What is MPE 2013?
More than 100 scientific societies, universities, research institutes, and organizations all over the world have banded together to dedicate 2013 as a special year for the Mathematics of Planet Earth.
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The Next Simons MPE Public Lecture
On Growth and Form: Mathematics, Physics and Biology will be the title of the seventh public lecture in the series to be given by L. Mahadevan (Harvard). The date is September 24, 2013, and the location is Brown University.
Tickets and information available here
Cartography
The shape of the Earth can be approximated by a sphere. Hence, it is impossible to draw maps of the Earth or of regions of the Earth that preserve ratios of distances, and each process of cartography is a compromise. The mathematician John Milnor, Fields medalist in 1962, got interested in determining which projection minimizes the distortion of distances in a neighborhood of a given point.
The equation of time
Have you already remarked that the time when the Sun is at its highest position varies during the year? The earliest sunset is around December 10, before the winter solstice in Northern hemisphere. Why?
CALL FOR MPE BLOGGERS
A message from Hans Kaper: "We anticipate a daily blog during the entire year 2013. You may choose your date(s) and topic(s) to blog about your favorite event(s). We understand that last-minute changes are part of the action. To register, send a message to blog@mpe2013.org, with an indication of preferred dates and topics."
Chaos in the Solar System
The inner planets (Mercury, Venus, the Earth and Mars) have chaotic motions. This means that the motions of the planets could become unstable, and the orbit of one planet could cross that of another. Fortunately, this will not occur for billions of years.
Using mathematical models to eradicate disease
The Guinea Worm Disease, which already affected 50 million people, is almost eradicated with fewer than 2000 cases. What happened? Mathematical modeling helps identifying the most relevant parameter and design a strategy of action.
How old is the Earth?
The fascinating history of the attempts of calculating the age of the Earth from the gradient of temperature inside the crust and mantle goes back to the 19th century, in parallel with the development of geology, the theory of evolution, and the discovery of radioactivity.
How does the GPS work?
The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a triumph of engineering, physics, and mathematics. The 24 satellites orbiting the Earth carry high precision atomic clocks. Using those clocks to determine position requires a sophisticated combination of mathematics and Einstein's theory of relativity – and it all has to be done quickly on devices that do not have a large amount of computational power.MPE 2013 National Launches
Canadian launch, December 7, Montreal
UK Launch, December 17, Cambridge
US launch, January 9, San Diego
Australian launch, January 29, Melbourne
Portuguese launch, March 5, Lisbon
European launch, March 5, UNESCO in Paris
Exhibition 
The MPE Exhibition is now on line. It was launched at UNESCO on MPE Day, March 5, 2013. Part of it comes from the modules of the MPE competition.
Lecture Series
The MPE2013-Simons Public Lecture Series will take place at nine locations around the world. Each lecturer is a leading expert who will explain how the mathematical sciences play a significant role in understanding and solving some of Planet Earth’s important problems. Our community’s best expositors and champions will cover a diverse range of topics in lectures aimed for a public audience.
CMS MPE Lecture Series
The Canadian Mathematical Society, in collaboration with the Canadian institutes AARMS, CRM, the Fields Institute and PIMS, is sponsoring a cross-Canada series of lectures for MPE 2013. Eleven of the lectures will be for the general public and the rest for a scientific audience.
MPE2013 thanks the National Science Foundation and the Simons Foundation for their support of MPE2013 activities.
