Purpose
The purpose of CARMA is to promote rich and ethical mathematical culture and practices.
History
CARMA has been an independent entity since the start of 2022. Prior to this it was a Priority Research Centre within the University of Newcastle in Australia, founded by the late Professor Jon Borwein.
Jon started CARMA in 2009 with the objective of becoming a world-leading institution in: using computers as an adjunct to mathematical discovery; researching and developing computer-based decision-support systems; and promoting use of appropriate tools in academia, education and industry.
CARMA, like every centre that Jon started, had, on one level, a directive to use scientific method (technology and approaches) to explore mathematics, to foster collaboration, to extend and bastion experimentation, and innovation. CARMA's predecessors started by Jon in Canada include CECM and D-Drive, and he was also involved in IRMACS, started by his brother Peter. For further details and more, see the Founding Director's webpages at https://672804.gnxc.asia/resources/jon/.
CARMA has always and continues to draw its membership from a broad and diverse base, which not only includes academic members in the mathematical sciences, based at universities in Australia, Canada and beyond, but also the broader mathematical sciences and education community.
Vision
We continue with this vision of transforming mathematical practice and philosophies. The vision has grown out of using emerging computational and communication tools. CARMA’s unique strengths across fundamental and applied mathematics are key to building new practices in the mathematical sciences, underpinned by computational paradigms and capable of solving important problems.
Goals
- Bring together in synergistic ways the computational and mathematical expertise of our members to advance pure and applied mathematical sciences. Areas of important application include big‐picture problems such as climate, economics, food security, justice, communication and education.
- Become a national, and internationally connected, hub of world‐class training of mathematical scientists, with a focus on powerful tools and techniques applicable in applied and pure areas, underpinned by computation, rigorous understanding, effective communication and reproducible results.
- Retain and extend our international CARMA research profile for innovation and excellence in the mathematical sciences.
- Promote a justice and inclusion agenda in the mathematical sciences, and reflection upon mathematical practice and its impact upon people.
- Give back to the communities with which we are connected through outreach and education events.