1. The program "Support to Individual Mathematicians"offers partial travel support to mathematicians who make an extended research visit in an advanced mathematical center which commits itself to cover the local expenses. This program applies both to mathematicians from developing countries and to mathematicians from advanced countries who visit a mathematical center in a developing country. This program includes the "IMU-UNESCO Visiting Mathematician Program" and has been made possible through special funding by ICSU, UNESCO-ROSTA and UNESCO-ROSTE.

  2. The program "Support to Conferences" offers partial support for the academic activities of conferences organized in developing countries.
As in the past years, the CDE has received many applications an has to make a strict selection before awarding funding.

The CDE has also continued supporting the two research teams.

A list of beneficiaries is given below. The activities of the CDE were make possible through funding received from IMU, ICSU, Societé Mathématique de France and UNESCO

CDE 1995 Support to Individual Mathematicians

N A M E RESEARCH FIELDS ORIGIN RESEARCH VISITPROGRAM YEAR
M.N.Ndumum Stochastic Anal. and Geometry Cameron 2 months, Warwick, UK ROSTA 95
T.S. Rao Func.Analysis India 1 month, Italy ROSTE 95
Le Hai Khoi Analysis Vietnam 1 month, Sophia Univ., Japan ROSTE
I C S U 		95
Njkoku Appl. Math. Nigeria 1 month. ICPT, Italy I C S U
ROSTA 		95
T.N. Venkataramana Group representation India 1 month Orsay, France I C S U 95
Gonzalez de Paz Appl. Analysis Guatemala 2 months, ICTP I C S U 96
Qiu Complex Anal. Brazil Denmark, 94 I C S U 96


CDE 1995 Support to Conferences

Country Title of the Meet./Conference Organizers Year Programme
Argentina Workshop on Representation of Lie Groups,Aug 7-20,1995 J. Tirao 95 I C S U
Marocco Colloquium in AnalysisJun 19-21, 1995 A. Bakali 95 I C S U
ROSTA
India Winter School Nonlinear Systems, Jan 8-26, 96 K.M. Tamizhamani 95 I C S U
Thailand ACM95 (2nd Asian Math.Conf) S.Tangmanee 95 I C S U
India Int. Conf. on Discrete Math 95 I M U
Vietnam Int. Conf. on Commutative Algebra and Alg.Geometry N.V. Trung 96 I C S U


CDE 1995 SUPPORT TO RESEARCH TEAMS

Country Research Field Head Year Programme
Vietnam Topology and Singularity Theory Le van Thanh 94/95 I C S U
Benin Differential Geometry and Theoretical Physics J.P. Ezin 95 I C S U


OTHER SCIENTIFIC ACTIVITIES

International Commission on the History of Mathematics - ICHM
Report prepared by Eberhard Knobloch, 1996

New Editors of Historia Mathematica:

Karen Parshall, USA, and Jan P. Hogendijk, The Netherlands, have taken over the editorial responsibility of Historia Mathematica and have slightly changed the Editorial Board. The journal runs well, and has developed a healthy backlog of submitted high quality papers. We would like to take this opportunity to thank David Rowe for his deeply appreciated work and his untiring efforts at the head of the Journal during the last two years.


Past congresses to which the ICHM contributed:

International Workshop "History of science, history of text".

This international workshop was organized by Karine Chemla, French member of the ICHM, on behalf of the EINSTEIN Forum and the Wissenschaftskolleg in Berlin. It took place in the so-called "Literarrisches Colloquium" in Berlin from March 30 to April 2, 1995, and brought together scholars from diverse fields, including history of mathematics, in order to conceptualize problems inherent in studying the interrelationship between scientific practices and scientific writing across cultural, geographical and chronological differences. The proceedings will be published (Akademie-Verlag, Berlin) by the organizer.

Actualité de Leibniz: Les deux labyrinthes

An international colloquium was organized by Dominique Berlioz and Frédéric Nef in the Centre Culturel International de Cerisy-la-Salle, France, June 15-22, 1995. Six lectures dealt with History of Mathematics, among them those of Javier Echeverria, Spanish member of the ICHM, and Eberhard Knobloch, chairman of the ICHM.

Conflict and cooperation in building the scientific estate:

Johann Bernoulli, other cases and a general perspective. The symposium, that took place at Groningen, July 5-6, 1995, was organized by the ICHM member Jan van Maanen. It was held to mark the tercentenary of the appointment of Johann Bernoulli as Professor of Mathematics at Groningen University.

