MPE2013-Net 7: May 2013 An Email Newsletter from Mathematics of Planet Earth 2013 Editor: Christiane Rousseau, Centre de recherches mathématiques 1. The winners of the MPE Competition The MPE Open Source Exhibition 3. Workshop on Mathematics of climate change, related hazards and risks 4. MPE Simons Public Lecture series 5. MPE Blogs 6. AMC2013 and MPE2013 in Korea 7. Distribution of Accromath in Africa 8. Salon culture et jeux mathématiques on MPE 9. Maths of Planet Earth Australia 10. MPE2013 partners 11. Posting events on the web and contributing to MPE newsletter 12. Subscribing to MPE2013-NET _____________________________ 1. THE WINNERS OF THE MPE COMPETITION The winners of the MPE Competition were announced on the MPE Day at UNESCO in Paris on March 5 2013. The First prize (USD 5000) went to the team of Daniel Ramos (Spain) for its module "Sphere of the Earth". This exhibit shows that maps of the spherical surface of the Earth on a plane must have distortions. The user interactively selects a disc region and sees how various maps distort it. The engaging and easy-to-use interface effectively conveys mathematical ideas relevant to the Earth. http://imaginary.org/program/the-sphere-of-the-earth The second prize (USD 3000) went to the team of Tobias Malkmus (Germany) for its module "Dune Ash". This interactive computer program graphically simulates the dispersion of a volcanic ash cloud using a mathematical model. The user chooses the location of the volcano, sketches the direction and strength of the winds, and sets the rate of dispersion. An original interface allows the user to specify complex wind patterns and invites repeated exploration. http://imaginary.org/program/dune-ash The third prize (USD 2000) went to the team of Guillaume Jouvet (France/Switzerland/Germany) for its module "How to predict the future of glaciers?" In an entertaining way, this video illustrates the collaboration between a mathematician and a glacier expert as they develop a dynamic model for the evolution of glaciers. At the end of the video, the user can choose among alternative scenarios to see possible futures for the Aletsch glacier in the Alps." http://imaginary.org/film/the-future-of-glaciers The winners were all present at the ceremony and received their prizes from Ehrhard Behrends, the president of the jury. They could comment their modules that were presented on site. _____________________________ 2. THE MPE OPEN SOURCE EXHIBITION The International Open Source MPE Exhibition (www.mpe2013.org/exhibition) was officially launched during the MPE Day on March 5 at UNESCO in Paris. Schools, museums, etc. are encouraged to download the modules and use them directly or adapt them according to their licenses. The exhibition comprises several modules presented to the MPE competition, including the winning modules described above. It also comprises about 10 physical modules of a traveling exhibition realized by MIchel Darche at Centre Science of Orleans. The description of these physical modules, also Open Source, will be available on the website as of June 1st. The MPE exhibition is still in development and we hope for more contributions of four types: - A module explaining how to realize a physical module in a museum. - An interactive exhibit to be watched either on the web or in a museum. - A film - Image(s) If you want to find out more about how to contribute to the MPE exhibition please go to: http://imaginary.org/content/new-mpe-exhibits As much as possible, the exhibition will also be available in several languages. The ten physical modules already exist in English and French. Several virtual modules already exist in different languages and we will post translations of the different existing modules performed by some MPE partners. If you want to provide translations please contact mpe@imaginary.org The traveling exhibition realized by Michel Darche can be rented. Just contact Michel Darche at mldarche@free.fr _____________________________ 3. WORKSHOP ON MATHEMATICS OF CLIMATE CHANGE, RELATED NATURAL HAZARDS AND RISKS Applications are invited for a 5-day workshop that is organized as a satellite activity of the 2013 Mathematical Congress of the Americas at CIMAT in Guanajuato (Mexico) during July 29 -- August 2 2013. The workshop will bring together about 40 young researchers, mainly from Latin America and the Caribbean and a dozen distinguished scientists, each of which will give several lectures on a