Underthe patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qassimi,Supreme Council Member, Ruler of Sharjah and President of American Universityof Sharjah (AUS), the Department of Mathematics and Statistics began the SecondInternational Conference on Mathematics and Statistics (AUS-ICMS'15), today,April 2, 2015, in the presence of Sheikh Mohamad Bin Saoud al Qassimi, Chairmanof the Central Finance Department of Sharjah. The conference is organized incooperation with the American Mathematical Society (AMS). 

The conference offers a forum for researchers and scientists working inthe fields of pure mathematics, applied mathematics, mathematics education andstatistics to come together, discuss new research developments and network withone another. Topics to be covered at conference include algebra, analysis,applied mathematics, statistics, differential equations, discrete mathematics,financial mathematics, numerical analysis, probability theory, stochasticdifferential equations, and topology and geometry, to name a few. More than 320abstracts were submitted to the conference, and papers resulting from 212 ofthem will be presented in the next four days. 

During his opening remarks, Dr. Björn Kjerfve, AUSChancellor said, "The significance of international conferences such as thesecannot be underestimated. From time immemorial, mathematics has beeninstrumental in helping man explore and understand his world. The world todayhas become a global village, connected and interlinked in innumerable ways. Buteven when such close connections were not commonplace, mathematics was the oneuniversal language which had equal appreciation no matter where you lived inthe world.

TheChancellor also added, "We, at AUS, are committed to academic excellence andare constantly aiming to enhance our research capabilities. We believe thatresearch plays an important part in not only a university's life but also inthat of a dynamic, evolving and vibrant polity. That is why we have alwaysstressed the importance of research among both our faculty members as well asour students." 

"Isincerely hope that this conference will continue to grow and attract expertsand academic scholars from all over the world. I would like to take thisopportunity to commend all those involved in the organization of this wonderfulevent," concluded Dr. Kjerfve.

Speakingabout the conference, Dr. Mahmoud Anabtawi, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, said,"Organizing such a high-caliber international conference is one of manyexamples that we, in the College of Arts and Sciences, are committed to thefulfillment of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan's enlightened vision that scienceand education must regain their rightful place in the advancement of oursociety and in the shaping of the lives of our children, and for AUS to be acenter of research in an emirate devoted to the making of history in academicexcellence." 

Dr. Anabtawiadded, "The sponsorship of the prestigious American Mathematical Society isprofound evidence of the high quality of this conference, and the commitment ofits organizers to promote mathematics and research in this part of the worldand elsewhere. This international conference not only brought mathematicians,statisticians and scientists under the same roof, it also provided aninteractive environment for them to discuss the most recent advancements,exchange research ideas and collaborate under the mathematics and statistics umbrella."

Dr. HanaSulieman, Head of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics and Chairpersonof the conference, said, "We thank the American Mathematical Society for itstechnical sponsorship of the conference. The sponsorship by this prominentassociation attests to the international recognition of AUS and to the highquality of undergraduate and graduate programs that the department ofmathematics and statistics offers at AUS. It also attests to commitment by theDepartment of Mathematics and Statistics at the American University of Sharjahto fulfill its mission that includes promoting mathematics and its importantrole in the advancement of UAE society and increasing knowledge productivityand research in mathematical sciences in the region."  

Richard A. Brualdi,a representative of the American Mathematical Society, said during his openingremarks, "I anticipate that this Second International Conference on Mathematicsand Statistics will be very successful, and on behalf of the AmericanMathematical Society and its president Robert Bryant, I send best wishes for astimulating and memorable conference."

The conference's keynote speakers are Gunnar Carlsson, a Professor ofMathematics at Stanford University and a highly influential mathematician, mostwell-known for his proof of the Segal Burnside Ring conjecture and for his workon applied algebraic topology, especially topological data analysis; ProfessorSamad Hedayat, a UIC Distinguished Professor at Department of Mathematics,Statistics, and Computer Science, University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC); andProfessor Edriss S. Titi, holder of the Owen Professorship of Mathematics atTexas A&M University since 2014 and Professor Emeritus at the University ofCalifornia, Irvine.

Professor Titi also led a discussion on Tuesday at AUS, and focused on the core meaning of mathematics and algebra. He explainedit as "a developing framework to solve problems in social life and other typesof sciences." 

Initiated by the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, AUS-ICMS wasfirst held in March 2010, and was the first conferenceof its kind on mathematics held in the region. The conference will continue until Sunday, April 5.