CAIMS Blog

The Canadian Applied and Industrial Mathematical Society strongly condemns the invasion of Putin’s army into Ukraine. Many of us are rendered speechless by the needless aggression, and the malicious lies spread by state propaganda that are being used to justify Putin’s actions.This war affects many of us directly. CAIMS is home to many Ukrainian and…

Raymond Spiteri, Mar 3, 2021 University of Saskatchewan The COVID-19 pandemic has forced a re-think of many of the ways in which we deliver our courses at the university. One aspect that has arguably not received the attention it merits — especially given its traditional importance in many subjects, not just mathematics — is how…

Thomas Hillen, Jan 15, 2021 CAIMS / SCMAI President University of Alberta Thinking back to 2020, your first thought is probably that this was the year when the CAIMS-blog started! We have published eight blogs over the past year. Several of them were directly related to the coronavirus pandemic with “Fighting Coronavirus with Mathematics” by…

Morgan Craig and Isaac Yule, Sept 18, 2020 CHU Sainte-Justine Research Centre Université de Montréal Since the beginning of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the world has been gripped with uncertainty and fear in the face of a virus that has spread faster and farther than any other in recent memory. It is no wonder that discussions…

John Braun, July 22, 2020 I have always wondered at the incredibly intricate levels of specialization within mathematics while statistics is usually considered as one homogeneous entity.   Recently, our (UBC-Okanagan) department’s Math PhD program undertook a review of its comprehensive exam, an undertaking capably handled by the program coordinator who sought to address some…

Anthony Bonato, June 18, 2020 The content of this blog was originally posted on The Intrepid Mathematician blog, hosted by Anthony Bonato. I asked mathematicians: How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your mathematical practice? The responses below, in the format of a single paragraph, answer that question. My colleagues wrote of the impact on their…

Peter Solymos, Subhash Lele, Khalid Lemzouji, analythium.io, May 15, 2020   As we’ve all come to know, flattening the curve is the process of reducing the number of infections and easing the burden on the health system during the COVID-19 pandemic. Protective measures, such as travel restrictions, social distancing, staying home and basic hygiene, have…

Anita Layton, UWaterloo,  March 8, 2020   Imagine someone having a heart attack. Do you see the “classic heart attack”, in which a man collapses, grabbing his chest in agony? What you have just imagined is the typical dramatic Hollywood portrayal of a heart attack, and that is almost always depicted for a man. In…

Dan Coombs, UBC,  February 7, 2020   The beginning of 2020 has seen the emergence of a new public health threat: a transmissible respiratory infection caused by a novel coronavirus, or nCoV. The purpose of this post is to briefly describe how scientists around the world are using mathematical modelling to understand the disease spread…

I use this blog to present an Ethical Guideline, as it was discussed with the CAIMS board during 2018/19. All CAIMS-SCMAI members and all participants of CAIMS-SCMAI supported activities are expected to adhere to the following ethical principles: Equity and Diversity Event organizers are committed to make CAIMS events productive and enjoyable for everyone, regardless…