To:    Mathematical Sciences Community

Re:    MATHEMATICS AWARENESS WEEK, April 26 - May 2, 1998

Mathematics Awareness Week 1998, to be held April 26 - May 2, is the
mathematical sciences community's opportunity to schedule local events
celebrating the excitement, versatility, and importance of
mathematics. We invite you to use the enclosed MAW 1998 materials and
the resources on the MAW website to inform your colleagues, your
students, and the public about the value of mathematics. The MAW web
address is http://www.mathaware.org/maw.

The MAW 1998 theme is Mathematics and Imaging. Mathematics is an
essential element of imaging in fields as diverse as medicine,
computer science, and space exploration, and many other settings as
well. These and other aspects of mathematics in imaging are described
briefly below and are explored in greater detail in an article on the
MAW website.

Mathematics Awareness Week is an excellent vehicle for communicating
with new audiences about the relevance of mathematics. Here are some
suggestions for MAW activities:

*   Design your own World Wide Web page and link it to the
    national MAW page;

*   Explore joint programs with your colleagues in other fields,
    especially those related to, or dependent on, imaging;

*   Encourage your student chapter to organize campus events;

*   Request appropriate state or local officials to issue a
    proclamation declaring April 26 - May 2, 1998 to be Mathematics
    Awareness Week in your municipality or state--a sample
    proclamation can be found on the MAW website;

*   Invite your local legislators or other elected officials to
    visit your department--public officials appreciate opportunities
    to speak with faculty about their public policy concerns;

*   Tailor the enclosed sample news release so that it includes
    details on your MAW activities and mail it to your local print and
    broadcast media outlets--you can find media listings from books in
    the reference section of your library, or better yet, work with
    your institution's public information office;

*   Check the MAW website for an extensive listing of activities
    and events that others have done in the past to observe MAW.

*   Display the enclosed poster in a high-traffic area--
    additional posters can be purchased via the MAW website;

Any activity or event that spotlights mathematics and its
contributions is appropriate for MAW. And if the week of April 26
- May 2 doesn't work for you because of exams, spring break, or
other commitments, you may schedule MAW 1998 activities any week
in March, April, or May.

Please help us share Mathematics Awareness Week by sending us
newspaper clips on mathematical topics appearing in your local
papers and community magazines this spring and posting
announcements and reports of your MAW activities on the MAW
electronic mailing list.

The JPBM and its member societies--the American Mathematical
Society, the Mathematical Association of America, and the Society
for Industrial and Applied Mathematics--appreciate the involvement
of the American mathematical sciences community in Mathematics
Awareness Week.

If you have any questions or would like further suggestions,
please do not hesitate to contact the JPBM office. Thank you in
advance for your interest and efforts to celebrate the
mathematical sciences with new and larger audiences this spring.