The tragic point is that the mathematics of Artificial Intelligence is largely to be invented yet... getting rid of mathematicians to progress on AI is foolish
M
Mark Ronan
5 years ago
Pure mathematics is one of the oldest subjects in higher education, dating back to before 1800 BC. It is fundamental to all applications of mathematics, and should be supported
C
Clement Lee
5 years ago
To think that Pure Mathematics have completely nothing to do with the areas they have listed for future research is very short-sighted.
J
Jason Baxter
5 years ago
This is mind-boggling arrogance. This VC is obviously completely ignorant of how scientific knowledge is created. We as lecturers are hired as experts in our field of knowledge. So why do VCs always think they know better?? This is an astoundingly short-sighted move.
Y
Yoav Rieck
5 years ago
Few things requires more "pure mathematics", and pose greater threat if not understood correctly, than AI, data science, and related areas. The rational behind this decision is very, very wrong. If implemented it will cause lasting damage to the University of Leicester that will be very hard to undo.
A
Anonymous
5 years ago
I can't imagine the University of Leicester without the Department of (pure) Mathematics.
K
Kenny De Commer
5 years ago
Knowing personally of the fundamental contributions to mathematics of the people at Leicester, I strongly urge the management to reconsider their planned actions. Pure mathematics is not and will never be redundant.
K
Kazunori Matsuda
5 years ago
I sincerely hope that the future of the Department of Mathematics in the University of Leicester will be bright.
Z
Zoe O'Connor
5 years ago
My pure maths PhD was helping to research improved cryptographic methods, which underpin online banking, online shopping, etc. Current cryptographic methods are vulnerable to increased computing power with quantum computing. Without pure maths research to push the field of cryptography, secure online financial transactions will not be possible in the near future.
A big part of my decision to leave academia was the scarcity of pure maths positions available in the UK, which would have meant a decade or more of moving around the country every couple of years, probably even the world, before being able to settle somewhere.
With fewer pure maths jobs available in the UK, more and more PhD graduates like myself will leave academia for local jobs in industry. Others will move abroad for work and settle there, resulting in a "brain drain" in the UK.
P
Peter Cotton
5 years ago
Dear accountants who try to run universities. If you cancel maths because you think "data science" is more important, you'll send a message to industry that you haven't understood either field (I use the world "field" loosely in the case of "data science"). I fail to see how this will help your students find jobs, even if that is the intent.
P
Paul Großkopf
5 years ago
As a fellow mathematician I support this petition! Mathematical research is not just an expensive game of numbers, but the foundation of any further developement in science! No maths = no science!
S
Sharon Strawbridge
5 years ago
Destruction of of academia by those who aren't true academics, this will be a huge loss to UK (and World) Mathematics and so short sighted, if it goes ahead ignorance has won!
T
Tom Holden
5 years ago
I attended pure maths lectures at Leicester University while doing my A levels. These gave me the head start I needed to get in to Oxford, and then pursue a research career.
C
Colin Christopher
5 years ago
This seems very short-sighted. The "pure" end of mathematics is just as essential to the scientific endeavour as the "applied" end. Neither can or should operate without an appreciation of the other in an academic environment.
A
Anonymous
5 years ago
This a scandalous and profoundely short-sighted attack on maths and stride for cazualization of research work.
D
Dr John Murray
5 years ago
To quote Godfrey Hardy (2012): “Pure mathematics is on the whole distinctly more useful than applied”.
In other words, often the usefulness of a mathematical theory is due to its abstractness and generality.
A
Anonymous
5 years ago
Madness and short sighted.
M
Michael Puschnigg
5 years ago
Pure mathematics and research is not redundant it is essential for the future sciences.
G
Geraldo Silva
5 years ago
To build and maintain a strong research group in computational modelling digitalison and data science requires to have a team with excellence in fundamental mathematics woking side by side.
J
Jon Pitchford
5 years ago
If the rumours of a threat to pure mathematics at Leicester are true, then this is a weak and short-sighted proposal. It will rapidly damage their teaching, and will also seriously undermine their research capability in the medium- to long-term. It should be reconsidered.
The tragic point is that the mathematics of Artificial Intelligence is largely to be invented yet... getting rid of mathematicians to progress on AI is foolish
Pure mathematics is one of the oldest subjects in higher education, dating back to before 1800 BC. It is fundamental to all applications of mathematics, and should be supported
To think that Pure Mathematics have completely nothing to do with the areas they have listed for future research is very short-sighted.
This is mind-boggling arrogance. This VC is obviously completely ignorant of how scientific knowledge is created. We as lecturers are hired as experts in our field of knowledge. So why do VCs always think they know better?? This is an astoundingly short-sighted move.
Few things requires more "pure mathematics", and pose greater threat if not understood correctly, than AI, data science, and related areas. The rational behind this decision is very, very wrong. If implemented it will cause lasting damage to the University of Leicester that will be very hard to undo.
I can't imagine the University of Leicester without the Department of (pure) Mathematics.
Knowing personally of the fundamental contributions to mathematics of the people at Leicester, I strongly urge the management to reconsider their planned actions. Pure mathematics is not and will never be redundant.
I sincerely hope that the future of the Department of Mathematics in the University of Leicester will be bright.
My pure maths PhD was helping to research improved cryptographic methods, which underpin online banking, online shopping, etc. Current cryptographic methods are vulnerable to increased computing power with quantum computing. Without pure maths research to push the field of cryptography, secure online financial transactions will not be possible in the near future. A big part of my decision to leave academia was the scarcity of pure maths positions available in the UK, which would have meant a decade or more of moving around the country every couple of years, probably even the world, before being able to settle somewhere. With fewer pure maths jobs available in the UK, more and more PhD graduates like myself will leave academia for local jobs in industry. Others will move abroad for work and settle there, resulting in a "brain drain" in the UK.
Dear accountants who try to run universities. If you cancel maths because you think "data science" is more important, you'll send a message to industry that you haven't understood either field (I use the world "field" loosely in the case of "data science"). I fail to see how this will help your students find jobs, even if that is the intent.
As a fellow mathematician I support this petition! Mathematical research is not just an expensive game of numbers, but the foundation of any further developement in science! No maths = no science!
Destruction of of academia by those who aren't true academics, this will be a huge loss to UK (and World) Mathematics and so short sighted, if it goes ahead ignorance has won!
I attended pure maths lectures at Leicester University while doing my A levels. These gave me the head start I needed to get in to Oxford, and then pursue a research career.
This seems very short-sighted. The "pure" end of mathematics is just as essential to the scientific endeavour as the "applied" end. Neither can or should operate without an appreciation of the other in an academic environment.
This a scandalous and profoundely short-sighted attack on maths and stride for cazualization of research work.
To quote Godfrey Hardy (2012): “Pure mathematics is on the whole distinctly more useful than applied”. In other words, often the usefulness of a mathematical theory is due to its abstractness and generality.
Madness and short sighted.
Pure mathematics and research is not redundant it is essential for the future sciences.
To build and maintain a strong research group in computational modelling digitalison and data science requires to have a team with excellence in fundamental mathematics woking side by side.
If the rumours of a threat to pure mathematics at Leicester are true, then this is a weak and short-sighted proposal. It will rapidly damage their teaching, and will also seriously undermine their research capability in the medium- to long-term. It should be reconsidered.