Numerical and Applied Mathematics
This focus area strives to bring together various groups scattered throughout South Africa. Some of the larger groups are the Numerical Analysis and Scientific Computing group at Stellenbosch University, and the Fluid Dynamics and Modelling group at the University of the Witwatersrand, but there are also several other smaller groups and individual researchers. The common thread among these groups is computation and application. Another aim of the focus area is to introduce young learners to ideas of applied and numerical mathematics and encourage a future generation of researchers in these areas.
The major mechanism for improving countrywide collaboration is through an annual meeting. This is the annual South African Numerical and Applied Mathematics (SANUM) symposium. This symposium has acquired an international status since its inception in 1975, and attracts many plenary and contributed talks from well-known international researchers. At this meeting, applied mathematicians discuss their work and often pose computational challenges to the numerical mathematicians. In turn, numerical mathematicians advertise their skills on the latest computational challenges. In this way, collaborations to the mutual benefit of both sets of researchers can be established.