1695 Christiaan Huygens 1995

This international conference was organized by A. Eyffinger under the auspices of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences and in cooperation with the Boerhaave Museum in Leiden and the Museum Hofwijck in Voorburg. It took place in Leiden and in Voorburg, The Netherlands, July 7-9, 1995. One of the opening addresses (by Joella Yoder) and a whole session were devoted to Huygens and mathematics. The proceedings will be published in De seventiende eeuw.

The first European Honours Course in History of Mathematics:

History of the 17th century mathematics, Utrecht, The Netherlands, July 1995 Henk Bos, Utrecht University, organized the course and was one of the six lecturers, among them being the chairman of the ICHM Eberhard Knobloch, Jan van Maanen, Dutch member of the ICHM, Kirsti Andersen, Vicechairman of the ICHM, and Silvia Roero, Italian member of the ICHM. Some 20 advanced students of history of mathematics participated in the Course, coming from eleven European countries.

The history of reading the Ancients in mathematics

Karine Chemla, France, Eberhard Knobloch, Germany, and Jeanne Peiffer organized an international conference on the above subject at the Centre International de Rencontres Mathématiques (CIRM) in Luminy-Marseille, France, from October 16 to 20, 1995. It reestablished the tradition of organizing historical conferences at the CIRM. Its director agreed that a next conference of such a kind should be organized in 1997. As a consequence, it can be hoped that conferences on history of mathematics will take place alternately in Luminy and Oberwolfach, Germany. Some 40 historians of mathematics, coming from 14 countries, participated in this conference. 26 lectures discussed interesting aspects of the theme.

4th Austrian symposium on history of mathematics

Christa Binder, Austrian member of the ICHM, organized this symposium entitled "999 years-Austria a part of the global development of mathematics" at Neuhofen, Austria, November 5-11, 1995. 32 speakers coming from 10 countries, contributed to the conference.


Future Congresses

Workshop on the History of Mathematics in Oberwolfach, November 3-9, 1996.

It will be organized by Kirsti Andersen, Aarhus, Henk J.M. Bos, Utrecht, and Menso Folkerts, Munich.The subject of the meeting is: "Significant changes in our picture of mathematics’ past - crucial results of four decades of research in the history of mathematics". It aims at analyzing the nature and significance of the results of research in recent decades. Six sub-themes have been chosen for this approach: Interfaces between mathematics and social practices, 1850-1950 Mathematics in the Islam period, Interfaces between mathematics and physics in the nineteenth century, Historical studies on ethnomathematics, Mathematics in the European Medieval Period, History of stochastics.

ICHM and the XXth International congress of history of science Liege, July 20-26, 1997

Organized by the IUHPS/DHS, the Congress will focus on `Science, Technology and Industry'. The Program Committee is chaired by Charles C. Gillispie (USA) and the Local Organizing Committee by Robert Halleux, University of Liége. Two symposia will be organized on behalf of the ICHM: The Heritage of A.P.Yushkevich, under the responsability of K. Chemla, S. Demidov, E. Knobloch Formation of a research area and a scientific community: applied mathematics, under the responsability of G. Israel and J.W. Dauben. These proposals have been accepted by the local organizing committee of the Liége Congress. The first circular has been distributed during the fall of 1995. The address of the Congress office reads as follows: Centre d'Histoire des Sciences et des Techniques, 15 avenue des tilleuls, B-4000 Li!ge, Belgique, tel. 32.41/66.94.79, fax 32.41/66.95.47, e-mail CHSTULG@VM1.ULG.AC.BE

International Congress of Mathematicians, Berlin 1998

The ICHM intends to organize a colloquium on the history of mathematics with the tentative title "Berlin and its relations to other international mathematical centers". The proposal has been sent to Philipp Griffiths, Chairman of the Program Committee, and to the Chairman of the Local Organizing Comittee in Berlin, Martin Groetschel. The ICHM is still waiting for an official approval.

