{ "type": "Article", "authors": [ { "type": "Person", "familyNames": [ "Elwes" ], "givenNames": [ "Richard" ] } ], "identifiers": [], "title": "Report from the EMS Executive Committee Meeting, in Copenhagen,\n10–11 March 2023", "meta": {}, "content": [ { "type": "Paragraph", "id": "p1", "content": [ "The EMS Executive Committee (EC) plus guests met\non 10–11\nMarch 2023, in beautiful (if snowy!)\nCopenhagen, the home town of the new EMS President Jan Philip Solovej,\nchairing for the first time. This important moment of transition was\nkindly hosted by the Danish Mathematical Society and the University of\nCopenhagen, and took place in the current residence of the University’s\nCentre for the Mathematics of Quantum Theory, the research group led by\nJan Philip. On Friday evening, the Danish Mathematical Society hosted a\nfine dinner for the assembled company near the magnificent\nChristiansborg Palace, the Danish Parliament building." ] }, { "type": "Heading", "id": "S1", "depth": 1, "content": [ "1 Officers’ reports" ] }, { "type": "Paragraph", "id": "S1.p1", "content": [ "After a warm welcome from our hosts, the meeting was opened by the\nPresident who paid compliments to his predecessor Volker Mehrmann and\noutgoing members of the EC, before discussing his activities during the\nfirst months of his leadership. He has enjoyed meeting and learning from\nmany and varied people involved in the EMS, especially members of the\nSociety’s standing committees whose assorted activities are so central\nto the EMS’s work, as well as representatives of the University of\nHelsinki which generously hosts the EMS’s office, and representatives of\naffiliated organisations including EMS Press and zbMATH Open." ] }, { "type": "Paragraph", "id": "S1.p2", "content": [ "The new EMS Treasurer Samuli Siltanen then reported on the Society’s\nfinances, with the most recent budget approved in the 2022 Council\nMeeting in Bled (Slovenia). There were then discussions of possible\nimprovements to EMS processes, in both financial terms and those of\nenvironmental sustainability. The committee agreed to change the EMS\nMagazine to being primarily online, rather than having printed copies\nautomatically shipped to every member." ] }, { "type": "Paragraph", "id": "S1.p3", "content": [ "The EMS Secretary Jiří Rákosník, and Vice Presidents Jorge Buescu and\nBeatrice Pelloni reported on their activities (most of which feature\nelsewhere in this report)." ] }, { "type": "Heading", "id": "S2", "depth": 1, "content": [ "2 Membership and website" ] }, { "type": "Paragraph", "id": "S2.p1", "content": [ "The EC was pleased to approve the Department of Mathematics of the\nUniversity of Trento as a new corporate member, and honoured to waive\nthe membership fees of the Ukrainian Mathematical Society." ] }, { "type": "Paragraph", "id": "S2.p2", "content": [ "The committee approved 325 new individual members, with the President\nexpressing the hope that the rate of growth in individual membership,\nwhich has been constant for a while, might be encouraged to increase\nthrough some appropriate publicity and additional membership benefits,\nsuch as discounts to attendance at major mathematical meetings." ] }, { "type": "Paragraph", "id": "S2.p3", "content": [ "The EMS website is running smoothly following the complete rebuild and\nrelaunch in March 2021. Incremental improvements are ongoing, with some\nchanges in the technical staffing at EMS Press, the previous primary\nweb-developer having now left with the EMS’s thanks for his excellent\nwork. The EMS’s membership database is currently in the process of being\nupgraded, a sizeable technical undertaking which both EMS Office and EMS\nPress staff are working hard on." ] }, { "type": "Heading", "id": "S3", "depth": 1, "content": [ "3 Scientific and society activities" ] }, { "type": "Paragraph", "id": "S3.p1", "content": [ "Two major EMS-supported meetings are coming up in 2023. The inaugural\nBalkan Mathematical Conference\n(BMC)", { "type": "Note", "id": "idm45", "noteType": "Footnote", "content": [ { "type": "Paragraph", "id": "footnote1", "content": [ { "type": "Link", "target": "http://imar.ro/~bmc", "content": [ "http://imar.ro/~bmc" ] } ] } ] }, "\nwill take place on\n1 July, hosted by the 10th\nCongress of Romanian Mathematicians in Pitești, Romania. Steering\nCommittee member (and EMS Ex-Vice President) Betül Tanbay reported on\nprogress towards this important event, including fruitful collaboration\nwith EMS associate member society MASSEE (the Mathematical Society of\nSouth Eastern Europe)." ] }, { "type": "Paragraph", "id": "S3.p2", "content": [ "The 29th Nordic Congress of Mathematicians", { "type": "Note", "id": "idm54", "noteType": "Footnote", "content": [ { "type": "Paragraph", "id": "footnote2", "content": [ { "type": "Link", "target": "https://ncm29.math.aau.dk", "content": [ "https://ncm29.math.aau.dk" ] } ] } ] }, "\nwill take place on 3–7 July 2023 in Aalborg, Denmark, and the EC