Logic List Mailing Archive

ICM 2010 (International Congress of Mathematicians) in Hyderabad (India)

Editorial letter of International Mathematical Union (IMU) President L. 
Lovasz about ICM 2010 in Hyderabad:

http://www.mathunion.org/activities/icm/icm-2010/
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Dear Reader,

Last month I visited India, and among others, I was shown the site of our 
2010 Congress in Hyderabad. I also attended a "Pre-ICM" Conference in 
Delhi.

The ICM is the single most important event in mathematics every 4 years, 
and its organization, from the work of the local organizers to the Program 
Committee to the Prize Committees to the publishers of the Proceedings 
(and many others) is the most important task for our community.

There is sometimes skepticism about the Congress, quoting its large 
dimensions (for a mathematics meeting), and the fact that a single 
participant will know only a small fraction of the other participants, and 
will be able to follow only a small fraction of the section talks. But if 
you talk with somebody from physics or computer science, or from other 
branches of science, he or she will be envious of the fact that we 
mathematicians have such an event, where we can listen to carefully chosen 
speakers describing the latest developments, where we can award our most 
important prizes, have panel discussions about important issues, etc.

The Fields Medal and the Nevanlinna Prize themselves are unique in their 
scope: they award the highest recognition not to old people whose work is 
known and well recognized already, but to young people and new results, 
thereby calling the whole community's attention to these young 
mathematicians and their achievement.

Before I left for my trip to India, several friends wondered about such a 
trip, mentioning all sorts of dangers from snakes to malaria. If you 
recall, the particular time was also burdened by the terrorist attacks in 
Mumbay, and indeed quite a few participants of the conference cancelled 
their trips. Needless to say, the terrorist attacks had no influence on my 
visit, except for some increased security at public buildings. And with 
some caution, it is easy to avoid infections. And India is a country where 
crime, especially violent crime, is rare. And it is a country of fantastic 
sceneries, buildings, and people.

So I can recommend visiting India very warmly to everyone, and hope to see 
you at ICM 2010 in Hyderabad!

Laszlo Lovasz