Title: Mathematics and Hope

Speaker: Yuan Yaxiang, Academy of Mathematics and Systems Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Time: Wednesday, March 11, 2026, 14:30

Venue: Yongman Theater, Shahe Campus

Organizer: School of Mathematical Sciences

Registration: Students may register via the Boya platform (https://bykc.buaa.edu.cn).

Abstract:

The International Day of Mathematics 2026 (IDM 2026), themed "Mathematics and Hope," aims to explore how mathematics, as one of the most universal treasures of humanity, can provide rational insight and confidence for the future in a complex world. This lecture will guide the audience through history, starting from the famous words of Thales, to deeply interpret the intrinsic connection between mathematics and hope.

About the Speaker:

Yuan Yaxiang is a researcher at the Academy of Mathematics and Systems Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). He is an academician of the CAS, a fellow of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), a corresponding academician of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, an inaugural fellow of the American Mathematical Society, a fellow of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM), and an honorary member of the London Mathematical Society.

He currently serves as a standing committee member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and as vice president of the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST). He has previously held positions such as president of the Chinese Mathematical Society, president of the Operations Research Society of China, president of the International Council for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (ICIAM), and vice president of the International Federation of Operational Research Societies (IFORS).

His major awards include the Second Prize of the National Natural Science Award of China, the TWAS Prize in Mathematics, the Prize for Scientific and Technological Progress of Ho Leung Ho Lee Foundation, the Shiing Shen Chern Mathematics Award and Hua Loo-Keng Prize of Mathematics from the Chinese Mathematical Society, the Su Buqing Prize of the China Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, and the Outstanding Contribution Award of the SIAM. He has also been honored as one of the "Top Ten Outstanding Young Personsin China."

Editor: Liu Tingting