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mathematical sciences 2
M A T H E M A T I C A L S C I E N C E S
cator introduced and used by the Centre versities, in South Africa offer Honours and
for Science and Technology Studies at the Masters by coursework degrees in pure
University of Leiden in the Netherlands is mathematics and achieve a standard that
the field-normalised citation impact which compares very favourably with the top
gives the ratio: CPP/FCS where CPP is the echelon of international universities. Math-
mean number of citations per publication
ematics graduates are well equipped to
in a field and FCS is the field-based world-
compete for places at top graduate schools
wide mean impact. An analysis shows that
around the world, or to pursue PhD stud-
the impact of papers in mathematical sci-
ies locally, having appropriate levels of
ences has increased sharply, from below
rigorous knowledge of the subject. There
the international impact standard, which is
is clearly spare PhD supervision capacity
equal to 1, to significantly above that stan-
within the system and it is an ongoing chal-
dard between 2002 and 2006; in 2002, the
lenge to persuade suitably qualified black
ratio stood at 0.6 and by 2006, it had risen
South African students to continue with
to over 1.2. Indeed, Pouris (2008) found the
Doctoral studies after they complete Mas-
impact of mathematical sciences to be the
ters degrees that ensure lucrative salaries
highest of 20 natural science disciplines in
in the employment sector. A significant but
South Africa in 2006.
minority percentage of Masters and Doc-
toral students currently studying at South
The Leiden study also shows that the cita-
African universities are black African stu-
tion impact of internationally co-published
dents from SADC and further afield.
papers in mathematical sciences is sys-
tematically higher than either intra-insti-
Mathematical areas in which major advanc-
tutional or nationally co-published papers,
es have been made in South Africa include
and the impact of internationally co-au-
pockets or groups of activity in topology,
thored papers in mathematical sciences
graph theory, functional analysis, discrete
has increased from below the international
mathematics, combinatorics, category the-
standard to significantly above that stand-
ory, universal algebras, special functions,
ard since 2000. What emerges from this
group theory, number theory, algebraic
analysis is that, in terms of this measure of
and differential geometry, real and com-
research impact, the quality of research ac-
plex analysis.
tivity in the mathematical sciences in South
Africa is high in comparison to field-normal-
Applied mathematics
ised citation impact rates worldwide.
There are significant strengths in traditional
classical areas that are currently enjoying a
great resurgence of interest as new com-
2.4 Sub-disciplines
putational technologies facilitate break-
throughs previously hampered by size and
Pure mathematics scale, for example, astrophysics, cosmology
The research-intensive universities, as well and relativity. Strong teams of applied math-
as some of the less research-focused uni- ematicians are working in computational
77
TWAS book_Chap1-6.indd 77 2009/10/06 12:03:48 PM
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