Scientific Committee Meeting Minutes for April 2012

Minutes of the meeting of 18 April 2012
Keynes College SR17, University of Kent

Present:
Charles Goldie, Cathy Hobbs, John Hunton, Phil Rippon, Radha Kessar, Peter Fleischmann, James Shank, David Jordan, Gavin Brown, Rachel Camina, Tom Fisher, Fiona Nixon.
  1. Welcome, confirmation of membership

    Gavin Brown was welcomed as a representative of the current BMC. Rachel Camina and Tom Fisher were welcomed as representatives of Cambridge whose invitation to host the 2015 BMC, in conjunction with the BAMC, had been accepted at the AGM. David Jordan agreed to act as Secretary. The membership was confirmed as:
    Chair: Charles Goldie (Sussex) until 31 May 2014.
    Secretary: David Jordan (Sheffield).
    LMS representatives: Cathy Hobbs (UWE) until 31 May 2013, John Hunton (Leicester)
    until 31 May 2014, Phil Rippon (Open) until 31 May 2014.
    EdMS representatives: Radha Kessar (Aberdeen) until 31 May 2013, Tom Leinster (Glasgow) until 31 May 2014.
    Kent (2012): Peter Fleischmann, James Shank.
    Sheffield (2013): Eugenia Cheng, David Jordan.
    QMUL (2014): Peter Cameron (Queen Mary), Ivan Tomašić.
    Cambridge (2015): Rachel Camina, Tom Fisher.
    Representative of the 2012 BMC: Gavin Brown (Loughborough) until the Autumn 2012 committee meeting.
    Ex officio: Fiona Nixon (Executive Secretary of the LMS).
  2. Apologies for absence

    Peter Cameron, Eugenia Cheng, Tom Leinster, Ivan Tomašić.
  3. Minutes of Scientific Committee meeting at the LMS on 20th October 2011

    These had been circulated by e-mail before the meeting, and were approved.
  4. Immediate impressions of the Kent BMC

    Comment was generally favourable with particular praise for the gender balance, the pair of Turing lectures on the opening day and the workshops. There was some discussion on the lack of a poster session, and associated prize, for PhD students. A full report will be on the agenda for the Autumn 2012 committee meeting.
  5. Progress with the Sheffield BMC in 2013

    The dates are 25-28 March 2013. A public lecture will be given by John Baez and plenary speakers will include Guy Henniart (Paris), Mikhail Kapranov (Yale) and Laurent Saloffe-Coste (Cornell). Two further plenary speakers are intended and there was some discussion of possible female plenary speakers, in particular Ragni Piene (Oslo) for whom there was positive support. The planned sub ject areas for Workshops are Algebra, Analysis, Category Theory, Number Theory, Probability and Topology. The possibility of workshops in other areas, unfunded by the BMC budget, is to be explored. Possibilities include the History of Mathematics, Mathematical (higher) Education and the areas of LMS Scheme 3 groups not already represented. It was suggested that all LMS Scheme 3 groups should be contacted and Fiona Nixon offered to provide contact details for all such groups. Following a suggestion from the 2012 Young Researchers in Mathematics meeting, the possibility of a workshop organised by postgraduates, as a satellite of YRM, will be explored. It is hoped that the poster session and associated prize will be reinstated.
    University accommodation is not available and the most likely way forward is publication of a list of hotels on the web page.
  6. Plans for QMUL in 2014

    As neither of the QMUL representatives had been able to attend there was no report on
    the plans.
  7. Proposed Joint Meeting with the BAMC in 2015

    An invitation from Cambridge for a joint meeting with BAMC had been issued and accepted at the BMC AGM and the BAMC had made a provisional announcement of the meeting. There was some discussion of arrangements, in particular lecture accommodation in Cambridge and criteria for the choice of dates, which, in the experience of recent organisers, is restricted by the dates of the host's Easter vacation.
  8. Tentative plans for BMC 2016

    No "bids" had emerged through the channel of HoDoMs. Tentative discussions with Bristol as possible hosts are under way. Some alternatives, including Durham who last hosted the BMC in 1953, were discussed. Consultation with the Committee would proceed by email.
  9. YRM 2012 (24 April, Bristol)

    David Jordan reported on his visit to YRM representing the BMC. There had been a joint YRM/BMC feedback meeting scheduled in a tea/coffee session. The BAMC was not
    represented. Two issues identified, both in the meeting and in informal discussions, were awareness of the BMC and communication. One positive suggestion was the possibility of workshops at the BMC to be organised by postgraduates, possibly funded as satellite meetings of YRM. The 2013 YRM is to held in Edinburgh, at ICMS, in late June.
    The larger gap than normal between BMC and YRM may be helpful. It was agreed that contact between BMC and YRM was welcome and that the relationship should be nurtured.
  10. Committee expenses for this meeting

    The sum offered by the LMS to cover these expenses fell short of the total indicated by members of the Committee. It was suggested, and agreed, that the LMS would pay the expenses of its representatives. Radha Kessar agreed to enquire whether the EdMS would agree to a similar arrangement. As Chair, Charles Goldie offered to redo the calculations and report back.
  11. Any other business

    There was none.
  12. Date of September/October 2012 meeting at the LMS

    This would be taken forward by email. There appeared to be a preference for September.