The Andrzej Mostowski Centenary Conference

Cuny Graduate School University Center, New York NY

Investigators

Abstract

This is an application for travel funds to support 12 U.S. participants (four research mathematicians and eight doctoral students) at the conference {\it Mostowski 100} to be held at the Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Mechanics of the University of Warsaw, Poland, October 11-13th, 2013. The conference is organized with financial support of the European Mathematical Society and Warsaw Center of Mathematics and Computer Science, Clay Mathematics Institute, and is endorsed by the Polish Mathematical Society. The present application is not intended to provide any funding for the conference itself, only for funding for travel. There are several scientific themes of the conference, each represented by leading specialists. Professor Mostowski made contributions to several areas of Mathematical Logic. His most important work was in Set Theory, and the selection of topics reflects that. Some of Mostowski's ideas have found their application in Foundations Computer Science. The program of the conference will include a lecture and a tutorial on some recent and rather unexpected developments in this area. Many can benefit from participation in the conference. In case this application is successful, the opportunity to apply for travel grants will be advertised at the conference website, in the Association for Symbolic Logic newsletter, and on popular logic-related websites. Travel grant applications will be reviewed by a committee set up and chaired by Sergei Artemov of the Graduate Center of City University of New York. There are several faculty and graduate students at CUNY who are interested in going to the conference, but the committee will make every effort to make sure that the selection process is fair and open to everyone, with particular attention paid to applicants from underrepresented groups. Broader impacts of the conference: In the sciences generally, disciplines and workers become increasingly specialized with the progression of generations. This has certainly been the case with mathematical logic and foundational studies. While this is not surprising, it is unfortunate for those whose concern is the foundations of mathematics itself. A broad, informed, and unified outlook is important. In 2013 there is a unique opportunity to have a conference aimed at bringing together and affecting researchers across the various sub-disciplines of foundational studies, encouraging interaction. This year is the 100th anniversary of the birth of Andrzej Mostowski. It will not be a commemoration meeting, but rather the organizers plan to use Mostowski and his ideas as a central organizing device, that will allow them to bring together researchers in all the basic areas of foundational studies. The expectation is that the speakers will present not only the panorama of results directly stemming from Professor Mostowski's research, but also proposals for research directions, unsolved problems, and possibilities for new applications. The conference website is at http://mostowski100.mimuw.edu.pl/doku.php