What is SANUM?
South African Numerical and Applied Mathematics (SANUM) is a special interest group for South African and international academics in the areas of applied mathematics, numerical analysis, and scientific computing, and a yearly (typically three-day) symposium with presentations and posters on these and related topics.
The symposium currently rotates between three host institutions: Stellenbosch University, the University of Pretoria, and the University of the Witwatersrand. It serves as the annual symposium for the Numerical and Applied Mathematics research theme of the NRF Centre of Excellence in Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (CoE MaSS).
SANUM2020 News
SANUM2020 will be held at Stellenbosch University on 25-27 March 2020. Registration is now OPEN! Poster available here.
SANUM2020 Plenary speakers
We are pleased to announce the confirmed plenary speakers below.
Folkmar Bornemann
(TU Munich)
Annie Cuyt
(University of Antwerp)
Randy LeVeque
(University of Washington)
Lothar Reichel
(Kent State University)
Precious Sibanda
(University of KwaZulu-Natal)
Hugo Touchette
(Stellenbosch University)
Irene Vignon-Clementel
(Inria & Sorbonne Université)
SANUM2020 Special sessions
We are pleased to announce the following special sessions at SANUM2020:
- Industrial Mathematics
The aim of this special session is to promote the wide range of activities taking place in industrial mathematics in South Africa. Presentations in all areas of numerical and analytical mathematics (including optimization, control theory, image processing, fluid and solid mechanics) applied to industrial problems will be considered. Problems containing substantial mathematical modelling will be particularly welcome. All branches of South African industry will be considered, including manufacturing, mining, conservation and renewable energy, wine industry, sugar industry, iron and steel, and leisure industries such as sport and tourism.
If you are interested in presenting in this session, please contact Ashleigh Hutchinson at ashleigh.hutchinson@wits.ac.za.
- Mathematical modelling in Electromagnetics
The scope of this session is broad enough to cover almost anything solved by Maxwell's equations.
If you are interested in presenting in this session, please contact Dirk de Villiers at ddv@sun.ac.za.
- Special session in honour of the late Dirk Laurie
Dirk Laurie, formerly of Northwest University and Stellenbosch University, sadly passed away in August 2019. Throughout his career, Dirk was a prominent figure in South African numerical analysis, and devoted supporter of the SANUM series. This special session of invited talks will be presented in his honour.
Dirk Pieter Laurie (1946-2019)
It is with great sadness that we report that Dirk Laurie passed away on August 10 2019, after struggling with his health the past six months or so. A student of AR (Ron) Mitchell, Dirk graduated with a Ph.D. from the University of Dundee in 1977. He was a researcher at the National Research Institute for Mathematical Sciences in South Africa, and held chairs at the Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education (these days Northwest University), as well as Stellenbosch University. Dirk made significant contributions to a number of areas in numerical analysis, including quadrature and linear algebra. He was one of five solo- winners of the SIAM 100-digit challenge of 2002 and a co-author of the related bestselling book. One of his passions was the South African Mathematics Olympiad, and he accompanied the national team on several occasions to the IMO.
Outside of mathematics, his interests were numerous: Chess (South African schools champion), music (choir singing, playing the recorder, and general aficionado), cryptic crosswords (both their compilation and their physical outlay by the LaTeX package he created), and puzzle solving in general. In his younger days, he was a familiar face on South African television, where he participated in general knowledge quiz shows and also served as a pundit during elections. Up to his death, Dirk was editor- in-chief (and founding member) of the first online journal for scientific research papers published in Afrikaans, a language he was passionate about.
Dirk is survived by his wife, Trienke, and five sons.