Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences - PIMS

Background

Unique Structure of PIMS

PIMS is unique in several ways; most fundamentally because of its distributed structure. Most institutes organize events at a central location where international scientists are brought in residence; PIMS, on the other hand, has a site at each of eight major universities in Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Washington State. PIMS events are organized at each of the eight sites, and PIMS researchers are distributed throughout the network. PIMS is institutionally binational (the University of Washington is a full member) and it is the only institute of this kind in mathematics. This unique international structure projects PIMS beyond the boundaries of Canada, notably towards the Pacific Rim, where much of the world's scientific and economic development is now taking place.

Scientific Activities

PIMS has built an international reputation for excellence and transformed the conditions of mathematical research in Canada. The following is a partial list of current scientific activities:
• The innovative PIMS Collaborative Research Groups aim to develop permanent research and training networks, establishing lasting interdisciplinary links between geographically separate groups of researchers at member universities. PIMS has developed 22 CRGs since its inception, in areas ranging across all the mathematical sciences. This has served as a catalyst for producing mathematical research of the highest quality in Western Canada and attracting outstanding faculty to PIMS universities. Every year PIMS sponsors numerous postdoctoral fellows, attracting outstanding young scientists who contribute to PIMS' research programs and some of whom later become faculty members at leading Canadian and international universities. They are distributed throughout PIMS sites on a competitive basis.
• In 2007 PIMS launched the International Graduate Training Centre in Mathematical Biology. This is a graduate training program focused on strategic topics of great current interest (such as the mathematical modelling of ecosystems). Special fellowships are awarded to students and there are training events and research summits connected to the program. Students at PIMS universities obtain common course credits through the Western Deans' protocol.
• PIMS organizes international summer schools to train the new generation of mathematical scientists in emerging areas of mathematics and its applications such as seismic imaging, atmospheric modelling, environmetrics and mathematical finance.
• PIMS has a lively program in industrial mathematics, and runs a yearly Industrial Problem Solving Workshop for students, faculty and industry. PIMS has also recently developed focused industrial programs in areas of strategic interest, such as a project on the mathematics of oil exploration (based in Calgary) which connects the oil industry with world class academics working in geomathematics.

National and International Collaborations

PIMS has taken a leadership role in the national and international mathematical community. Together with the two other mathematical institutes in Canada, it created major national programs such as MITACS (Mathematics of Information Technology and Complex Systems), NPCDS (National Program on Complex Data Structures) and AARMS (Atlantic Association of Research in the Mathematical Sciences). Together with the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (MSRI) in Berkeley, it created the Banff International Research Station (BIRS), which is now the premier mathematical research station in North America. PIMS has built close partnerships with mathematical institutes in Mexico and Chile, and has been instrumental in creating the Pacific Rim Mathematical Association (PRIMA), a network of mathematical institutes in Canada, the United States, Mexico, Chile, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, China, Korea, and Japan, bound by a cooperation agreement. It is also affiliated with CNRS, the French national agency for scientific research, as an Unité Mixte Internationale, thus allowing PIMS to join the scientific networks of the European Community.

Administrative Structure and Funding for PIMS

The central office and the Directors of PIMS are at UBC, and at each of the other six universities there is a PIMS site office and a site director. The role of the site directors is to look for local opportunities and synergies, while the PIMS site offices provide administrative assistance for organizing PIMS events locally. This distributed structure has been extremely successful, and has revitalized the mathematics departments in Western Canada. The strong presence of PIMS at the university level gives it access to a vast reservoir of scientists of all disciplines. Over the years, as its reputation as an initiatives catalyst has built up, PIMS has been able to break down disciplinary barriers, and create innovative research teams. The PIMS community extends beyond mathematics and statistics departments, and has now come to include scientists in areas such as physics, biology, engineering, informatics, operations research and economics. The administration of PIMS is overseen by a Board of Directors, with membership consisting of the V.P. Research from each of the member universities, as well as distinguished scientists and representatives from industry. Scientific events are adjudicated by an independent Scientific Review Panel composed of internationally renowned mathematical scientists. PIMS receives funding from NSERC, the member universities and the provincial governments of Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan. Its international events are cosponsored by funding agencies such as the US National Science Foundation and by international partner institutions. The PIMS annual budget is approximately $3.5 million.

PIMS Education and Outreach Activities

PIMS has a mandate to vigorously promote mathematics in Canada, and takes upon itself the mission to help provide the elements for success that are necessary for current and future generations of teachers, scientists and engineers. In addition, the educational programs at PIMS advocate strongly for, and find models and activities to facilitate, the participation of people of all backgrounds in the mathematical endeavour. PIMS is actively involved in promoting mathematical outreach events in schools throughout Western Canada. They involve students, teachers and parents and seek to convey the excitement of discovery learning that underlies mathematics and its applications. PIMS has developed a partnership with First Nations schools in British Columbia which is supported by the BC government as well as private donors. The activities under this program include: summer camps for students, teacher training sessions and a coordinated mentorship program where undergraduate students from universities work with local teachers and students to provide support in mathematics. Teacher training sessions have been held in Kamloops, Lytton, Barriere and Port Alberni and currently there are nine partnering schools in British Columbia.

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