Institute of Mathematics and its Applications
Encyclopedia
The Institute of Mathematics and its Applications (IMA) is the UK's chartered
professional body for mathematician
s and one of the UK's learned societies
for mathematics (the other main one being the London Mathematical Society
).
The IMA aims to advance mathematics and its applications, promote and foster research and other enquiries directed the advancement, teaching and application of mathematics, to seek to establish and maintain high standards of professional conduct for members and to seek to promote, encourage and guide the development of education and training in mathematics.
. Forty percent of members are employed in education (schools through to universities) and sixty percent work in commercial and governmental organisations.
Fellows have a minimum of seven years experience and hold a senior managerial or technical position involving the use of, or training in, mathematics.
Member (MIMA)
Members have an appropriate degree, a minimum period of three years training and experience after graduation and a position of responsibility involving the application of mathematical knowledge or training in mathematics.
Associate Member hold a degree in mathematics, a joint degree in mathematics with another subject or a degree with a sufficient mathematical component such as would be expected in physics or engineering.
Students
Student Members are undertaking a course of study which will lead to a qualification that meets Associate Member requirements.
No requirements are necessary for entry into this grade.
and was subsequently granted the right to award Chartered Mathematician
(CMath) status. The Institute may also nominate individuals for the award of Chartered Scientist
(CSci) under license from the Science Council
. The institute can also award individual Chartered Mathematics Teacher (CMathTeach).
on behalf of the IMA.
The IMA operates a Programme Approval Scheme, which provides an 'approval in principle' for degree courses that meet the educational requirements for Chartered Mathematician
. For programmes to be approved, the IMA requires the programme to be a honours degree of at least three years length, which meets the required mathematical content threshold of two thirds. The programmes also need to meet the QAA
benchmark for Mathematics and the Framework for High Education Qualification.
The IMA provides Education Grants of up to £600 to allow individuals from the UK working in schools or Further/Higher Education to help with the attendance at or the organisation of a mathematics educational activity such as attendance at a conference, expenses to cover a speaker coming into a school, organising a session for a conference.
The IMA also employs a University Liaison Officer to promote mathematics and the IMA to university students undertaking mathematics and help act as a means of support. As part of this support the IMA runs the University Liaison Grants Scheme to provide university mathematical societies with grants of up to £400 to organise more activities and work more closely with the IMA.
jointly award the Christopher Zeeman Medal, dedicated to recognising excellence in the communication of mathematics and the David Crighton
Award dedicated to the recognition of service to mathematics and the wider mathematics community.
The IMA with the British Applied Mathematics Colloquium (BAMC) award a prize for original research every two years, this is called the Lighthill-Thwaites Prize.
The IMA awards the Leslie Fox Prize for Numerical Analysis
, the Catherine Richards Prize for the best articles in Mathematics Today and the IMA Gold Medal for outstanding contribution to mathematics and its applications over the years.
The IMA awards student-level Prizes at most universities which offer mathematics around the UK. Each student prize consists of a years membership of the IMA.
, East Midlands
, Lancashire
and the North West, West Midlands
, West of England
, Ireland
and Scotland
, which run local activities (like talks by well known mathematicians). It's headquarters are based in Southend-on-Sea
, Essex
.
, MySpace
and LinkedIn
, and has a Twitter
feed.
, the Royal Statistical Society
, the Edinburgh Mathematical Society
and the Operational Research Society, forms the Council for the Mathematical Sciences
. The IMA is a member of the Joint Council of Mathematics (JMC) and informs the deliberations of the Advisory Committee for Mathematical Education (ACME).
