South Pacific Optimization Meeting: SPOM 2013

9 – 12 February, 2013

NOTICE: Presentations available

PDFs of presentations have been added to the PDF version of the programme. Those for the MPE afternoon will be added shortly.

NOTICE: Programme now available

Please see the Programme section.

Sponsored by

SPOM 2013

Following the success of the first two "South Pacific Conferences in Mathematics" (SPCM), which took place in the French territory of New Caledonia in 2005 and 2010, the third edition of this conference, to be called the "South Pacific Optimization Meeting" (SPOM 2013), will be organized by CARMA in Newcastle, Australia, running from February 9 to 12, 2013 (immediately after ANZIAM 2013).

Since 2013 is the year of the Mathematics of Planet Earth, SPOM 2013 will focus on optimization with (potential) applications to ecology, sustainable development, finance, and similar fields. The main topics include: continuous optimization, discrete optimization, vector optimization, stochastic optimization, variational analysis, convex analysis, monotonicity, optimal control theory.

As with the previous editions, this meeting will bring together about 60-80 researchers and students from all over the world, especially from Western Europe and the Pacific Rim: Australia, Canada, Chile, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, UK, USA, etc.

The goal of SPOM is to provide an international forum for scientists to exchange ideas, to share experiences on their research and to open new avenues of collaboration and research on topics related to optimization and its applications and to engage the Australian community more fully with its Pacific Rim and European partners.

Registration

Registration for SPOM 2013 is now closed.

Standard registration: $165.

Organizers

H. Bauschke (Kelowna), J. Borwein (Chair, Newcastle), H. Bonnel (Nouméa), R. Burachik (Adelaide), P. Combettes (Paris), M. Théra (Limoges)

The meeting also hopes to attract participants from and to ANZIAM 13.

Invited Speakers

• Heinz Bauschke (Kelowna)
• Jonathan Borwein (Newcastle)
• Frank Deutsch (State College)
• Keith Devlin (MPE Lecture) (Stanford)
• Matthias Ehrgott (Auckland)
• Johannes Jahn (Erlangen-Nuremberg)
• Helmut Maurer (Munster)
• Jiri Outrata (Prague)
• Terry Rockafellar (Washington)
• Kate Smith-Miles (Melbourne)
• Stephen Simons (Santa Barbara)

Other confirmed Australian invited speakers include F. Aragón (Newcastle), R. Burachik (UofSA), A. Eberhard (RMIT), V. Gaitsgory (UofSA), V. Jeyakumar (UNSW), Y. Kaya (UofSA), A. Kruger (Ballarat), M. Osborne (Canberra), V. Roshchina (Ballarat), R. Womersley (UNSW), Liangjin Yao (Newcastle).

Optimization of Planet Earth Afternoon

On Saturday 9th February, as part of Australian Mathematics of Planet Earth 2013 activities, we will host an outreach afternoon highlighting Optimization's many applications to the man-made and to the natural world. Keith Devlin (Stanford) --- and NPR's `Math Guy` --- will give the plenary lecture. Other confirmed speakers include Heinz Bauschke (Kelowna), Radu Bot (Chemnitz), Irene Hudson (Newcastle), Russell Luke (Gottingen), H. Maurer (Munster), Mike Meylan (Newcastle).

The venue is the Novotel Newcastle Beach - Morrow Room.

Contributed Sessions

If you would like to contribute a talk at the Conference, please send a title and abstract to [email protected]. Please note that there are a limited number of contributed sessions available.

SPOM Programme

Mathematics of Planet Earth Afternoon Programme

Venue

The conference will be held at Noah's on the Beach Newcastle, New South Wales. The Optimization of Planet Earth afternoon takes place at Novotel Newcastle Beach in the Morrow Room.

Transportation

Sydney Airport to Newcastle

For those arriving at Sydney Airport we recommend taking the train to Newcastle. Take the Airport & East Hills train from Domestic/International Airport Station to Central Station and then the Newcastle and Central Coast train from Central Station to Newcastle Station. From Newcastle Station it is an easy walk to the recommended hotels. For more information and/or to plan your exact trip times see the CityRail website at www.cityrail.info.

Alternatively, there is the Happy Cabby Airport Shuttle Service which you will need to book in advance.

Newcastle Airport to Newcastle

For those arriving at the Newcastle Airport we recommend taking a taxi to Newcastle. The taxi rank is adjacent to the arrivals area of the terminal. Newcastle Taxis can be contacted directly, free-of-charge, on the dedicated taxi phone located in the arrivals end of the terminal.

Alternatively, you can catch the 130 or 131 bus from the Newcastle Airport to the Newcastle Station. From Newcastle Station it is an easy walk to the recommended hotels. For more information and/or to plan your exact trip times see the CityRail website or the Port Stephens Coaches timetables.

Local Transportation in Newcastle

Newcastle Taxis: bookings can be made online or by calling 133 300 within Australia.

Newcastle Buses: the free green 555 Newcastle Shuttle Bus runs every 20 minutes, seven days a week, on a continuous loop around the city centre.

Accommodation

Accommodation within walking distance (given below) of the conference venue includes:

• Noah's on the Beach (02) 4929 5181, 0 m (conference venue)
  The following conference room-only rates can be obtained by quoting booking ID 330951:
  • $195.00 — Ocean View
  • $175.00 — Harbour View
  • $160.00 — City Side Room
• Crowne Plaza Newcastle (02) 4907 5000, 1.6 km
• Novotel Newcastle Beach (02) 4032 3700, 230 m
• Chifley Hotel Apartments (02) 4910 4910, 2 km
• Travelodge Newcastle (02) 4926 3777, 2.5 km
• The Clarendon Hotel (02) 4907 6700, 1.4 km
• Quest Newcastle Serviced Apartments (02) 4928 8000, 2.1 km
• Hotel Ibis Newcastle (02) 4925 2266, 1.2 km
• Backpackers by the Beach (02) 4926 3472, 260 m
• Newcastle Beach YHA (02) 4925 3544, 170 m

Further options can be found on www.visitnewcastle.com.au and www.wotif.com.

Contact Information

If you have any questions, please contact