Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics

The Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics (IPAM) is an American mathematics institute funded by the National Science Foundation. The initial funding for the institute was approved in May 1999 [cite web|url = http://www.siam.org/news/news.php?id=753 | title = NSF Opts for Three Institutes: UCLA's IPAM To Join IMA, MSRI] and it was inaugurated in August, 2000. [cite web|url = http://www.ipam.ucla.edu/reception.html | title = Inaugural Lectures and Opening Reception Program]

IPAM is located on the UCLA campus, in close proximity to UCLA's Department of Mathematics. The building currently housing the institute was designed in 1973 by world-renowned Pritzker Prize-winning architect Frank Gehry. [cite web|url = http://www.siam.org/news/news.php?id=753 | title = Newest NSF Institute Open Its Doors, Notices of the AMS, Volume 47, Number 11]

Mission

The mission of the institute is to make connections between a broad spectrum of mathematicians and scientists, to launch new collaborations, to better inform mathematicians and scientists about interdisciplinary problems, and to broaden the range of applications in which mathematics is used.

IPAM seeks to bring the full range of mathematical techniques to bear on the great scientific challenges of our time, to stimulate exciting new mathematics via new problems motivated by other sciences, and to train the people who will do this. [cite web|url = http://www.ipam.ucla.edu/about.aspx | title =IPAM — About Page]

Background

IPAM is currently one of seven [http://www.mathinstitutes.org NSF Mathematical Sciences Institutes] in the United States. The initial five year grant was renewed in 2005.

The institute was co-founded by Mark Green and Eitan Tadmor; Mark Green is its current director. Christian Ratsch is its current assistant director. Stanley Osher is its current special projects director. [cite web|url = http://www.ipam.ucla.edu/people/directors.aspx | title =IPAM — Directors Page]

Programs

Every year IPAM offers two three-month scientific programs, or long programs. These programs bring together senior and junior mathematicians and scientists and engineers from the scientific disciplines related to the program. In addition, IPAM supports graduate students, post-doctoral scholars and young academics to encourage their participation in long programs.

The programs consist of three phases: Tutorials from both streams are offered at the beginning. These are followed by four five-day workshops focusing on particular topics related to the overall theme of the program. The programs culminate with a 1 week Oberwolfach-like workshop at the UCLA at Lake Arrowhead, California.

Between the long programs, IPAM sponsors independent five-day workshops on a broad range of scientific themes. During the summer IPAM holds a research program for undergraduates (RIPS) focusing on industrial problems as well as a summer school for graduate students. The graduate student summer school is dedicated to an important scientific theme involving problems of mathematical interest.

References

External links

* [http://www.ipam.ucla.edu/ IPAM home page]
* [http://www.mathinstitutes.org/ NSF Mathematical Sciences Institutes]