heard\nabout progress towards this meeting." ] }, { "type": "Paragraph", "id": "S3.p3", "content": [ "The EMS’s marquee event is the European Congress of Mathematics (ECM)\nwhich happens every four years and is the second largest mathematical\nmeeting in the world. The 9th edition is coming up in\nJuly 2024, in Sevilla, Spain.", { "type": "Note", "id": "idm63", "noteType": "Footnote", "content": [ { "type": "Paragraph", "id": "footnote3", "content": [ { "type": "Link", "target": "https://www.ecm2024sevilla.com", "content": [ "https://www.ecm2024sevilla.com" ] } ] } ] }, "\nThe EC heard from the Chair of the Organizing Committee Juan\nGonzález-Meneses (in attendance remotely as a guest) and made decisions\nabout appointments to the congress and prize committees. The EC then\nconsidered plans for the 10th ECM to be held in 2028.\nThe location will be decided at the 2024 EMS Council meeting, with\ninitial bids invited by June 2023. The best format for large\nmathematical meetings in the future, given the financial and\nenvironmental costs of flying, is an important matter to consider. The\nEC plans for a panel discussion of this topic at 9ECM." ] }, { "type": "Paragraph", "id": "S3.p4", "content": [ "Vice President Beatrice Pelloni reported on the inaugural meeting of the\nEMS Young Academy (EMYA),", { "type": "Note", "id": "idm72", "noteType": "Footnote", "content": [ { "type": "Paragraph", "id": "footnote4", "content": [ { "type": "Link", "target": "https://euromathsoc.org/EMYA", "content": [ "https://euromathsoc.org/EMYA" ] } ] } ] }, "\nwhich she attended alongside all 30 members of this new body. The\nmeeting was exciting and constructive and included practical progress\ntowards determining EMYA’s structure and bylaws. The EC agreed to offer\nnon-student EMYA members a two-year free EMS membership (students are\nalready entitled to free membership)." ] }, { "type": "Paragraph", "id": "S3.p5", "content": [ "The EC agreed to change the name of the open call for large-scale,\ninclusive and cross-institutional activities from “EMS Large Events”\nto “EMS Strategic Activities.” The call and application form are\navailable on the EMS website.", { "type": "Note", "id": "idm81", "noteType": "Footnote", "content": [ { "type": "Paragraph", "id": "footnote5", "content": [ { "type": "Link", "target": "https://euromathsoc.org/strategic-activities", "content": [ "https://euromathsoc.org/strategic-activities" ] } ] } ] } ] }, { "type": "Heading", "id": "S4", "depth": 1, "content": [ "4 Standing committees and projects" ] }, { "type": "Paragraph", "id": "S4.p1", "content": [ "The EC considered the general set-up of the EMS’s standing committees,\nmaking several proposals to increase communication between the\ncommittees, as well as improve coordination, for example in the setting\nof budgets, and in the release and format of open calls. The committee\nthen considered reports from the committees in turn." ] }, { "type": "Paragraph", "id": "S4.p2", "content": [ "The Committee on Applications and Interdisciplinary Relations (CAIR)\nbrought a proposal for inaugurating a new joint EMS/ECMI Lánczos Prize\nfor Mathematical Software, which the EC was delighted to approve.\nReports were then considered from the committees on Education, ERCOM\n(European Research Centres on Mathematics), Ethics, Publication and\nElectronic Dissemination, Raising Public Awareness of Mathematics, and\nWomen in Mathematics. The members of these committees all have the\nSociety’s gratitude for their work." ] }, { "type": "Paragraph", "id": "S4.p3", "content": [ "Karine Chemla, Chair of the European Solidarity Committee in attendance\nas a guest, delivered a report on her committee’s activities, noting\nthat the number of applications they receive has dropped in recent\nyears. The EC considered steps to improve the visibility and relevance\nof the calls. It then approved some funding applications, including for\na summer school at CIMPA (Centre International de Mathématiques Pures et\nAppliquées) on “Graph structure and complex network analysis.”" ] }, { "type": "Paragraph", "id": "S4.p4", "content": [ "The committee then considered its relationship with the European Open\nScience Cloud (EOSC), of which the EMS is a member, and made plans for\nhow to continue engaging with this body." ] }, { "type": "Heading", "id": "S5", "depth": 1, "content": [ "5 Publishing and publicity" ] }, { "type": "Paragraph", "id": "S5.p1", "content": [ "EMS Publicity Officer Richard Elwes, in attendance remotely as a guest,\nreported on his activities, including the state of the Society’s social\nmedia channels. In November 2022 the EMS created a page on the social\nmedia platform Mastodon.", { "type": "Note", "id": "idm114", "noteType": "Footnote", "content": [ { "type": "Paragraph", "id": "footnote6", "content": [ { "type": "Link", "target": "https://mathstodon.xyz/@EuroMathSoc", "content": [ "https://mathstodon.xyz/@EuroMathSoc" ] } ] } ] }, "\nAs of\n1 March 2023, the EMS has over 