This column highlights research activities that may be of interest to ASA members. These brief articles include information about new research solicitations and the federal budget for statistics. Comments or suggestions for future articles may be sent to ASA Research and Graduate Education Manager Keith Crank at keith@amstat.org.

Keith Crank has a BS in mathematics education and an MS in mathematics from Michigan State University and a PhD in statistics from Purdue University. Prior to joining the ASA as research and graduate education manager, he was a program officer at the National Science Foundation, primarily in the probability program.

The Board on Mathematical Sciences and Their Applications (BMSA) is part of the National Academy of Sciences. It was recently asked by the Division of Mathematical Sciences (DMS) at the National Science Foundation to study the state of the mathematical sciences and make projections. The BMSA organized a committee to undertake this study, and Scott Weidman is the study director.

As part of the study, Weidman and members of the committee will hold a forum at JSM (tentatively scheduled for August 2 at 1 p.m.) to get feedback from the statistics community. It is important for the statistical research community to participate. Although I believe statistics and mathematics are separate disciplines (and should be treated separately), they are treated as one at NSF. If statistics is not included in the study report, future DMS division directors could take funding from the statistics program and move it into other mathematics programs.

Additional information and the opportunity to provide feedback online are available at the study’s website. The following information is taken directly from there:

Study Overview

In September 2010, the National Academies launched a study on the mathematical sciences in 2025. A National Academies committee will produce a forward-looking assessment of the current state of the mathematical sciences and of emerging trends, assessing both the vitality of research and the impact of research and training.

The study will develop a strategic view useful to the various stakeholders in mathematical sciences, including the mathematics and statistics communities; federal and nonfederal sponsors of mathematical sciences research and education; the broad science and engineering enterprise; and the leadership of business, industry, government laboratories, and federal mission agencies.

This strategic examination will cover three aspects of the mathematical sciences enterprise: discovery, connections, and community. Here, “discover” refers to basic research at the frontiers of knowledge in mathematics and statistics. “Connections” refers to exploiting research opportunities at boundaries of the mathematical sciences to promote the progress of science, to enhance national security, and to strengthen economic competitiveness. “Community” refers to cultivating a community of researchers, students, and professionals of sufficient breadth, depth, and diversity to sustain the nation’s mathematical sciences enterprise in the 21st century.

This study is expected to run through 2011, with the committee releasing its final report in the first half of 2012. Midway through the study, after the committee has identified recent research accomplishments as part of its assessment of the vitality of the field, it will produce an interim report about some of those accomplishments. This interim report will be geared toward nonmathematical readers who would like to know more about mathematical research.

Four private, nonprofit, nongovernmental organizations comprise the [National] Academies: the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, the Institute of Medicine, and the National Research Council. Known collectively as the National Academies, the organization produces groundbreaking reports that have helped shape sound policies; inform public opinion; and advance the pursuit of science, engineering, and medicine.

Statement of Task

The study will produce a forward-looking assessment of the current state of the mathematical sciences and emerging trends that will affect the discipline and its stakeholders as they look ahead to the quarter century mark. Specifically, the study will assess the following:

The vitality of research in the mathematical sciences, looking at such aspects as the unity and coherence of research, significance of recent developments, rate of progress at the frontiers, and emerging trends

The impact of research and training in the mathematical sciences on science and engineering, industry and technology, innovation and economic competitiveness, national security, and other areas of national interest

The study will make recommendations to NSF’s Division of Mathematical Sciences about how to adjust its portfolio of activities to improve the vitality and impact of the discipline.

The project is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.

To contact me, send an email to keith@amstat.org. Questions or comments about this article, as well as suggestions for future articles, are always welcome.