The International Mathematics Community and the Security of STEM Research
By Michael Pearson, Executive Director of the Mathematical Association of America
Those of us in the mathematical sciences take it as axiomatic that our community is global. Just as with other sciences, the progress we’ve made over the last century (and beyond) has been made possible through the robust mechanisms we have to share results and collaborate with international colleagues. Additionally the relatively free movement of individual mathematicians to attend conferences and take up professional posts based on our assessments of what best meets the needs of the individuals and institutions involved, rather than on citizenship status.
Recently, I was reminded of how the U.S. mathematics community benefits from such collaborations when I got an announcement from the Budapest Semesters in Mathematics program. It feels even closer to home, since one of the Budapest Semesters’ Board of Directors members is Deanna Haunsperger, past president of MAA, and another, Bela Bajnok, is the director of the MAA AMC program.
This past summer, I attended the 2019 International Mathematical Olympiad. The U.S. has participated in the IMO annually since 1974. This year, the U.S. team tied for first place with China. The exchange of ideas, and the sense of camaraderie at the event, help build a sense of shared mission and purpose for the development of mathematical talent that is truly global. The MAA also organizes teams to participate in the annual European Girls Mathematical Olympiad (where the U.S. team took first place last year), and the Romanian Masters in Mathematics competition (ditto!). I am proud of MAA’s role in fostering talent through our American Mathematics Competitions program -- which also serves students in about 15 other countries.
Yet even as we celebrate the global nature of mathematics, we live in a time of tension between globalization and the self-interest of, and competition between, countries. Karen Saxe, who manages public policy advocacy for the AMS, recently wrote this blog post that does an excellent job of articulating many of the issues that have raised concerns among policymakers, research institutions, and the scientific community, and have led to new laws and initiatives to crack down on nefarious conduct by foreign entities.
Not only are scientific and technical information subject to theft, but there is the growing potential for capabilities made possible by basic scientific discoveries to be put to use to subvert basic human rights, such as this story from the New York Times on the Chinese government’s use of genetic information to monitor and control the minority Uighur community.
I think it’s safe to say that modern genetic toolboxes are highly mathematized, so we cannot easily avoid contemplating the role of our community in these discussions. More directly, the development of more and more sophisticated AI systems is deeply, and almost purely, mathematical. As any number of sources, such as Shoshana Zuboff’s recent “The Age of Surveillance Capitalism,” makes clear, these developments create ethical dilemmas that we have yet to adequately address.
As Karen details in her post, consideration of these issues has led to energetic discussion across the political and higher education communities and led to the release of a letter from Kelvin Droegemeier, the director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). Dr. Droegemeier has a distinguished career as a research meteorologist, focusing on extreme weather events. Prior to joining OSTP, he previously served as Oklahoma Secretary of Science and Technology and the Vice President for Research at the University of Oklahoma. Dr. Droegemeier has also served on the National Science Board, which establishes policy for the National Science Foundation. He has a deep appreciation for the international nature of STEM R&D. Nevertheless, as he notes in his letter, there is a critical need for all interested parties to develop mechanisms that strike “the right balance between openness and security.”
The MAA has long benefited from a strong relationship with OSTP, which co-hosts our annual Mathematical Olympiads Awards Ceremony at the U.S. Department of State. We very much appreciate the interest Dr. Droegemeier has taken in our program since coming to OSTP, and anticipate that this relationship will be extremely important in the lead-up to the U.S. hosting of the 2021 International Mathematical Olympiad, where we expect to have teams representing more than 110 countries, including some with current travel restrictions will require exceptions to obtain visas to allow these talented young mathematicians, and their coaches, to participate.
The questions raised by recent events do not negate the enormous positive impacts of international collaborations in mathematics. Now more than ever, however, we must be aware of the ways in which our community can engage productively in discussions of how we act to preserve the integrity of the U.S. system, as well as contemplating the ethical implications of the mathematical tools we develop.