Mathematicians Protest Russia Hosting Major Conference

As Ukrainian researchers have feared for their lives and careers after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, mathematicians have been grappling over what to do about a prominent mathematical conference that was set to be held in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in July. From a report: The International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) is "the largest and most significant conference on pure and applied mathematics as well as one of the world's oldest scientific congresses," according to the Web site of the 2022 conference. The meeting, which is run by the Germany-based International Mathematical Union (IMU), is held only once every four years. When the nine-day 2018 ICM was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, it drew 10,506 attendees. On Saturday conference organizers announced the event would be fully virtual and hosted outside of Russia this year. The executive committee of the meeting released a statement saying, "We strongly condemn the actions by Russia. Our deepest sympathy goes to our Ukrainian colleagues and the Ukrainian people. Given this situation, it is impossible for the IMU to host the ICM and the GA [general assembly] as traditional in-person events in Russia." The Fields Medal -- one of the most prestigious honors in mathematics -- is traditionally awarded at the event. According to the recent decision, this year's prize ceremony and general assembly will be held in person but at an undecided location outside of Russia.

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