(Historia Mathematica 17 (1990), pp. 1-3)

From the ICHM
New Year's Greetings to the Readers of Historia Mathematica

January 1, 1990

Joseph W. Dauben

Among the highlights of the past year was the XVIIIth International Congress of History of Science, held in Hamburg and Munich from August 1 to 9, during which the first Kenneth O. May Prize was awarded for outstanding contributions to the history of mathematics. The first May Prize, jointly sponsored by the Commission and the Institute for History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Toronto, was awarded to A. P. Youschkevich and to Dirk J. Struik, both of whom were present in Hamburg to receive their awards. Also recognized for their important contributions to the work of the International Commission were Christoph J. Scriba, for 12 years of service to the Commission and 4 as Treasurer; and Helena Pycior, for the term she has just completed as Managing Editor of Historia Mathematica.

Prior to the XVIIIth International Congress, the Commission was pleased to cosponsor with the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, the Ministère de la Recherche et de la Technologie, and the Délégation aux Célébrations Nationales an International Symposium, "Cauchy et le monde mathématique français. This conference was held in Paris (July 27-29, 1989) and served as a pre-Congress meeting prior to the International Congress of History of Science. During the Congress, the Commission organized four special symposia and cosponsored a fifth; "Historiography and the History of Science" (organized by Sergei Demidov and Menso Folkerts); "Mathematics and the State" (organized by Herbert Mehrtens and Walter Purkert); "Mathematics and the French Revolution" (organized by Jean Dhombres and Ivor Grattan-Guinness); "A Commemorative Session on Charles Sanders Peirce" (organized by Joseph W. Dauben); the symposium on "History, Theory and Practice of Perspective and Modes of Representation" was cosponsored along with the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, the Centre A. Koyré, the Ecole d'Architecture Paris-Villemin and the Institute de Recherche sur l'Enseignement des Mathématiques de Caen and de Lille (organized by Kirsti Andersen, Rudolf Bkouche, Jean-Pierre le Goff, Jeanne Peiffer, and Rocco Sinisgalli).

During the Congress, thanks to the generous cooperation of Academic Press, the Commission hosted a cocktail party and buffet supper for all members of the Commission and invited guests who have generously supported the Commission in its many activities, especially in refereeing and editing material for the editors of Historia Mathematica. Among those honored on this special evening were the first of the recipients of the May Prize, Dirk J. Struik and A.P. Yushkevich, along with members of the Editorial Board and ICHM Executive Committee who have completed many years of service on behalf of the Commission. Among these, special thanks were given to Kurt-R. Biermann (member of the ICHM Executive Committee), Pierre Dugac (ICHM Secretary), Judy Grabiner (Historia Mathematica Book Review Editor), Albert Lewis (HM Abstracts Editor), Helena Pycior (Managing Editor of Historia Mathematica), and Christoph J. Scriba (ICHM Treasurer).

During an open meeting of all members of the Commission attending the Conference (held on Thursday, August 3, 1989), the following list of officers and members (ex-officio) of the Executive Committee was approved, all to serve 4-year terms beginning January 1, 1990:

Chairman: Joseph W. Dauben (New York)
Vice-Chairman: Sergei Demidov (Moscow)
Secretary: Kirsti Andersen (Aarhus)
Treasurer: Menso Folkerts (Munich)
Members: Umberto Bottazzini (Milan), Ubiratan d'Ambrosio (Brazil), Ivor Grattan-Guinness (London), Lam Lay-Yong