Kocabiyik <serpil@math.mun.ca>
Date: Thu, 21 Dec 2000 11:49:08 -0330 (NST)

NSERC University Faculty Awards

Below is a letter from the five NSERC Chairs for Women in Science and
Engineering to respond to the negative letter writing campaign triggered
by Doreen Kimura on the NSERC’s University Faculty Awards. This campaign
has been reported in the popular press in early 2000. If you would like to
indicate your support for the program, you can send a message to Tim Nau
at NSERC’s Communications at tim.nau@crsng.ca

In a broadly distributed letter, the president of the Society for
Academic Freedom and Scholarship (SAFS), Dr. Doreen Kimura, criticizes the
UFA (University Faculty Awards) program by NSERC (Natural Sciences and
Engineering Research Council) for selectively supporting new women
faculty. Kimura claims that the low representation of women in physical
sciences and engineering is natural, and opposes NSERC’s efforts to change
that situation. The claims are based on a narrow and outdated concept of
science and engineering, a concept which fails to accommodate the
complexity of modern science, and which severely limits its potential
benefits to society.

Modern literature on the question of relative abilities in mathematics and
science is extensive and conflicting. For example, depending on the
instrument used, isolated studies have shown that boys perform better or
that girls perform better in mathematics. However, a recent meeting of
respected researchers identified consistent themes (Jackson). The majority
of recent results show that the mathematics abilities of girls and boys
are very similar, and that there are larger differences in performance
within each sex than between the two sexes. Skills are learned rather than
innate. Females need more direct personal encouragement than males due to
factors such as social expectations and peer influences. The issues are
complex, but it is clear that in order to improve gender balance in
careers requiring mathematics and science skills, we must encourage
confidence and show relevance.

Equally important is the question of merit. A study of the career patterns
and success of the National Science Foundation’s prestigious post doctoral
fellowships concluded, amongst several other points, that although men
published slightly more papers than women (2.8 versus 2.3 publications per
year), women’s articles were cited more frequently than men’s (24.4 versus
14.4 citations per article) (Sonnert and Holton 1996). “This Greater
citation impact might indicate that the content of the women’s articles,
on the whole, was more noteworthy.” A large study sample of biochemists,
also found a similar gender difference in citations per article in the
same direction (Long 1992). On the other hand, a study of postdoctoral
fellowship applicants found that women had to publish approximately twice
as much as men to achieve the same success rate (Wenneras and Wold
1997). These results support current efforts both at NSERC and in the
universities to use “quality” of publications as a criterion of
productivity instead of a pure count of numbers of these when important
decisions about scientists’ careers are made.

SAFS espouses the merit principle, but accepts traditional norms. Kimura’s
argument for the status quo is consistent with SAFS goals of preserving
academic tradition but in direct opposition to NSERC’s efforts to
continually enhance the quality of science and engineering research in
Canadian universities. In the book “Lifting a Ton of Feathers”, Paula
Caplan describes the “the myths of meritocracy”, showing how criteria of
excellence developed in the past do not reflect the reality of the
contributions from today’s more diverse science and engineering community
(Caplan 1992).

The general principle, that diversity is a stronger basis for the advance
of scientific knowledge than homogeneity, is supported by strong academic,
as well as social, arguments. To keep pace with the complexity of modern
science and rapid discipline transfer of concepts, academic research
groups must incorporate as wide as possible a range of problem solving and
thinking styles. In order to teach effectively to potential scientists as
well as to non-specialists, academic departments must welcome a range of
communication styles and evaluation approaches. Many industries, having
recognized the benefits of diversity, are recruiting to improve the range
and balance in their technical teams. We have a responsibility, in the
decade to come, to respond to these needs in the Canadian university
system.

Recent programs involving role models, and activities that build
self-confidence and show societal relevance, have resulted in substantial
increases in the participation of women in science and engineering
studies. National statistics show that enrolments of women in
undergraduate and Master’s engineering programs have doubled in the last
decade, and tripled in the PhD programs. The number of women studying
engineering at the undergraduate level has increased from under 10% a
decade ago to approximately 21% all across Canada, with higher levels,
such as the impressive 43% at the University of Guelph, in institutions
which have made special efforts. Similarly, women now make up
approximately half the undergraduate enrollments in science. These gains
show that intervention programs have been successful in eradicating some
of the barriers (Frize, Long et al. 1998). Realistically though, the job
is far from being done: Women still represent only 13% of PhD enrolments
in engineering, and less than 20% of enrollments in Computer Science and
Physics.