The IMA has representatives on Bath University Court
, Bradford University Court, Cranfield University Court
, Engineering Technology Board and Engineering Council, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
, EPSRC Public Understanding of Science Committee, Heads of Departments of Mathematical Sciences
, International Council for Industrial and Applied Mathematics
, Joint Mathematical Council
, LMS Computer Science Committee, LMS International Affairs Committee, LMS Women in Maths Committee, Maths, Stats & OR Network
(part of the HEA), Parliamentary and Scientific Committee, Qualifications and Curriculum Authority
, Science Council
, Science Council Registration Authority, The Association of Management Sciences (TAMS) and University of Wales, Swansea Court
Royal Charter
A royal charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organizations such as cities or universities. Charters should be distinguished from warrants and...
professional body for mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
s and one of the UK's learned societies
Learned society
A learned society is an organization that exists to promote an academic discipline/profession, as well a group of disciplines. Membership may be open to all, may require possession of some qualification, or may be an honor conferred by election, as is the case with the oldest learned societies,...
for mathematics (the other main one being the London Mathematical Society
London Mathematical Society
-See also:* American Mathematical Society* Edinburgh Mathematical Society* European Mathematical Society* List of Mathematical Societies* Council for the Mathematical Sciences* BCS-FACS Specialist Group-External links:* * *...
).
The IMA aims to advance mathematics and its applications, promote and foster research and other enquiries directed the advancement, teaching and application of mathematics, to seek to establish and maintain high standards of professional conduct for members and to seek to promote, encourage and guide the development of education and training in mathematics.
History
The Institute was founded in 1964 by Sir James Lighthill with a mission to promote mathematics in industry, business, the public sector, education and research. The IMA has 5000 members, ten percent of whom live outside the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Forty percent of members are employed in education (schools through to universities) and sixty percent work in commercial and governmental organisations.
Corporate membership
Fellow (FIMA)Fellows have a minimum of seven years experience and hold a senior managerial or technical position involving the use of, or training in, mathematics.
Member (MIMA)
Members have an appropriate degree, a minimum period of three years training and experience after graduation and a position of responsibility involving the application of mathematical knowledge or training in mathematics.
Leading to corporate membership
Associate Member (AMIMA)Associate Member hold a degree in mathematics, a joint degree in mathematics with another subject or a degree with a sufficient mathematical component such as would be expected in physics or engineering.
Students
Student Members are undertaking a course of study which will lead to a qualification that meets Associate Member requirements.
Non-professional membership
AffiliateNo requirements are necessary for entry into this grade.
Professional status
In 1990 the Institute was incorporated by Royal CharterRoyal Charter
A royal charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organizations such as cities or universities. Charters should be distinguished from warrants and...
and was subsequently granted the right to award Chartered Mathematician
Chartered mathematician
Chartered Mathematician is a professional qualification in mathematics offered by the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications in the United Kingdom. A chartered mathematician is allowed to use the post-nominal letters CMath....
(CMath) status. The Institute may also nominate individuals for the award of Chartered Scientist
Chartered scientist
Chartered Scientist is a professional qualification in the United Kingdom that is awarded by the Science Council through its Licensed member organisations...
(CSci) under license from the Science Council
Science Council
The was established by Royal Charter in 2003. The principal activity of The Science Council is the promotion of the advancement and dissemination of knowledge of and education in science pure and applied, for the public benefit....
. The institute can also award individual Chartered Mathematics Teacher (CMathTeach).
Mathematics Today
Mathematics Today is a general interest mathematics publication aimed primarily at Institute members, published 6 times a year and containing articles, reviews, reports and other news on developments in mathematics and its applications.Research journals
Six research journals are published by Oxford University PressOxford University Press
Oxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
on behalf of the IMA.
- IMA Journal of Applied Mathematics
- IMA Journal of Numerical Analysis
- Mathematical Medicine and Biology
- IMA Journal of Mathematical Control and Information
- IMA Journal of Management Mathematics
- Teaching Mathematics and its Applications
Other publications
The IMA began publishing a podcast, Travels in a Mathematical World on 4 October 2008. The IMA also publishes conference proceedings, monographs and special interest group newsletters.Conferences
The Institute runs 8-10 conferences most years. These are specialist meetings where new research is presented and discussed.Education activities
The IMA runs a wide range of mathematical activities through The Higher Education Services Area and The Schools and Further Education Group committees.The IMA operates a Programme Approval Scheme, which provides an 'approval in principle' for degree courses that meet the educational requirements for Chartered Mathematician
Chartered mathematician
Chartered Mathematician is a professional qualification in mathematics offered by the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications in the United Kingdom. A chartered mathematician is allowed to use the post-nominal letters CMath....
