INDUSTRY

CSIRO welcomes the recommendations of a review of the state of the mathematical sciences in Australia which was released yesterday by a committee of the Australian Academy of Science. "The mathematical sciences are delivering great benefits to our society and economy," says Dr Murray Cameron, Chief of CSIRO Mathematical and Information Sciences. "But these benefits and our work at CSIRO are limited by the declining numbers of quality mathematics graduates in Australia. "We fully agree with the conclusions of the Review and support its call for steps to ensure more qualified maths teachers and to increase the number of students studying higher levels of mathematics." Dr Cameron concurs with the Review's conclusion that for Australia to be a high tech player on the world stage, its recommendations must be acted on. CSIRO's submission to the Review stressed the value delivered by the mathematical sciences in multidisciplinary scientific research and the need for a high quality mathematics education system to develop people for exciting maths-based careers. "CSIRO supports higher education in mathematics through scholarships for undergraduates to carry out short research projects and for PhD students," says Dr Cameron. "We also provide post-doc positions to support early career mathematicians and statisticians." CSIRO is an integral part of the Australian maths community. It is an employer, trainer, collaborator, intellectual property generator and research provider with a long history of doing mathematical research for and with industry. The mathematical sciences at CSIRO are delivering great benefits to Australia through multidisciplinary collaborations, from finding early detection methods for disease outbreaks to optimising use of multibillion dollar coal export facilities. Dr Cameron said that, while many of the Review findings and recommendations are about government and universities, CSIRO and Australia as a whole will benefit if the recommendations are implemented. The National Strategic Review of Mathematical Sciences Research in Australia is available from its Web site