To increase the opportunities of academic careers for outstanding women
scientists and engineers, NSERC has taken leadership and developed the UFA
program. Women nominated by Canadian universities for this competition
first pass their research grant applications through a rigorous
peer-review process in a national competition. The strongest candidates
are then selected from this group. This rigorous process assures the
quality of the women academics selected. The UFA program builds on the
highly successful Women’s Faculty Award (WFA) program (NSERC 1997). For a
mere 0.16% of NSERC’s budget, the UFA program has a powerful positive
effect on Canadian universities and the next generation of Canadian
scientists and engineers.

SIGNED BY

Signed by the five NSERC-Industrial Chairs for Women in Science and
Engineering
Elizabeth Cannon, PhD, P.Eng.(Prairies)
Claire Deschenes, PhD, P.Eng.(Quebec)
Monique Frize, PhD, P.Eng., OC (Ontario)
Maria Klawe, PhD (BC & Yukon)
Mary Williams, PhD (Atlantic & North)

The five NSERC-Industrial Chairs for Women in Science and Engineering,
have a dual mandate: to develop and implement effective strategies to
increase the participation of women in fields of science and engineering
where they are under-represented; and to continue their research and
scholarly activities in their respective science and engineering fields
(Frize, Deschnes et al. 1999).

References

Caplan, P. (1992). Lifting a Ton of Feathers: A Woman’s Guide to Surviving
in the Academic World. Toronto, University of Toronto Press.

Frize, M., C. Deschnes, et al. (1999). A Unique National Project to
Increase the Participation of Women in Science and Engineering
(CWSE/Canada). Tackling the Engineering Resources Shortage: Creating New
Paradigms for Developing and Retaining Women Engineers. B. Bogue,
P. Guthrie, B. Lazarus and S. Hadden. Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, SPIE (The
International Society for Optical Engineering). x44: 83-90.

Frize, M., R. Long, et al. (1998). Pinnocchio’s Nose, the Long and Short
of it: A Special Day for Grade 10 Female Students at Nortel. Eleventh
Canadian Conference on Engineering Education, Halifax.

Jackson, A. (1990). “Encouraging Women in Math and Science.” Notices of
the American Mathematical Society 37(1).

Long, J. S. (1992). “Measures of Sex Differences in Scientific
Productivity.” Social Forces 71: 159-178.

NSERC (1997). Evaluation of the Women’s Faculty Awards
(WFA) Program. Ottawa, www.nserc.ca.

Sonnert, G. and G. Holton (1996). “Career Patterns of Women and Men in the
Sciences.” American Scientist 84(Jan-Feb 1996): 63-71.

Wenneras, C. and A. Wold (1997). “Nepotism and sexism in
peer-review.” Nature 387(22 May): 341-343.

** Editor’s Notes:
– This letter has been reprinted with the permission of the authors.
– The text of Dr. Kimura’s letter may be found at
http://www.niagara.com/~safs/currentissues/nserc1.html. **

———————————————————————-

======
ITEM 9
======

From: Ed Vrscay, Department of Applied Mathematics, University
of Waterloo (ervrscay@links.uwaterloo.ca)

Re: NSERC Reallocations Exercise and the role of GSC 337 with
respect to Applied Mathematics

Date: 8 January, 2001

As you may or may not know, NSERC is in the process of performing a
“Reallocations Exercise”. I have been asked to serve as a representative
for Applied Mathematics on the Steering Committee for the Pure
and Applied Mathematics A and B Grant Selection Committees (GSCs)
336 and 337, respectively. The members of this Steering Committee
are listed at the bottom of this e-mail.

Very briefly, the reallocation exercise is as follows: NSERC plans to
take 10% of the money allocated to each GSC (e.g. Pure and Applied
Mathematics A/B, Physics, etc.) to produce a pot of funds that will then
be redistributed by a “Reallocations Committee” to the various GSCs
according to their “needs” and their ranking in terms of “excellence”.
It is up to each Steering Committee to make a strong case for its own GSC,
reviewing the research activities being supported, the quality
and importance of these activities and presenting a plan for the future
along with a budget.

Bradd Hart (Mathematics and Statistics, McMaster University, and Deputy
Director of the Fields Institute) asked me several months ago if I would be
willing to serve on the committee. Bradd told me that Applied Mathematics
has not been served very well in past committees in terms of numbers –
generally one or two people out of around ten. My first reaction
was to ask: “Why have the numbers been so consistently low?”
Are there so few of us? Maybe, but there seems to have been
enough of us around to have our own organization, i.e. CAMS, now CAIMS,
for a number of years. On the other hand, perhaps only a small
percentage of CAIMS members is actually supported by NSERC
336 and 337 grants. (A local polling of my own Department members
would suggest this. To be honest, I haven’t had the time to check the
data on the national level – data that are now available on the WWW.)
If most research in Applied Mathematics is being supported by other
GSCs, e.g. various areas within Physics, Engineering, etc., is there even
a need for GSC 337 as far as Applied Math is concerned?

