September 2020 NoticeS of the AmericAN mAthemAticAl Society 1093

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

*We invite readers to submit letters to the editor at notices-letters @ams.org.

regularly until he retired. There are several things that im-pressed me about him. First, he was very personable and always available to me and my staff. (I just informed my staff members who knew and worked with Sam. They felt that he was a thoughtful gentleman and are also heartbro-ken.) Sam and I spoke math on occasion, he helped me write some 1-minute speeches involving technical math topics, but our relationship was more focused on nurturing a link between the mathematics community and the polit-ical system, keeping me aware of any legislation that was relevant to the math community. He was very diligent in organizing regular forums in the official office buildings to invite politicians and their staff to learn about some of the more accessible, relevant, and inspiring math topics, always providing sack lunches to encourage more attendance. Sam also knew how to throw a party. This was an important part of his job, as these gatherings brought policy makers and scientists of many stripes together with good results. I will miss seeing him in Washington with his warm and encouraging friendship.

—Representative Jerry McNerneyUS Congress

PhD mathematician and AMS member

Letter to the Editor This month the science policy community mourns the loss of Sam Rankin, longtime director of the Washington office of the American Mathematical Society. Sam passed away on June 8 following complications from a stroke.

Sam was perhaps best known to his peers as chairman of the Coalition for National Science Funding, an alliance of professional societies, universities and businesses united by their interest in the future vitality of the national science, mathematics and engineering enterprise. He led the group for roughly two decades and built it into a coalition of some 130 member organizations that work together to advocate for the National Science Foundation, the federal research agency known for its curiosity-driven, multidisciplinary approach to science.

Thanks in large part to Sam’s efforts, CNSF continues to be known as the premier advocacy group for NSF. The coalition holds monthly meetings, issues policy recom-mendations, and works to educate lawmakers. It hosts an annual science exhibition on Capitol Hill that draws

Letter to the Editor The video of Mr. George Floyd dying on the street is too difficult to watch yet its impact has been profound. Aca-demia needs to reflect on this incident. Seven decades ago, universities began ramping up the research component of mathematics departments. Since then, meager handfuls of minorities have obtained doctorates from mathematical sciences and statistics (MSS) departments each year. The mathematical aspirations of countless minorities have died in silence. No video recorded these deaths. When was the last time that you advised a Native American undergrad-uate or discussed mathematics with a Native American mathematician? This glaring lack of contact with this one important minority group is evidence of the harm inflicted by MSS departments on the minority population in general.

The current unrest that we see on the streets is connected to white privilege. I earned a PhD in mathematics. This led me out of poverty and granted me privileges. I had a safe work environment, a regular paycheck, health insurance, a retirement account and traveled around the world. I own a home. Few minorities have these privileges.

There is an implicit social contract between the minority community and MSS departments. The tax dollars of mi-norities support the research and privileges of faculty in MSS departments, and in return, MSS departments educate minority children. That social contract has broken.

I call on our profession to recognize the professional privilege in which we live, to reformulate departmental pol-icies, attitudes and programs of study with a view towards producing an equitable educational system for women and minorities, and all our citizens. How much longer must women and minorities call for change? Must we wait for calls to defund our MSS departments? On the other hand, will MSS departments take the lead in addressing reform?

—William Yslas VélezEmeritus Professor of Mathematics

University of Arizona

Remembering Sam Rankin I just heard yesterday that a good mathematician and friend, Sam Rankin, passed away. I met Sam right after I came to Congress in 2006 and was in touch with him

Letters to the Editor

1094 NoticeS of the AmericAN mAthemAticAl Society VolUme 67, NUmber 8

Members of Congress and other notables from NSF and the science policy community.

Sam was an enthusiastic golfer and often said that “mathematics can be used to solve any problem.” He was a thoughtful advocate who sought input and used it to achieve the best outcomes. He also provided great input to NSF itself over the years. He was a quiet leader who brought people together.

Sam retired from AMS at the end of 2016, leaving his mark not only through his work with AMS and CNSF, but also by offering advice and opportunities to the next gen-eration of science policy leaders. He was a friend, mentor, and trusted colleague, and he will be greatly missed.

—Erin Heath American Association for the Advancement of Science

Mike Waring University of Michigan

celebration

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November 30thmber 30 Monday,

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