The ETSi will bring together more than 1,300 experts at the 9th European Mathematics Congress

The European Mathematics Congress (ECM) , considered the second most important in the world in this discipline and which takes place every four years in a European city, will be held in its ninth edition in Seville, between July 15 and 19, with the attendance of more than 1,300 participants.

This Congress is held under the auspices of the European Mathematical Society (EMS) and lands in Seville thanks to the candidacy represented by the University of Seville (US). The president of the Organizing Committee, Professor Juan González-Meneses, has defended the Sevillian project, which was finally elected in 2020, against the powerful candidacy presented by Lisbon. The 9ECM Seville 2024 has the experience of the Institute of Mathematics of the University of Seville (IMUS) and the Institute of Mathematics of the University of Granada (IEMATH-GR), both cores of the Andalusian Institute of Mathematics (IAMAT). Furthermore, it is an activity of the Cajal Year of the Ministry of Science and Innovation.  

The scientific event brings together some of the main protagonists of European mathematics, and serves as a meeting point for numerous researchers who have the opportunity to present and discuss the latest advances in their respective areas. The program includes 12 plenary conferences, 640 talks in mini-symposiums and 270 communications in thematic sessions, in addition to round tables, dissemination conferences, activities for young researchers and a cultural agenda, which includes four exhibitions with mathematics as a backdrop. And, without a doubt, the most anticipated: the European Mathematical Society prizes will be awarded, a total of 14 on this occasion, which are the most important in Europe in mathematics and the second in the world, after the prestigious Fields Medals, of recognition international.  

Although Seville will be the headquarters, specifically the Higher Technical School of Engineering of the University of Seville (ETSI), satellite events will be held throughout Spain and Portugal. Previously, the meeting of the Council of the European Mathematical Society (EMS) will be held in Granada on July 13 and 14.  

Mathematics to monitor tumors or design the machines of the future 

The line-up of mathematicians invited to give presentations who attend the event brings together the most prestigious at an international level, such as the Fields Medal winner Maxim Kontsevich, and will address varied topics, both in basic and applied research, which, as González-Meneses states, “ “They demonstrate that mathematics done today will change life tomorrow.” 

Among the most anticipated speakers, stands out Avi Wigderson, professor at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Princeton, expert in computing theory, algorithm design, cryptography and quantum computing and communication, who will be in charge of delivering the special conference 'Abel Lecture '.

 Fabio Toninelli, from the Technical University of Vienna, who in recent work has studied the equation known as KPZ (by Kardar, Parisi and Zhang), which models growth and aggregation processes, such as those of a tumor, a city or the way that a crystal is formed by adding atoms from its surroundings. 

Annalisa Buffa, professor at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne and expert in numerical analysis who, thanks to the use of mathematical tools, has achieved outstanding advances in the development of computer simulations applicable to industry and machine design. 

Also speaking will be Etienne Ghys, mathematician and professor at the Ecole Supérieure de Lyon and director of research emeritus at the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), whose range ranges from key achievements for geometry and chaos theory to the dissemination of the mathematics of soccer balls or snowflakes. 

Within the informative conferences open to the general public, topics such as the search for a neuroprotective therapy in Parkinson's disease, some key moments in the history of mathematics, the scientific and technological challenges of nuclear fusion by magnetic confinement and the alterations caused by invasive species. 

Andalusia and Seville, at the first international level 

The University of Seville and, in general, the public universities of Andalusia, boast of having top-level international research work in Mathematics, as shown by all the research rankings. The organizers hope that holding this congress at the US will consolidate international recognition of the research carried out by the institution and at the same time will bring the work carried out there even closer to society, which is increasingly convinced of the important role that Mathematics plays in their lives and well-being. In general, Spanish mathematics occupies an important place in the European panorama and, at a global level, Spain is among the ten countries with the highest mathematical production.  

In addition, 100 mathematics students from several Spanish universities will collaborate as volunteers at this event, and a total of 120 scholarships have been awarded, as part of the international cooperation program, for young mathematicians or participants from developing countries. “The 9ECM is committed to the objective of offering the possibility of attending the congress to mathematicians who do not have sufficient resources to do so,” says Mirta M. Castro Smirnova, from the University of Seville.  

Cultural agenda with mathematical vision 

As part of the cultural offer associated with 9ECM, four exhibitions that have mathematics as a backdrop will also be exhibited during these days. One of them, “Maps. Cartographic heritage in Seville from the 15th to the 18th centuries”, which will be located at the Cajasol Foundation in Seville; It is a selected collection of maps and books with maps from the period from the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Renaissance to the Enlightenment, from the Archive of the Indies, the Columbian Library and the University of Seville.  

The other three will be on display at the main headquarters, the Technical School of Engineering of Seville: “A Geometric Walk Through the Alhambra”, which explains part of the mathematical secrets present in the Alhambra in Granada; “Women in Mathematics From Around the World. A gallery of portraits”, which presents 34 extensive profiles of female mathematicians from around the world, through photographs, texts and videos; and “Knots”, aimed at the general public, which has ten three-dimensional models of mathematical knots specially selected for their particularities, symmetries and beauty, which will guide the visitor through the fascinating world of Knot Theory.