South African students in mathematics were inspired by several world-renowned mathematicians during the recent AIMS-Stellenbosch University Number Theory Conference that took place from 19-23 January 2015. AIMS is the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences.
Prof Florian Breuer, head of mathematics in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at SU and one of the co-organisers, says conferences like these are crucial to overcome South Africa's historical isolation from the mainstream of international mathematical research.
"The South African mathematics community still suffers from an isolation that can be traced back to the apartheid years. Conferences like this are vital for keeping us connected to the rest of the world, and so we are especially pleased that experts at the highest level, such as the delegates from the Institute for Advanced Studies in Princeton, participated in our conference," he remarks.
Among the delegates from Princeton University were, inter alia, Prof Enrico Bombieri, one of the world's leading authorities on number theory and analysis. He won the Fields Medal in 1974 – the highest honour in Mathematics and equivalent to a Nobel Prize.
Another delegate from Princeton University was the South African born Prof Peter Sarnak. Born in South Africa, he is currently one of the most influential mathematicians of South African origin in the world and recipient of the 2014 Wolf Prize in Mathematics. He was also one of the conference organisers.
Prof Breuer says postgraduate students were exposed to mathematics at the highest level: "We hope this will inspire them and open opportunities for them and our researchers to visit leading institutions overseas," he adds.
Several South African mathematicians also delivered talks. They were Dr Filip Cools (University of Cape Town), Prof Augustin Munagi and Prof Florian Luca from the University of the Witwatersrand, and from Stellenbosch University Prof Breuer, Dr Dirk Basson and Dr Gareth Boxall.
This was the 11th biannual conference hosted by SU and AIMS since 1997. The project was originally started by Prof Breuer and Prof Barry Green from AIMS to keep contact with experts overseas. Over the years the conferences have been highly successful at attracting leading international experts in the area of Number Theory. This year's conference was supported by the Clay Mathematics Institute, the Centre of Excellence in the Mathematical and Statistical Sciences at the University of Witwatersrand, AIMS and SU.
What is number theory?
According to MathWorld number theory is a vast and fascinating field of mathematics, sometimes called "higher arithmetic," consisting of the study of the properties of whole numbers. The Encyclopaedia Britannica calls number theory one of the "oldest and most natural of mathematical pursuits". Today number theory is providing unexpected answers to real world problems in, amongst other fields, digital communication and computer technology.
For more information visit the conference website http://www.aims.ac.za/en/research-centre/workshops-conferences/past/aims-stellenbosch-university-number-theory-conference-19-23-january-2015
On the photo, Dr Patrick Rabarison from the University of Antananarivo in Madagascar is presenting while, seated in the front row, from left to right, are Prof Enrico Bombieri (IAS), Prof Nick Katz (Princeton) and Prof Peter Sarnak (IAS and Princeton). Photo: Florian Breuer