And regarding the small number of applied mathematicians being funded by
GSC 337: Have they been simply complacent, as a minority within a
sea of predominantly pure mathematics research in Canada, to let the
“mathematical majority” take care of financial affairs, in terms of
(1) money allocated by NSERC to Mathematics and (2) assessments of and
allocations to individual research grants? If so, then how has the
“Applied Mathematics” supported by GSC 337 been affected over the years?

I would like to raise these and other concerns within the
GSC 336/337 Steering Committee during the reallocations exercise.
Please note that I have NOT been asked by NSERC or the Steering
Committee to do this. This is an exercise that I believe would be
valuable for the Canadian Applied Math community. Beyond questioning
members of my own Department at Waterloo (to be discussed below), I have
accomplished very little so far, which is why I am now asking for your help.
(I should also mention that I have discussed my intentions with Richard
Kane, the Chair of our Steering Committee.) If any of you have comments,
suggestions or criticisms regarding this approach, please do not hesitate
to contact me. (Better yet if you have ideas on how to improve this
exercise or if you are willing to help collect relevant data.)

We first need to ask the question: How much NSERC Mathematics
money gets awarded to research in Applied Mathematics? (Yes, folks,
this means that we will have to come up with some kind of working
definition of “Applied Mathematics”.)
Recall that the original NSERC Mathematics GSC was divided
into “A” (336), which is pure mathematics (e.g. algebra) and “B”
which is supposed to include pure as well as applied mathematics.
So then, how much of 337 money goes to applied mathematicians? As I
wrote earlier, I suspect that the answer is “not that much.” For example, six
of the fourteen NSERC research grant holders in our Department are funded
by GSC 337. Most of those funded by other GSCs replied that their respective
GSCs were more appropriate because of the nature of their research. This
includes researchers in Relativity/Cosmology (Space, Astronomy and Relativity
GSC), Control Theory (Electrical Engineering GSC), Fluid Mechanics
(Environmental Earth Sciences GSC) and Quantum Mechanics (appropriate
Chemistry and Physics GSCs). This indicates the interdisciplinary nature of
applied mathematics with its strong ties to Science and Engineering.
Indeed, much of the research in our own Department that is supported by
GSC 337 could be viewed as more “purish” in nature. It would be
interesting to see the situation at other places.

In my rather limited investigations involving colleagues here and nearby, I
have already become aware of some “horror stories” regarding GSC 337 and its
treatment of Applied Mathematics grant applications. It appears that the
“interdisciplinary” banner, waved so energetically by the mathematical
community-at-large to justify government funding, can be tainted with hypocrisy.
Some researchers working at the junction of Science and Mathematics have
been castigated as “neither fish nor fowl”. Consider one case in which
a researcher proposed to introduce some serious applied mathematics
(including fluid mechanics, PDEs and asymptotics) into an area that could be
described as “biomedical mechanics”. The data for this research would be
supplied by medical researchers at a renowned Canadian institute.
The grant application, complete with encouraging preliminary results,
was sent to an interdisciplinary panel. The result was appalling.
A scientist on the panel criticized the researcher for not having
a laboratory. A mathematician on the panel criticized the researcher
for the “elementary nature” of the mathematics being used. (The researcher –
who has understandably refused to apply to GSC 337 after that incident –
and his graduate students have become pioneers in the area and will
be speaking at an international conference of medical researchers on their
work. Their research is being funded by a medical institute. I consider this
to be a great loss to the Mathematics community, if only in terms of
advertisement.) There are a number of other such unfortunate cases
but this is not the place to discuss them.

Bradd Hart told me that similar problems occur with mathematics
grant applications. The 336 and 337 GSCs claim that
it is difficult to find sufficient numbers of referees that are
competent to judge such a wide spectrum of highly specialized
proposals. One can argue that it is the responsibility of the applicant
to help in this exercise by providing a list of competent referees in the
“Notification of Intent to Apply” Form. I would nevertheless conjecture that
there is a much greater chance for traditional applied mathematical research
to be viewed negatively by “non-applied” mathematicians, especially
in cases where the research overlaps very strongly with science and/or
engineering. Those who subscribe to the traditional definition of Applied
Mathematics (i.e. the British school of Applied and Theoretical Mechanics and
Physics) would then have much cause to worry about the status of Applied
Mathematics in Canada – unless, of course, it is appreciated and well cared for
in other GSCs.

