Dr Rajshree Dhar
Sir James H. Jeans, a famous astronomer and mathematician says, “If there is God, He must be a pure mathematician.”
Today we have discovered a powerful and elegant way to understand the universe. The methods involved are indissolubly bound up with Mathematics and Sciences. Mathematics is a delight because it initially enabled us to count different articles and various entities. It took mankind ages to understand zero and more than 1 &1/2 thousand years to measure infinitesimally small quantities. Stupendous collective labour of mankind has enabled us to acquire mastery in conquering space and produce goods and materials which makes life a delightful & of meaningful significance. The knowledge of Mathematics, Science, the use of all advanced mathematical theories, and an enormous amount of basic mathematics is required to know about the future of Universe.
Several prizes are awarded periodically for outstanding mathematical contribution & achievement. The most prestigious mathematical awards are known as the Field’s Medal, the Abel Prize, Rolf Nevanlinna prize and many other awards.
Mathematics is used in our everyday lives; from figuring out the amount needed to buy our lunch to calculating the bank’s interest. If we are well versed in the language of numbers, it can help us take important decisions and perform everyday tasks exactly. Mathematics can help us shop wisely, go for the right investments, and understand every problem quickly. Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777-1855) referred to mathematics as “the Queen of the Sciences.” Benjamin Peirce (1809-1880) called mathematics “the science that draws necessary conclusions.” David Hilbert said about mathematics, “We are not speaking here of arbitrariness in any sense. Mathematics is used throughout the world as an essential tool in many fields, including natural science, engineering, medicine, and the social sciences.
In view of the fast advancement in research activities and knowledge explosion in Science, Technology and Cosmos, the study of Mathematics has attained paramount significance. Further every aspect of nature reveals a deep mystery to be found by a brilliant scientific civilization. For that we need best minds for the systematic study and rigorous training of Mathematics and related sciences, and its applications.
The revolution and rapid knowledge explosion in information and communication technology is another major factor which needs mathematical concepts. In future we have to introduce mathematical structures in education curriculum and teach students to analyze big data. Data scientists will be a big source of employment in near future. National security agencies in US are large employer of mathematicians. Mathematics is required for cryptography involved in network security i.e. national security, credit card security etc. Financial services working with stocks and shares, foreign exchanges etc. need a large number of math specialists. Companies like Google, IBM, Face book, WhatsApp, and Microsoft hire mathematicians and computer scientists. ISRO, DRDO all employ mathematicians and what not.
Mathematics teaches patience, discipline, and step-by-step problem-solving skills. For those with a substantial and sound background in mathematics i.e. for mathematics major, unlimited number of career opportunities is available. There are many observable trends in mathematics, the most notable being that it is growing fast, computers have become all-pervading and powerful, the application of mathematics to bioinformatics is rapidly expanding, and the volume of data to be analyzed being produced by science and industry, facilitated by computers, is exponentially expanding. Training in mathematics can open vast opportunities in engineering, finance, business, technology, research etc.
Mathematical training channelize mathematics talent by exposing bright young students to rigorous mathematics, creating numerous opportunities for students and motivating them to choose their careers in Mathematics, propelling students towards research careers, influencing Mathematics teachers and above all, nurturing talented young mathematics students. It also promotes independent thinking, improves teaching methodology for Mathematics, and induces excitement in solving problems of Mathematics.
The J & K state needs to produce adequate number of good mathematicians to be spread over the whole world as the quality of teaching mathematics has declined significantly. How can we afford to ignore Mathematics? There should be regular and enough mathematical resources for funding and establishing academic institutions to train and teach the students and scholars of Mathematics. This can be achieved by inviting good mathematicians or NRI’s from the world in this state to deliver and train enough students and scholars of adequate quality. There should be fellowships for bright students, a greater number of mathematical books and journals. Inter- disciplinary approach can also be embraced in spreading mathematics in this state. International and national level conferences, seminars and workshops in Mathematics should be organized frequently, sponsor the participation of bright students in international meets.
It comes only when the combination of motivation and the number of the interesting people exceeds. This is what one hopes to occur in J & K, especially in the face of challenges posed by the research and other important sectors.
(The author is Nodal Officer, J & K Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Jammu.)
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