Some MSRI efforts reflect the enormous need for programs that bridge the gap between mathematics and the other sciences and foster interdisciplinary approaches. The coming year will feature workshops devoted to mathematics and imaging, the future of mathematical communication, quantum computation, and computational biology. This summer saw the addition of a two-week program for graduate students interested specifically in the application of mathematics. Next year s course will focus on mathematical issues in molecular biology. Those conversations, too, represent an affirmation of the collaborative nature of contemporary mathematical research.
Mathematical outreach can extend to all sorts of audiences.
In July, a class of high school math students visited MSRI to learn a little about what mathematicians do and what makes them tick. From Hugo Rossi, outgoing deputy director, they obtained a glimpse of both the immense appeal and the inevitable frustrations of mathematical research at the frontiers of thought. They even got a brief lesson in the curious arithmetic of the ancient Egyptians. The students also saw an impressively dramatic demonstration of juggling with balls and clubs, performed by Joe Buhler, incoming deputy director. MSRI offers more for the mind than mathematics.