Global Mathematics Histories and Futures

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This exciting and immersive event includes Invited Keynote and Guest Lectures, Contributed talks, and Moderated Roundtable Discussion Sessions. This will be a fully accessible, friendly, informal and inclusive event, where we welcome and value contributions from all participants. 

Aims and themes

What are the greatest mathematical challenges for humanity? In 1959 ‘the unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics’ was contemplated by Wigner as ‘a wonderful gift which we neither understand nor deserve’, the wonder being that mathematics is so powerful in describing and predicting observed behaviours of the physical and even the biological and social worlds. 

Sixty-five years later, those worlds are beset by even worse problems that are unprecedented in kind or in scale and global reach. Global climate warming, wildfires, the despairing, seemingly endless, cycles of regional wars that humanity seems locked into, the rise of the far right and authoritarianism, pandemics, the intractable biases of tech, microplastics pollution... 

This workshop aims to expand the celebrated effectiveness of mathematics through – 

• a diversity of people in mathematics,
• a broader cultural diversity of mathematics in mathematics,
• global histories, evolution and transmission of mathematical knowledge,
• non-Western and First Nations mathematical knowledges,
• facing up to unprecedented ethical issues, 
• the potential and risks of AI in mathematics research and higher education.

Target participants include mathematics students and early career researchers, university educators and senior researchers, and industry practitioners. Minimum mathematics level assumed is completion of first-year mathematics. Keynote and Guest lectures will be pitched at 3-4th year undergraduate and beginning postgraduate levels. 

Participants are welcome to give a contributed talk relevant to the themes of the workshop. Students and ECRs are encouraged to give a 15-20 minute talk that explains their research and its significance for the global problems confronting humanity. Title and abstract may be submitted on the registration page.  

Student support applications

We may offer travel and accommodation bursaries to students travelling from outside Canberra. Please register and send a brief letter from your supervisor/lecturer to the Convenor with copy to Admin if you wish to be considered for this support.  

Convenor

Rowena Ball (Australian National University)
 

Scientific/Organising Committee and Co-Convenors

Lilia Ferrario (Australian National University)

Jared Field (Senior Lecturer, University of Technology Sydney)

Adam Piggott (Associate Director Science Education (ADSE))

Jordan Pitt (Associate Dean of Indigenous Strategy and Services and Applied Mathematician, University of Sydney)

Stephan Tillmann (University of Sydney SMRI)

Eloise Tredenick (Data Science Group, Faculty of Science & Technology, University of Canberra)

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