Identity area
Type of entity
Corporate body
Authorized form of name
University of British Columbia. Dept. of Mathematics
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
1908-
History
The Department of Mathematics existed as part of McGill University before UBC's founding in 1908. The mathematics professor George E. Robinson, acting principal and Dean of Arts for McGill University College of British Columbia, became head of mathematics at the new University of British Columbia. Housed initially at Point Grey in the Mathematics Building and Annex (built 1924-25), the Department of Mathematics was among UBC's first departments. Initially, the Department was part of the Faculty of Arts. However, in 1922/23, the Faculty of Arts has renamed the Arts and Science. In 1963 the Department joined the newly formed Faculty of Science.
UBC has long been known as home to one of the top mathematics programs in Canada. In 1972, in partnership with the Faculty of Graduate Studies and the College for Interdisciplinary Studies, the Department founded the Institute for Applied Mathematics (IAM). This partnership developed out of a need to provide applied mathematics students with the opportunity to embrace an interdisciplinary approach and study mathematics in other departments. In addition, the Department is an active participant in the broader mathematics community. Since 1979 it has run the Euclid Contest for British Columbia and several other outreach programs geared at broadening mathematics education across various communities.