AMMSI-Phillip Griffiths Prize: 2016  

The AMMSI-Phillip Griffiths Prize is to be awarded annually, starting in 2016, to an African mathematician, living in Africa, who has made outstanding contribution to mathematics, application of mathematics or promotion of mathematics, as evidenced by research and its impact. The award comprises a certificate with a citation on the winner’s scientific achievement as well as a cash prize of USD 6,000. The deadline for receipt of nominations is 5th March 2016.

CDC has supported 12 mathematical leaders from Nepal to participate from August 31 to September 8, 2015, in Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) in the SEAMS School "Number Theory and Applications in Cryptography and Coding Theory" which was organized at the Department of Computer Science at HCMC Ho Chi Minh City University of Science.

The CDC 2015-2018 meet March 12 and 13, 2015 in the IMU Secretariat. Key issues discussed included the new CDC Grant Selection Committee, new programs and the distribution of a special IMU Grant for projects in developing countries. Follow this website to keep updated about the new programs of CDC for developing and non- affluent countries.

On March 13th the CDC met also with the IMU-EC 2015-2018.

ICM 2018, in Rio de Janeiro, will bring together the world's best mathematicians for various activities, including Plenary Lectures, Invited Lectures and the Award Ceremony for the Fields Medals, the Nevanlinna Prize, the Gauss Prize, the Chern Medal, and the Leelavati Prize. As the first edition of the ICM in Latin America, as well as in the Southern Hemisphere, the ICM in Rio de Janeiro will give us an opportunity to reflect on the great progress of the region in terms of research and public awareness of mathematics.

Professor Daya Reddy, a South African mathematician and ICM 2014 Invited Lecturer, was on September 3rd 2014, as next President of the International Council for Science (ICSU). Reddy will take over from the current ICSU President, Gordon McBean, in October 2017.

Sir John Ball (UK), former IMU President and Professor Manuel de León (Spain), IMU EC member were elected as Ordinary Members.

James Simons is chairman of the Simons Foundation and board chair and founder of Renaissance Technologies. Prior to his financial career, Simons was chairman of the mathematics department at Stony Brook University, taught mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University, and was a cryptanalyst at the Institute for Defense Analyses. Simons holds a B.S. from MIT and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley. In 1976, he won the Veblen Prize of the American Mathematics Society for his work in geometry.

A new plaque to commemorate the celebrated Norwegian mathematician Niels Henrik Abel (August 5th 1802 - April 6th 1829) was inaugurated on the April 6th in Berlin, Germany. The Norwegian ambassador Sven E. Svedman and the Secretary of the International Mathematical Union, Professor Martin Grötschel, jointly unveiled the plaque.

Since its establishment in 2005, the African Mathematics Millennium Science Initiative (AMMSI) which is supported by the CDC has concentrated on promoting mathematics in Sub-Sahara African countries because, at the time of its establishment, it was anticipated that a Millennium Science project would be initiated for the Mediterranean countries, to involve Southern Europe and North Africa.  The project never materialized.  Over the years, there has been concern about exclusion of North Africa from AMMSI’s activities, particularly since some of the countries in this region are equal