Scottish Mathematical Sciences Training Centre -- Follow-on funding for a Taught Course Centre for UK PhD students in the Mathematical Sciences

自2007年秋季SMSTC全面投入运营以来，它已经为数学科学一年级的博士生提供了一系列高质量的课程。这些课程的主要目的是拓宽学生的数学视角，最终目标是使他们的经验与竞争国家提供的经验保持一致，并使获得英国数学科学博士学位的人在学术就业市场上更具竞争力。SMSTC提供了八个核心素材流，每个流通过专用视频会议(VC)进行现场直播，每节课由20个两小时的讲座(两个学期)教授。学生们可以在每堂课前一周从SMSTC维基网站www.smstc.ac.uk下载和阅读全面的打印笔记。还有由学生家庭部门提供的当地辅导支持，还有两个简短的住宿座谈会，学生们有机会在那里认识彼此和教学团队。开始攻读博士学位的学生通常需要选修三门课程，在博士课程的前六个月里，他们需要花费大约75%的时间来研究课程材料。这意味着学生也可以从博士学习开始就开始与导师合作。SMSTC还提供支持研究的关键领域的通用技能培训，如使用书目数据库、撰写报告和演讲。SMSTC是苏格兰七所大学(阿伯丁大学、邓迪大学、爱丁堡大学、格拉斯哥大学、赫里奥特-瓦特大学、圣安德鲁斯大学和斯特拉斯克莱德大学，以及斯特林大学的准成员)数学系的合作项目(联合体)，因此依靠这些系的学术人员积极参与其管理和业务职能。SMSTC的管理由一名主任和副主任以及一个学术指导和管理小组(ASMG)负责，该小组由每个参与部门的代表组成，其组成是为了能够对所涉及的数学科学领域进行广泛的学术概述。它还包括外部代表，以便提供独立的观点和咨询意见。这不仅对质量保证很重要，还有助于在英国各地传播良好的做法。我们提供的每个核心流程都是由来自各大学的学者团队提供的，并由一名流程负责人领导。预计将在2011/12年度任职的Stream领导人也被任命为该项目的联合调查员。他们都是各自领域的杰出研究人员，都是有能力的组织者，他们证明了自己的能力，激励他们的团队成员积极为流水线内连贯的教学计划做出贡献。他们监督每个流程的运作，协调教学团队，确保进行适当的评估，并为ASMG准备一份简短的流程报告。SMSTC的日常管理由国际数学科学中心(ICMS)负责，该中心是爱丁堡大学和赫里奥特-瓦特大学的联合研究所，成立于1990年。从那时起，ICMS已经组织了200多次会议，并在英国和国际上因定期组织高质量的科学活动而享有盛誉。

Since the autumn of 2007 when the SMSTC became fully operational, it has offered a broad range of high-quality courses designed for first year PhD students in the mathematical sciences. The primary aim of these courses has been to broaden students' mathematical perspective with the ultimate goal of bringing their experience into line with that offered in competitor countries and of making the recipient of a UK PhD in the mathematical sciences more competitive in the academic employment market. The SMSTC provides eight core streams of material, each taught in 20 two-hour lectures (over two semesters) delivered "live" by dedicated video-conferencing (VC). Comprehensive printed notes are made available for students to download and read about a week before each lecture from www.smstc.ac.uk, the SMSTC wiki-based website. There is also local tutorial support provided by a student's home department, and there are two short residential symposia at which students have the opportunity to meet each other and the teaching teams. Beginning PhD students have normally been expected to take three streams, and to spend about 75% of their time studying the course material during the first six months of their PhD programme. This means that students are also able to begin working with their supervisor from the start of their PhD studies. The SMSTC also provides generic skills training in key areas which support research, such as using bibliographic databases, report writing and giving talks. SMSTC is a cooperative venture (consortium) of mathematical sciences departments at seven Scottish universities, (Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Heriot-Watt, St Andrews and Strathclyde, together with Stirling as an associate member) and as such draws on the active participation of academic staff from these departments in both its management and operational functions. The management of the SMSTC is undertaken by a Director and Deputy Director together with an Academic Steering and Management Group (ASMG) which contains representatives of each participating department and is constituted so as to be able to give a broad academic overview of the areas of mathematical sciences involved. It also contains external representatives in order to provide an independent perspective and advice. As well as being important for quality assurance, this aids in the dissemination of good practice throughout the UK. Each core stream that we offer is delivered by a team of academics drawn from across the universities and is headed up by a Stream Leader. The Stream Leaders projected to be in post for 2011/12 are also named as co-Investigators on the project. They are all eminent researchers in their respective fields and are capable organisers who have proved their abilities in inspiring their team members to actively contribute to a coherent programme of instruction within the stream. They oversee the operation of each stream and coordinate the teaching team, ensure that appropriate assessment takes place and prepare a brief stream report for the ASMG. Day-to-day administration for SMSTC is undertaken by the International Centre for Mathematical Sciences (ICMS) which is a joint institute of Edinburgh and Heriot-Watt universities established in 1990. Since then ICMS has organised over 200 meetings and has an established reputation in the UK and internationally for organising regular high-quality scientific events.