In English...

Montréal (Canada) — 7 décembre 2012 — Plus d’une centaine d’instituts de recherche et de sociétés savantes s’unissent dans le cadre d’une grande initiative mondiale : les Mathématiques de la planète Terre 2013 (MPT 2013). Ce projet, qui s’étalera sur toute l’année, mettra en lumière la contribution des mathématiques à la recherche de solutions à des problèmes mondiaux comme les catastrophes naturelles (ouragans, tremblements de terre et tsunamis), les changements climatiques, le développement durable et les pandémies. Les partenaires de l’initiative MPT 2013 organiseront des ateliers, des congrès scientifiques, des conférences publiques, des activités de sensibilisation et des activités éducatives pour tous les âges. Chaque pays d’un établissement partenaire sera l’hôte d’un lancement spécial pour marquer le début de l’année. Le premier lancement se tiendra le 7 décembre à Montréal, au Canada.

L’initiative MPT 2013 se déroulera sous le patronage de l’Organisation des Nations Unies pour l’éducation, la science et la culture (UNESCO). L’UNESCO, affirme sa directrice générale, Irena Bokova, appuie sans réserve cette extraordinaire collaboration de mathématiciens de partout dans le monde pour faire progresser la recherche sur des enjeux planétaires fondamentaux : ceci permettra de mieux comprendre les enjeux mondiaux, de sensibiliser le public et d’enrichir les programmes scolaires en intégrant le rôle essentiel des mathématiques dans la recherche de solutions aux problèmes qui guettent notre planète.

L’initiative MPT 2013 fera connaître la nature interdisciplinaire de la recherche scientifique et le rôle unique que jouent les mathématiques dans la quête de solutions aux grands problèmes planétaires. Cette vaste initiative réunira des chercheuses et des chercheurs de domaines divers comme la médecine, le génie, la finance et les mathématiques, qui tenteront de résoudre certains des problèmes mondiaux les plus criants. Les mathématiques joueront aussi un rôle dans les solutions à long terme, notamment pour la sécurité de la finance électronique, la prévision plus précise des catastrophes naturelles, l’adaptation d’écosystèmes aux changements, et la propagation des maladies.

Je partage désormais mon rêve avec tant de scientifiques de toute la planète que l’initiative MPT 2013 grandit toute seule. Cette collaboration sans précédent se prolongera bien au-delà de 2013 , souligne Christiane Rousseau, instigatrice de MPT 2013. Cette vaste initiative veut mettre à contribution certains des plus brillants esprits de la planète pour résoudre les grands problèmes mondiaux , renchérit Brian Conrey, organisateur principal de MPT 2013 aux États-Unis.

Entre autres exemples d’applications récentes à des problèmes mondiaux, les scientifiques ont utilisé les mathématiques pour améliorer les stratégies de recharge des aquifères souterrains; créer un modèle amélioré de collaboration entre le gouvernement et l’industrie pour réduire la pollution; modéliser la transmission des maladies infectieuses afin d’élaborer de stratégies permettant d’endiguer ou d’enrayer ces maladies; et améliorer la compréhension théorique des virus et des médicaments nécessaires à leur combat. À long terme, les mathématiques pourraient contribuer à quantifier les incertitudes relatives aux changements climatiques; à améliorer la prévision des catastrophes naturelles (tremblements de terre, éruptions volcaniques et tsunamis); à comprendre l’adaptation des écosystèmes aux changements climatiques; à concevoir des modèles économiques viables; et à préserver la biodiversité. Selon Mary Lou Zeeman, la modélisation mathématique nous aide à combattre les maladies infectieuses. Elle nous permet par exemple d’évaluer le pourcentage de la population qui doit être vaccinée pour enrayer une maladie, ou de mesurer l’impact d’autres facteurs comme l’éducation.

