(above) Professor Kathleen J Stebe (Pennsylvania), speaker in the
"Spring school on the mathematical design of materials" workshop.
 

INI NEWS BULLETIN
March 2019

Dear friends, associates and supporters of INI,

Welcome to the March 2019 edition of our monthly news bulletin. Below you will find six updates which we hope prove of interest. If you have any queries or would like to get in touch with us for any reason then please email: communications@newton.ac.uk

Kind regards,

- INI communications team

Would you like to direct colleagues or associates to our newsletter sign-up page? Simply forward them this link: bit.ly/inisignup

News bulletin contents:
1. INTERVIEW: Dr Ewan Kirk on the Kirk Distinguished Visiting Fellowships scheme
2. INI PODCAST LAUNCHED: new interview series is now live
3. LECTURE: the "Mathematikum" research centre, with Martin Buhmann, 1 April 2019
4. ARTICLE: "Reminiscences of the first 10 years of the Institute", by Professor Keith Moffatt
5. ROTHSCHILD FELLOWSHIP: Eddie Anderson on "Forward contracts with private forecasts", 29 April 2019
6. NEWTON BOOKS OFFER: An exclusive discount on two new Newton-centric releases

1. INTERVIEW: Dr Ewan Kirk on the Kirk Distinguished Visiting Fellowships scheme

(above) Dr Ewan Kirk.

Launched in January 2019, the Isaac Newton Institute now proudly hosts the “Kirk Fellowship” scheme. Designed to support and promote underrepresented groups in mathematics, the recipients so far are all female mathematicians of the highest seniority. In the first of a series of interviews, we spoke to the philanthropist whose generous six-figure donation has made the project possible: Dr Ewan Kirk.

2. INI PODCAST LAUNCHED: new interview series is now live

We are pleased to announce that, as of March 2019, the Institute is producing a regular podcast series. This new initiative aims to highlight the diverse people and explore the many interconnected topics linked to the Institute's activities.

Interviewees will range from visiting academics and lecturers to mathematicians, other scientists, and prominent figures within the University of Cambridge and beyond. Although the conversations will typically concern mathematical themes, the content is deliberately aimed at a general audience, and we hope it will prove of broad appeal. New episodes will be highlighted in this monthly bulletin, as well as on newton.ac.uk and INI's social media feeds.

Please click the link below to see the four episodes already recorded. You are recommended starting with episode #1: a "mid-term" chat with Director David Abrahams, now just over halfway through his five-year tenure at the helm. Topics touched upon range from the Kepler Conjecture to "carefully managing" the "sparks" of a research programme to a love of professional cycling, "the most exhilarating sport there is".

3. LECTURE: the "Mathematikum" research centre, with Professor Martin Buhmann

On Monday 1 April ASC programme participant Professor Martin Buhmann will deliver the talk "The Mathematikum in Giessen/Germany, a Science Centre for the Public". It will take place from 12:00-13:00 in Seminar Room 1.

Details of the Mathematikum centre and its aims can be found on its website, an extract of which follows below:

Mathematikum opens a new door to mathematics. In the exhibition you can work with more than 170 interactive exhibits and explore the fascinating world of mathematics by playing – and thinking. You may try to solve geometrical puzzles, you can discover the golden ratio at your own body, find yourself in a giant soap bubble, see yourself an infinite number of times, and much more. You will learn that mathematics is everywhere.

This promises to be a fascinating introduction to an exciting initiative and we would encourage all those able to attend to do so.

Date: 01/04/19
Time: 12:00-13:00
Venue: INI Seminar Room 1

4. ARTICLE: "Reminiscences of the first 10 years of the Institute", by Professor Keith Moffatt

Recently added to newton.ac.uk, the article linked below will prove of great value to anyone interested in the history of INI or of mathematical research in the UK. In the words of its author, former-Director Professor Keith Moffatt:
 

I served as Director of the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences for five years (1996-2001) in succession to Sir Michael Atiyah OM FRS.  It may be useful to place on record my  reminiscences concerning the first 10 years of the Institute, 1991-2001. An earlier version of these reminiscences was deposited with the University of Cambridge on 15 October 2009.

5. ROTHSCHILD FELLOWSHIP: Details of Professor Eddie Anderson's talk "Forward contracts with private forecasts", 29 April 2019

On Monday 29 April Professor Eddie Anderson (Sydney) will deliver the talk "What do we agree on when we disagree? Forward contracts with private forecasts". Professor Anderson is the Rothschild Fellow for the Mathematics of Energy Systems programme. This lecture is a public-facing keynote talk delivered as part of that role, and all are welcome to attend. A summary of its content follows below:
 

Forward contracts are used for hedging purposes when firms operate in a spot market. What will happen when firms have different views on the future distribution of prices and are risk averse? We discuss different ways in which two firms may agree on a bilateral forward contract: either through direct negotiation using the ideas of a Nash bargaining solution, or through a broker. We discuss a type of equilibrium in which each firm offers a supply function linking quantities and prices, and the clearing price and quantity for the forward contracts are determined from the intersection. Each firm may also be able to use the offer of the other firm to augment its own information about the future price.

Date: 29/04/19
Time: 16:00-17:00
Venue: INI Seminar Room 1

6. NEWTON BOOKS OFFER: An exclusive discount on two new Newton-centric releases

To those interested in the life and works of Sir Isaac Newton, we are pleased to pass on the below offer, courtesy of Oxford University Press and exclusive to recipients of this bulletin.

For a 30% discount on either/both of the two titles detailed simply visit oup.com/academic and use the code AAFLYG6.

The Newton Papers by Sarah Dry
In The Newton Papers, Sarah Dry illuminates the tangled history of these private writings over the course of nearly three hundred years, from the long span of Newton's own life into the present day. Ultimately, the book shows how Newton has been made and re-made throughout history by those seeking to reconcile the cosmic contradictions of an extraordinarily complex man.

Priest of Nature by Rob Iliffe
In Priest of Nature, historian Rob Iliffe introduces readers to Newton the religious animal, deepening our understanding of the relationship between faith and science at a formative moment in history and thought. Priest of Nature is the definitive work on the spiritual views of the man who fundamentally changed how we look at the universe.