The following HTML text is provided to enhance online
readability. Many aspects of typography translate only awkwardly to HTML.
Please use the page image
as the authoritative form to ensure accuracy.
INTERNATIONAL BENCHMARKING OF US MATHEMATICS RESEARCH
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The United States is clearly preeminent in mathematics today. The field is thriving in terms of both quality and opportunities. Not only are there stellar researchers in all fields at American institutions, but they are backed by a broad and active research community. Mathematical research in the United States has many links with science, engineering, and technology and is broadening its contacts with education at all levels. But this position of eminence is fragile. Increasing demands are placing a strain on the mathematics community.
In making judgments about mathematics, the International Benchmarking of US Mathematics Research Panel kept these points in mind:
Mathematics is the language and tool of most of the sciences.
Mathematical results often have a long life.
Mathematical research is conducted on a very broad front, and seemingly disjointed branches often turn out to be intimately related.
Ideas of abstract mathematics often are crucial ingredients in practical applications.
Mathematics is one of the pillars of education in kindergarten, elementary school, highschool, and college.
The present strength in US mathematics is due to:
Continued attractiveness of the United States to talented people around the world.
A strong system of graduate education.
Diversity and flexibility of the US research enterprise.
Sustained funding for research from universities and the federal government.
The United States continues to attract some of the best graduate students and postdoctoral fellows from all over the world; a substantial portion of active research mathematicians now in the United States come from outside the United States. But we are in danger of losing our preeminent position if we do not face some critical issues and challenges. Some critical issues and challenges must be faced:
US leadership in mathematics rests on the health of research universities, which today are experiencing severe financial pressure and conflicting demands.
The United States is not taking sufficient advantage of its native mathematical talent: while graduate enrollment from abroad thrives, the number of American students applying to graduate school in mathematics is diminishing.
Serious thought is needed about how to make better connections between mathematics and other fields, because mathematics is crucial in much interdisciplinary research.
US industry has reduced its commitment to long-range research in mathematics.
Below are the first 10 and last 10 pages of uncorrected machine-read text (when available) of this chapter, followed by the top 30 algorithmically extracted key phrases from the chapter as a whole. Intended to provide our own search engines and external engines with highly rich, chapter-representative searchable text on the opening pages of each chapter.
Because it is UNCORRECTED material, please consider the following text as a useful but insufficient proxy for the authoritative book pages.
Do not use for reproduction, copying, pasting, or reading; exclusively for search engines.
OCR for page 15
INTERNATIONAL BENCHMARKING OF US MATHEMATICS RESEARCH
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The United States is clearly preeminent in mathematics today. The field is thriving in terms of both quality and opportunities. Not only are there stellar researchers in all fields at American institutions, but they are backed by a broad and active research community. Mathematical research in the United States has many links with science, engineering, and technology and is broadening its contacts with education at all levels. But this position of eminence is fragile. Increasing demands are placing a strain on the mathematics community.
In making judgments about mathematics, the International Benchmarking of US Mathematics Research Panel kept these points in mind:
Mathematics is the language and tool of most of the sciences.
Mathematical results often have a long life.
Mathematical research is conducted on a very broad front, and seemingly disjointed branches often turn out to be intimately related.
Ideas of abstract mathematics often are crucial ingredients in practical applications.
Mathematics is one of the pillars of education in kindergarten, elementary school, highschool, and college.
The present strength in US mathematics is due to:
Continued attractiveness of the United States to talented people around the world.
A strong system of graduate education.
Diversity and flexibility of the US research enterprise.
Sustained funding for research from universities and the federal government.
The United States continues to attract some of the best graduate students and postdoctoral fellows from all over the world; a substantial portion of active research mathematicians now in the United States come from outside the United States. But we are in danger of losing our preeminent position if we do not face some critical issues and challenges. Some critical issues and challenges must be faced:
US leadership in mathematics rests on the health of research universities, which today are experiencing severe financial pressure and conflicting demands.
The United States is not taking sufficient advantage of its native mathematical talent: while graduate enrollment from abroad thrives, the number of American students applying to graduate school in mathematics is diminishing.
Serious thought is needed about how to make better connections between mathematics and other fields, because mathematics is crucial in much interdisciplinary research.
US industry has reduced its commitment to long-range research in mathematics.
OCR for page 16
INTERNATIONAL BENCHMARKING OF US MATHEMATICS RESEARCH
This page in the original is blank.
Items in cart [0]
