Joining Forces in International Mathematics Outreach Efforts

Valuable and innovative mathematical outreach activities are being held all over the world and have proven to be successful in creating interest in mathematics and spreading awareness of its importance to society. However, despite the international nature of mathematics, the majority of outreach activities never cross the borders of the countries where they are initiated, and in some cases never go beyond their immediate local community. Many of these outreach activities may be beneficial to audiences in other countries, and it is in everyone’s interest to find ways to share our resources and expertise and create the means for wider dissemination of successful outreach efforts. In November 2015 a group of eighteen mathematics outreach specialists converged at the Banff International Research Station (BIRS) in Alberta, Canada, for an international math outreach workshop. The participants included academic faculty from both local and world-renowned institutes and universities, graduate students, program directors, journalists, and filmmakers. Coming from Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States, they presented examples of their outreach work and engaged in lively discussions about future international collaboration. Participants provided a variety of perspectives and expertise; the spectrum of nationalities further contributed to the richness and diversity of experiences and initiatives on display. They reached agreement on the need to develop an international networking infrastructure for outreach and explored the possibilities of both expanding existing activities and creating new ones. Cédric Villani, Fields Medalist, joined the conversation through Skype; he explained his view of the importance of reaching outside the mathematics community and talked about his own involvement in outreach. One theme that clearly emerged from the discussions is that outreach initiatives across the world have much in common, most notably goals and inspiration. They also face similar challenges, such as recognition of the involvement of researchers/professors from academic institutions and the realization by policymakers and journalists of the importance of mathematics. Workshop participants compared strategies and solutions for addressing these challenges as they sought to define ways to expand outreach initiatives, with particular attention to gender issues and developing countries; to facilitate cross-country collaborations; and to introduce a certain level of international coordination. Attendees addressed the many important reasons for conducting mathematical outreach, from a simple desire to inspire people to share a love of mathematics Joining Forces in International Mathematics Outreach Efforts