Mathematical Sciences Foundation
Activities
Over two decades MSF has run programmes, workshops, conferences and outreach work to bring mathematics closer to language, art, technology and everyday life, for students, teachers and educators across the country.
Featured Workshops
English Language & Self-Awareness
Think Critically. Speak Confidently. Communicate Brilliantly.
A workshop designed to bridge the gap between mathematical thinking and articulate expression. Participants developed critical reasoning, confidence in communication, and greater self-awareness through structured language exercises grounded in analytical thinking.
Art Integrated Maths
What are two things we see around us every day and perhaps don't even notice? Math and art.
This workshop explored the deep and often overlooked connections between mathematics and visual art. Participants discovered how geometry, symmetry, proportion, and pattern underpin the creative world, making abstract concepts tangible and beautiful.
Maths Class with GeoGebra
Introduce joyful learning into your math classroom.
A hands-on workshop for educators and students to explore GeoGebra as a dynamic tool for teaching and learning mathematics. The sessions focused on making geometry, algebra, and calculus visually intuitive and engaging for learners at all levels.
Undergraduate Level Programmes
The Foundation offered part-time courses in applications of mathematics: Mathematical Finance, Corporate Finance, and Mathematical Simulation with Information Technology. Our Excel in Business Finance course was taught to about 2,000 students at various business school campuses.
Nurture Programme
For College Students
The Foundation conducted special programmes throughout the academic year as well as in vacation periods to nurture mathematical talent at college level.
Special reading seminars in diverse areas like Graph Theory, Game Theory, Group Actions, Topological Groups, Econometrics, Optimization, Encryption, Image Recognition, Spectral Theory for Compact Operators, Applications in Linear Algebra, and Stellar Systems have been held. Students of this programme have done original research.
Work & Learn Programme
Summer Internship
A summer programme in which undergraduate and graduate students serve an internship with MSF. The internship combined study and work, with students learning computer and mathematical skills and employing them on diverse projects ranging from image processing to education technology.
In 2009 this was expanded into Inviting All Young Minds (IAYM), a month-long summer internship featuring 70 high school and college students from all over India. IAYM 2009 was hosted at Delhi Public School, R.K. Puram, New Delhi, from June 1 to 27, 2009. It was partly sponsored by the National Council for Science and Technology Communication.
IAYM 2010 was conducted at The Air Force School, Subroto Park, New Delhi from June 1 to 29, 2010 and featured 50 high school and college students from all corners of the country. IAYM 2010 was supported by the Department of Science and Technology, NIIT, and Mr Narayana Murthy (founder, Infosys).
Innovative Use of Bamboo
One-Year Project · 2010
In this one-year project funded by the National Mission for Bamboo Application, MSF explored the use of bamboo in creating low-cost educational aids and labour-saving devices.
In June 2010, 8 student interns worked full time on this project, together with MSF faculty and designers and craftsmen from Rhizome, Ahmedabad. The project led to several innovative teaching aids that demonstrate mathematical and physical principles, a device that uses footfalls to generate electricity, and a design for a bamboo-based bus shelter.
From A Life of Mathematics
2001 to 2009 · Nine Seminars
Under this programme, the Mathematical Sciences Foundation has invited leading mathematicians of the world to Delhi to reside, lecture and interact with students and faculty. Visitors lecture on their own work, the personal experiences that have shaped their lives, and on aspects of the history of mathematics related to their work. The lectures are meant to be accessible to undergraduates, and over the years they have received a tremendous response from both students and faculty.
One very important feature of this programme is the informal, and very often unscheduled, interaction between the undergraduates and the senior practicing mathematician. These interactions take place in lecture rooms and offices, over breakfasts, lunches and dinners, on walks in the city. In fact, anywhere and anytime. This has provided a very 'human face' to academics and has motivated many students.
