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American Mathematical Society

{{Short description|Association of professional mathematicians}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2016}}

{{Infobox organization

| name = American Mathematical Society

| image = AMS-entrance-Providence.jpg

| logo = American Mathematical Society logo.svg

| formation = {{start date and age|1888}}

| tax_id = 05-0264797

| status = 501(c)(3) non-profit

| headquarters = Providence, Rhode Island

| membership = 30,000

| leader_title = President

| leader_name = Ravi Vakil

| leader_title2 = Chief executive officer

| leader_name2 = John Meier

| revenue = $32,815,444{{cite web|url=https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/50264797|title=Nonprofit Explorer: American Mathematical Society |date=May 9, 2013 |publisher=ProPublica|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240530070249/https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/50264797|archive-date=May 30, 2024|url-status=live }}

| revenue_year = 2022

| website = {{URL|https://www.ams.org/}}

}}

The American Mathematical Society (AMS) is an association of professional mathematicians dedicated to the interests of mathematical research and scholarship, and serves the national and international community through its publications, meetings, advocacy and other programs.

The society is one of the four parts of the Joint Policy Board for Mathematics and a member of the Conference Board of the Mathematical Sciences.

History

The AMS was founded in 1888 as the New York Mathematical Society, the brainchild of Thomas Fiske, who was impressed by the London Mathematical Society on a visit to England. John Howard Van Amringe became the first president while Fiske became secretary.{{cite journal|author=Archibald, Raymond Clare|author-link=Raymond Clare Archibald|title=History of the American Mathematical Society, 1888–1938|journal=Bull. Amer. Math. Soc.|year=1939|volume=45|issue=1|pages=31–46|url=http://projecteuclid.org/euclid.bams/1183501056|doi=10.1090/s0002-9904-1939-06908-5|doi-access=free|access-date=August 4, 2012|archive-date=December 10, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181210110812/https://projecteuclid.org/euclid.bams/1183501056|url-status=live}} The society soon decided to publish a journal, but ran into some resistance over concerns about competing with the American Journal of Mathematics. The result was the Bulletin of the American Mathematical Society, with Fiske as editor-in-chief. The de facto journal, as intended, was influential in increasing membership. The popularity of the Bulletin soon led to the launches of the Transactions of the American Mathematical Society and Proceedings of the American Mathematical Society, which were also de facto journals.

In 1891, Charlotte Scott of Britain became the first woman to join the AMS, then called the New York Mathematical Society.{{cite book

| last = Oakes

| first = Elizabeth

| title = Encyclopedia of World Scientists, Revised Edition

| pages = 655

| publisher = Infobase Publishing

| year = 2007

| isbn = 9781438118826

| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=uPRB-OED1bcC&dq=1891+%22charlotte+angas++scott%22+%22first+woman%22+%22american+mathematical+society%22&pg=PA655

| access-date = March 18, 2023

| archive-date = April 21, 2023

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230421020152/https://books.google.com/books?id=uPRB-OED1bcC&dq=1891+%22charlotte+angas++scott%22+%22first+woman%22+%22american+mathematical+society%22&pg=PA655

| url-status = live

}} The society reorganized under its present name (American Mathematical Society) and became a national society in 1894,{{Cite web |url=https://utrgv.libguides.com/c.php?g=939098&p=6768012 |title=Web Resources - Philosophy - LibGuides at University of Texas Rio Grande Valley |date=April 19, 2022 |website= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220419235956/https://utrgv.libguides.com/c.php?g=939098&p=6768012 |archive-date=19 April 2022 |url-status=dead}} and that year Scott became the first woman on the first Council of the society.{{cite web

| last = Chaplin

| first = Stephanie

| title = Biographies of Women Mathematicians: Charlotte Angas Scott

| publisher = Agnes Scott College

| year = 1997

| url = http://www.agnesscott.edu/lriddle/women/scott.htm

| access-date = 22 October 2012

| archive-date = June 29, 2019

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190629085022/https://www.agnesscott.edu/lriddle/women/scott.htm

| url-status = live

}} In 1927 Anna Pell-Wheeler became the first woman to present a lecture at the society's Colloquium.{{cite web|url=http://www.agnesscott.edu/lriddle/women/prizes.htm|title=Prizes, Awards, and Honors for Women Mathematicians|publisher=agnesscott.edu|accessdate=2014-01-25|archive-date=June 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190627140604/https://www.agnesscott.edu/lriddle/women/prizes.htm|url-status=live}}

