Events planned for World Mathematics Year 2000

By Hendra Gunawan

BANDUNG (JP): Next year will see many mathematics events all over the globe, in the spirit of the World Mathematics Year introduced by the International Mathematics Union (IMU).

Based on its 1992 declaration in Rio de Janeiro, the union will hold the events under the auspices of the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The events aim to tackle the great challenges in mathematics for the 21st century, promoting mathematics as a key factor for development and trying to improve the image of the science.

In 1900, in a conference in Paris, prominent mathematician David Hilbert introduced a series of mathematical problems, challenging his peers to solve before the end of the century. Most of them have now been solved.

Continuing this tradition, a number of first class mathematicians, represented within the Turn of the Century Committee, are now organizing efforts to formulate the great challenges for the coming century. The committee is chaired by Prof. Jacob Palis of Brazil, who was elected last year as the president of IMU.

Mathematics has long been accepted as one of the main keys for understanding the world and its development. However, many countries are still mathematically underdeveloped, even though they are UNESCO members. In this regard, the events are expected to help such countries reach a level that enables their admission to IMU. Founded in 1920, the union so far has only 50 nations as its members. Indonesia, for example, is not a member.

IMU intends to improve the image of mathematics to promote the presence of the science in the "information society". This will be developed in connection with efforts already begun by many members of the union.

Up to now, many institutions have shown their interest in taking part in a number of programs planned for the World Mathematics Year 2000.

IMU itself, for example, is coordinating the publication of a book of articles, entitled Mathematics Tomorrow, prepared by prominent mathematicians on the prospects of mathematics in the next century.

The International Commission for Mathematical Instruction will be organizing the ninth International Congress on Mathematical Education, in the cities of Makuhari and Chiba in Japan.

Meanwhile, the International Commission on the History of Mathematics is compiling a history of mathematics and creating a public database of the world's mathematicians, including a description of where original documents concerning him or her can be found.

In promoting the image of mathematics, the European Mathematical Society is planning to issue stamps representing European mathematicians and exhibit mathematics posters of general interest in the subways of cities all over the world.

Many countries will also be organizing conferences, meetings and other activities in 2000. The Southeast Asian Mathematics Society will hold the third Asian Mathematical Conference in Manila. However, the Indonesian Mathematical Society has nothing planned for the World Mathematics Year.

Mathematics in Indonesia has recently grown significantly. More than 53 years after independence, Indonesia now has only around 65 people holding doctorates in mathematics, far less than adequate for such a big country. Singapore, by comparison, has at least 150 Ph.D. holders in mathematics.

While education in general is still in a mess, the image of mathematics in Indonesian society is not good and public appreciation of mathematics is poor. The poor appreciation is probably closely related to the country's cultural development. We compare poorly to the ancient Greeks, who had a great appreciation of mathematics.

Our Indonesian ancestors did not value mathematics adequately. Obviously, many Indonesians currently tend to appreciate things that are profitable or produce immediate results rather than those with long-term rewards. Thus the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Office of the State Minister of Research and Technology provide more research funds for applied sciences than for pure studies such as mathematics.

The situation is worsened by misleading teaching of mathematics at schools. Indonesian students learn mathematics through nothing but a series of procedural and soulless calculations, instead of useful modeling or creative and innovative problem solving. All this has to be improved.

So, the World Mathematics Year next year is expected to encourage Indonesian mathematicians, scientists, engineers and teachers to improve mathematics teaching at schools, reveal a better image of mathematics, and make the general public aware of the important role of mathematics in the development of culture, society and the nation. Such efforts will surely need support from the government.

The writer is a lecturer at the Department of Mathematics of the Bandung Institute of Technology in West Java.