MPE2013

2013 is a special year for the Mathematics of Planet Earth.

More than one hundred scientific societies, universities, research institutes, and organizations all over the world have banded together to dedicate 2013 as a special year for the Mathematics of Planet Earth.

Our planet is the setting for dynamic processes of all sorts, including the geophysical processes in the mantle, the continents, and the oceans, the atmospheric processes that determine our weather and climates, the biological processes involving living species and their interactions, and the human processes of finance, agriculture, water, transportation, and energy. The challenges facing our planet and our civilization are multidisciplinary and multifaceted, and the mathematical sciences play a central role in the scientific effort to understand and to deal with these challenges.

The mission of the MPE project is to:

Encourage research in identifying and solving fundamental questions about planet earth
Encourage educators at all levels to communicate the issues related to planet earth
Inform the public about the essential role of the mathematical sciences in facing the challenges to our planet

The four themes of MPE2013:

A PLANET TO DISCOVER – oceans; meteorology and climate; mantle processes, natural resources, solar systems
A PLANET SUPPORTING LIFE – ecology, biodiversity, evolution
A PLANET ORGANIZED BY HUMANS – political, economic, social and financial systems; organization of transport and communications networks; management of resources; energy
A PLANET AT RISK – climate change, sustainable development, epidemics; invasive species, natural disasters

Upcoming Events:

Check out the complete, worldwide calendar of events in support of MPE2013, including streaming public lectures on the themes above. More locally, the Department of Mathematics and Statistics will be bringing in faculty for its Undergraduate Colloquium Series to support the MPE2013 mission.