Saturday 25th September 2004. Branches Visit to Bletchley Park. Meet 12.00 noon in front of the main house.
Bletchley Park, also known as ‘Station X’, was home to the famous code breakers of the Second World War and the birthplace of modern computing and communications. It is now a heritage site run by a charitable trust, with historic buildings, exhibitions and tours for visitors.
IMA members and friends are invited to attend an informal visit to Bletchley Park, and to meet up with other IMA members and friends from other branches. No formal agenda or tour has been arranged but it is suggested that IMA members might congregate in front of the main house at noon.
Monday 11th October 2004. Let Buildings Design Themselves! – The Use of Heuristic Techniques in Architectural Design. A talk by Boris Ceranic (University of Derby ). 7.30 p.m. in the Heap Lecture Theatre, Kedleston Road Site, University of Derby.
Abstract: Modern heuristic based techniques can be used to enable structures design themselves. This talk indicates how Micro Genetic algorithms have been employed to design structurally sound and efficient buildings.
Tuesday 16th November 2004. Mathematics of Software Testing. A talk by Professor Rob Hierons (Brunel University). 7.30 p.m. in the Heap Lecture Theatre, Kedleston Road Site, University of Derby.
Abstract: Software testing is an important field where mathematics can be employed to develop efficient and effective test regimes. This talk demonstrates how the process of software testing (essentially an NP problem) can be carried out in a reasonable time.
Monday 13th December 2004. Applying Mathematics. A Presidential Address by Professor T.J. Pedley, GI Taylor Professor of Fluid Mechanics (Cambridge University). 7.15 p.m. in the Pope Building, University of Nottingham.
Tuesday 18th January 2005. Public Key Cryptography. A talk by Clifford Cocks (GCHQ Cheltenham). 7.30 p.m. in the Queen’s Building, City Site, De Montfort University, Leicester. This is a joint Meeting with the British Computer Society.
Abstract: I will describe the main ideas of public key cryptography; the mathematical principles that underlie this technology and how they were discovered. I will show how this is applied in the real world, for example how it can be used to secure transactions on the internet and I will also explain how digital signatures work. I will then look at a variety of mathematical structures that can be used in cryptography, and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of these different approaches, finishing with a discussion of some recent advances in the subject.
Thursday 3rd March 2005. The Music of the Primes. A talk by Marcus du Sautoy (Department of Mathematics, Oxford University). 7.30 p.m. in the Heap Lecture Theatre, Kedleston Road Site, University of Derby.
Abstract: Prime numbers are the atoms of arithmetic – the hydrogen and oxygen of the world of numbers. Despite their fundamental importance to mathematics, they represent one of the most tantalising enigmas in the pursuit of human knowledge. In 1859, the German mathematician Bernhard Riemann put forward an idea – a hypothesis – which seemed to reveal a magical harmony at work in the numerical landscape. A million dollars now awaits the person who can unravel the mystery of the hidden music that might explain the cacophony of the primes.
Wednesday 11th May 2005. The Mathematics of Chocolate. A talk by Heather Tewkesbury (Smith Institute, Cambridge). 7.30 p.m. in Room J002, Edward Herbert Building, Loughborough University. The 2005 Branch AGM will be held prior to the talk, starting at 7.00 p.m. in the Manzoni Building.
Wednesday 18th May 2005. Joint IMA/LMS Regional Meeting: Open Discussion on the LMS-IMA Frameworks Study Initiative. Watson Building, School of Mathematics, University of Birmingham. IMA members are invited to arrive at 2.30 p.m., 5.00 p.m. or 6.15 p.m.
Talks include: LMS Fröhlich Lecture, Bob Oliver (Paris 13) p-local structure of finite groups and of their classifying spaces, Timothy Gowers (Cambridge) Is there another way to explain mathematics?, Stephen Smith (Chicago) Homology decompositions from subgroup complexes of finite groups
Thursday 23rd June 2005. East and West Midlands Branch Social Event. The Old Inn, The Square, Littlethorpe, Leicester. (The location can found via the postcode, LE19 2HX, in http://www.multimap.co.uk/.) Meet by 6.30 p.m. in the Bar for a directed Walk and Quiz or 7.30 p.m. in the Skittle Alley.
Members and their guests from both the IMA East and West Midlands Branches are invited to attend a Summer Evening of social activities centred around the The Old Inn, Littlethorpe, Leicestershire. Littlethorpe is a village conveniently situated near the Leicester end of the M69 motorway. Early participants are invited to spend an hour investigating the interesting features of Littlethorpe, guided by a Quiz. Later we will retire to the Skittle Alley where matters mathematical and more, can be discussed over a challenge skittles game and a pub meal.