Le développement durable passe par une meilleure compréhension des interactions complexes entre un grand nombre de systèmes : climat, économie, progrès technologique, géologie, écologie, science spatiale, régulation démographique, sécurité, politique mondiale et psychologie collective, explique Doyne Farmer, directeur du programme Oxford Martin sur la complexité. Pour assurer la survie de la planète, il faut une vision claire de notre avenir et mettre la philosophie en contact direct avec la science. En tant que scientifiques, notre travail consiste à comprendre les causes et les effets, en faisant des prévisions et en quantifiant le mieux possible les grandes incertitudes de ces prévisions. Mais nous avons besoin que les mathématiciens travaillent avec les physiciens, les écologistes, les économistes, etc. pour être certains d’utiliser le bon modèle. MPT 2013 peut aussi avoir des effets sur les soins de santé, en améliorant notre compréhension du contrôle des pandémies, et contribuer à l’économie verte, en favorisant la conception de matériaux haute performance pour les piles et les cellules solaires. Les mathématiques sont un choix de carrière de plus en plus populaire chez les personnes qui aspirent à trouver des solutions aux problèmes de notre planète. Les élèves du secondaire et des collèges bénéficieront eux aussi du bouillonnement associé à l’initiative MPT 2013, car du matériel pédagogique est élaboré spécialement pour leurs cours de mathématiques de base. Des activités, des suggestions de lecture et des plans de leçons seront distribués gratuitement au personnel enseignant qui souhaite faire découvrir à ses élèves l’impact potentiel des sciences mathématiques sur la planète.

Renseignements sur l’initiative MPT 2013

L’initiative Mathématiques de la planète Terre 2013 (mpt2013.org) rassemble plus d’une centaine de sociétés scientifiques, d’instituts de recherche, d’universités et d’organismes de partout dans le monde. Ce projet a pour mission d’encourager la recherche en ciblant des enjeux planétaires fondamentaux et en y cherchant des solutions, d’inciter les enseignants de tous les niveaux à faire connaître les problèmes que vit ou qui guettent la Terre, de sensibiliser la population au rôle essentiel des sciences mathématiques dans la résolution des problèmes planétaires et d’inciter les jeunes qui s’intéressent au développement durable et aux enjeux mondiaux à envisager une carrière stimulante en mathématiques. L’initiative MPT 2013 se déroulera sous l’égide de l’Organisation des Nations Unies pour l’éducation, la science et la culture (UNESCO).

Renseignements :

Christiane Rousseau
Vice-présidente de l’Union mathématique internationale
+1 (514) 915-6081
rousseac@dms.umontreal.ca

en français...

Montreal, Canada – December 7, 2012 – More than 100 academic institutions and scholarly societies have joined in a major world-wide initiative: Mathematics of Planet Earth (MPE) 2013. This year-long effort will highlight the contributions made by mathematics in tackling global problems, including natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, and tsunamis; climate change; sustainability; and pandemics. MPE2013 partners will sponsor workshops, research conferences, public lectures, outreach events, and educational opportunities for all ages. Each country from a partner institution will host a special launch to the year.

MPE2013 enjoys the patronage of UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. The Director-General of UNESCO, Irena Bokova, said, “UNESCO strongly supports this extraordinary collaboration of mathematicians around the world to advance research on fundamental questions about planet Earth, to nurture a better understanding of global issues, to help inform the public, and to enrich the school curriculum about the essential role of mathematics in the challenges facing our planet.” MPE2013 will bring public awareness of the interdisciplinary nature of scientific research and the unique role played by mathematics in facing global challenges. This broad initiative will involve top researchers in fields as diverse as medicine, engineering, and finance, as well as mathematics, to solve some of the world's most challenging problems. Mathematics will also play a role in the solution to long-term issues including security for e-finance, more accurate predictions of natural disasters, the adaptation of interacting ecosystems to change, and the spread of diseases.

“My dream is now shared by so many scientists around the world that MPE2013 is developing on its own. This unprecedented collaboration will last beyond 2013.” noted Christiane Rousseau, initiator of MPE2013 and Professor of Mathematics at the University of Montreal. “This broad initiative seeks to involve some of the world's finest minds to solve some of the world's toughest problems,” said Brian Conrey, leader of MPE2013 in the United States and Director of the American Institute of Mathematics.

Examples of recent applications of mathematics to MPE problems include:

• improved strategies for recharging underground aquifers;
• a better model for how government and industry can work together to decrease pollution;
• successful modeling of the transmission of epidemic diseases allowing the design of strategies to control or eradicate them; and
• developing a greater theoretical understanding of viruses and the drugs necessary to tackle them.
Long-term problems in which mathematics will play a role include:
• quantifying uncertainty in climate change;
• more accurate predictions of natural disasters including earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis;
• the adaptation of ecosystems to climate change;
• sustainable economic models; and
• the preservation of biodiversity.

According to Mary Lou Zeeman, co-director of the Mathematics and Climate Research Network, “Mathematical modeling has given us a better understanding of how to combat infectious diseases. We can evaluate the percentage of the population that must be vaccinated to eradicate a disease and we can measure the impact of education and other interventions on the spread of a disease.”