. For programmes to be approved, the IMA requires the programme to be a honours degree of at least three years length, which meets the required mathematical content threshold of two thirds. The programmes also need to meet the QAA
Qaa
Qaa is a town in Beqaa Governorate, Lebanon.It has a mainly Greek Catholic population....
benchmark for Mathematics and the Framework for High Education Qualification.
The IMA provides Education Grants of up to £600 to allow individuals from the UK working in schools or Further/Higher Education to help with the attendance at or the organisation of a mathematics educational activity such as attendance at a conference, expenses to cover a speaker coming into a school, organising a session for a conference.
The IMA also employs a University Liaison Officer to promote mathematics and the IMA to university students undertaking mathematics and help act as a means of support. As part of this support the IMA runs the University Liaison Grants Scheme to provide university mathematical societies with grants of up to £400 to organise more activities and work more closely with the IMA.
Prizes
The Councils of the IMA and the London Mathematical SocietyLondon Mathematical Society
-See also:* American Mathematical Society* Edinburgh Mathematical Society* European Mathematical Society* List of Mathematical Societies* Council for the Mathematical Sciences* BCS-FACS Specialist Group-External links:* * *...
jointly award the Christopher Zeeman Medal, dedicated to recognising excellence in the communication of mathematics and the David Crighton
David Crighton
David George Crighton FRS was a British mathematician and physicist.- Life :...
Award dedicated to the recognition of service to mathematics and the wider mathematics community.
The IMA with the British Applied Mathematics Colloquium (BAMC) award a prize for original research every two years, this is called the Lighthill-Thwaites Prize.
The IMA awards the Leslie Fox Prize for Numerical Analysis
Leslie Fox Prize for Numerical Analysis
The Leslie Fox Prize for Numerical Analysis of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications is a biennial prize established in 1985 by the IMA in honour of mathematician Leslie Fox . The prize honours "young numerical analysts worldwide" , and applicants submit papers for review...
, the Catherine Richards Prize for the best articles in Mathematics Today and the IMA Gold Medal for outstanding contribution to mathematics and its applications over the years.
The IMA awards student-level Prizes at most universities which offer mathematics around the UK. Each student prize consists of a years membership of the IMA.
Branches
The IMA has Branches in the regions LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, East Midlands
East Midlands
The East Midlands is one of the regions of England, consisting of most of the eastern half of the traditional region of the Midlands. It encompasses the combined area of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Northamptonshire and most of Lincolnshire...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
and the North West, West Midlands
West Midlands (region)
The West Midlands is an official region of England, covering the western half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It contains the second most populous British city, Birmingham, and the larger West Midlands conurbation, which includes the city of Wolverhampton and large towns of Dudley,...
, West of England
West of England
The West of England is a loose and locationally unspecific term sometimes given to the area surrounding the city and county of Bristol, England, and also sometimes applied more widely and in other parts of South West England.-Use in the Bristol area:...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, which run local activities (like talks by well known mathematicians). It's headquarters are based in Southend-on-Sea
Southend-on-Sea
Southend-on-Sea is a unitary authority area, town, and seaside resort in Essex, England. The district has Borough status, and comprises the towns of Chalkwell, Eastwood, Leigh-on-Sea, North Shoebury, Prittlewell, Shoeburyness, Southchurch, Thorpe Bay, and Westcliff-on-Sea. The district is situated...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
.
Early Career Mathematicians Group
The Early Career Mathematicians Group of the IMA hold a series of conferences for mathematicians in the first 15 years of their career among other activities.Social networking
As well as all the conferences, meetings and group activities that are held across the country the IMA operates groups on FacebookFacebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
, MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
and LinkedIn
LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a business-related social networking site. Founded in December 2002 and launched in May 2003, it is mainly used for professional networking. , LinkedIn reports more than 120 million registered users in more than 200 countries and territories. The site is available in English, French,...
, and has a Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
feed.
