Residents of China can now join SIAM in Beijing
July 1, 2009
Mathematicians and computational scientists in the People's Republic of China have interests aligned with the products and services offered by SIAM, but have had difficulty joining the U.S.-based society because it is not easy to pay for membership by credit card, by check, or in US dollars. SIAM President Doug Arnold contacted Professor Qun Lin at the Academy of Mathematics and Systems in the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing who agreed to work with SIAM to establish ways to allow prospective members to pay in local currency.
As a result, SIAM has developed a new webpage at http:/www.siam.org/membership/individual/china.php that allows residents of China to pay SIAM membership dues in local currency. The webpage includes electronic and PDF membership applications in both English and Chinese, and allows prospective members to send payment in RMB yuan directly to Professor Lin. Professor Lin will translate applications that are submitted in Chinese to English, then forward the applications and payments to the SIAM office in the U.S.
"China has a large and active group of applied and computational mathematicians, some of the highest quality," said Arnold. "Through individual membership in SIAM, these scientists will have closer connections to the international community, and SIAM will benefit from their involvement and ideas. It's a win-win situation. That's why I have made this a major priority at the start of my presidency."
Residents of the People's Republic of China are eligible for both regular membership and outreach membership, which offers those living in developing nations a greatly reduced dues rate of $10 US (70 RMB yuan). The regular member rate of $127 US (889 RMB yuan) provides some benefits not included in outreach membership: print copies of SIAM Review and the option to subscribe to other SIAM journals at the discounted member rate.
SIAM will promote the availability of these new membership options in the People's Republic of China by announcing it to members of its South East Asia Section (EASIAM) and in its own publications; by contacting publications and societies in China, including CSIAM and CSCM, that serve applied mathematicians; and by developing and distributing posters about SIAM to universities in China.
EASIAM runs conferences and seminars for SIAM members in Brunei, Cambodia, China, Far East Russia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, North Korea, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.
If you have any questions about this new initiative, contact SIAM Membership Manager Susan Whitehouse at [email protected]g.