I would therefore ask you, as members of CAIMS, to take some time
to comment on any of the points I have raised above. Perhaps you can state
your own perceptions of the status of Applied Mathematics funding in Canada.
Are you happy with the situation at present? Or are you unhappy?
Any assessments based on personal experiences would be extremely helpful.
For example, if some or all of your research in applied mathematics is funded
by an NSERC GSC other than 337, is this because the work is much closer to the
spirit of GSC “X” research/philosophy than of 337? In such cases, are you
content with the funding you are receiving from GSC “X” (modulo the fact that
each of us would love to get more money)? Are there any who have moved to
another GSC because of some unfortunate incident, e.g. unfair assessment of
their research, encountered in GSC 337? Do any of you think that there should
be a GSC devoted EXCLUSIVELY to Applied Mathematics in an attempt to ensure
more appropriate reviewing of grant applications? Of course, we then run
into the fundamental question, “What is Applied Mathematics?” Would you then
agree or disagree that a suitable working definition (with thanks to G. Tenti)
is as follows: “APPLIED MATHEMATICS INCLUDES ALL MATHEMATICS THAT IS USED IN
ANY FIELD OF ENDEAVOUR EXCEPT MATHEMATICS ITSELF.”

I would appreciate comments that could be used in future dealings with the
336/337 Steering Committee while, of course, preserving the confidentiality
of sources. Perhaps the CAIMS membership would be interested in seeing
the responses that will have been received, either electronically or in a
future issue of the CAIMS Newsletter. Hopefully this would stimulate further
open discussion of the issues.

I am hopeful that this exercise will be useful not only for the upcoming
NSERC Reallocations Exercise but also for the Canadian applied mathematics
community. Perhaps it is time that we sort out among ourselves what
exactly comprises Applied Mathematics so that we – CAIMS – can stand up
and state emphatically why Applied Mathematics is a respectable discipline
that not only deserves to be, but absolutely needs to be, funded.

I would greatly appreciate hearing from you by WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 31, 2001
and thank you in advance for your help.

Sincerely

Ed Vrscay
ervrscay@links.uwaterloo.ca
Phone: 519-888-4567 Ext. 5455
FAX: 519-746-4319

****************************************************************************

Members of the NSERC GSC 336/337 Steering Committee for 2000-2001
—————————————————————–

Richard Kane, Mathematics, Western Ontario (Chair of Committee)
James Arthur, Mathematics, Toronto
Peter Borwein, Mathematics and Statistics, Simon Fraser
Michel Delfour, CRM, U. de Montreal
Nassif Ghoussoub, PIMS, UBC
Bradd Hart, Fields Institute and Mathematics, McMaster
Katherine Heinrich, Mathematics, Regina
Jacques Hurtubise, CRM and Mathematics, McGill
Hershy Kisilevsky, Mathematics and Statistics, Concordia
Robert Moody, Mathematical Sciences, Alberta
Richard Novakowski, Mathematics, Stats and CS, Dalhousie
Edward Vrscay, Applied Mathematics, Waterloo

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ITEM 10
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From: “Samuel Shen” <shen@powersurfr.com>
Date: Sat, 6 Jan 2001 22:27:06 -0700

News from the Department of Mathematical Sciences, University of Alberta

Abel Cadenillas, an Associate Professor of Mathematics of the University of
Alberta, won the 2001-2002 Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship award.
Abel received his Ph.D. from Columbia University and joined CAIMS in 2000.
His research interest is in mathematical finance.

Mr. Guilong Li finished his M.Sc. studies with Sam Shen at the Department of
Mathematical Science, University of in December 2000. His thesis was on
minimization of standard errors in estimating the global average temperature.
He is now working for Environment Canada, Downsview, Ontario. He
has been a CAIMS’ student member since 1999.

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ITEM 11
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From: A.P.S. Selvadurai <apss@civil.lan.mcgill.ca>
Date: Sun, 7 Jan 2001 21:39:00

New Book on Partial Differential Equations

I would like to bring to your attention the following books written by
Prof. A.P.S. Selvadurai of McGill University, recently published by
Springer Verlag.

Partial Differential Equations in Mechanics 1
Fundamentals, Laplace’s Equation, Diffusion Equation, Wave Equation
2000. XIX, 595 pp. 162 figs.
Hardcover US$ 79.95
ISBN 3-540-67283-4

Partial Differential Equations in Mechanics 2
The Biharmonic Equation, Poisson’s Equation
2000. XVIII, 698 pp. 215 figs.
Hardcover US$ 79.95
ISBN 3-540-67284-2

This two-volume work mainly addresses undergraduate and graduate students
in engineering, sciences and applied mathematics. Hence it focuses on
partial differential equations with a strong emphasis on illustrating
important applications in mechanics. The presentation considers the
general derivation of partial differential equations and the formulation
of consistent boundary and initial conditions required to develop
well-posed mathematical statements of problems in mechanics. The worked
examples within the text and problem sets at the end of each chapter
highlight engineering applications. The mathematical developments
include a complete discussion of uniqueness theorems and, where relevant,
a discussion of maximum and minimum principles. The primary aim of these
volumes is to guide the student to pose and model engineering problems,
in a mathematically correct manner, within the context of the theory of
partial differential equations in mechanics.

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