Interaction with other bodies
Along with the London Mathematical SocietyLondon Mathematical Society
-See also:* American Mathematical Society* Edinburgh Mathematical Society* European Mathematical Society* List of Mathematical Societies* Council for the Mathematical Sciences* BCS-FACS Specialist Group-External links:* * *...
, the Royal Statistical Society
Royal Statistical Society
The Royal Statistical Society is a learned society for statistics and a professional body for statisticians in the UK.-History:It was founded in 1834 as the Statistical Society of London , though a perhaps unrelated London Statistical Society was in existence at least as early as 1824...
, the Edinburgh Mathematical Society
Edinburgh Mathematical Society
The Edinburgh Mathematical Society is the leading mathematical society in Scotland.The Society was founded in 1883 by a group of Edinburgh schoolteachers and academics, on the initiative of A. Y. Fraser and A. J. G. Barclay, teachers at George Watson's College and Cargill Gilston Knott, who was the...
and the Operational Research Society, forms the Council for the Mathematical Sciences
Council for the Mathematical Sciences
The Council for the Mathematical Sciences was established in 2001 by the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications, the London Mathematical Society and the Royal Statistical Society to provide a forum:...
. The IMA is a member of the Joint Council of Mathematics (JMC) and informs the deliberations of the Advisory Committee for Mathematical Education (ACME).
The IMA has representatives on Bath University Court
University of Bath
The University of Bath is a campus university located in Bath, United Kingdom. It received its Royal Charter in 1966....
, Bradford University Court, Cranfield University Court
Cranfield University
Cranfield University is a British postgraduate university based on two campuses, with a research-oriented focus. The main campus is at Cranfield, Bedfordshire and the second is the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom based at Shrivenham, Oxfordshire. The main campus is unique in the United...
, Engineering Technology Board and Engineering Council, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council is a British Research Council that provides government funding for grants to undertake research and postgraduate degrees in engineering and the physical sciences , mainly to universities in the United Kingdom...
, EPSRC Public Understanding of Science Committee, Heads of Departments of Mathematical Sciences
HoDoMS
HoDoMS is a body that represents United Kingdom departments of Mathematics and Statistics in higher education by co-ordinating senior members of these departments....
, International Council for Industrial and Applied Mathematics
International Council for Industrial and Applied Mathematics
The International Council for Industrial and Applied Mathematics is a worldwide organisation for professional applied mathematics societies, and for other societies with a significant interest in industrial or applied mathematics...
, Joint Mathematical Council
Joint Mathematical Council
The Joint Mathematical Council of the United Kingdom was formed in 1963 to 'provide co-ordination between the Constituent Societies and generally to promote the advancement of mathematics and the improvement of the teaching of mathematics'....
, LMS Computer Science Committee, LMS International Affairs Committee, LMS Women in Maths Committee, Maths, Stats & OR Network
Maths, Stats & OR Network
The Maths, Stats & OR Network of the Higher Education Academy of the United Kingdom is a subject-specific support network for enhancing the student learning experience in Mathematics, Statistics and Operations Research....
(part of the HEA), Parliamentary and Scientific Committee, Qualifications and Curriculum Authority
Qualifications and Curriculum Authority
The Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency is an exempt charity, and an executive non-departmental public body of the Department for Children, Schools and Families...
, Science Council
Science Council
The was established by Royal Charter in 2003. The principal activity of The Science Council is the promotion of the advancement and dissemination of knowledge of and education in science pure and applied, for the public benefit....
, Science Council Registration Authority, The Association of Management Sciences (TAMS) and University of Wales, Swansea Court
See also
- List of Mathematical Societies
- Council for the Mathematical SciencesCouncil for the Mathematical SciencesThe Council for the Mathematical Sciences was established in 2001 by the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications, the London Mathematical Society and the Royal Statistical Society to provide a forum:...
- Leslie Fox Prize for Numerical AnalysisLeslie Fox Prize for Numerical AnalysisThe Leslie Fox Prize for Numerical Analysis of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications is a biennial prize established in 1985 by the IMA in honour of mathematician Leslie Fox . The prize honours "young numerical analysts worldwide" , and applicants submit papers for review...