chosen topic. The workshop is part of the world initiative "Mathematics of Planet Earth 2013" which is endorsed by IMU (www.mpe2013.org). It is jointly organized and sponsored by IMU together with the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG) and the International Union of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (IUTAM). It is co-sponsored by the International Council of Science (ICSU), by the International Council of Industrial and Applied Mathematics (ICIAM) and by the Centro de Investigación en Matemáticas (CIMAT). It is supported by ICSU Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean, by two interdisciplinary bodies of ICSU, namely IRDR (Integrated Research on Disaster Risk) and WCRP, by the US National Academy of Sciences, by the Academia Mexicana de Ciencias. The members of the Scientific Committee are Susan Friedlander (IMU), Ilya Zaliapin (IUGG) and Paul F. Linden (IUTAM). There is still room for several more participants: apply soon. More details and application form at: http://www.mca2013.org/en/programme/satelite-activities/workshop-on-mathematics-of-climate-change.html _____________________________ 4. MPE2013-SIMONS PUBLIC LECTURE SERIES The first five MPE2013-Simons Public Lectures have attracted a lot of public in all cities where they took place. High quality videos of the lectures will be produced and placed on the website of the Simons Foundation. Already some videos of the first lectures by Simon Levin, Emily Shuckburgh, Inez Fung, Ingrid Daubechies and Francesca Dominici are available at http://mpe2013.org/public-lectures/mpe2013-simons-public-lecture-series/ and more will be available very soon. The next MPE2013-Simons Public Lecture are: - Rupert Klein in Berlin (Germany) on May 23 2013 - L. Mahadevan in Providence (USA) in September 2013 - Martin Nowak in Minneapolis (USA) on October 8 2013 - Emily Carter in Los Angeles (USA) on November 4 2013 _____________________________ 5. MPE BLOGS MPE2013 hosts several blogs with almost daily entries. Both the English-language Web site http://mpe2013.org/ and the French-language Web site http://mpt2013.fr/ host a Daily Blog which started officially on January 1, 2013, with some earlier entries posted in December 2012. In addition, our Australian partners maintain a regular blog at http://mathsofplanetearth.org.au/category/blog/, which goes back to September 2012. The topics covered in these blogs offer a glimpse of the variety of topics that fall under the umbrella of MPE2013. Besides announcements of and reports on conferences and workshops, many posts address issues of current interest in geophysics, climate science, and sustainability. For example, recent posts on the English-language blog http://mpe2013.org/blog/ discuss the mathematical modeling of flow through porous media, water management in California's Central Valley, and the use of wavelets to reconstruct the inner structure of the Earth. Contributions to the daily blog are welcome! Writing a blog is easy. Think of a topic of interest in the context of MPE2013, ask how it relates to mathematics, and describe it in 200-500 words. Adding a picture or link to a video will attract even more readers to your blog. The French blog publishes short notices, called "brèves", without technical details. One goal is to explain how mathematics can bring some useful information on planetary problems. A second goal is to show how new problems, new questions raised by the surrounding world ask for the development of new mathematical tools. The blog is very popular. Already on mid-February it had up to 6000 hits per day and, most likely, the notices called "brèves" will be published in a book form. If you want to blog in English, send a message to blog@mpe2013.org, and if you want to blog in French, send a message to 1jour1breve@mpt2013.fr. _____________________________ 6. ASIAN MATHEMATICAL CONGRESS AND MPE2013 IN KOREA The Korean Mathematical Society and the Organizing Committee of ICM 2014 are making efforts to support MPE activities. First of all, MPE2013 will be highlighted during the Asian Mathematical Conference which will be held in Busan, Korea from June 30th to July 4th: http://www.kms.or.kr/amc2013/. During the congress, there will be a special booth for MPE, and a public lecture on July 1st. The booth will display basic materials and video films on MPE themes for participants and the general public. Also, one of the science magazines called "Dong-A