12th Conference of the International Linear Algebra Society, June 26-29 2005, University of Regina
12th Conference of the International Linear Algebra Society, June 26-29 2005, University of Regina
Local Organizers: Shaun Fallat, Doug Farenick, Chun-Hua Guo, Steve Kirkland.
For more detailed information feel free to visit the conference website at http://www.math.uregina.ca/~ilas2005/
The scientific program for the conference was set by an international committee that was chaired by Steve Kirkland (Regina) and included:
Rajendra Bhatia, Indian Statistical Institute, New Delhi
Robert Guralnick, University of Southern California, Los Angeles
Daniel Hershkowitz, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa
Volker Mehrmann, Technische Universitat, Berlin
Bit-Shun Tam, Tamkang University, Taiwan
Pauline van den Driessche, University of Victoria, Victoria
Henry Wolkowicz, University of Waterloo, Waterloo
The plenary lectures touched upon the subjects of matrix theory, geometry, algebraic methods, combinatorics and graph theory, numerical methods, operator theory, the teaching of linear algebra, and applications ranging from genomic signal processing to optimisation. At the Conference banquet Chandler Davis (Toronto) spoke on the development of linear algebra as a field of independent interest, as seen from the perspective of his own career and experience.
The conference featured 20 invited speakers who presented eight one hour and twelve half hour lectures. Four special lectures were among the invited talks: (i) the Hans Schneider Prize Lecture (sponsored by ILAS in recognition of outstanding achievement in linear algebra research) by Richard Varga (Kent); (ii) the LAA Lecture (sponsored by the journal Linear Algebra and its Applications) by Orly Alter (Texas); (iii) the LAMA Lecture (sponsored by the journal Linear and Multilinear Algebra) by Chi-Kwong Li (William & Mary); and (iv) the ILAS Education Lecture (sponsored by ILAS in recognition of important contributions to the teaching of linear algebra) by Anna Sierpinksa (Concordia). In addition, there were seventy contributed papers and four minisymposia, consisting of twenty-eight presentations on a range of fundamental issues in Linear Algebra. The Elsevier journal Linear Algebra and its Applications will publish a special issue devoted to papers presented at the conference. The Editors of this volume are Rajendra Bhatia (India), Robert Guralnick (USA), Steve Kirkland (Canada), and Henry Wolkowicz (Canada).
The ILAS Conference attracted 150 participants from all parts of the world. There was a high rate of participation from graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. With partial support from ILAS and the Canadian Mathematical Society, a Graduate Student Social was held at a downtown restaurant and it attracted 27 graduate students. In addition, there was an ILAS sponsored lunch on the first day if the meeting which recognized the student and postdoctoral fellow participants by introducing them and encouraging to socialize with all of the participants.
In addition to the support of the Fields Institute, financial assistance was provided by the University of Regina, PIMS, the CMS Student Committee, Elsevier, Taylor & Francis, Atlas Conferences, and ILAS. The local organizers were assisted in a variety of technical aspects by the Fields Institute and by University of Regina staff and students.