First Nations University Joins PIMS as an Affiliate member

The Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences (PIMS) is pleased to announce that First Nations University (FNUniv) has joined PIMS as an Affiliated Member. FNUniv is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life and preserving, protecting, and interpreting the history, language, culture, and artistic heritage of First Nations.This partnership with PIMS will enable both organizations to collaborate in support of Indigenous-led initiatives in the mathematical sciences, aligning with the principles of reconciliation (https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/csj-sjc/principles-principes.html).

The process of FNUniv joining PIMS as an Affiliated Member began in the spring of 2023. After fruitful meetings between FNUniv Mathematics Professor, Edward Doolittle; Interim VP Academic, Jesse Archibald-Barber; VP Academic, Shalene Jobin; and Associate Dean of Community, Research, and Graduate Programs, Tara Turner with PIMS Director, Özgür Yilmaz and PIMS Co-Director, Industry Kristine Bauer. PIMS Director, Özgür Yilmaz, and FNUniv President, Jacqueline Ottman, officially formalized the agreement in mid-September leading to the FNUinv’s PIMS Affiliated Membership.

FNUniv has actively participated in various PIMS activities over the previous years. Professor Edward Doolittle, an associate professor of mathematics in Indigenous Knowledge & Science, has been a dedicated member of the PIMS Indigenous Engagement Committee and played a key role as one of the co-organizers of the Indigenizing University Mathematics Conference held at the University of Regina, which PIMS was proud to help support. Jayadev Athreya, PIMS Co-Director International, and member of the PIMS Indigenous Engagement Committee said that “This partnership aligns perfectly with the PIMS goal to respectfully support Indigenous-led initiatives in the mathematical sciences.”

"The partnership with FNUniv is distinctive because the field of mathematical sciences, as an encompassing discipline, has much to gain from Indigenous ways of knowing," noted PIMS Director Özgür Yilmaz. "The depth of knowledge from leading Indigenous Mathematicians aligns with PIMS values, and this partnership will provide FNUniv with support from several of PIMS' strategic programs."

PIMS Affiliated Members have access to increased funding support and the extensive range of education and outreach programs for K-12 students offered by PIMS. FNUniv now joins the University of Northern British Columbia, Athabasca University, and Portland State University as a PIMS Affiliated Institution.

The Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences (PIMS) is a consortium established in 1996 by universities in western Canada and the Pacific Northwest. PIMS' mandate is to promote research in the mathematical sciences and their applications, facilitate the training of highly qualified personnel, foster an equitable, diverse, and inclusive community, raise public awareness of and education in the mathematical sciences, and establish mathematical partnerships with similar organizations in other countries, with a particular focus on the Pacific Rim. PIMS provides funding for Research Networks, Collaborative Research Groups, Post-Doctoral Fellowships, seminars, and other individual events through a competitive process.