American Institute of Mathematics Research Conference Center: A Model for Collaboration

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The American Institute of Mathematics (AIM) advances the frontiers of mathematical knowledge by fostering collaborations among diverse groups of researchers. AIM hosts short, mathematically focused programs that complement the semester- and year-long programs of other NSF institutes. AIM’s long-term commitment to an inclusive and broad view of the mathematical sciences, combined with versatile tools and mechanisms to support collaboration, position it as a national resource with the institutional expertise to support fundamental advances both in research and in the development of human resource capital. AIM’s primary scientific programs are week-long focused workshops and small research groups called Structured Quartet Research Ensembles (SQuaREs). Approximately 750 mathematicians per year visit AIM for either a workshop or a SQuaRE. Since 2002, AIM has hosted more than 300 week-long focused workshops in all areas of the mathematical sciences. With few talks and significant time for research in groups, workshops are designed to promote collaboration. The SQuaREs program, introduced in 2007, supports collaborations of 4 to 6 researchers who meet multiple times for week-long intervals in order to make progress on an ambitious research agenda. AIM has hosted over 400 SQuaRE meetings since the program began. To further support the goals of the scientific programs, AIM has developed a set of web-based tools that enhance collaboration before and after participants’ time at AIM, and contribute to disseminating progress to a larger community of interest. During the project period, AIM will host approximately 4,000 mathematical scientists in 96 workshops and 262 SQuaREs that will advance knowledge in a broad spectrum of mathematical areas. It is anticipated that these programs will continue their established record of productivity, which over the past decade has resulted in an average of 2.7 publications from each workshop and 3.9 from each SQuaRE. Broader scientific outcomes of AIM’s programs include supporting emerging fields and paving the way for new connections between fields of mathematics and new applications of the mathematical sciences to other areas. AIM’s programs are intentionally inclusive of a diverse group of researchers, with the long-term goal of broadening the community of those who participate in research. Participant diversity is an important consideration at every stage of program selection and planning, and extensive effort is dedicated to creating a culture of full inclusion for all participants in each program’s research activities. Throughout its history, AIM has also supported a variety of Special Projects, including Research Experiences for Undergraduate Faculty (REUF), a program for undergraduate faculty who want to mentor undergraduate students in research; and the Math Teachers’ Circle (MTC) Network, a national outreach program connecting K-12 mathematics teachers with research mathematicians. These projects contribute to the broader impacts of AIM’s work as an institute, provide opportunities to form partnerships both within and beyond the mathematics community, and raise public awareness about the mathematical sciences. Finally, research collaboration tools disseminate the results of AIM programs and also have significant potential to contribute to the infrastructure supporting scientific collaboration more generally.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.