The goal of Dialog 2004 was to promote communication between faculty in the mathematical sciences and program officers in the NSF/DMS. The program objectives were:

• to inform the mathematical sciences community (broadly defined) of existing NSF/DMS programs and opportunities;
• to inform the mathematical sciences community of new and proposed program initiatives of NSF/DMS;
• to gather feedback on programs and overall investment in our discipline; and
• to discuss current and future needs for resources to advance the mathematical sciences.

With the May 2003 announcement of the umbrella program Enhancing the Mathematical Sciences Workforce in the 21st Century (EMSW21), the five-year anniversary of the VIGRE program, and the interdisciplinary initiatives supported by DMS, there was a need to convene mathematical scientists to discuss funding opportunities and to dialog with DMS regarding the future directions of the mathematical sciences community in each of the major areas of interest to the community and NSF. The new programs under EMSW21 are garnering tremendous interest among departments and individual researchers. While these programs are still in their early funding cycles is the ideal time for discussion about them.

PRESENTATIONS BY DMS PROGRAM OFFICERS


PANEL 1 ON PATHWAYS

Pathways To And Within A Mathematical Career raises two sets of issues: those pertaining to pathways to a mathematical career and those pertaining to pathways within a mathematical career. The first includes recruitment and retention, encouraging and preparing students for graduate studies that will succeed in leading them to research careers in the mathematical sciences. The second set of issues revolves around supporting mathematicians throughout their careers, finding ways to help them remain challenged and productive.


PANEL 2 ON COLLABORATIONS & INTERACTIONS

Collaborations And Interactions With Other Disciplines provides a forum for mathematicians and statisticians to share ideas about how collaborations and interactions with other disciplines can provide stimulus for new scientific knowledge and as a mechanism to generate new challenges for the mathematical community to solve.  The mathematical sciences have tools useful for solving the many quantitative issues arising in research and the statistical sciences provide a framework and methodology often crucial for expressing and minimizing the uncertainty inherent in empirical research. How can the mathematical community position itself to be successfully engaged, and what programs can the NSF create to improve how these collaborations are developed?


PANEL 3 ON BIG MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES

Big Mathematical Sciences: Topically Focused Large Research Groups provides a forum for mathematicians and statisticians to share ideas about how the funding of large, multi-institutional, topically focused groups might effectively advance certain research areas.  Some such grants have been an effective way to fund meetings and travel for junior researchers.  While DMS has traditionally not funded mathematics and statistics through multi-institutional grants, it does have some recent experience with them.  Such grants have also recently been widely used within the European mathematical community to support core areas.  It is therefore timely to examine whether the DMS should create more such programs.


REPORTS FROM BREAK-OUT SESSIONS

Notes on issues reported during the Big Math breakout sessions.
Notes on issues reported during the Pathways breakout sessions.
Notes on issues reported during the Collaborations & Interactions breakout sessions.

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The Dialog 2004 program was organized by:


and held in Washington, DC, on April 30 - May 1, 2004.