We are happy to share a video presenting the École doctorale de mathématiques Hadamard (EDMH). The video was taken during the EDMH PhD students’ welcome day that took place on October 18th at IHES.

You are going to learn more about the doctoral school and to meet some of the students that took part in the latest edition of the EDMH welcome day last October.

More about EDMH

EDMH aims to bring together all the doctoral training in mathematics within the perimeter of the Université Paris-Saclay and the Institut Polytechnique de Paris. From pure mathematics to the most applied mathematics, including mathematics at the interfaces with economics, IT, mechanical engineering, physics, engineering, and life sciences.

The Institut des Hautes Etudes Scientifiques, foundation in the public interest and founding member of Université Paris-Saclay, wishes you an excellent year 2022. Pictures showed in the video are of the Marilyn and James Simons Conference Center, the iconic building of IHES, where most of the Institute’s conferences, workshops and seminars are held.

It has been almost one month since the Friends of IHES Gala on Women in Fundamental Research took place, on November 16.

One of the highest moments of the evening was Janna Levin‘s keynote speech on black holes, a topic she is fond about and that she has been studying for years.

Watch Janna Levin’s keynote speech at the 2021 Friends of IHES Gala on Women in Fundamental Research:

 

Janna Levin is the Claire Tow Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Barnard College of Columbia University, as well as Founding Director of the Science Studios at Pioneer Works, and founder and editor-in-chief of their virtual manifestation, The Broadcast.

A Guggenheim Fellow, Janna has contributed to an understanding of black holes, the cosmology of extra dimensions, and gravitational waves in the shape of spacetime.

Janna Levin is also a writer of both essays and fiction. Her new book is Black Hole Survival Guide. Her previous books include How the Universe Got Its Spots and a novel, A Madman Dreams of Turing Machines, which won the PEN/Bingham Prize, and Black Hole Blues and Other Songs from Outer Space.

She is the presenter of the Emmy-nominated NOVA feature Black Hole Apocalypse, aired on PBS—the first female presenter for NOVA in 35 years.

Press release – 10 December 2021

On Friday 10 December visit carmin.tv, a new audiovisual broadcasting platform for mathematics and its interactions with other sciences, especially physics, computer science, and biology. The platform already contains over 4,500 videos from mathematical conferences and exchanges, and will continue to expand over the years. Scientists, students, and the general public can now discover mathematics in a new way. It was created by the Centre international de rencontres mathématiques (CNRS/Aix-Marseille Université/Société mathématique de France), the Henri Poincaré Institute (CNRS/Sorbonne Université), the International Centre for Pure and Applied Mathematics (CIMPA), and the Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques (IHES)¹.

The driving force behind the carmin.tv project are the specialists in mathematics and its interactions with other disciplines at the Centre d’accueil et de rencontres mathématiques internationales (Labex Carmin),² who host leading scientists from across the globe as part of short- and long-term stays. They also regularly organize conferences, seminars, and thematic workshops. By bringing together mathematical research diffused during these events, carmin.tv preserves and shares their scientific and educational value, all while offering the tools needed to conduct high-level documentary research on a video database that is regularly catalogued and expanded.

With over 4,500 videos available for viewing or download on carmin.tv, this unique platforms is home to nearly 3,000 hours of mathematical conferences and exchanges; it centralizes the interventions of more than 2,900 conference presenters in both English and French, a number that will continue to expand and be catalogued according to the metadata associated with them.

Carmin.tv includes videos intended for well-informed scientists, students, doctoral students, as well as the general public, especially a series of 200 highly-accessible interviews and presentations. The platform is also connected to “MathOverflow,” the international professional forum for mathematics researchers: carmin.tv users can ask questions regarding video content directly on this forum.

Carmin.tv provides the mathematical community with a unique platform for showcasing high-level interventions and conferences. It will continue to expand over the years, and is an invaluable tool for better understanding a research subject, further exploring a particular topic, or discovering scientific research.

Notes

¹ IHES and the CNRS are founding members of l’Université Paris Saclay.

² The Carmin Laboratory of Excellence project was selected by the French government’s Investments for the Future programme, under the category of “thematic scientific institutes for hosting world-class researchers.”

On Wednesday, December 8, 2021 at 6:00 pm (Paris time), IHES had the pleasure to host a screening of the documentary “Barry Mazur and the Infinite Cheese of Knowledge“, directed by Oliver Ralfe.

Due to the health context, in-person participation was reserved to a very limited number of participants. A link to watch the documentary was active only few hours on December 8.

A videoconference was held, at 7.00 pm (Paris time), with Barry Mazur, Gerhard Gade University Professor at Harvard University, and moderated by Michael Harris, Professor of mathematics at Columbia University and at Institut de Mathématiques de Jussieu.

Barry Mazur and the Infinite Cheese of Knowledge is a surprising and personal portrait of renowned American mathematician Barry Mazur.

Barry Mazur has importantly contributed to algebraic geometry, which has a long tradition at IHES, rooted in the work of Alexander Grothendieck.

