MPE2013 Newsletter: November 2011

MPE2013 Newsletter is the electronic newsletter of Mathematics of Planet Earth 2013: http://www.mpe2013.org
Editor: Christiane Rousseau, Centre de recherches mathŽmatiques

1. Announcement of a competition for an exhibition of virtual modules
2. Report from the workshop Committee
3. Contact of teachers associations
4. Posting on the website
5. Subscribing to MPE2013 Newsletter

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1. MATHEMATICS OF PLANET EARTH COMPETITION FOR AN OPEN SOURCE EXHIBITION OF VIRTUAL MODULES
www.mpe2013.org/competition

This competition is part of the world initiative "Mathematics of Planet Earth 2013" (MPE2013): http://www.mpe2013.org

The modules could be reproduced and utilized by many users around the world from science museums to schools under one of the following licenses

Creative Commons BY-NC-SA:
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/

Creative CommonsBY-NC-ND:
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/

The exhibition will have a virtual part as well as instructions to realize material parts. Examples of modules or themes to be covered are available on the website

To stimulate imagination on the many domains where mathematics plays a crucial role in planetary issues the following four themes are proposed, but these themes are not exhaustive:
- A PLANET TO DISCOVER: oceans; meteorology and climate; mantle processes, natural resources, celestial mechanics
- A PLANET SUPPORTING LIFE: ecology, biodiversity, evolution
- A PLANET ORGANIZED BY HUMANS: political, economic, social and financial systems; organization of transport and communications networks; management of resources; energy
- A PLANET AT RISK: climate change, sustainable development, epidemics; invasive species, natural disasters

The typical modules submitted to this competition can be of four forms and should have some scientific explanations for the public:
- A module explaining how to realize a physical module in a museum
- An interactive exhibit to be watched either on the web or in a museum
- A film
- Image(s)

COMPETITION PERIOD, JURY, PRIZES
The competition will be open from January 2012 to May 15, 2012.
The prize winners will be selected by an international jury nominated by MPE2013. The prize winners will be announced in August 2012. The judges decision will be final.
The first, second and third prize winners will receive respective prizes of US$ 5000, US$ 3000 and US$ 2000. The winning modules will occupy a prominent place on the website of the exhibition. Moreover it is planned to show the modules of the overall winners in exhibitions and museums.

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2. REPORT FROM THE WORKSHOP COMMITTEE

In MArch of 2010 an international gathering of representatives of mathematical institutes, societies, the National Science Foundation, and mathematical leaders already engaged in many planet earth activities was held at the American Institute of Mathematics in Palo Alto to prepare for the upcoming MPE initiative. One of the outcomes of the meeting was the creation of the Workshop Committee for MPE 2013 charged with the task of finding topics, venues and leaders for workshops that address the problems of the planet earth.

Since April, the committee has met nearly every week via conference calls and, after much thought and discussion, identified 15 different general areas for potential workshops. These are:

1. Network Science in Ecology, Environment, Society, and Finance
2. Climate Change
3. Finance and Sustainability
4. Biological Processes
5. Environmental Management
6. Uncertainty Quantification
7. Renewable and Sustainable Energy
8. Catastrophic Events
9. Disease
10. Genetics
11. Internet and Communications
12. Computational and Theoretical Fluid Dynamics
13. Materials Sciences
14 Imaging
15. Celestial mechanics
16. Curriculum Materials

The topics highlight the impact and broad role of mathematics in the 2013 initiative.

The committee has also identified leaders of each topic who are already helping to find workshop organizers and also identified venues and guidelines about submitting proposals. Some of the workshops proposals are well on their way and the committee, which has representatives from many of the mathematical institutes, will continue the task of providing assistance to workshops proposers and matching topics with appropriate venues.

If anyone is interested in proposing a workshop, please send proposal drafts or questions to mpe_workshops@aimath.org .

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3. CONTACT OF TEACHERS ASSOCIATIONS

We invite all partners to contact their local teachers associations and invite them to become partner in MPE 2013. For this, they need to organize activities related to MPE 2013. Some suggestions:
- hold their annual congress on the theme, or activities inside the congress on the theme (like some plenary lectures)
- publish articles on the theme in their bulletin or newsletter
- publish an issue of one of their magazines on the theme
- partner with their corresponding national mathematical society with activities for teachers or students on the theme (posters, etc.)
- encourage participation in the competition for the open source exhibition of virtual modules (see item 1)

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4. POSTING ON THE WEBSITE

The website is posting activities related to MPE2013 and also press releases of articles related to MPE2013. Please send relevant information to info@mpe2013.org

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5. SUBSCRIBING TO MPE2013 Newsletter

Click on http://www.mpe2013.org/ and go to the "Newsletter" button to subscribe to MPE2013 online.

You will get an e-mail to confirm your subscription, so that misuse will be minimized. MPE2013 will not use the list of MPE2013 emails for any purpose other than sending MPE2013 Newsletter, and will not make it available to others.