At a time when the UK government is providing extra £300M of funding for research in Mathematics, this plan appears absurd and shortsighted. Leicester has a strong reputation for research in Category Theory, Algebraic Topology.
M
Michael Oevermann
5 years ago
Mathematics is the foundation of all engineering and natural sciences. I would never send my kids to a university to study engineering or natural sciences if there is not a strong mathematics program.
P
Philippe Malot
5 years ago
Seriously? Your university wouldn't be the same without its excellent maths department.
N
Nora Ganter
5 years ago
The most interesting developments in contemporary Al require a solid foundation in algebraic geometry and singularity theory. It would appear that the decision makers in this instance have not done their homework and are set to separate from exactly the people they need to achieve their stated mission.
P
Peter Rowlett
5 years ago
The application of mathematics is clearly important, but acts in symbiosis with the pure parts of the discipline. Cutting pure mathematics in favour of application in the name of excellence is seriously misguided.
M
Michael Batanin
5 years ago
This plan is a recipe to make your University a second rate University in just a few years. There are too many examples of such a disastrous policy. No applied science can flourish without an interaction with fundamental science. Not to speak about drop of students education level. Stop it immediately.
R
Roy Wang
5 years ago
Uninformed managers making short-sighted decisions, just because the letters A and I are hot right now. Nothing new, but always disappointing to see.
M
Martijn Caspers
5 years ago
I very strongly support this position. Mathematics and pure mathematics plays an eminent role in modern sciences and a central discipline from which many sciences benefit. The idea to essentially fire a number people and at the same time hire people at a different place seems to be a very improper idea. In fact, usually also the researchers at the AI (or other) department(s) also underline this and would surely support pure math. I think universities should defend the role of (pure) mathematics - and so should Leicester - certainly compared to other branches of sciences that may flow easier.
F
Franco Obersnel
5 years ago
Those who fall in love with the practice without scientia are like pilots who enter in ships without rudder or compass, which never have certainty where they are going. Always practice must be built upon good theory (Leonardo da Vinci).
B
Ben Adams
5 years ago
A maths department without the fundamental core of 'pure' maths will be hollow and vulnerable to collapse.
F
Fei Peng
5 years ago
For what I genuinely love and who I genuinely respect
B
Barry Hughes
5 years ago
This is a short-sighted move that should be vigorously opposed. A vibrant mathematical sciences department requires a diversity of skills across the field and a nontrivial presence of active scholars in both pure and applied mathematics is an important part of this. (I know this from long experience in applied mathematics.) Perhaps I should not be surprised by the University of Leicester's moves against pure mathematics, given that medieval and early modern English literature is also doomed to local extinction in Leicester.
A
Anonymous
5 years ago
Probably because the uni board all failed Maths in school.
A
Arindama Singh
5 years ago
Of course an institution can decide what it thinks best for itself. But in the greater interest of humanity, for which an academic institution stands, Pure mathematics should be continued without second thought.
A
Amber Bohanna
5 years ago
To the pure mathematicians working at the University of Leicester:
Mathematicians across the world stand in solidarity with you. A university without a school of mathematics is a mere technical college, and a school of mathematics with no pure mathematicians is one lacking the ability to see past it's nose.
It is an incredibly idiotic move to divest from pure mathematics, particularly for the reasons given. AI and ML research requires new ideas to move past the current regime of "deeper networks better outcomes". And in order to compete with universities that have bigger budgets for computation, you desperately need new ideas.
Besides, in terms of resources pure mathematics is the most efficient enterprise at any university - we produce a massive volume of papers and consume the minimum amount of resources. All we need is a pen, paper, and a wastebin. Perhaps some coffee.
B
Bill Butske
5 years ago
I love the idea that "pure" maths wouldn't be useful to in AI, computational modelling... Perhaps some working knowledge of Turing?
K
Khursheed Ansari
5 years ago
Dear VC
Please don't cease research in pure Mathematics, this is a back bone for the applied Mathematics research and actuarial science as well. If once it will be ceaed, then this gap and damage will take long time to cope up. Hope you understand.