Oliver Ralfe is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and composer from the United Kingdom.
He specialises in telling the stories of remarkable and unusual characters.

The AERG (Association of ERC Grantees) organizes its second Webinar in its “Science & Society” series. This event, to be held online on December 13th at 5:30pm CET, will feature former ERC President Jean-Pierre Bourguignon.

Professor Bourguignon, a mathematician by training and currently the Nicolaas Kuiper honorary professor at IHES, will present a lecture entitled:

“Highlighting the Scientific Method: Why it matters!”

Professor Bourguignon will address how the scientific method makes it possible to establish facts, why it matters, and why we need to communicate its importance. To discuss these issues, he will be joined by a number of distinguished panelists. The event will also be an occasion to thank Professor Bourguignon for the instrumental role he played in enabling the creation of the Association of ERC Grantees.

Participation is free but registration is mandatory.

The launch of carmin.tv, a new platform for promoting and sharing scientific research took place in the presence of Sylvie Benzoni, director of IHP and scientific and technical manager of CARMIN, Christophe Ritzenthaler, director of CIMPA, Pascal Hubert, director of CIRM, and Emmanuel Ullmo, director of IHES

on Friday, December 10, 2021, from 4:00 pm
at the Institut Henri Poincaré
11, rue Pierre et Marie Curie – Paris 5e
Health pass required.

Program
4:00pm Presentation of the carmin.tv web platform by the directors of CIMPA, CIRM, IHES and IHP
4:30pm Round table
6pm Cocktail

The LabEx (Laboratory of Excellence) CARMIN (Centres d’Accueil et de Rencontres Mathématiques INternationales) federates four French institutes, at the service of research in mathematics and their interactions:
•    Centre International de Mathématiques Pures et Appliquées (CIMPA)
•    Centre International de Rencontres Mathématiques (CIRM)
•    Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques (IHES)
•    Institut Henri Poincaré (IHP)
Designed by the four members of LabEx CARMIN (CIMPA, CIRM, IHES and IHP) to preserve and enhance their media collections, carmin.tv is a media platform dedicated to mathematics and its interactions. The idea is to make these contents accessible to all on one platform designed for the scientific community.

This year, IHES celebrates #GivingTuesday, the global movement that promotes generosity in all its forms, with the video “Cultivating diversity in STEM”: women scientists related to IHES express their powerful messages to younger generations of researchers, by sharing their advice and experience.

As part of the Institute’s commitment to promote diversity in STEM, gifts made to IHES for #GivingTuesday will support fundamental research and participate in funding concrete initiatives to foster a better representation of women at the Institute.

Celebrate this #GivingTuesday by making a gift to IHES today.

Thank you to all the scientists who contributed to this video:

Alessandra Buonanno, physicist, Director at the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics in Potsdam

Jennifer Chayes, mathematician and physicist, Associate Provost of the new division of Computing Data Science and Society at UC Berkeley

Caterina Consani, mathematician, Professor at Johns Hopkins University

Delaram Kahrobaei, mathematician, University Dean at the City University of New York

Kathryn Leonard, mathematician, President of the Association for Women in Mathematics

Sylvie Retailleau, physicist, President of Université Paris-Saclay

At the end of 2020, IHES obtained 785k€ in funding from the French Ministry of Economy, Finance and Recovery as part of the national France Relance recovery plan.

This grant will be used to renovate 6 of the 18 studios in one of the buildings of the Ormaille residence, which includes most of the housing units acquired by IHES to accommodate its researchers.

The renovation began in early 2021 and will result in a 60% reduction in the energy consumption of the housing units. The flats will go from class D to class B as to the energy label, and from class F to class D on the carbon label.

By the end of October, a significant part of the works had already been completed: the building’s roof had been completely redone and three studios have already been refurbished, while the other three should be finished before the end of the year. Work on the staircase is currently underway.

The work carried out in the studios as part of the France Relance recovery plan will bring multiple benefits. Operating costs will be optimized, as well as energy consumption, as part of a more global sustainable development strategy that IHES has implementing over several years. The visitors’ living conditions will also be improved. This will contribute to strengthening the attractiveness of the Institute, as well as that of its partners in the region, particularly Université Paris-Saclay, which uses 6 of the 57 units at the Ormaille.

Press release – October 27, 2021

James and Marilyn Simons, the co-founders of the Simons Foundation, have recently pledged 25m€ to support IHES over ten years: this is a record gift both for the Institute and for fundamental research in France.

James and Marilyn Simons have supported the Institute since the early days of its fundraising efforts. Having already given more than 25m€ overall, they are the Institute’s main donors. To acknowledge the great generosity they showed during the first fundraising campaign, the Institute’s most iconic building was named after them and is now called the Marilyn and James Simons Conference Center.

This new exceptional gift from the Simons Foundation International is intended primarily for the Institute’s scientists, at all levels of their careers. In addition to doctoral and post-doctoral fellowships, the funds will support a prestigious position for a talented young scientist with an outstanding track record, as well as allow leading researchers to spend long sabbaticals at the Institute.