In 1951 there was a southeastern sectional meeting of the Mathematical Association of America in Nashville.{{Cite web|title=The Painful Path Toward Inclusivity |first=Lee |last=Lorch |author-link=Lee Lorch |year=1994 |url=http://www.wam.umd.edu/~rlj/Lorch.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080906170043/http://www.wam.umd.edu/~rlj/Lorch.html |archive-date=September 6, 2008 }}{{Cite journal|first=Richard|last=Hamilton|url=http://www.maa.org/news/AwardsJMM07-Citations.html|title=MAA Prizes and Awards at the 2007 Joint Mathematics Meetings|journal=MAA Online|year=2007|access-date=April 20, 2022|archive-date=March 13, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130313184856/http://www.maa.org/news/AwardsJMM07-Citations.html|url-status=dead}} (includes citation for Lee Lorch){{Cite journal|first=Allyn|last=Jackson|journal=Notices of the American Mathematical Society|url=https://www.ams.org/notices/200705/comm-maa-web.pdf|title=MAA Prizes Presented in New Orleans|volume=54|year=2007|pages=641–642|access-date=April 20, 2022|archive-date=January 31, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220131014035/http://www.ams.org/notices/200705/comm-maa-web.pdf|url-status=live}} The citation delivered at the 2007 MAA awards presentation, where Lee Lorch received a standing ovation, recorded that:

:"Lee Lorch, the chair of the mathematics department at Fisk University, and three Black colleagues, Evelyn Boyd (now Granville), Walter Brown, and H. M. Holloway came to the meeting and were able to attend the scientific sessions. However, the organizer for the closing banquet refused to honor the reservations of these four mathematicians. (Letters in Science, August 10, 1951, pp. 161–162 spell out the details). Lorch and his colleagues wrote to the governing bodies of the AMS [American Mathematical Society] and MAA seeking bylaws against discrimination. Bylaws were not changed, but non-discriminatory policies were established and have been strictly observed since then."{{Cite journal|first=Richard|last=Hamilton|url=http://www.maa.org/news/AwardsJMM07-Citations.html|title=MAA Prizes and Awards at the 2007 Joint Mathematics Meetings|journal=MAA Online|year=2007|access-date=April 20, 2022|archive-date=March 13, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130313184856/http://www.maa.org/news/AwardsJMM07-Citations.html|url-status=dead}} (includes citation for Lee Lorch)[http://www.maa.org/news/AwardsJMM07-Citations.html MAA citation] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130313184856/http://www.maa.org/news/AwardsJMM07-Citations.html |date=March 13, 2013 }} for Yueh-Gin Gung and Dr. Charles Y. Hu Distinguished Service to Mathematics Award.{{cite journal|jstor=10.4169/college.math.j.42.2.163|title=Media Highlights|journal=The College Mathematics Journal|volume=42|issue=2|date=March 2011|pages=163–172|doi=10.4169/college.math.j.42.2.163|s2cid=218549669}}

Also in 1951, the American Mathematical Society's headquarters moved from New York City to Providence, Rhode Island. The society later added an office in Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1965{{cite book |last1=Pitcher |first1=Everett |title=Volume I: A History of the Second Fifty Years, American Mathematical Society, 1939 - 1988 |date=1988 |publisher=American Mathematical Society |location=Providence, RI |isbn=978-0-8218-0125-3 |page=77 |url=https://www.ams.org/publicoutreach/math-history/hmpitcher-index |access-date=12 November 2018 |archive-date=November 13, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181113025856/https://www.ams.org/publicoutreach/math-history/hmpitcher-index |url-status=live }} and an office in Washington, D.C. in 1992.

In 1954 the society called for the creation of a new teaching degree, a Doctor of Arts in Mathematics, similar to a PhD but without a research thesis.[https://books.google.com/books?id=8TgLAAAAIAAJ&q=%22American+Mathematical+Society%22+%22new+degree%22 Journal of Proceedings and Addresses of the Annual Conference] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230421020151/https://books.google.com/books?id=8TgLAAAAIAAJ&q=%22American+Mathematical+Society%22+%22new+degree%22 |date=April 21, 2023 }} 1960. Association of Graduate Schools

