OPTIMA Mathematical Optimization Society Newsletter 85

March 30, 2011. The Mathematical Optimization Society is alive and active, and the best proof of this statement is the number of innovations that have taken place within the Society since I wrote my last column in Optima. Let me review these innovations briefly. The first innovation, especially from the researcher point of view, is the new internet support which has been introduced for our main scientific journal, Mathematical Programming (Series A). This change (described in another column in this issue of Optima) aims at providing better service to the optimization research community, and, I am certain, will be beneficial for this community. The second important event I wish to bring to your attention is the creation of “Named Lectureships” at the Mathematical Programming International Symposium. These lectureships are intended to honour prominent researchers in optimization and related fields by selecting a scientist to give a special lecture during the Symposium (and possibly attributing a cash prize associated with the lectureship). Fittingly, the first such named lectureship, which has been accepted by the Council of the Society, is the “Paul Y. Tseng Memorial Lectureship in Continuous Optimization”. It will be presented for the first time at the Twenty First International Symposium of Mathematical Programming (ISMP) in 2012, and triennally at each ISMP thereafter. This lectureship was established on the initiative of family and friends of Professor Tseng, with financial contributions to the associated endowment also coming from universities and companies in the Asia Pacific region. The purposes of the lectureship are to commemorate the outstanding contributions of Professor Tseng in continuous optimization and to promote the research and applications of continuous optimization in the Asia Pacific region. The Council of the Society has not excluded that other named lectureships could be established in the future, and has modified the bylaws of the Society (available on the MOS website) to establish suitable rules and conditions. Needless to say, I am extremely pleased and proud of this new valuable development, and I am truly looking forward to the first Paul Tseng Lecture in Berlin. A third potentially important decision has been taken by the MOS Council regarding the collection of the Society’s membership fees. It is a very unfortunate fact that so far the MOS membership falls significantly once the memberships granted during the International Symposium expire. As it turns out, many members forget to renew their membership and this puts the whole Society in a difficult situation, because this happens in the period during which the next Symposium is being organized. During this period a healthy membership is needed to give the organizers a stronger negotiating position with local facilitators, such as hotels or universities. The council has therefore decided to propose financially attractive multi-year membership packages during the registration process of the Symposium. The first such offer will be made available at the registration for the Berlin 2012 Symposium. This last topic provides the necessary transition for my (admittedly repeated) urgent call to all: Please consider being a MOS member, or to renew your membership for 2011 if you have not yet done so. Please suggest MOS membership to your colleagues and students. We need a strong society to represent our research community and help the organizers of the fantastic forthcoming Berlin Symposium.