“Achieving sustainability requires understanding the complex interactions between a vast number of systems including climate, economics, technological progress, geology, ecology, space science, population control, security, global politics, and mass psychology,” says Doyne Farmer, Director of the Oxford Martin Programme on Complexity at the University of Oxford. “Sustainability forces us to think clearly about our vision of the future, putting philosophy into direct contact with science. As scientists our job is to try to understand causes and effects, both by making predictions and by quantifying the vast uncertainties in these predictions as best we can. But we need mathematicians to work with physicists, ecologists, economists, etc., to ensure that we are using the right model.”

MPE2013 can impact health care through a better understanding of how to control pandemics, and it can contribute to the green economy by aiding in the design of high-performance materials for batteries and solar cells.

Mathematics is becoming an increasingly popular career path for people who want to be part of the solution to the problems of our planet. High school and college students can share in the excitement of MPE2013 through new educational materials being developed for core mathematics courses. Activities, readings, and seminar lesson plans will be freely available to any teacher who wants to engage students in discovering how the mathematical sciences can have a global impact.

More about MPE2013

Mathematics of Planet Earth 2013 (mpe2013.org) is an initiative of over 100 scientific societies, research institutes, universities, and organizations all over the world. The mission of the project is to encourage research in identifying and solving fundamental questions about planet Earth, encourage educators at all levels to communicate the issues related to planet Earth, inform the public about the essential role of the mathematical sciences in facing the challenges to our planet, and encourage young people interested in sustainability and global issues to consider mathematics as an exciting career choice. MPE2013 enjoys the patronage of UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization.

For more information, please see http://www.mpe2013.org/newsroom or contact:

Christiane Rousseau
Vice-President of the International Mathematical Union
+1 (514) 915-6081
rousseac@dms.umontreal.ca

John Toland
Director, Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Cambridge, UK
+44 1223 335999
director@newton.ac.uk

Brian Conrey
Director, American Institute of Mathematics
+1 (650) 307-2736
+1 (650) 845-2071
conrey@aimath.org

Mary Lou Zeeman
Wells Johnson Professor of Mathematics, Bowdoin College
+1 (207) 725-3575

During her 3-year term at the helm of BIRS, Karen Prentice supervised the incorporation of the research station, consolidated its governance structure and firmed up its legal framework. She successfully led the renewal of the Station’s funding for 5 years from four partnering governments (Canada, Alberta, US and Mexico) and oversaw the transfer of its lecturing facilities to the beautiful Trans Canada Pipeline Pavilion at the Banff Centre. The thousands of scientists who participate in BIRS activities every year will always be grateful for her selfless service and her many contributions to the promotion of the mathematical sciences and their applications.

Douglas Mitchell is a pillar of both the Canadian sports and business communities, who has spent countless hours giving back to non-profit organizations and public companies lucky enough to have him. BIRS is now one of them as Doug Mitchell succeeds Karen Prentice as chair of its Board of Directors.

Doug Mitchell is National Co-Chair of Borden Ladner Gervais LLP. His law career is highlighted by specialties in Corporate and Commercial Law, as well as Commercial Real Estate and Sports Law. His current firm is a leading, full-service national law firm comprised of over 750 lawyers and property agents in six Canadian cities.

An active member of the community, he has served as Chair of the Calgary Airport Authority, and is now Co-Chair of the Banff Global Business Forum, Director of ParticipAction, and a member of the UBC Board of Governors. He is also Past Chair of the Alberta Economic Development Authority, SAIT Polytechnic’s Board of Governors, and Past President of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce.

Doug Mitchell has also been an important member of the Canadian sports community for years, both as a player and a leader. He attended Colorado College on a Hockey Scholarship before completed his degree in Law at the University of British Columbia and playing professional football for the B.C. Lions of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He served as a member of the National Hockey League Board of Governors from 1980 to 1984, and as Commissioner of the Canadian Football League (CFL) from 1984 to 1989. He was also Chairman of the 2005 Winter Goodwill Games.

In 2009, Mitchell’s family, friends and colleagues pledged a substantial donation to UBC for the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre winter sports complex in recognition of his extraordinary contribution to Canadian amateur sports. The Centre served as a hockey and sledge hockey host venue for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, and is a central landmark of UBC’s Vancouver campus.

Doug Mitchell’s contributions have been recognized with many honors including the Order of Canada and the Alberta Order of Excellence. He was named one of Calgary’s 12 Most Influential Business People by the Calgary Herald and in 2010, was recognized as one of the Power 50 of Canadian sports by the Globe & Mail.