In the 1970s, as reported in "A Brief History of the Association for Women in Mathematics: The Presidents' Perspectives" by Lenore Blum, "In those years the AMS was governed by what could only be called an 'old boys network,' closed to all but those in the inner circle." Mary W. Gray challenged that situation by "sitting in on the Council meeting in Atlantic City. When she was told she had to leave, she refused saying she would wait until the police came. (Mary relates the story somewhat differently: When she was told she had to leave, she responded she could find no rules in the by-laws restricting attendance at Council meetings. She was then told it was by 'gentlemen's agreement.' Naturally Mary replied 'Well, obviously I'm no gentleman.') After that time, Council meetings were open to observers and the process of democratization of the Society had begun."{{cite web |url=https://awm-math.org/about/history/a-brief-history-of-awm/3/ |title=A Brief History of the Association for Women in Mathematics (from Notices): How it was |publisher=AWM-math.org |access-date=January 30, 2019 |archive-date=November 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191101152923/https://awm-math.org/about/history/a-brief-history-of-awm/3/ |url-status=live }} Also, in 1971 the AMS established its Joint Committee on Women in the Mathematical Sciences (JCW), which later became a joint committee of multiple scholarly societies.{{cite web|url=http://jcwmath.wordpress.com/|title=JCW-Math | Joint Committee on Women in the Mathematical Sciences|publisher=jcwmath.wordpress.com|accessdate=2014-01-25|archive-date=February 5, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190205150022/https://jcwmath.wordpress.com/|url-status=live}}

Julia Robinson was the first female president of the American Mathematical Society (1983–1984), but was unable to complete her term as she was suffering from leukemia.{{cite web |url=http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Julia_Bowman_Robinson.aspx |title=Julia Bowman Robinson |website=Encyclopedia.com |access-date=October 31, 2012 |archive-date=January 8, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130108105611/http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Julia_Bowman_Robinson.aspx |url-status=live }}

In 1988, the Journal of the American Mathematical Society was created, as the flagship journal of the AMS.

AMS and mathematical research

The American Mathematical Society plays a significant role in advancing mathematical research by fostering collaboration, supporting early-career researchers, and maintaining influential publications and databases.

=Research collaborations and support=

The AMS facilitates collaboration among mathematicians through a variety of programs aimed at different career stages. The Mathematical Research Communities, established in 2008, provides early-career researchers with opportunities to engage in intensive research workshops, collaborate with peers, and receive mentoring from senior mathematicians. These programs often lead to the formation of long-term research groups that contribute to emerging fields in mathematics.{{cite web |title=About the Mathematics Research Communities Program |url=https://www.ams.org/learning-careers/profdev/research-communities/mrc |website=American Mathematical Society |access-date=13 February 2025 }}

In addition, the AMS supports Research Experiences for Undergraduates through advocacy and funding partnerships, ensuring that undergraduate students are exposed to high-level mathematical research.{{cite web |title=Research Experience for Undergraduates Summer Programs |url=https://www.ams.org/learning-careers/students/emp-reu |website=American Mathematical Society |access-date=13 February 2025 }} The AMS also offers travel grants and fellowships to encourage participation in international conferences and collaborative research projects.{{cite web |title=Research and Travel Grants |url=https://www.ams.org/grants-awards/travel-grants |website=American Mathematical Society |access-date=13 February 2025 }}

Influence on policy and education

=Advocacy for mathematics funding=

The AMS advocates for federal funding for mathematical research.{{cite web |title=Government Relations: Our Mission |url=https://www.ams.org/government/dc-mission |website=American Mathematical Society |access-date=13 February 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250126130235/https://www.ams.org/government/dc-mission |archive-date=26 January 2025 |url-status=live}} It collaborates with organizations such as the National Science Foundation and the National Academy of Sciences to promote funding initiatives. The AMS is also a member of the Joint Policy Board for Mathematics, which works with policymakers to emphasize the role of mathematics in technological advancements and national security.{{citation needed|date=February 2025}}

In partnership with the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the AMS has contributed to discussions on STEM workforce development and the applications of mathematics in areas such as cybersecurity and data science. The society has supported initiatives for stable funding in mathematical research, citing its importance in economic growth and scientific development.{{cite web |title=Letters, Statements, & Legislation |url=https://www.ams.org/government/government/letters-statements-legislation |website=American Mathematical Society |access-date=13 February 2025}}

Meetings

The AMS, along with more than a dozen other organizations, holds the largest annual research mathematics meeting in the world, the Joint Mathematics Meeting, in early January. The 2019 Joint Mathematics Meeting in Baltimore drew approximately 6,000 attendees. Each of the four regional sections of the AMS (Central, Eastern, Southeastern, and Western) holds meetings in the spring and fall of each year. The society also co-sponsors meetings with other international mathematical societies.

