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UFS hosts 64th Annual Congress of South African Mathematical Society

30 November 2021 | Story Leonie Bolleurs | Photo Supplied

JHM Photo_web read more — Prof Johan Meyer, Senior Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics, says he is looking forward to learning from others in the field during this collaboration.

What do trees, black holes, earthquakes, and time structures have in common?

The answer to this question is that these, in one way or the other, form the focus of some of the abstracts delivered during the Annual Congress of the South African Mathematical Society. The society has as its main objective the advancement of mathematics in South Africa.

The Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics at the University of the Free State (UFS), in conjunction with the South African Mathematical Society (SAMS 2021), is hosting the 64th Annual Congress of the society this week (29 November to 1 December 2021).

Prof Johan Meyer, Senior Professor in the department, says the congress, which is being conducted online, is focusing on all aspects of mathematics research, including history and teaching.

Learning from others in the field

The congress, which aims to share the latest research results in mathematics, will be attended by staff and students from universities across South Africa as well as abroad. “Anyone from the public is, of course, welcome to attend or even share their results if they are also involved in mathematics research,” adds Prof Meyer.

He says that he is looking forward to learning from others in the field during this collaboration.

The congress will include discussions on more than 120 abstracts, covering category theory, algebra, topology, logic; functional analysis and operator theory; finite groups and combinatorial structures; graph theory and combinatorics; lie symmetries and nonlinear differential equations; and applied and numerical mathematics.

Array of interesting topics presented

“It is important in many areas of science and engineering to predict and to simulate rare, random events, the occurrence of which may have negative or even catastrophic consequences. Examples include internet server overflows, mechanical breakdowns, floods, and financial crashes. Rare events can also have a positive effect, triggering for example chemical reactions or driving genetic evolution via random mutations.” Prof Hugo Touchette from Stellenbosch University will be shedding some light on this interesting topic in his presentation on Predicting and simulating rare events.

Prof Jeandrew Brink, Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics at the UFS, is presenting a plenary session on the topic Determining the geometry of strong field space-times in spite of tacitly assuming the answer during every measurement. In South Africa, state-of-the art pulsar timing data from the MeerKAT telescope will make a considerable contribution to conducting GR orbital tests. Prof Brink comments on how pulsar timing tests differ from tests using gravitational wave detectors, as well as what we can learn from the framework already employed to perform pulsar timing measurements.

News Archive

Three OSM students selected for the 2013 World Youth Symphony Orchestra

2013-01-25

Carmi Nel	Elsabe Raath
Maja van Dyk

25 January 2013

Three students from the University of the Free State’s Odeion School of Music (OSM) have proved their mettle. Carmi Viljoen (violin), Elsabé Raath (viola) and Maja van Dyk (viola), have been accepted into the prestigious World Youth Orchestra – an orchestra known worldwide for its quality and the prix de corps itadvances between nations.

Musica Europa, an Italian cultural association, founded the World Youth Orchestra (WYO) in its present guise in 2001. It has close ties with UNICEF and its mission is to combine music with social activities from cultures all over to world in order to enrich the cultural life of all.

Rigorous auditions are held which require applicants to upload video recordings onto a website (Vimeo). An international board of adjudicators subsequently listens to these recordings and select the best.The three OSM students were good enough to make the grade.

These three musicians are also members of the Free State Symphony Orchestra, as well as the MIAGI orchestra that toured Europe successfully last year. They are also outstanding chamber musicians. Carmi and Elsabé, as members of the Junior Odeion String Quartet, have shown that they are on par with international standards and have toured The Netherlands. In 2012, Maja van Dyk had been selected to perform as soloist with the National Youth String Orchestra under the baton of Swedish conductor and violinist, Fredrik Burstedt.

They first heard of the possibility of playing for the WYO through Anmari van der Westhuizen, lecturer at the OSM. Margarite Spies from the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra (KZNPO) had contacted her in search of worthy candidates. A scant three weeks later, they received the good news of their inclusion.

The orchestra, with representatives from five continents, will be touring South Africa this year and no less than nine South Africans have been included. The tour kicks off in Durban, followed by performances in East London, Plettenberg Bay, George, Knysna, Stellenbosch, with a grand finale in the Cape Town City Hall.

Works that will be performed include ‘’Romeo and Juliet’’ by Prokofiev, the irrepressible “Carnival Overture” by Dvorák, Barber’s ‘’Adagio for Strings’’ and part of Mahler’s majestic Fifth Symphony, all under the baton of the dynamic Josep Vicent.

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