Real Sociedad Matemática Española

Real Sociedad Matemática Española
Name	Real Sociedad Matemática Española
Native name	Real Sociedad Matemática Española
Formation	1911
Type	Learned society
Headquarters	Madrid
Region served	Spain
Language	Spanish
Leader title	President

Real Sociedad Matemática Española is a Spanish learned society devoted to the promotion of mathematics across Spain and in international forums. It links mathematicians from academic institutions such as Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Universidad de Barcelona, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Universidad de Sevilla, and Universidad de Zaragoza with professional bodies like Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Instituto de Matemáticas (IMU), and national academies. The society engages with events such as the International Congress of Mathematicians, European Congress of Mathematics, Fields Medal discussions, and collaborations involving Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, American Mathematical Society, and European Mathematical Society.

History

Founded in the early 20th century, the society emerged amid intellectual movements involving figures associated with Universidad de Salamanca, Universidad de Oviedo, Universidad de Granada, Instituto Nacional de Estadística (Spain), and scientific societies like Real Academia de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Its formative period intersected with contemporaneous institutions including Consejo de Investigaciones Científicas and personalities who contributed to Spanish mathematics alongside international contemporaries from École Normale Supérieure, Göttingen University, University of Cambridge, and École Polytechnique. The society navigated political and academic upheavals linked to events such as the Spanish Civil War, the Spanish transition to democracy, and Spain’s integration into European Union research frameworks, while engaging with visiting scholars from Princeton University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Paris, University of Chicago, and ETH Zurich.

Organization and Governance

Governance structures parallel those of learned societies like Royal Society (United Kingdom), Académie des sciences, and National Academy of Sciences (United States). The society’s executive bodies interact with institutions such as Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (Spain), regional governments of Comunidad de Madrid, Catalonia, Andalusia, and legal frameworks exemplified by Spanish public law entities. Its leadership has included academics holding chairs at Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Universidad de Valencia, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, and directors who liaise with bodies like European Research Council and funding agencies such as Agencia Estatal de Investigación. Committees coordinate with networks including Red Española de Matemáticas, Instituto de Ciencias Matemáticas (ICMAT), and international panels associated with Newton Institute.

Membership and Chapters

Members come from academic centers including Universidad de Granada, Universidad de La Laguna, Universidad de Cantabria, Universidad de Murcia, Universidad de Valladolid, and research institutes like Basque Center for Applied Mathematics, Barcelona Graduate School of Mathematics, and Institute of Mathematical Sciences (Spain). The society supports regional chapters in provinces such as Alicante, Biscay, Cantabria, Málaga, and Toledo, and student and emeritus sections linked to associations like Asociación de Jóvenes Matemáticos de España and alumni networks from Colegio de España (Paris). Membership categories mirror those in American Mathematical Society, with distinctions for fellows, corresponding members, and honorary members drawn from universities such as Universidad de Alcalá.

Activities and Programs

Programs include national congresses, regional meetings, and pedagogical initiatives connecting with organizations such as Sociedad Española de Investigación Operativa, Asociación Matemática Española, and educational bodies like Ministerio de Educación y Formación Profesional (Spain). The society organizes competitions and training activities related to International Mathematical Olympiad, national olympiads coordinated with Real Federación Española de Fútbol-style federations in organizational terms, summer schools partnered with Mathematical Research Institute of Oberwolfach, CIRM, and workshops involving researchers from Max Planck Institute for Mathematics, CERN, and CNRS. Outreach programs target schools through collaborations with Instituto Nacional de Tecnologías Educativas y de Formación del Profesorado and museums such as Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales.

Publications

The society publishes journals, proceedings, and educational materials comparable to titles like Journal of the American Mathematical Society, Annals of Mathematics, Acta Mathematica, and series coordinated with publishers such as Springer, Elsevier, and Cambridge University Press. Periodicals and newsletters are distributed to members at institutions including Universidad de Navarra and Universidad de Deusto, and the society curates monographs, conference proceedings, and problem collections used in curricula at Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros and teacher training programs involving Universidad Internacional de La Rioja. Editorial collaborations have occurred with presses linked to Real Academia Española and academic societies across Latin America.

Awards and Recognitions

The society grants prizes and honors analogous to awards like the Abel Prize, Clay Research Award, and national recognitions such as those from Real Academia de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Recipient selection often involves scholars affiliated with Instituto de Matemáticas de Barcelona, Instituto de Matemáticas de Sevilla, Instituto de Matemáticas (University of Cantabria), and international nominees from Universität Heidelberg, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Stanford University, and Imperial College London.

International Collaboration and Outreach

International partnerships include ties with International Mathematical Union, European Mathematical Society, American Mathematical Society, Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, International Centre for Theoretical Physics, and regional entities such as Iberoamerican Congresses. Exchange programs engage universities like University of Buenos Aires, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, University of São Paulo, and research centers including Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques, Perimeter Institute, and Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics. Public outreach aligns with festivals and science weeks modeled on European Researchers' Night and collaborative exhibitions with institutions such as Fundación Juan March and Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía.

Category:Mathematical societies