This grant will also allow IHES to continue to develop initiatives to promote diversity and inclusion in mathematics and theoretical physics, by raising awareness of these issues within the scientific and mathematical communities as well as at the Institute. It will also contribute to the financing of projects that promote the dissemination of science and knowledge to the general public.

A significant portion of the donation, given more specifically by Simons Foundation International, will also strengthen the Institute’s endowment to ensure its financial independence and stability over the long-term.

On top of being major donors, the Simons are personally involved in ensuring the success and development of the Institute. James Simons has been a member of the IHES Board of Directors since 2014. At the end of 2021, James and Marilyn Simons will succeed Michael R. Douglas as co-presidents of Friends of IHES, the IHES partner association in the United States.

Frédérique Vidal, French Minister of Higher Education, Research and Innovation, praised James and Marilyn Simons’ commitment: “This major gift to one of the gems of Université Paris-Saclay, IHES, is a tribute to the dynamism and attractiveness of research in mathematics and theoretical physics in France, which are recognized and valued internationally. We thank the Simons Foundation for its support, which helps to strengthen our ties with our American partners and collaborators”.

“We are delighted to have stood by the Institute’s side for over 20 years. We know that basic research is crucial to the development of our society. We’ve always believed that,” say James and Marilyn Simons.

David Spergel, president of the Simons Foundation, adds: “We are glad to renew and strengthen our support for IHES so that it can continue its essential role as an intellectual center for mathematics and theoretical physics.”

“This is a historic gift, the result of a long-term relationship between IHES and the Simons. It is another step towards financial independence, which is essential for an institute such as ours,” says Marwan Lahoud, President of the IHES Board of Directors.

“In addition to being major donors, Jim and Marilyn have always had the Institute’s best interest at heart. It is also thanks to their encouragement that we have been able to push our ambitions further and enjoy such success in our fundraising endeavors, some of which is relatively recent and marked by new major corporate and individual donors,” comments Emmanuel Ullmo, Director of IHES.

Jürg FRÖHLICH (ETH Zürich) gave an hybrid conference (in French)  taking place both at IHES and on zoom, entitled:

“From classical physics to the miracles of the quantum world“

Jürg FRÖHLICH will discuss some aspects of the transition from a classical description of Nature to its quantum description, which many scientists claim is still not complete to their satisfaction. What is certain is that determinism and reversibility of time evolution are no longer in force in the quantum world.

The conference was followed by a musical interlude.

Bella Schütz performed piano works by Mozart, Debussy, Brahms and Scriabine.

Contact : Ingrid Peeters. (01 60 92 66 64)

Download the conference poster

Women are still much underrepresented in mathematics and theoretical physics, particularly at IHES, where only 10% of its visitors are female. IHES, in line with Université Paris-Saclay, firmly intends to reduce that gap and attract more women researchers.

To identify the best way to do so, the Institute wishes to take advantage of the experience, hindsight and know-how of several organizations that have been created over the years to raise awareness and promote equal opportunities for women in mathematics. For decades now, female mathematicians across the world have been joining forces to encourage more women to choose STEM and to ensure that they get fair and equal treatment when they do so.

IHES thus organized a panel discussion featuring a former visiting professor at IHES as well as representatives from the Association for Women in Mathematics, that is celebrating its 50^th anniversary this year, and the European Women in Mathematics, all of whom are strong diversity and inclusion advocates.

The event took place in a hybrid format on Monday, October 4, at 6pm Paris time, both at the Marilyn and James Simons Conference Center, IHES, and online.

Panelists were: Eva Bayer-Fluckiger, Professor Emeritus at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Kathryn Leonard, president of the Association of Women in Mathematics, and Andrea Walther, co-convenor of the European Women in Mathematics.

By sharing their experiences and their expertise, they helped identify relevant initiatives to accompany and promote women researchers in mathematics, and ensure that they are better represented at institutions like IHES. The funds raised later on at the next Friends of IHES gala, dedicated to “Women in Fundamental Research”, will then help implement some of those initiatives at the Institute.

Click here to watch the replay

 

Eva Bayer-Fluckiger is a mathematician whose interests include algebraic number theory, Galois cohomology of algebraic groups, quadratic forms, Hermitian forms and involution algebras, knot theory, and the application of algebra and number theory to algebraic codes. During her career she was a visiting professor at IHES several times. She is currently Professor Emeritus at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne.

 

Kathryn Leonard is a mathematician and computer scientist whose research interests include geometric models for computer graphics, computer vision, and data analysis, with an emphasis on explainability. She is a professor of computer science at the Occidental College, Los Angeles, and director of the Center for Undergraduate Research in Mathematics. She has been the President of the Association for Women in Mathematics since February 2021.

 

Andrea Walther is an applied mathematician working on nonlinear optimization, non-smooth optimization, and scientific computing. She is known in particular for her work on automatic differentiation. She is professor of mathematical optimization in the institute for mathematics of Humboldt University of Berlin. She has been convenor of the European Women in Mathematics since July 2020.