The European Honours Course in History of Mathematics

The SOKRATES Inter-university Cooperation Program (ICP) "History of Mathematics" was established early 1994 with the aim of organizing yearly Intensive Programs for students in History of Mathematics. 34 universities are participating in the ICP. The second course on "Nineteenth-century mathematics" will take place in Palermo, Italy, September 2-20, 1996. Addresses of the Committee: Mathematical Institute, Utrecht University, c/o Henk Bos, Postbox 80010, NL 3508 TA Utrecht Netherlands, tel. 31.30.53.14.30; fax 31.30.51.83.94; e-mail bos@math.ruu.nl Department of mathematics, University of Palermo, c/o Aldo Brigaglia, Via Archirafi 34, I-90123 Palermo, Italy; tel. 39.91.6040401; fax 39.91.6165425; e-mail brigaglia@ipamat.unipa.it

ICHM World Directory of Historians of Mathematics

The new edition, ed. by K. Andersen and M. Dybdahl, University of Aarhus, is available in print or on a disc (DOS.WP51). The price for a printed copy or a disc is $8 for residents of Europe and $10 for residents from outside Europe (postal charges included). Directions for ordering copies:
  1. Remit the necessary amount of money to the account of the treasurer of the ICHM. Menso Folkerts, Stadtsparkasse Munich, Haidhauser Strasse 1, 81675 Munich, Germany, Account number 28-267953 (bank code number 701 500 00), key word: World Directory.

  2. Send an order to Menso Folkerts, Institut fuer Geschichte der Naturwissenschaften, Ludwig- Maximilians-Universitaet Munich, Museumsinsel, Postfach, 80306 Munich, Germany See Historia Mathematica 22 (1995), 470. The ICHM hopes that its National Members will help in making the existence of the new edition known.

Ongoing ICHM projects


Photo Archive in Leipzig. The chairman wrote to the University of Leipzig in order to help Hans Joachim Ilgauds to continue his work with regard to the Photo Archive. For the time being the ICHM has to wait further on for a clarification of the situation at Leipzig Institute.

Revised ICHM Bibliography

Albert Lewis plans to work with the AMS in producing an on-line version of the ICHM annotated bibliography. The ICHM will give reasonable amount of money in order to help to realize this project.

ICHM Dictionary on History of Mathematics

The Dictionary project edited by John Fauvel continues to progress. It is to be published by Oxford University Press. Anyone interested in the progress of the project should contact John Fauvel, Mathematics Faculty, The Open University, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, England.

ICHM Historiography project

The ICHM is in the last stages of completing a final draft of a major cooperative effort: Historiography of the History of Mathematicas. At present, nearly forty colleagues from all parts of the world are collaborating to describe the history of history of mathematics from the first historical writings on mathematics by the ancient Greeks and Chinese, to the present. The work will be finished presumably in 1996.

World mathematical year 2000

The ICHM wishes to contribute. Suggestions are welcome.


A still rather new journal for the History and Philosphy of Science and Technology is Neusis. Greek historians and philosophers of science and technology edit this journal which appears biannually. The second volume appeared in spring 1995. All papers, book reviews, etc. are published in Greek. Submitted papers, written in other languages are translated into Greek, if they are accepted for publication. There is a big effort also to translate into Greek and to publish less recent papers who contributed to shape the discipline. This applies, in particular, to history of mathematics. The editorial office is headed by Jean Christianidis, Greek member of the ICHM.


Adresses of the ICHM Chairman and Secretary:

Chairman:
Eberhard Knobloch,
Technische Universitaet Berlin, Rohrdamm 22,
13629 Berlin
fax: 49.30/38006-112
e-mail: ehkn0132@mailszrz.zrz.tu-berlin.de

Secretary:
Jeanne Peiffer,
6 rue des deux gares,
F-75010 Paris
fax at CNRS (UPR 21): 33.1/45.81.16.47


PUBLICATIONS

IMU published one bulletin in 1995. The 10th World Directory of Mathematicians came out during the summer of 1994. ICMI published 2 Bulletins, both supported by UNESCO grants. Other publications by ICMI were described above. ICHM also had several publications in 1994; they are described above in the topic of the ICHM activities.


ORGANIZATIONAL MATTERS

The Executive Committee of IMU met once this year: on May 11-12, 1995, Collège de France, Paris.


VITAL STATISTICS

members (countries) = 60
8 (IMU ) + 3 (ICMI ) + 6 (CDE ) + 7 (ICHM) = 24 conferences supported
1 (IMU) + 2 (ICMI) = 3 bulletins; most conferences published their proceedings.