Invited Speakers
- Sir Michael Atiyah (Fields Medal, Abel Prize, Past President of the Royal Society)
- M S Narasimhan (FRS)
- Henry Helson (Professor Emeritus, Berkeley)
- Marie-Francoise Roy (Past President, French Mathematical Society)
- Kenneth Ross (Past President, Mathematical Association of America)
- Lars Inge Hedberg (Past President, Swedish Mathematical Society)
- Jean-Paul Pier (Past President, Luxembourg Mathematical Society)
- I. Grattan-Guinness (University of Middlesex)
- Deborah Hughes-Hallett (Harvard University)
- Volker Peckhaus (University of Erlangen)
- Garrett J Etgen (Former Chairman, Department of Mathematics, University of Houston)
- Martin Golubitsky (President, SIAM)
- William Fitzgibbon (Dean, College of Technology, Houston)
- Wenlin Li (Past President, Chinese Society for History of Mathematics)
- Vitali Milman (Past President, Israeli Mathematical Union)
- Nachum Dershowitz (University of Tel Aviv)
- Peter Fillmore (Past President, Canadian Mathematical Society)
Postgraduate Level Programmes
Masters Programmes
Mathematics · Physics · Computer Science
The Foundation has offered and hopes to revive courses at the Masters level in Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science. These courses have trained the participants to pursue careers in pure mathematics as well as in applicable mathematics.
Graduates of these courses are admitted to the graduate programmes of the University of Houston with full credit, financial aid, and a tuition waiver. 45 students have gone to Houston under this programme, and many have now entered successful careers in both academia and the corporate world.
Talks, Seminars & Visits
By Eminent Scientists, Mathematicians & Corporate Leaders
Several talks have been arranged in the past years and eminent personalities have visited the Foundation. These talks and visits have been of great help to students as well as the faculty.
Conferences & Workshops
International Research Conference: Mathematics in the Twentieth Century
Jointly with The French Mathematical Society · January 2006
In commemoration of the birth centenary of André Weil, the famous French mathematician who, as a young professor in his early twenties, had come from Paris to India to teach at Aligarh University in 1930. The Mathematical Sciences Foundation organised this international conference from January 2 to 5, 2006 at New Delhi. It was inaugurated by Prof. Deepak Pental, Vice Chancellor, Delhi University.
Co-sponsored by the Embassy of France in collaboration with the French Mathematical Society. Distinguished mathematicians from France, Canada, China, USA, Australia, Luxembourg, Italy, Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai and Delhi shared their thoughts on a common platform, and made impressive presentations on the theme of Mathematics in the Twentieth Century, interspersed with remembrances of André Weil. Indian professors, mathematics research scholars and students had the opportunity of meeting and interacting with top mathematicians of the world during the breaks for lunch and tea. The conference was very well attended, and attracted the attention of the media.
Research Level Conferences
Our faculty members have, in the past, attended and presented papers at numerous conferences. Recently our faculty attended and delivered talks in Bangalore, IIT Kanpur, Varanasi and King's College London.
Teachers Refresher Courses
Our faculty has lectured in UGC conducted Refresher Courses for college and university teachers. We have also conducted a Refresher Course in Mathematics.
Real-Life Applications of Mathematics
Students associated with the Foundation are exposed to real-life applications of mathematics through the courses above as well as by placements as interns at various corporate houses during their vacation periods.
Sahayog: Schools Programme
School Student Workshops
The Foundation firmly believes that to improve mathematical education in the country, special attention has to be given to school mathematics. The Foundation has conducted workshops for school students at various schools in Delhi and elsewhere. Students of schools that cater to the underprivileged sections of society were admitted free to these workshops.
School Teacher Training
To improve school mathematics, it is obvious that school teachers have to be provided support and training. We have been conducting workshops for teachers for several years, not only in Delhi but at places all over the country and also abroad. We have conducted workshops for school teachers in the coal-mine areas of Bihar, as well as for school and college teachers at St. Stephen's College.
Mathematics Help Line
Free · 2004 onwards
The Foundation launched a free mathematics help line for students appearing for their board exams (Classes X and XII) in February 2004. It received an enormous response not only from India (Delhi, Guwahati, Kota, Cochin, Jammu, Mumbai, Varanasi, Haridwar, Panipat, Ajmer, Ghaziabad, Noida, Chandigarh, Palwal, Bahadurgarh, Jabalpur, Gurgaon, Faridabad, Bhiwari) but also from abroad (U.A.E). Students contacted us by telephone, fax and email. Over 1,300 calls and emails came in from students, anxious parents and teachers. Advice was also given on how to tackle anxiety and cope with examinations.
In March 2005, alongside the telephonic helpline, the Foundation conducted a free mathematics helpline on television with the support of Doordarshan and NDTV, which again received an overwhelming response.
