Organizing a Summer Program at the IMA

The primary mission of the IMA is to foster research of a truly interdisciplinary nature, establishing links between mathematics of the highest caliber and important scientific and technological problems from other disciplines and industry. Towards this end, the IMA runs, in addition to its major annual thematic program, one or two summer programs each year. Summer programs typically run two or three weeks and involve between 60 and 120 participants, including those invited by the organizers and those who apply to attend. Summer programs are usually built around one topical area, and frequently involve a few workshops dedicated to subtopics. There is a lot of flexibility as to format.

The IMA looks to organizers for the development of summer programs. The IMA works hard to minimize the bureaucratic load on organizers, handling all the invitations, financial arrangements, record-keeping, etc.

Organizers. A summer program is developed by a committee of three or four organizers who work with the IMA. One of the organizers should be designated as chair. A summer program begins with a preliminary proposal of a few pages sent to the IMA at least two years in advance of the proposed program start date. In conjunction with the IMA directors, it is developed for presentation to the Board of Governors during their fall meeting a year and half in advance of the program. For more information see the program solicitation web page. Once the program is approved by the Board the key tasks are:

• Provide a description and scientific justification for the program. This will be the basis of the public web page for the year.
  
  
• Fix the format, number and themes of workshops, etc.
  
  
• Create a list of participants to invite, indicating who should receive a speaking invitation, etc.
  
  
• Provide a brief non-technical report at the end of the year about what was accomplished.
  
  
• Organizers are expected to be in residence during the program.
  
  
• Throughout the process of invitations, acceptances, final schedule, etc., be responsive to email queries from the IMA.
  
  
• Decide whether an IMA volume is an appropriate outcome of the program. IMA volumes are published by Springer when they offer something of wide interest not readily available: for example, well written tutorial or survey material in a new or rapidly developing area. If so, one or more organizers should be designated as editors of the volume.

Responsibilities of the IMA. The IMA provides the key funding and logistical support for the workshop. This includes:

• Assisting the organizers by keeping track of the schedule, organizing teleconferences, maintaining web documents, logging correspondence, etc.
  
  
• Issuing invitations to speakers and paid participants. * Assisting visitors with housing, travel, visas, and other concerns. * Maintaining a database of invitations, acceptances, and declines, and making it available to the organizers.
  
  
• Collecting titles and abstracts from speakers.
  
  
• Creating registration packets, issuing computer accounts, assigning office space, providing secretarial assistance, etc., to participants and visitors.
  
  
• Directing production of IMA volumes.
  
  
• Maintaining the webspace related to the annual program before, during, and after the program.
  
  
• Organizing social events, such as workshop dinners.
  
  
• Publicizing the year in various periodicals, through posters and flyers, etc.
  
  

Workshop documents. Most written information about a program is kept on the web. There are two main webspaces, both maintained by and at the IMA. First, a planning document is kept under password protection for use by the IMA and the organizers. It begins with the proposal for the program, and is extended as more information, such as participant lists, become available. Second, an official webspace for the year is maintained for public access, starting as soon as the program is approved by the Board of Governors. It develops as the year develops and is kept as a permanent record. Speakers are asked to contribute materials from their talks to this web space.

Names in planning documents. Whenever listing names of potential participants in planning documents, starting with the preliminary proposal, please give full name and affiliation, including department. Secretaries will eventually have to surf the web to get email addresses from these names, and incomplete information can result in the wrong person getting invited!

  Program Organizing at the IMA