About APCMfI

The Asia Pacific Consortium of Mathematics for Industry (APCMfI)

Mathematics for Industry (MfI) aims at the development of mathematics and its applications to enhance the quality of life on the planet by creating new technologies, improve industrial mathematical research and stimulate the two-way interaction between mathematics and industry. In Industrial Mathematics, it is the questions spawned by real world applications that drive the resulting two-way interaction between a particular application and the associated mathematics that is utilized and developed and that sometimes involves, quite unexpectedly, deeper aspects and new areas of mathematics than initially anticipated.

Though its significance has often been overlooked, industrial mathematics has always been an essential aspect of the history, culture, traditions and development of mathematics, including much of modern theoretical mathematics. Directly and indirectly, developments in mathematics can be traced to the initial attempts to answer quite practical questions. The development of Galileo's telescope and the design of clocks represent early stimuli. Harmonic analysis and Fourier analysis have their origins in the study of heat transfer in metals. The conservation and minimization of energy engendered in the study of thermodynamics and fluid motion underlie much of the foundations of modern theoretical mathematics as well as applied and industrial.

The increasing sophistication of modern industry reflected in, for example, medical measurements, game theory applications in economics, psychology, behavioural science and biology, computer controlled instrumentation, the efficient development of geothermal energy, the microbial treatment of waste water, Ito calculus in finance, has generated a need and demand for mathematical expertise to stimulate, foster and implement the associated innovations. Even the theoretical areas of algebraic geometry, abstract algebra, topology, differential geometry and group theory are playing an increasingly important role in industrial endeavours connected with entertainment (such as games and movies), architecture, analysis of protein structure and error-correcting codes.

There is general agreement and support in the Asia Pacific region to have regular industrial mathematics exchanges, conferences, internships, etc, which build on the activities already occurring. In fact, over the years since the concept of an Asian Consortium of Mathematics for Industry was first proposed and more recently when planning to formalize possibilities, there has been strong support and encouragement from colleagues in China, Hawaii, Korea, Malaysia and Singapore as well as Australia, New Zealand and Japan.

Consequently, a small group, with the encouragement of various colleagues throughout the Asia Pacific region, met in Canberra March 31 to April 2, 2014, to do the initial planning for the formation and launch of APCMfI with the emphasis being fundamentally Mathematics-for-Industry. Those directly involved in the discussions in Canberra were Bob Anderssen (Australia), Zainal Aziz (Malaysia), Frank de Hoog (Australia), Yasuhide Fukumoto (Japan), Alexandra Hogan (Australia), Geoff Mercer (Australia), Masato Wakayama (Japan) and Graeme Wake (New Zealand).

In any endeavors that involves the initiation and implementation of a new opportunity, the situation is similar to planting and nurturing a seed which will grow into a strong and robust tree. The meeting and deliberations of this group represents the preparation of the ground for the planting of the seed. The subsequent planting and nurturing will involve the wide distribution of this Announcement throughout the Asia Pacific region; the seeking of seed funding from various mathematics departments, societies, agencies and industry; the establishment of a website; the launch of APCMfI under the MfI banner.

Bob Anderssen, Frank de Hoog, Alexandra Hogan (Australia); Zainal Aziz (Malaysia); Yasuhide Fukumoto, Masato Wakayama (Japan); and Graeme Wake (New Zealand).

Activities for APCMfI

An important component of the plans for APCMfI will be a number of activities through which it interacts directly with the Asia-Pacific MfI communities and indirectly with the various international industrial mathematics consortia, organizations and individuals.

The underling goal is to stimulate the development of mathematics and its applications to enhance the quality of life on the planet by creating new technologies, improve industrial mathematical research and stimulate the two-way interaction between mathematics and industry.

The planned activities will include:

  1. Internship for graduate students to work on industrial and governmental research projects.
    1. In particular, in this scheme, the student will spend several months at both their home institute and the industrial partner. Within the APCMfI framework, the goal is to make it easier for students to undertake internships with industry in other countries in the Asia Pacific region
  2. Regular Mathematics-for-Industry Study Groups (MfISG) which involve a strong Asia Pacific involvement with regards to problems proposed and the participation.
    1. The implementation of this activity will take advantage of MfISG already operating in Japan, Malaysia and Australia.
  3. Regular Math-for-Industry Forums and Workshops building on the successful annual Forums organized by the Institute of Mathematics for Industry (IMI) at Kyushu University.
  4. The exchange of information and publicity material about industrial mathematics activities in the Asia Pacific region, such as electronic news letter, publications, websites, etc.
  5. The organization of joint lectures and programs such as Summer and Winter schools which foster a strong student participation which takes advantage of the similar times in the Asia Pacific region.
  6. Fostering a strong two-way interaction with (i) mathematical and statistical colleagues and institutions and (ii) the needs and opportunities of industrial mathematics.

Organizational Meeting for the Formalization and Launch of the Asia Pacific Consortium of Mathematics for Industry (APCMfI)

Monday 31 March - Wednesday 2 April 2014
CSIRO Computational Informatics (CCI), Building 108, North Road, ANU, Canberra

Proposed Countries and Contacts

Country / Region Name University / Agency
Australia Alexandra Hogan Australian National University
Geoff Mercer
Bob Anderssen CSIRO
Frank de Hoog
Bronwyn Hajek University of South Australia
Jane Sexton Geoscience Australia
Kerry Landman The University of Melborne
Larry Forbes Univeristy of Tasmania
Maureen Edwards University of Wollongong
Murray Cameron University of Technology, Sydney
Troy Farrell Queensland University of Technology
Brunei Norhayati Hamzah Uniersiti Brunei Darussalam
Saiful Husain
Cambodia
China Jin Cheng Fudan University
Pan Qin Dalian University of Technology
Yichao Zhu Dalian University of Technology
Fiji
Hawaii Monique Chyba University of Hawaii at Manoa
Indonesia Basuki Widodo Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember
Edy Soewono Institut Teknologi Bandung
Japan Kenji Kajiwara Kyushu Univeristy
Masato Wakayama
Yasuhide Fukumoto
Masahiro Yamamoto The University of Tokyo
Shin-ichiro Ei Hokkaido University
Laos
Malaysia Mohd Ismail Abd. Aziz Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
Norsarahaida Amin
Zainal Aziz
Myanmar
New Zealand Graeme Wake Massey University
Robert Mckibbin
Winston Sweatman
Alona Ben-Tal
Graham Weir
Mark McGuinness Victoria University of Wellington
Boris Baeumer University of Otago
Steve Taylor The University of Auckland
Papua New Guinea
Pacific Island Nations(Including Palau, Nauru, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Cook Islands, Niue, Kiribati, Micronesia, Marshall Islands)
Philippines
Singapore Kim-Chuan Toh National University of Singapore
Roger Tan
South Korea Kil Kwon Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
Taiwan
Thailand Busaya Pimpunchat King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang
Timor-Leste
Vietnam

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