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Hyderabad to host International Congress of Mathematicians
In the year 2010, the city of Hyderabad
will host an event of great significance. was not expected; and the greatest French The ‘International Congress of Mathema- mathematician, Poincare, though down At the 1920 ICM in Strasburg, the stat- ticians’ (ICM), which was held for the for a speech, did not come; . . . ’. There very first time in 1897 in Zurich, will be is also one other sentence in this report pation. This state of affairs continued un- sted says ‘. . . The second section con- Union, is an event that occurs every four tained a title from Z. de Galdeano, whose years. Since the first assembly in Zurich, heroic efforts gave Spain a Journal of to all mathematicians, irrespective of except for the period corresponding to Mathematics, now unfortunately dead in the time of the two World Wars, the the decadence of that beautiful, priest- is the first time that the Congress will be hosted in India, and it will be one of the hind the regular future meetings was also few occasions that the Congress has trav- decided and these were to be ‘(1) to pro- maticians of different lands; (2) to give, from any part of the world, irrespective in reports or conferences, an aperçu of will see some exciting moments. The the actual state of the diverse branches of prestigious Fields Medal, the Nevanlinna mathematics, and to treat questions of revive the IMU, which had not been recognized importance; (3) to deliberate ally awarded to mathematicians of repute on the problems and organization of mathematics until then. After this point future congresses; (4) to treat questions the IMU played the lead role in arranging the Fields Medal is the most prestigious of bibliography, of terminology, etc. on future meetings. For the earlier congresses, and has often been called the ‘Mathemat- subjects where an entente international at each event the venue of the next meet- ics Nobel’. First awarded in 1936, this 1900. It was at this assembly that the However, the Congresses starting with carries a cash prize of around US$ German mathematician David Hilbert the one in 1962 in Stockholm have been 15,000. The Fields Medal is awarded to mathematicians who are less than 40 blems in mathematics, now known as ween the host countries and IMU3. years of age. Hilbert’s problems. Hilbert is said to The Fields Medal was instituted and Tracing the history of the Congress have presented his problems with the fol- first awarded at the 1936 ICM to Finnish lowing opening lines ‘Who among us mathematician Lars Ahlfors and Ameri- 1897 Zurich Congress was initiated by would not be happy to lift the veil behind the French and the Germans. This was the which is hidden the future; to gaze at the period in history when Europe was at the caught the attention of the popular press forefront of mathematical research and at the secrets of its development in the was the refusal of Russian mathematician centuries to come? What will be the ends Congress were recorded in French and toward which the spirit of future genera- German, with talks being presented in tions of mathematicians will tend? What been qualitatively significant. The sched- different European languages. As such, methods, what new facts will the new ule of each Congress includes some 200 the proceedings are a glimpse of a world century reveal in the vast and rich field invited talks. To be invited to deliver a of mathematical thought?’2. As it turned talk is considered a matter of great pres- out, the problems Hilbert discussed tige. Since the 1958 Congress, except for were in fact many proposals in Europe at formed a large part of 20th century the one in 1986, there has been at least that time that a new ‘international auxi- liary language’ be devised to be used for blems Hilbert presented to the world, cian living and working in India4. some were solved fairly quickly, some The last Congress in Spain was an were decided to be irresolvable, and eight-day event attended by about 4000 participants from all over the world. This of Science, American mathematician The World Wars threw their shadows gives some idea of the scale and scope of on the mathematical community. After the event. In India, the National Board of the First World War, an International Mathematics, under the aegis of the cess . . .’ and that the ‘. . . the actual pro- Research Council was set up by the Department of Atomic Energy, is respon- gram was particularly rich and countries that had won the war, but those interesting’. He noted that ‘The greatest that had lost the war were not allowed to CURRENT SCIENCE, VOL. 96, NO. 11, 10 JUNE 2009 NEWS represented the country at the Meeting of and 27 August 2010 at the Hyderabad 4. Raghunathan, M. S., 2005 Seminar, 547. Rosalind Ezhil K. (S. Ramaseshan Fel-
low), 122, 3rd Main, Dollars Colony, Halsted, G. B., Science, 1897, 402. up and has been meeting regularly to 2.
oversee the preparations for ICM 2010. 3. Cassels, J. W. S., Not. Am. Math. Soc., 560 094, India. The event will take place between the 19 1998, 46, 1230.

Shanta S. Rao Award
The Thirteenth Memorial Award was con-
ferred upon Prof. A. Jagannadha Rao, of the best target organs of male con- Raja Ramanna Fellow, Department of traception. According to Jagannadha Rao too, blockade of epididymal functions tagonist, in adult male bonnet monkey, ence, Bangalore, at the National Institute of Research in Reproductive Health In his oration lecture, Rao presented tility. ICI treatment in male rats also led (NIRRH) on 21 April 2009. Shanta S. his work on the insights into the role of to decreased fertility. Similarly, follow- Rao was Founder Director of the Institute for Research in Reproduction (NIRRH, dymal function in monkeys and rodents. Indian Council of Medical Research Efforts are also in progress to establish (ICMR), Mumbai). The oration award the role of estrogen in regulation of genes ductive system; a tightly-coiled tube con- mice for 35 days, it produced α-Estrogen Shanta S. Rao began her research career necting the efferent ductules from the Receptor Knockout mice (α ERKO- as a biochemist in 1956 at the Indian Can- rear of each testis to its vas deferens. It is divided into three parts, caput – head, male αERKO mice was observed and this ceptive Testing Unit (CTU). In 1963 this corpus – body and cauda – tail. Sperm was possibly due to the disruption of formed in the testis, the male gonad, estrogen action. enter the caput epididymis, go to the cor- tually under her leadership was expanded pus, and finally reach the cauda region, in February 1970 as the Institute for Re- where they are stored. Sperm entering dymis was examined. For the first time, search in Reproduction (IRR). It was her the caput epididymis are immature and evidence was provided by Rao about the singlehanded effort that led to the esta- forward and fertilize the ova or egg. Dur- and -β, in all the three regions; caput, ing their transit in the epididymis, these undergo maturation to be able to fertilize der Director till her untimely demise in the egg. The function of efferent ductules (ED) is mainly sperm transport and water In later years as human reproduction resorption. gained greater national relevance, the In a study carried out by Rao, when receptors or peptides appears effective as institute mandate was expanded and it immature rats and adult bonnet monkeys the efficacy and reversibility have been was renamed in July 2002 as National were deprived of FSH, degeneration or clearly established. The practical applica-Institute of Research in Reproductive atrophy, especially of the cauda region tion of methods of male contraception Health. time and considering this the option left and that FSH plays a role in regulation of for male contraception for the time being tive till now. Research scientists opt for is the age-old approach of barrier method blockade of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) or FSH receptors; interfering with play an important role in sperm maturation, sperm maturation or interfering with shows that there may be a possibility of interfering with estrogen action at the Parul R. Sheth (S. Ramaseshan Fellow),
epididymal level. The best way to study specific proteins. Several studies on epi- dymis is to use estrogen receptor (ER) e-mail: parulrsheth@gmail.com CURRENT SCIENCE, VOL. 96, NO. 11, 10 JUNE 2009

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