The Iranian Mathematical Society

Founded in 1971


The Iranian Mathematical Society was founded in 1971.

The first institute of higher learning in Iran was Dar ul-Funun, a polytechnic school in Tehran. This was one of the institutions that became part of Iran's first university, the University of Tehran, established in 1934. Before this there had been no real need for a national mathematical society and even after this date, with almost all mathematicians being in Tehran, there was still no need for a society. The University of Tabriz was founded in 1947, becoming the second Iranian university. The Faculty of Mathematical Sciences started in 1950 with 47 students. In 1949 the University of Mashhad was founded, the third Iranian university, but only from 1961 was there a Faculty of Science. In the 1960s several other Iranian universities were founded, beginning with the National University of Iran in Tehran in 1960 and Pahlavi University in Shiraz in 1962 (now called the University of Shiraz). This expansion of universities led to mathematics professors located in different Iranian cities and the need for a Society that would help them to cooperate and collaborate became clearer.

In 1970, the 1st National Mathematics Conference was held in University of Shiraz. The need to establish an Iranian Mathematical Society was put forward and strongly supported by all the participants. At the 2nd National Mathematics Conference, the Founding Body of the new Society approved the proposed constitution of the Iranian Mathematical Society and, at that conference, the members of the Executive Council were elected. The Iranian Mathematical Society was officially registered in 1971.

The founders of the Society were:

Mahmood Agh-Oula, Morteza Anvaari, Mohammad Reza Akhlaghi, Ali Afzalipoor, Mehdi Behzad, Naser Behbood, Mohammad Gholi Javanshir Khoei, Naser Jadidi, Hadi Kharaghani, Gholamreza Danesh Narooei, Vahhab Davarpanah, Heidar Rajavi, Alinaghi Zand, Mohammad Taghi Sadr, Mehdi Zarghami, Masoud Farzan, Mehri Kamboozia, Mohammad Goodarzi, Kazem Lellahi, Alinaghi Vahdati, Mir Mozaffar Masoumi, Farhad Maveddat, Ahmad Mirbagheri, Darioosh Naser, Manoochehr Vessal, Abdollah Hadian, Javad Hamedanizadeh.

The Society has supported the annual National Mathematics Conference since it was founded [3]:-
The significance of these activities is that for the last 44 years, Iranian society has undergone major social changes. Universities were closed for 3 years, and the country suffered from an 8-year war. The period of post-war reconstruction caused severe financial restrictions and resource shortages for the universities. However, the National Mathematics Conference never ceased to convene and this is quite significant! The number of participants and papers presented at tese conferences grew significantly. This growth prompted the Iranian Mathematical Society to hold specialised meetings for different interest groups within the mathematical community at large.
The first Iranian Mathematics Education Conference was held in Esfahan in the summer of 1996. University Mathematics Student Seminars began to be held annually from 1998, the first being held in Ahvaz and the second in Sharif. Since 1999 the Society had been running monthly seminars to disseminate new ideas. The Society has been involved with the annual University Student Mathematics Contests since the first which was held in 1973. The Society organises, on an annual or biannual basis, the following events: an Algebra Seminar; a Seminar on Differential Equations and Dynamical Systems; a Numerical Analysis Seminar; a Linear Algebra Seminar; a Seminar on Harmonic Analysis and its Applications; a Group Theory Conference; a Seminar on Geometry and Topology; and an Applied Mathematics Conference.

In 1973 the Society began publication of the Bulletin of the Iranian Mathematical Society. The journal publishes papers in English and Persian. The editors write:-
It provides a platform for presenting high-level mathematical research in most areas of mathematics conceivable by its editorial body and of interest to a considerable number of readers worldwide. Occasionally, it also publishes invited survey articles on currently interesting topics from distinguished mathematicians. It publishes six issues per year.
In 1979 the Society began publication of a quarterly newsletter in Persian. In 1982 they began the twice yearly publication of Farhang va Andishe-ye Riazi (The Culture and Thoughts of Mathematics), also in Persian. It is:-
... devoted to expository articles regarding various issues of mathematics including history and teaching as well as different branches of applied and pure mathematics.
The Society also awards a number of prizes. These are (i) for the best paper presented at the Linear Algebra Seminar, (ii) for the best management in Mathematics, (iii) for the best research paper presented by a school teacher at the annual Iranian Mathematics Education Conference, (iv) for the best edited mathematics text, (v) for the best research paper presented at the annual National Mathematics Conference, (vi) for the best research paper presented at the annual Mathematical Analysis Seminar, (vii) for the best mathematics book written in Persian, (viii) for the best paper on the History of Mathematics, (ix) for the best paper presented by an undergraduate student at the annual University Student Seminar, (x) for the best paper presented at the Financial Mathematics Seminar.

Visit the society website.

References (show)

  1. The Iranian Mathematical Society. http://en.ims.ir/
  2. A Rejali, Twenty years of the Iranian Mathematical Society (Farsi), Peyke Riazi 4 (1) (1989), 1-17.
  3. Report on the state of mathematics in Iran (2007-2013). http://www.mathunion.org/fileadmin/IMU/Publications/CircularLetters/2014/IMU_AO_CL_7_2014_PB06-14_IranReport.pdf

Last Updated February 2018