12000 followers\non Twitter,", { "type": "Note", "id": "idm121", "noteType": "Footnote", "content": [ { "type": "Paragraph", "id": "footnote7", "content": [ { "type": "Link", "target": "https://www.twitter.com/euromathsoc", "content": [ "https://www.twitter.com/euromathsoc" ] } ] } ] }, "\nover 5000 on Facebook,", { "type": "Note", "id": "idm128", "noteType": "Footnote", "content": [ { "type": "Paragraph", "id": "footnote8", "content": [ { "type": "Link", "target": "https://www.facebook.com/euromathsoc", "content": [ "https://www.facebook.com/euromathsoc" ] } ] } ] }, "\naround 300 on LinkedIn,", { "type": "Note", "id": "idm135", "noteType": "Footnote", "content": [ { "type": "Paragraph", "id": "footnote9", "content": [ { "type": "Link", "target": "https://www.linkedin.com/company/european-mathematical-society", "content": [ "https://www.linkedin.com/company/european-mathematical-society" ] } ] } ] }, "\nand 400 on Mastodon. It also has over 500 subscribers on\nYouTube,", { "type": "Note", "id": "idm142", "noteType": "Footnote", "content": [ { "type": "Paragraph", "id": "footnote10", "content": [ { "type": "Link", "target": "https://www.youtube.com/c/EuropeanMathematicalSociety", "content": [ "https://www.youtube.com/c/EuropeanMathematicalSociety" ] } ] } ] }, "\na platform the EMS is yet to make the most of." ] }, { "type": "Paragraph", "id": "S5.p2", "content": [ "The quarterly EMS Digest is currently undergoing a redesign and\nrelaunch, following the retirement of long-standing editor Mireille\nChaleyat-Maurel. Discussions on the new format and a new editor are\nongoing." ] }, { "type": "Paragraph", "id": "S5.p3", "content": [ "Managing Director of EMS Press", { "type": "Note", "id": "idm153", "noteType": "Footnote", "content": [ { "type": "Paragraph", "id": "footnote11", "content": [ { "type": "Link", "target": "https://ems.press", "content": [ "https://ems.press" ] } ] } ] }, " André\nGaul (in attendance remotely as a guest) presented his update. With 21\nSubscribe-to-Open (S2O) journals in 2023, EMS Press is currently the\nsecond largest S2O-publisher in the world (after Annual Reviews),\nindicating the success of this approach. He emphasised the great caution\nthat is needed before further journals can be added to the portfolio,\nfor financial and practical reasons." ] }, { "type": "Paragraph", "id": "S5.p4", "content": [ "The Editor-in-Chief of the EMS Magazine, Fernando da Costa (in\nattendance as a guest) reported that the magazine is performing well,\nwith a good supply of articles, although the balance of content is not\nalways perfect. He hopes for a productive relationship with EMYA (the\nEMS Young Academy, see above)." ] }, { "type": "Paragraph", "id": "S5.p5", "content": [ "The Managing Editor of zbMATH Open,", { "type": "Note", "id": "idm164", "noteType": "Footnote", "content": [ { "type": "Paragraph", "id": "footnote12", "content": [ { "type": "Link", "target": "https://zbmath.org", "content": [ "https://zbmath.org" ] } ] } ] }, "\nOlaf Teschke (in attendance as a guest) delivered his report, remarking\nthat it is succeeding in the goal of increasing its visibility, and that\nit successfully passed a mid-term evaluation by the EMS’s co-editor\nFIZ Karlsruhe." ] }, { "type": "Heading", "id": "S6", "depth": 1, "content": [ "6 Funding, political, and scientific organisations" ] }, { "type": "Paragraph", "id": "S6.p1", "content": [ "The EC discussed its relationships with several scientific and\nprize-giving panels, making nominations where appropriate. The European\nResearch Council (ERC, a major funding body) was again a major topic of\ndiscussion, and the EC agreed to set up a working group to further\nconsider strategies to improve mathematical funding via this route." ] }, { "type": "Heading", "id": "S7", "depth": 1, "content": [ "7 Close" ] }, { "type": "Paragraph", "id": "S7.p1", "content": [ "An online meeting of the presidents of EMS member societies was\nscheduled to take place in May 2023. Later in the year, the autumn\nExecutive Committee meeting is likewise planned to be held online, at a\ndate to be determined. In the meantime, a new schedule of monthly short\nonline EC meetings will continue." ] }, { "type": "Paragraph", "id": "S7.p2", "content": [ "On behalf of the assembled company, Secretary Jiří Rákosník thanked the\nPresident (who also served as a local organiser for this meeting), the\nUniversity of Copenhagen’s Centre for the Mathematics of Quantum Theory,\nand the Danish Mathematical Society for hosting a very successful\nmeeting and for the generous hospitality." ] }, { "type": "Paragraph", "id": "authorinfo", "content": [ "\nRichard Elwes is the EMS publicity officer and a senior lecturer\nat University of Leeds (UK). As well as teaching and researching\nmathematics, he is involved in mathematical outreach and is the author\nof five popular mathematics books.\n", { "type": "Link", "target": "mailto:r.h.elwes@leeds.ac.uk", "content": [ "r.h.elwes@leeds.ac.uk" ] } ] } ] }