Fellows

{{See also|Category:Fellows of the American Mathematical Society}}

The AMS selects an annual class of Fellows who have made outstanding contributions to the advancement of mathematics.{{cite web|url=https://www.ams.org/profession/ams-fellows/ams-fellows|title=Fellows of the American Mathematical Society|access-date=21 May 2013|archive-date=November 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211126082556/https://www.ams.org/profession/ams-fellows/ams-fellows|url-status=live}}

Publications

The AMS publishes Mathematical Reviews, a database of reviews of mathematical publications, various journals, and books. In 1997 the AMS acquired Chelsea Publishing Company, which it uses as an imprint. In 2017, the AMS acquired MAA Press, the book publishing program of the Mathematical Association of America. The AMS has continued to publish books under the MAA Press imprint.{{Cite web |url=https://www.ams.org/news?news_id=3699 |title=American Mathematical Society and Mathematical Association of America Announce AMS Acquisition of MAA Book Program |website=www.ams.org |language=en-US |access-date=2018-01-10|archive-date=April 28, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210428170039/https://www.ams.org/news?news_id=3699 |url-status=live}}

Journals:

Proceedings and Collections:

  • [https://www.ams.org/publications/ebooks/advsov-coll Advances in Soviet Mathematics]
  • [https://www.ams.org/publications/ebooks/trans2-coll American Mathematical Society Translations]
  • [https://www.ams.org/publications/ebooks/amsip-coll AMS/IP Studies in Advanced Mathematics]
  • [https://www.ams.org/publications/ebooks/crmp-coll Centre de Recherches Mathématiques (CRM) Proceedings & Lecture Notes]
  • [https://www.ams.org/publications/ebooks/conm-coll Contemporary Mathematics]
  • [https://www.ams.org/publications/ebooks/dimacs-coll IMACS: Series in Discrete Mathematics and Theoretical Computer Science]
  • [https://www.ams.org/publications/ebooks/fic-coll Fields Institute Communications]
  • [https://www.ams.org/publications/ebooks/psapm-coll Proceedings of Symposia in Applied Mathematics]
  • [https://www.ams.org/publications/ebooks/pspum-coll Proceedings of Symposia in Pure Mathematics]

Prizes

{{Incomplete list|date=January 2025}}

Some prizes are awarded jointly with other mathematical organizations. See specific articles for details.

Outreach

The AMS creates outreach materials aimed at middle school, high school, and college students. These include:

  • [https://www.ams.org/posters Posters] about mathematicians and mathematics
  • [https://www.ams.org/publicoutreach/mathmoments/mathmoments Mathematical Moments]: posters and interviews about applications of math to science and society
  • [https://www.ams.org/mathmedia/ Math in the Media]: a monthly rundown of news articles that mention math, paired with classroom activities on the relevant math concepts.

Typesetting

The AMS was an early advocate of the typesetting program TeX, requiring that contributions be written in it and producing its own packages AMS-TeX and AMS-LaTeX. TeX and LaTeX are now ubiquitous in mathematical publishing.

Presidents

The AMS is led by the president, who is elected for a two-year term, and cannot serve for two consecutive terms.{{cite web|url=https://www.ams.org/secretary/bylaws.html|title=Bylaws (as amended December 2003)|work=American Mathematical Society|access-date=April 28, 2021|archive-date=July 5, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080705173451/http://ams.org/secretary/bylaws.html|url-status=live}} The current president is Ravi Vakil, who took office in February 2025.{{cite journal |last1=Beebe |first1=Elaine |title=Interview with Ravi Vakil |journal=Notices of the American Mathematical Society |date=January 2025 |volume=72 |issue=2 |page=214 |doi=10.1090/noti3113 |url=https://www.ams.org/notices/202502/rnoti-p214.pdf |access-date=5 February 2025}}

= 1888–1900 =

= 1901–1950 =

= 1951–2000 =

= 2001–present =

Executive directors

The AMS has an executive director who sits at the helm of the organization, steering it, managing its operations, and carrying out its mission according to the strategic direction of the board of trustees.{{cite web|url=https://www.ams.org/about-us/governance/officers/past-officers#ed| title=Past Executive Directors|work=American Mathematical Society|access-date=July 7, 2024}}

See also

{{Portal|Education|Mathematics|United States}}

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

{{Commons category|American Mathematical Society}}

  • {{Official website|https://www.ams.org/}}
  • [http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Societies/AMS.html MacTutor: The American Mathematical Society]

{{PlanetMath attribution|id=8915|title=American Mathematical Society}}

{{American mathematics}}

{{Authority control}}

{{Coord|41.8372|-71.4123|type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-RI|display=title}}

Category:Organizations established in 1888

Category:Mathematical societies

Category:1888 establishments in New York (state)

Category:1951 establishments in Rhode Island

Category:Organizations based in Providence, Rhode Island

Category:Mathematics in the United States