B
Bikramjit Das
5 years ago
It sounds dystopian! I sincerely hope the administration has a change of heart.
Y
Yoshihiro Ohnita
5 years ago
Pure Mathematics is God for humans.
V
Vladimir Guletskii
5 years ago
AI and AGI need PM. Stay united against this incompetence.
At a time when the UK government is providing extra £300M of funding for research in Mathematics, this plan appears absurd and shortsighted. Leicester has a strong reputation for research in Category Theory, Algebraic Topology.
Mathematics is the foundation of all engineering and natural sciences. I would never send my kids to a university to study engineering or natural sciences if there is not a strong mathematics program.
Seriously? Your university wouldn't be the same without its excellent maths department.
The most interesting developments in contemporary Al require a solid foundation in algebraic geometry and singularity theory. It would appear that the decision makers in this instance have not done their homework and are set to separate from exactly the people they need to achieve their stated mission.
The application of mathematics is clearly important, but acts in symbiosis with the pure parts of the discipline. Cutting pure mathematics in favour of application in the name of excellence is seriously misguided.
This plan is a recipe to make your University a second rate University in just a few years. There are too many examples of such a disastrous policy. No applied science can flourish without an interaction with fundamental science. Not to speak about drop of students education level. Stop it immediately.
Uninformed managers making short-sighted decisions, just because the letters A and I are hot right now. Nothing new, but always disappointing to see.
I very strongly support this position. Mathematics and pure mathematics plays an eminent role in modern sciences and a central discipline from which many sciences benefit. The idea to essentially fire a number people and at the same time hire people at a different place seems to be a very improper idea. In fact, usually also the researchers at the AI (or other) department(s) also underline this and would surely support pure math. I think universities should defend the role of (pure) mathematics - and so should Leicester - certainly compared to other branches of sciences that may flow easier.
Those who fall in love with the practice without scientia are like pilots who enter in ships without rudder or compass, which never have certainty where they are going. Always practice must be built upon good theory (Leonardo da Vinci).
A maths department without the fundamental core of 'pure' maths will be hollow and vulnerable to collapse.
For what I genuinely love and who I genuinely respect
This is a short-sighted move that should be vigorously opposed. A vibrant mathematical sciences department requires a diversity of skills across the field and a nontrivial presence of active scholars in both pure and applied mathematics is an important part of this. (I know this from long experience in applied mathematics.) Perhaps I should not be surprised by the University of Leicester's moves against pure mathematics, given that medieval and early modern English literature is also doomed to local extinction in Leicester.
Probably because the uni board all failed Maths in school.
Of course an institution can decide what it thinks best for itself. But in the greater interest of humanity, for which an academic institution stands, Pure mathematics should be continued without second thought.
To the pure mathematicians working at the University of Leicester: Mathematicians across the world stand in solidarity with you. A university without a school of mathematics is a mere technical college, and a school of mathematics with no pure mathematicians is one lacking the ability to see past it's nose. It is an incredibly idiotic move to divest from pure mathematics, particularly for the reasons given. AI and ML research requires new ideas to move past the current regime of "deeper networks better outcomes". And in order to compete with universities that have bigger budgets for computation, you desperately need new ideas. Besides, in terms of resources pure mathematics is the most efficient enterprise at any university - we produce a massive volume of papers and consume the minimum amount of resources. All we need is a pen, paper, and a wastebin. Perhaps some coffee.
I love the idea that "pure" maths wouldn't be useful to in AI, computational modelling... Perhaps some working knowledge of Turing?
Dear VC Please don't cease research in pure Mathematics, this is a back bone for the applied Mathematics research and actuarial science as well. If once it will be ceaed, then this gap and damage will take long time to cope up. Hope you understand.
It sounds dystopian! I sincerely hope the administration has a change of heart.
Pure Mathematics is God for humans.
AI and AGI need PM. Stay united against this incompetence.