Joint Mathematics Meetings heading, January 15-18-2003, Balt Conv Center
CONTACT US
MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION
27-Nov-2002
pop@ams.org

Employment Center Exhibit: A special historical exhibit marking the 50th Anniversary of the Employment Register is on display in the lobby outside of the Joint Meetings Registration area.

Started by the AMS and MAA in December, 1953 (later joined by SIAM), the original Employment Register was conducted by J. Sutherland Frame, who managed it with the help of other volunteers (the Joint Committee on Employment Opportunities, JCEO) until 1959. At that time, it consisted of four looseleaf binders filled with job announcements, that were passed from meeting to meeting. The idea of an interview scheduling process came up in the 1960's, and the original computer programming was done by a JCEO member, D. R. Morrison. In the job crunch of the early 1970's, the print publication Employment Information in the Mathematical Sciences was created to help with broadcasting job openings, and so the Employment Register evolved from its beginnings as an actual paper register to become an on-site meeting place for employers and applicants at the Joint Meetings, which it is today, under its new name, the Employment Center.

Over the years, applicants and employers have had some complaints about each other, and also complaints about the room, the noise, the bells, the lighting, the chairs, the schedule, and yes, at times, the smell. But for 50 years they have sat through numerous useful and less useful chats, always with the idea in mind that the right colleague may appear on the other side of the table any moment now, and a connection be formed that will be productive for decades. This exhibit chronicles the ups and downs of an always difficult process, and even includes snapshots of the careers of some individuals, as they happened in the years following their Employment Register experience.

Audio-Visual Equipment: Standard equipment in all session rooms is one overhead projector and screen. (Invited 50-minute speakers are automatically provided with two overhead projectors.) Blackboards are not available. Organizers of sessions that by their nature demand additional equipment (e.g., VCR and monitor or projection panel) and where the majority of speakers in the session require this equipment should contact the audio-visual coordinator for the meetings at the AMS office in Providence at 401-455-4140 or by e-mail at wsd@ams.org to obtain the necessary approvals. Individual speakers must consult with the session organizer(s) if additional equipment or services are needed. If your session has no organizer, please contact the audio-visual coordinator directly. All requests should be received by November 4.

Equipment requests made at the meetings most likely will not be granted because of budgetary restrictions. Unfortunately no audio-visual equipment can be provided for committee meetings or other meetings or gatherings not on the scientific program

Childcare: Many hotels will provide recommendations for in-room childcare for guests through their concierge or front desks. Call as early as possible for the best service, and at least one day in advance. Arrangements represent a contractual agreement between each individual and the child-care provider. The Joint Meetings assumes no responsibility for the services rendered.

E-mail Services: Limited e-mail access for all Joint Meeting participants will be available. The hours of operation will be published in the program.

Information Distribution: Tables are set up in the exhibit area for dissemination of general information of possible interest to the members and for the dissemination of information of a mathematical nature not promoting a product or program for sale.

If a person or group wishes to display information of a mathematical nature promoting a product or program for sale, they may do so in the exhibit area at the Joint Books, Journals, and Promotional Materials exhibit for a fee of $55 (posters are slightly higher) per item. Please contact the exhibits manager, MMSB, P.O. Box 6887, Providence, RI 02940 or 401-455-4143 for further details.

The administration of these tables is in the hands of the AMS-MAA Joint Meetings Committee, as are all arrangements for Joint Mathematics Meetings.

Local Information: See http://www.baltimore.org/index2.htm for information about the city. For the most up to date information on weather in Baltimore, see http://www.usatoday.com/weather/cityforecast.aspx?LocationID=USMD0018.

Petition Table: At the request of the AMS Committee on Human Rights of Mathematicians, a table will be made available in the exhibit area at which petitions on behalf of named individual mathematicians suffering from human rights violations may be displayed and signed by meetings participants acting in their individual capacities. For details contact the director of meetings in the Providence office at 401-455-4137 or by e-mail at dms@ams.org.

Signs of moderate size may be displayed at the table but must not represent that the case of the individual in question is backed by the Committee on Human Rights unless it has, in fact, so voted. Volunteers may be present at the table to provide information on individual cases, but notice must be sent at least seven days in advance of the meetings to the director of meetings in the Providence office. Since space is limited, it may also be necessary to limit the number of volunteers present at the table at any one time. The Committee on Human Rights may delegate a person to be present at the table at any or all times, taking precedence over other volunteers.

Any material that is not a petition (e.g., advertisements, résumés) will be removed by the staff. At the end of the exhibits on Wednesday, any material on the table will be discarded, so individuals placing petitions on the table should be sure to remove them prior to the close of exhibits.

Telephone Messages: The most convenient method for leaving a message is to do so with the participant's hotel. Another method would be to leave a message at the meetings registration desk from January 14 through 18 during the hours that the desk is open. These messages will be posted on the Mathematics Meetings Message Board; however, staff at the desk will try to locate a participant in the event of a bona fide emergency. The telephone number will be published in the program.