Istanbul Center for Mathematical Sciences

The Istanbul Center for Mathematical Sciences (IMBM) is an independent center for mathematics situated in the South Campus of Boğaziçi University, Istanbul, in close proximity to the Mathematics Department. The center was initiated by several major universities in Istanbul and was formally inaugurated in 2006. The center aims to host and encourage the mathematical research and the interaction of researchers.

Sideviews of the Center. Façade facing Bosphorus.

Background

IMBM is currently the only center for mathematics in Turkey. The first idea was brought by Betül Tanbay in 2003, then the chairwoman of the Mathematics Department of Boğaziçi University to its rector Sabih Tansal who immediately allocated a site. The center was opened in 2006 by the rectors of three leading universities in Istanbul, Boğaziçi University (state), Koç University (private) and Sabancı University (private). At that time, the three rectors were all mathematicians (Ayşe Soysal, Atilla Aşkar and Tosun Terzioğlu respectively) which made the contract easier. The universities ensured to give academic and from time to time small amounts of financial support (an account of the history can be found in EMS Newsletter[1]).

IMBM is administrated by a management committee, a scientific steering committee, and an international scientific advisory board.[2] The scientific advisory board consists of the following mathematicians: David Mumford (Brown and Harvard Universities), Victor Kac (MIT), Selman Akbulut (Michigan State University), Gilles Pisier (Paris 6 and Texas A&M ), Edriss Titi (Weizmann Institute and University of California Irvine).

David Mumford accepted to participate in the Scientific Advisory Board during his visit to Turkey back in 2003. He has reported his personal observations in Notices of the AMS.[3]

The opening seminar of IMBM was delivered by Dan Goldston, János Pintz and Cem Yalçın Yıldırım in 2006. Since then, the center hosted many activities with distinguished participants.

Resources of IMBM come from endowment income, personal and institutional grants and collaboration agreements and gifts.

Buildings

There are two buildings of the center. Both have an excellent view of the Bosphorus strait. The buildings had been in very bad condition and were brought to life by the initiative of Betül Tanbay (Boğaziçi University Mathematics Department), the first codirector of IMBM. The first floor of the main building consists of three offices with a modest library and computers. A 40-person seminar room is on the second floor.

There are four bedrooms of the center, accommodating up to six people. Two bedrooms are located in the last floor of the main building. The other two are located in a self-contained one-storey house next to the main building, which has, besides, a kitchen and a living room.

References
  1. "EMS Newsletter September 2010, page 49" (PDF).
  2. "IMBM Governance Page".
  3. "David Mumford's observations in Notices of the AMS, Volume 52 Number 5" (PDF).
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