The American Mathematical Society, the American Statistical Association, the Mathematical Association of America, and the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics announce that the theme for Mathematics Awareness Month 2006 is Mathematics and Internet Security. Mathematics Awareness Month is held each year in April. Its goal is to increase public understanding of and appreciation for mathematics.
When you use your home computer to log on to your bank account and pay a bill, to buy a book from Amazon, or to buy or sell something on eBay, you assume your personal details--your social security number, your bank account access password, or your credit card number--cannot be read by an unauthorized third party. What makes this possible is mathematics.Mathematics also plays a central role in the ongoing struggle to fight computer viruses.
And initiatives both in the USA and abroad to introduce Internet voting systems in elections depend upon sophisticated mathematical ideas to ensure accuracy, fairness, secrecy, and freedom from vote tampering.
Resources for this year's Mathematics Awareness Month program can be found at www.mathaware.org.
About Mathematics Awareness Month
http://www.mathaware.org/about.mam.html
Mathematics Awareness Month is held each year in April. Its goal is to increase public understanding of and appreciation for mathematics. Mathematics Awareness Month began in 1986 as Mathematics Awareness Week with a proclamation by President Ronald Reagan, who said in part:
Despite the increasing importance of mathematics to the progress of our economy and society, enrollment in mathematics programs has been declining at all levels of the American educational system. Yet the application of mathematics is indispensable in such diverse fields as medicine, computer sciences, space exploration, the skilled trades, business, defense, and government. To help encourage the study and utilization of mathematics, it is appropriate that all Americans be reminded of the importance of this basic branch of science to our daily lives.
In 1986 activities concentrated on national-level events, such as opening an exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution on mathematics and hosting a Capitol Hill reception. Since that time the focus has shifted to activities at the local, state, and regional levels. Over the years, the general purpose has consistently been to increase the visibility of mathematics as a field of study and to communicate the power and intrigue in mathematics to a larger audience. In 1999, Mathematics Awareness Week became Mathematics Awareness Month.
Activities for Mathematics Awareness Month are generally organized by college and university departments, institutional public information offices, student groups, and related associations and interest groups. They have included a wide variety of workshops, competitions, exhibits, festivals, lectures, and symposia. Some years elected officials have issued proclamations for Mathematics Awareness Month, frequently in connection with special meetings and events arranged to observe the month.
