Renewing U.S. mathematics: A plan for the 1990s

摘要

In 1981 a committee of the National Research Council was formed to investigate the health of the mathematical sciences in the US. Its 1984 report, Renewing US Mathematics: Critical Resource for the future found that although the field was thriving intellectually, government support had deteriorated to a dangerously low level. Moreover, the number of young people entering the mathematical sciences had decreased to a level inadequate to replenish the field. The 1984 Report recommended a plan for renewal, the National Plan for Graduate and Postdoctoral Education in the Mathematical Sciences. That plan's essential feature was a call for funding to bring support for the mathematical sciences into balance with support for the physical sciences and engineering. The interdisciplinary committee that wrote the 1984 Report quickly realized that the low level of research support for US mathematical sciences was so severe that it threatened the vitality of the entire scientific enterprise. As requested by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Interagency Committee for Extramural Mathematics Programs (ICEMAP), this report updates the 1984 Report. Specifically, the charge directed the committee to (1) update that report, describing the infrastructure and support for US mathematical sciences research; (2) assess trends and progress over the intervening five years against the recommendations of the 1984 Report; (3) briefly assess the field scientifically and identify significant opportunities for research, including cross-disciplinary collaboration; and (4) make appropriate recommendations designed to ensure that US mathematical sciences research will meet national needs in coming years.