3/17/99
ATHENS, Ohio -- Nearly 120 mathematicians from throughout the world will gather at Ohio University next week to discuss research on abstract algebraic structures and theories. But unlike other researchers, they probably won't be trading stories of long hours spent in the lab.
"When physicists or chemists are doing research, you envision them doing experiments; it's not that way for us," said Sergio Lopez-Permouth, chair of the Mathematics Department and co-coordinator of the International Conference on Algebra and Its Applications that runs from March 25 through 28. "A mathematician will grab a cup of coffee, stare at the blackboard, write something, stare again for some time ... and hopefully come up with a result.
"I often joke that it is hard to distinguish when I am working and, say, when I am taking a nap," he said.
"Mathematicians always seem to be thinking and trying to solve something. The thing is that most of the time, the work is going on inside our own heads."
Mathematicians from academia and industry see the four-day conference as a chance to "think out loud," to speak in a mathematical language that transcends their geographical, ethnic and cultural backgrounds, Lopez-Permouth said. Conference participants are coming from 25 countries, including the United States, Germany, France, China, South Africa, Russia and Mexico.
About 80 mathematicians will present research on three areas of algebra: ring theory, coding theory and linear algebra. Efim Zelmanov, a mathematics professor at Yale University and winner of the 1994 Fields Medal -- an award equivalent to the Nobel Prize in other disciplines -- will be the keynote speaker March 27.
Ohio University's campus is the perfect venue for a meeting of mathematical minds because ring theory experts from both Ohio University and Ohio State University make this region one of the main centers in the world for the study of ring theory, Lopez-Permouth said. Other institutions famous for ring theory, an abstract form of algebra, include the University of California; the University of Wisconsin; the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona and Universidad de Murcia, both in Spain; and the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom.
Professor of Mathematics S.K. Jain, who has taught at Ohio University for nearly 30 years, has helped build the university's reputation in ring theory research. He has authored numerous published papers on ring theory and abstract algebra.
"I think Ohio University has a lot of credibility and respect when it comes to this area," Lopez-Permouth said, "and that's probably why we've attracted mathematicians from across the world for this conference."
The conference is supported by the U.S. National Security Agency, the largest employer of mathematicians in the world. NSA interest in mathematical research usually centers on cryptography, which deals with aspects of secret codes and messaging. The event also is sponsored by the University's Office of Research, the College of Arts and Sciences and the Department of Mathematics. The departments of Geography and Geology and the Chillicothe campus also have contributed support for the conference.
The organizing committee for the conference consists of Lopez-Permouth, Jain and Visiting Professor of Mathematics Dinh Van Huynh. For more information, visit the conference Web site: http://www.math.ohiou.edu/~algebra