Mathematics" will have a detailed coverage of MPE; its themes, scopes and activities. We think it will significantly increase public awareness of MPE activities inside Korea. In October, we will organize a high school competition on MPE. We hope this kind of competition will make the future generation recognize and advocate the importance of mathematics related to everything on our planet earth. Sok-Jin Kang, Seoul National University _____________________________ 7. DISTRIBUTION OF ACCROMATH IN AFRICA A special issue (in French) of the magazine Accromath will be distributed in 14 francophones countries of Africa with the support of UNESCO, of the International Mathematical Union (IMU) and of the International Commission of Mathematical Instruction (ICMI). _____________________________ 8. SALON CULTURE ET JEUX MATHÉMATIQUES ON MPE The Comité international des jeux mathématiques (www.cijm.org) will organize the 2013 "Salon culture et jeux mathématiques" on the theme of MPE in Paris from May 30 to June 12. More details at http://www.cijm.org/salon/ _____________________________ 9. MATH OF PLANET EARTH AUSTRALIA This Conference to be held in Melbourne, 8-12 July 2013 will be an opportunity to discuss how we can apply the mathematical sciences to solve challenges faced by our planet: discuss, collaborate and network with other researchers and industry members. Abstracts are due by May 31. More information: http://mathsofplanetearth.org.au/events/2013/ Here are other Australian events. - Probability and chance photography competition: entries close 17 May. http://mathsofplanetearth.org.au/probability-chance-photo-comp/ - MPE classroom resources: Taking topical, real life events and posing mathematical problems for students and teachers to enjoy. For more information: http://mathsofplanetearth.org.au/category/schools/classroom-resources/ - BrisScience: The mathematics & economics of marine protected areas, 20 May, Brisbane - Optimisation in Industry, 3 -5 June, Melbourne - Mathematics of Transportation Networks Workshop, 19-21 June, Monash - 2013 AMSI Winter School on the Mathematics of Planet Earth, 24 June – 4 July, Brisbane. - Environmental Intelligence for Australia: A public lecture by Dr Rob Vertessy, Director of Meteorology and CEO of the Bureau of Meteorology, 24 June 2013, Brisbane. Full event listing: http://mathsofplanetearth.org.au/upcoming-events/ _____________________________ 10. MPE2013 PARTNERS The number of partners of MPE2013 is over 140 and continues to increase. Several of the new partners are academic partners, and decide to organize local activities in their region. Partners commit to organize scientific and outreach activities on the theme of Mathematics of Planet Earth. It is not too late to become a partner and join MPE2013: http://mpe2013.org/becoming-a-partner/ Many countries have held national launches of MPE2013 (Canada, Malaysia, UK, USA, Australia). Some countries are planning to organize their national launch on March 5 2013 at the same time as the MPE Day at UNESCO and the European launch of MPE2013. Holding a national MPE launch raises a lot of enthusiasm in the country: it alerts many members of the community including the public and the schools, who did not know about it. It is also an occasion for the researchers to learn some of the beautiful mathematical problems behind the planetary issues. ----------------------------- 11. POSTING EVENTS ON THE WEB AND CONTRIBUTING TO MPE NEWSLETTER Partners are invited to post their events on the MPE website and to build their own MPE2013 webpage. Groups of partners and countries are also invited to communicate to us information on the MPE activities they are planning, and that could be presented in one of the next newsletters. You can follow the example of Portugal. We invite you to visit regularly the Newsroom: http://mpe2013.org/newsroom. ----------------------------- 12. SUBSCRIBING TO MPE2013-NET Click on http://www.mpe2013.org/Net-subscribe with a Web browser and go to the "Subscribe" button to subscribe to MPE2013-Net online. You will get an e-mail to confirm your subscription, so that misuse will be minimized. MPE2013 will not use the list of MPE2013-Net emails for any purpose other than sending MPE2013-Net, and will not make it available to others. Previous issues can be seen at: http://www.mpe2013.org/MPE2013-Net MPE2013-Net is the electronic newsletter of Mathematics of Planet Earth 2013: http://www.mpe2013.org