On June 1st, Ma Zhiming, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(CAS), academician ofthe World Academy of Sciences(TWAS), and Director of Academic Committee of the Center for Applied Mathematics,Tianjin University，gave a report and explored the role of mathematics in modern civilization with TJU teachers and students.The talk was presided over by Sun Xiaotao, Dean of the School of Mathematics.

At the beginning, Professor Ma Zhiming pointed out that mathematics played an irreplaceable role for human beings to understand nature, describe and discover natural laws, and carry out scientific thinking. He strongly agreed with Morris Kline, the American historian of mathematics, on his summary of the role of mathematics in modern civilization that the general characteristics of an era are closely related to its mathematical activities to a great extent.

Through examples such as Maxwell's equation vector and the story of the electromagnetic wave, Professor Ma showed how extensively mathematical research results were applied in human development and social life, and further elaborated the important role of mathematics in the process of modern civilization.

With the development of society, mathematicians’ research and discoveries are also advancing, and the role of mathematics in modern civilization is advancing with the times. Ma Zhiming said that AlphaGo and deep reinforcement learning were the core of AI, another example of mathematical modeling application. He also gave examples that were closely related to the latest hot social events.

Professor Ma believes that mathematicians should be more innovative in artificial intelligence and finance. He hoped that people learning mathematics would take the initiative to practice mathematical thinking and be more innovative in research.

Professor Ma Zhiming used the iceberg theory to describe the relationship between pure mathematics and applied mathematics, and encouraged students to bravely explore the new peak of mathematics with perseverance.

By the School of Mathematics

Editors:Eva Yin & Doris Harrington