An evaluation committee from CNRS visited the Center for Mathematical Modeling (CMM) of the Faculty of Physical and Mathematical Sciences from Universidad de Chile between Monday 10th and Wednesday 12th. The visit of the group –composed by the director of the National Institute for Mathematical Sciences Christoph Sorger, the deputy director of the same institute Sinnou David and the researcher Yvan Martel– has the objective of understand the impact of the association between both institutions. This, in order to renew the CMM’s status as International Mixed Unit of CNRS until the end of 2018.
“The CNRS evaluation committee came forward several months, motivated by making a formal renewal agreement during president Michelle Bachelet’s visit to Paris in June,” explained CMM director Alejandro Jofré.
The French Connection
On Monday, the French committee met with the rector of Universidad de Chile Ennio Vivaldi and the president of Conicyt Francisco Brieva. On Tuesday and Wednesday, in several meetings, CMM researchers explained to the commission the work and achievements of their laboratories and projects.
In that sense Martel highlights the percentage of CMM publications co-authored with French researchers is 25%. In his opinion, it is a sign of the strong relationship between both groups: “Researchers involved in these papers come from many different places in France. Many different places. That shows the relation with France is not only about quantity but it is very spread.” He also stressed the Center for Mathematical Modeling as the first international mixed unit in Mathematics of the CNRS since 2000 and the strong personal links between Chilean and French mathematicians.
Coming back to France, the committee will inform to CNRS about the research situation at the CMM. Then the authorities of the institution will decide about the renewal agreement. However, Martel does a good forecast: “I’m very impressed about the work of the center. In my opinion, if Chile were a person, CMM would be a big part of the brain of this person.”
This association allows to CMM’s researchers to be in contact with frontier science produced in Europe.
