UCLA has won the only new mathematics research institute in the United States awarded by the NSF in its recent national competition. Mathematics is the language of science, and one of IPAM's goals is to break down barriers between mathematicians and other scientists. I believe it is better to view pure and applied mathematics as a continuum rather than as two competing and hostile camps. During these programs, IPAM will also host conferences, seminars, tutorials and workshops, and will award fellowships.
Mathematics can enrich other scientific disciplines, and vice versa.
Mathematics can enrich not only physics and the other physical sciences, but also medicine and the biomedical sciences and engineering. It can also play a role in such practical matters as how to speed the flow of traffic on the Internet or sharpen the transmission of digitized images, how to better understand and possibly predict patterns in the stock market, how to gain insights into human behavior, and even how to enrich the entertainment world through contributions to digital technology, Tadmor said. The institute will offer programs on several major scientific topics each year, as well as shorter programs. The convergence of mathematics and the life sciences, which was not foreseen a generation ago, is a tremendous opportunity. IPAM will facilitate collaborative research across traditional academic fields and will help train a new generation of interdisciplinary mathematicians and scientists, Chan said.