For those attending the Joint Mathematics Meetings in Boston, two special sessions involving the National Science Foundation may be of interest. Both sessions will be held on Friday, January 6, 2012 in Room 208 of the Hynes Convention Center.

From 2:30 to 4:00 pm:

Dr. Subra Suresh, Director of the NSF, will speak about the challenges he sees for federal support of research, opportunities, and new initiatives. This is an AMS Committee on Science Policy session.

From 4:30 to 6:00 pm:

Forum for Community Input on the Proposed NSF Division of Mathematical Sciences Name Change: The forum will provide an opportunity for members of the community to present their views to representatives of the NSF on the proposal to change the name of NSF’s Division of Mathematical Sciences to the Division of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences. This is an AMS-MAA-SIAM Special Event.