Bhubaneswar, Jan. 9: The 38th annual conference of the Orissa Mathematical Society (OMS) held yesterday stressed on the role of mathematics in engineering and technology as well as the necessity to identify and nurture young talents.
“You have to move away from the comforts of textbooks and guidance of teachers and delve deeper into mathematics. Do not chase stereotype methods of achieving your goals but follow your creative energy,” said Gopal Mohanty, mathematics professor, McMaster University, Canada.
“However, the problem in our country is that we do not have enough youngsters coming into this field. We need more innovative approaches in the state such as the Rural Maths Talent Search, the brainchild of mathematician Swadhin Pattnayak, to popularise the subject and attract more students to take it up as a career,” Mohanty added.
He was addressing a gathering of over 200 delegates, professors and researchers who had come from various parts of the country for the conference, which was organised at the Institute of Technical education and Research (ITER).
Retired vice-chancellor of Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), H.P. Dixit, spoke about introducing reforms in the existing system of education to allow students to think beyond what was prescribed in their syllabus. “I see some hiccups in the academic system in India. We have made the curriculum so difficult and demanding that the creativity of students is hampered,” said Dixit. He also stressed on the need for financial support from the centre to sustain initiatives such as the Institute of Mathematics and Applications here.
“Neglect of mathematics works injury to all knowledge, since he who is ignorant of it cannot know the other sciences or the things of the world,” said G.C. Dash, head, department of mathematics, ITER, quoting English scientist Roger Bacon. Vice-chancellor M. P. Jain expressed the same opinion. “If mathematicians, physicists and engineers join hands, research work of a very high order can evolve,” he said.
OMS secretary Haribandhu Pattnayak in the annual report nd touched upon the society’s objectives, which included publishing a periodical in Oriya language to popularise the subject and encouraging young talents by recognising their achievements.
On this occasion, five illustrious researchers and teachers from across the state were felicitated while Balaram Samal; a school student from Jajpur won the Ganita Bichitra award 2010 for the best student author of an article “Chaari dwara bibhaarjya” (Divisible by four). A memorial volume dedicated to the first president of OMS and eminent mathematician Ramanath Mohanty was also released at the conference.