MSFChallenge 2006
An initiative to encourage school students to use computers for mathematical problem solving. MSFChallenge 2006 was the inaugural contest in what we planned to make an international feature with attractive academic prizes. The contest had 80 competing teams and was made possible by the support of NIIT. Winners were given books and telescopes, and first-place teams were taken on an all-expenses-paid trip to meet active scientists and mathematicians at ISRO and IISc, Bangalore.
School Curriculum Development
Supported by NASSCOM
With the support of NASSCOM, MSF is engaged in a fifteen-year project to redefine the mathematics curriculum at the school level and develop e-lessons and testing methodologies. Several innovative mathematics tools for school children of classes VI to X have already been created.
Interaction with the Corporate World
To further mathematics education, it is very important to inform students about its fundamental importance to society. The Foundation interacts closely with the corporate world: corporate houses take an active interest in the design and teaching of our courses, and our students are placed as interns at corporate houses to gain hands-on experience.
Charitable Work & Outreach
A significant portion of the teaching and training effort of the Foundation is carried out with no fees being charged. We grant scholarships, fee waivers and interest-free loans to students from economically deprived backgrounds, and make special efforts to reach out to students from backgrounds, locations or communities where education is at a premium.
MSF bore over half the costs of Inviting All Young Minds 2009, including student stipends, travel allowance, board and lodging for outstation students, books and prizes. The total amounted to Rs 6.7 lakhs.
Deserving students of our graduate programme (with the University of Houston) are granted combinations of tuition waivers, scholarships and interest-free loans. This can extend to about Rs 3 lakhs for a single student, covering expenses while studying in Delhi and initial travel and stay in the US.
Free workshops for under-privileged students of Islamic Middle School (a minority institution in the walled city) ran for 6 months in the 2009-10 session. A mathematics and general-awareness contest followed, and prizes worth Rs 15,000 were distributed by MSF.
MSF organised and financed a 6-month paid internship for 18 undergraduate students in the 2009-10 session to work on projects applying mathematics to real-world problems.
MSF has organised free online graduate courses taught by Prof Jeff Morgan (Chair, Dept. of Mathematics, University of Houston). Past courses included Numerical Differential Equations and Numerical Linear Algebra, with Applicable Analysis starting September 2010.
MSF faculty have conducted free mathematics workshops for street children in Delhi and Mumbai, and have travelled to remote areas in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh for student and teacher training.
MSF regularly organises competitions and distributes books and other prizes. Recent examples include Lady Shri Ram College and Banaras Hindu University.
Student Voices
Our efforts have received glowing tributes from students across programmes, workshops and contests over the years.
“I enjoyed in every sense! Hands on activities and projects brought a new dimension to the level of understanding the beauty of mathematics.”
IAYM 2010
“One month was overwhelming. Here, every individual is given equal opportunity and is made to think out of the box.”
IAYM 2010
“The most memorable month of my life.”
IAYM 2009
“I was there just for a year and I have learned so much in that time. I think it's a great institute doing a great job and I would really like to do something for this institute.”
Graduate Programme 2004
“Students are encouraged to think rationally and to ask questions which ultimately lead to an overall growth of the individual. One year at MSF as a student was the best opportunity I have ever got in my entire academic life.”
Graduate Programme 2005
“The quality of teaching and reference material were amazing. Within limited time, a lot of syllabus was covered without hampering its quality.”
Mathematical Finance 2007
“The sense of direction and knowledge which this programme instills in the students who opt for it could surely not be obtained elsewhere.”
Simulations & IT 2004
“This workshop is one of the best things I have ever faced till now. Truly I think it has been very much able to curb my fear of the topic sets and functions.”
School Workshop 2003
“The workshop was of great benefit to the more than 120 students and teachers that participated. For the first time they were able to gain insight into a very subtle part of mathematics that was rightly termed by you as the 'gateway to the calculus'.”
School Workshop 2003
“The fact that I must stress on is that I could understand much more than I thought I could. My capacity was reassessed! I will never be the same again, and I mean it.”
MSFChallenge 2006
“This contest made us more aware of the surprising applications of mathematics. It has increased our knowledge vastly.”
MSFChallenge 2006
Current Status
No Activities Scheduled
There are no activities planned at this time. New programmes are being developed. Check back soon or reach out to us if you would like to be notified.
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