What is the PIMS Young Researchers Conference?
Welcome to the official website for the 11th annual Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences Young Researchers Conference (PIMS YRC) in Mathematics and Statistics! The University of British Columbia is proud to host the conference for the second time.
This conference is a unique and important opportunity for graduate students in mathematics and statistics to meet their peers and discover the wide range of research currently undertaken in Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest. Participants will have opportunities to build and strengthen personal and professional relationships, develop and improve communication skills, and gain valuable experience in the environment of a scientific conference. Motivated by the results of the 2013 PIMS YRC, we have decided to place a great deal of emphasis on improving the presentation skills of the attendees and providing information on non-academic jobs. We endeavour to assist our participants in learning how to give engaging and informative talks, which are accessible and well-suited to the audience in question.
The PIMS YRC 2014 will feature:
- An overview of current mathematical research at PIMS universities,
- An opportunity to give a talk in a professional and friendly context,
- A chance for graduate students to start building their scientific network,
- Prizes offered by Maple and the Institute of Applied Mathematics,
- An introduction to Python and reproducible research facilitated by Bernhard Konrad,
- A workshop on the improvement of presentation skills facilitated by Fok-Shuen Leung,
- A panel discussions on gender and diversity in mathematics featuring:
Priscilla (Cindy) E. Greenwood, Izabella Laba and Malabika Pramanik, - Talks by mathematicians working in the industry such as Matthew Folz,
- Talks by leading experts in their fields such as:
Elchanan Mossel, Dale Rolfsen, Steve Thompson and Brian Wetton. - Most importantly, talks by young researchers like you!
Graduate students of all backgrounds (pure mathematics, applied mathematics and statistics), locations and at every level of their studies are invited to participate in this meeting. Whether you are beginning your Masters degree or finished your PhD thesis, join us for this celebration of Mathematics and Statistics!
History
The first PIMS YRC was held in 2004 at the University of Alberta. It was designed as an opportunity for students at the University of Alberta and the University of Calgary to present their research to colleagues. Today, it has been running annually for over a decade and has evolved into a nationally recognized conference that attracts top-quality presenters to Western Canada.
Throughout its existence, the conference has broadened its focus. Our most recent addition is the inclusion of skill building workshops on teaching, using computational software, and finding employment in industry and academia.