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Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics facts for kids

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Not to be confused with Société de Mathématiques Appliquées et Industrielles.
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Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics
Siam-logo.png
Formation 1951; 74 years ago (1951)
Type 501(c)(3)
Headquarters Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Location
  • University City, Philadelphia
Fields Applied Mathematics
Membership
 14,500
President
 Sven Leyffer
Revenue (2015)
 $13,458,671

The Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) is a group for people who love math. They use math to solve real-world problems. This includes areas like applied mathematics, computer science, and working with data.

SIAM is the biggest group in the world focused on applied math. It was started in 1951. Most of its members live in the United States. SIAM holds meetings, publishes books, and shares new research. Its members are engineers, scientists, and mathematicians. They work in schools or in different industries. SIAM also helps schools that teach applied math.

SIAM is one of four groups that make up the Joint Policy Board for Mathematics.

Joining the SIAM Community

Main category: Fellows of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics

Anyone can join SIAM, whether they are individuals or other groups. When SIAM first started, it had 130 members. By 1968, it had grown to 3,700 members.

Student Chapters

Students can join special SIAM groups at their universities. These groups are run by students and teachers. Many universities in the United States have SIAM chapters. This includes schools like Harvard and MIT. You can also find SIAM chapters in other countries. For example, there are chapters at the University of Oxford and Peking University.

SIAM also has a special online magazine called SIAM Undergraduate Research Online. This is where college students can share their math projects. SIAM also has a program where experts visit schools. They talk to students about how they use math in their jobs.

Recognizing Contributions

In 2009, SIAM started a "Fellows" program. This program honors members who have made amazing contributions. These are people who have helped the fields that SIAM focuses on.

Exploring Math Topics with SIAM

SIAM has many special groups called "activity groups" (SIAGs). These groups let members focus on specific math topics. They help people work together and discuss ideas. These groups also organize special meetings and give out awards.

Unlike some other academic groups, SIAM's activity groups are set up for a certain time. Usually, this is for two years. They need to ask the SIAM leaders to continue. This helps make sure the groups are always working on popular and important topics.

Current Activity Groups

Here are some of the math topics these groups explore:

  • Algebraic Geometry
  • Analysis of Partial Differential Equations
  • Applied and Computational Discrete Algorithms
  • Applied Mathematics Education
  • Computational Science and Engineering
  • Control and Systems Theory
  • Data Science
  • Discrete Mathematics
  • Dynamical Systems
  • Financial Mathematics and Engineering
  • Geometric Design
  • Geosciences
  • Imaging Science
  • Life Sciences
  • Linear Algebra
  • Mathematical Aspects of Materials Science
  • Mathematics of Planet Earth
  • Nonlinear Waves and Coherent Structures
  • Optimization
  • Orthogonal Polynomials and Special Functions
  • Supercomputing
  • Uncertainty Quantification

Awards and Honors

SIAM celebrates mathematicians and computer scientists for their important work. They give out many prizes, including:

  • Germund Dahlquist Prize: Given to a young scientist (under 45) for new ideas in solving math problems with computers.
  • Ralph E. Kleinman Prize: Given for great research that connects math with real-world uses.
  • J.D. Crawford Prize: Given for amazing recent work in nonlinear science. This is shown by a published paper.
  • Jürgen Moser Lecture: Given to someone who has made big contributions to nonlinear science.
  • Richard C. DiPrima Prize: Given to a young scientist for excellent research in applied math. This is for work done shortly after finishing their doctorate degree.
  • George Pólya Prize: Given every two years for important work in areas like combinatorial theory or other fields that George Pólya was interested in.
  • W. T. and Idalia Reid Prize: Given for research in differential equations and control theory.
  • Theodore von Kármán Prize: Given for notable ways math has been used in engineering and mechanics.
  • James H. Wilkinson Prize: Given for research in numerical analysis and scientific computing.

John von Neumann Lecture

The John von Neumann Lecture is a special award started in 1959. It honors someone who has made outstanding contributions to applied math. It also recognizes their ability to share these ideas with others. The person who receives this award gives a lecture at SIAM's yearly meeting.

MathWorks Math Modeling (M3) Challenge

The MathWorks Math Modeling Challenge is a competition for high school students in the United States. Students use applied math to solve real-world problems. In 2006, the scholarship prizes were $60,000. Now, they are $150,000! Mathworks helps pay for this competition. It used to be called the Moody's Mega Math Challenge.

SIAM's Leaders

The main leader of SIAM is the president. This person is chosen for a two-year term. SIAM also has an executive director and other staff members.

Here are some of the people who have been president of SIAM:

  • William E. Bradley, Jr. (1952–1953)
  • Donald Houghton (1953–1954)
  • Harold W. Kuhn (1954–1955)
  • John Mauchly (1955–1956)
  • Thomas Southard (1956–1958)
  • Donald Thomsen, Jr. (1958–1959)
  • Brockway McMillan (1959–1960)
  • F. Joachim Weyl (1960–1961)
  • Robert Rinehart (1961–1962)
  • Joseph P. LaSalle (1962–1963)
  • Alston Householder (1963–1964)
  • J. Barkley Rosser (1964–1966)
  • Garrett Birkhoff (1966–1968)
  • J. Wallace Givens (1968–1970)
  • Burton Colvin (1970–1972)
  • C. C. Lin (1972–1974)
  • Herbert Keller (1974–1976)
  • Werner Rheinboldt (1976–1978)
  • Richard C. DiPrima (1979–1980)
  • Seymour Parter (1981–1982)
  • Hirsh Cohen (1983–1984)
  • Gene H. Golub (1985–1986)
  • C. William Gear (1987–1988)
  • Ivar Stakgold (1989–1990)
  • Robert E. O’Malley, Jr. (1991–1992)
  • Avner Friedman (1993–1994)
  • Margaret H. Wright (1995–1996)
  • John Guckenheimer (1997–1998)
  • Gilbert Strang (1999–2000)
  • Thomas A. Manteuffel (2001–2002)
  • James (Mac) Hyman (2003–2004)
  • Martin Golubitsky (2005–2006)
  • Cleve Moler (2007–2008)
  • Doug Arnold (2009–2010)
  • L. N. Trefethen (2011–2012)
  • Irene Fonseca (2013–2014)
  • Pamela Cook (2015–2016)
  • Nicholas J. Higham (2017–2018)
  • Lisa Fauci (2019–2020)
  • Susanne Brenner (2021–2022)
  • Sven Leyffer (2023–2024)

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