International Conference on Sequences and Codes

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This project supports participation by early career mathematicians from US universities in an International Conference on Sequences and Codes. It is organized by Nigel Boston (Wisconsin), Robert Calderbank (Princeton) and Jonathan Jedwab (Simon Fraser University), and will take place July 17-21, 2006 in Vancouver, Canada. More information is available on the web at http://www.pims.math.ca/science/2006/06seqcodesThis conference will contribute to the development of a core of mathematical scientists armed with powerful computational and analytical tools who are excited about applying mathematics in an interdisciplinary context. One example of applications impact is the value of algebraic and combinatorial structures such as Clifford algebras to cross layer design of multiple antenna wireless communication systems. The value of engaging the mathematical sciences community is to realize the promise of multiple antenna systems without exceeding the signal processing complexity of single antenna systems. Another example comes from the emerging area of multiple antenna radar, where thedesign of the waveform and the subsequent processing of the return determine the ability of the radar to discriminate targets from clutter, to discriminate closely spaced targets, and to detect small targets in complex scenes. All these are critical operational issues.The conference will increase the pool of early career mathematicians who appreciate the power of mathematics and the important role that it plays in engineering disciplines. It will promote interdisciplinary exploration and breadth, and help early career mathematicians flourish in the different cultures associated with the different academic disciplines. This ability to bridge different worlds is a quality that is increasingly important to success in both academic and non-academic careers.The emphasis is on the synergy between theory and application, since information theory and coding are subjects that advance by discovering new applications. The conference will feature recent examples where this synergy is present, specifically space-time codes for wireless communication and Clifford algebras, quantum information theory and quantum error correcting codes, radar and sequence design. The evolving applications context helps to define new areas of theory and provides measures for what is considered interesting. The development of a fundamental theory grounded in specific examples often illuminates the right abstraction, one that becomes a new primitive as theory and practice evolve together. When this synergy is not present there is always a risk that the theory will become detached from its original applications context and lose relevance.