The Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences (PIMS) is pleased to announce that the University of Lethbridge, Alberta has joined the PIMS consortium as a full member.

The site has been a PIMS affiliate for many years and has had significant participation in PIMS activities.

Dr. Chris Nichol, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Science at the University of Lethbridge, will represent the University on the PIMS Board of Directors. Dr. Amir Akbary has been appointed as interim PIMS site director and will begin on July 1, 2012.

With the incorporation of the University of Lethbridge, the PIMS consortium now has nine full members, including all the major research universities in Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Washington State.

In particular, the University of Lethbridge joins the Universities of Alberta and Calgary, in further strengthening PIMS' partnerships in Alberta, where a significant number of PIMS activities take place.

"We are delighted that Lethbridge has become a full member of the PIMS consortium, as they have valuable strengths in a number of areas in the mathematical sciences - number theory is a good example. Through our collaborative research groups, summer schools, postdoctoral opportunities, broadcast seminars and educational activities, Lethbridge faculty and students will be important contributors to PIMS activities," said PIMS Director, Alejandro Adem.

Background

The Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences (PIMS) was founded in 1996 by a consortium of five universities in Alberta and British Columbia (the University of Alberta, the University of Calgary, the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University and the University of Victoria). Later they were joined by the University of Washington in the United States and more recently by the University of Regina and the University of Saskatchewan and finally the University of Lethbridge.

The mandate of PIMS is to:

- promote research in and applications of the mathematical sciences of the highest international caliber

- facilitate the training of highly-qualified personnel at the graduate and postdoctoral level

- enrich public awareness of mathematics through outreach

- enhance the mathematical training of teachers and students in K-12

- create mathematical partnerships with similar organizations in other countries, with a particular focus on Latin America and the Pacific Rim.