Scientific Committee meeting: September 2007

Meeting of the Scientific Committee of the BMC to be held at De Morgan House, London on 19 September 2007, 11.00 - 15.15 (at latest)
AGENDA
  1. Welcome.
    Confirmation of membership. Cathy Hobbs (Oxford Brookes) is new LMS rep.
    Peter Kropholler (Glasgow) is the new EdMS rep.
    Appoint York secretary
    Apologies: Garth Dales, Steve Donkin
  2. Next Chair of BMC Scientific Committee
    Edmund will present the report of the subcommittee.
    Committee's recommendation will go forward to the AGM in York.
  3. Minutes of meeting in Swansea on 19 April 2007.
    I have corrected an error regarding membership of the search committee for the next Chair.
    [There was a preliminary meeting in Swansea at which the arrangements for Galway were discussed. As yet there are no minutes of this first meeting.]
    Matters arising not covered elsewhere.
  4. BMC Historical Records
    Edmund Robertson will report on progress.
  5. Future BMCs.
    Invitation to Edinburgh accepted at the AGM in Swansea.
    On track for invitation from Leicester for BMC 2011 to go to the AGM in York.
    Everything else seems covered below.
  6. Report on the Swansea BMC 2007
    Report by Francis Clarke.
  7. Plans for York 2008
    Report from York team.
  8. Plans for Galway 2009
    Report from Galway team.
  9. Plans for joint BMC-BAMC Edinburgh 2010
    Preliminary thoughts on plenary speakers and special sessions from Edinburgh (joint Edinburgh University - Heriot Watt) team.
    Settle dates - this will have to be done after discussion with the BAMC.
    [Dates of Easter for info: 23 March 2008, 12 April 2009, 4 April 2010, 24 April 2011, 8 April 2012, 31 March 2013, 20 April 2014, 5 April 2015, 27 March 2016]
    What arrangements do we need to coordinate with the BAMC?
  10. Any other business
  11. Date of next meeting in York.
MINUTES


Minutes of the Scientific Committee of the BMC held in the Cayley Room, De Morgan House, London from 11.00--14.30 on Wednesday 19 September 2007.

Present:
Francis Clarke, Maurice Dodson, Peter Giblin (from 11.15), Charles Goldie, Iain Gordon, Cathy Hobbs, Jim Howie, Ted Hurley, Peter Kropholler, Tony Mann, Edmund Robertson (Chair), James Ward, Chris Wood (Scribe).
  1. Apologies.
    Garth Dales, Steve Donkin, Niels Jacob, Peter Cooper.
  2. Report from search committee (Garth Dales, Rob Curtis).
    Peter Giblin (incoming Chair of LMS Nominations Committee, and chair of Liverpool BMC 2005 organising committee) has been recommended for next Chair of BMC Scientific Committee, for ratification at next AGM (York, March 2008). The Committee welcomed this, at which point Peter was introduced and joined the meeting.
  3. Minutes of meetings in Swansea. Minutes of 18 April meeting unavailable. Minutes of 19 April meeting: item 8, Catharina Stroppel misspelled.
  4. BMC historical records.
    Details of main speakers at BMC since 1968 now available on St Andrews history of maths website, and LMS records to be consulted by Edmund for period 1949-1967. Committee advises that programme records and financial reports of all future BMC meetings be sent to the LMS.
  5. Future BMCs.
    John Hunton has expressed enthusiasm for the BMC to be held at Leicester in 2011, with formal invitation expected at York AGM.
    Kent is a possible BMC venue for 2012.
    Title for 2010 Edinburgh/Heriot-Watt meeting to be decided by
    organisers.
    Availability of university accommodation during Easter period is an ongoing concern for the Committee. Using hotels, or moving the BMC to September are possible solutions.
  6. Report on Swansea BMC 2007.
    No financial report presented, but final organisational statistics were: 280 participants (including about 60 graduate students), 136 lectures, 10 publishers, 5 "extra-curricular" events. Final reports have been sent to LMS, EPSRC and EMS. Organisers reported a positive overall experience, echoed by Committee members.
  7. Plans for York 2008.
    Withdrawals reported from Gregory Margulis (plenary), Ben Green and Dominic Joyce (morning speakers), all for personal reasons. Replacement invitations sent to Manjul Bhargava (plenary), and Nina Snaith (morning speaker). Candidates for remaining morning speakers, for a total of 12, are: Ray Ryan, Ivan Smith and Jim Wright.
    Special session organisers are Jason Levesley (int) and Glyn Harman (ext) for Number Theory, and Chris Wood (int) and John Wood (ext) for Differential Geometry and Geometric Analysis.
    Splinter groups/sessions in upto 15 topics, with internal and external organisers being recruited.
    Local schools and the Yorkshire branch of the Mathematical Association had been contacted about the Public Lecture. Separate publicity advised, and maybe entrance by ticket (free).
    The Chair graciously accepted an invitation to give a History of Maths lecture, about the EMS. (Confirmatory e-mail to be sent.)
    A discussion session on the framework for possible IMA/LMS merger was welcomed. Peter Cooper to be consulted for advice on format.
    (A meeting between Peter and the York representatives was held immediately after Scientific Committee, at which he expressed great enthusiasm for the idea, and undertook to make soundings with the LMS and IMA. Peter also suggested a session on future EPSRC funding opportunities, with David Delpy the new EPSRC CEO, and David Harman.)
    Grant applications to EMS and EPSRC were successful; response from LMS still awaited.
    York AGM to be held on first evening (March 25), with Scientific Committee meeting on a subsequent day, or Friday afternoon if necessary.
    NBFAS satellite meeting being planned.
    Poster display and lunchtime poster session(s) planned for graduate participants.
    There was some inconclusive discussion about future models for the BMC, in particular the possibility of streamlining and centralising administration to the LMS.
  8. Plans for Galway 2009.
    Dates: 6-9 April 2009.
    Invitations to Ron Graham and Rostislav Grigorchuk as plenary speakers have been accepted. Suggestions by the Committee for other plenary speakers included: Etienne Ghys, David Eisenbud and Frances Kirwan.
    Committee's suggestions for morning speakers included Lasse Rempe, Ben Green, Dominic Joyce, Hinke Osinga, Dave Benson and Lars Olsen.
    Special sessions are planned on Analysis (Ray Ryan and David Preiss), and Computational Algebra (Eamonn O'Brien and Götz Pfeiffer).
    Application for financial support from the LMS was made earlier in September.
    Accommodation alternatives: guest houses (close to university), or hotel (200 rooms, but access by bus). Committee tended to favour the latter.
  9. Plans for joint BMC-BAMC Edinburgh 2010.
    Dates: 6-9 April 2010.
    Edinburgh University to be the venue.
    Four person local organising committee to be established.
    Local organisers to meet with Chairs of BMC and BAMC Committees within the next 6 months.
    Due to scale of the meeting, application to LMS for funding to be made at least 2 years in advance.
    Detailed discussion of plenary speakers (10?) to be arranged at York.
    Administration by ICMS was noted to be prohibitively expensive.
  10. Any other business. None.
  11. Dates of next meetings: 25 March 2008 for AGM, 28 March 2008 (tbc) for Scientific Committee.