Mission & History

Inspired by the vision that applied mathematics should play an important role in advancing science and technology in industry, a small group of professionals from academia and industry met in Philadelphia in 1951 to start an organization whose members would meet periodically to exchange ideas about the uses of mathematics in industry. This meeting led to the creation of SIAM.

Our Mission

Through publications, research and community, the mission of SIAM is to build cooperation between mathematics and the worlds of science and technology. Since our incorporation in 1952, SIAM’s goals have remained the same:

Learn about Our Focus Areas

Advance Applications

To advance the application of mathematics and computational science to engineering, industry, science, and society.

Promote Research

To promote research that will lead to effective new mathematical and computational methods and techniques for science, engineering, industry, and society.

Provide Media

To provide media for the exchange of information and ideas among mathematicians, engineers, and scientists.

Be a Source of Information

To be a source of information for both public and private agencies regarding the state of the fields.

Looking Back: Then & Now

First 50 Years Timeline

Take a look back at SIAM's first 50 years and learn about our pivotal milestones in this timeline graphic.

History of Numerical Analysis

The history of the early days in numerical analysis, captured by interviews and oral histories from the initial trailblazers.

Where Are We Now?

Since 1951, SIAM has grown and evolved tremendously. How? Learn more about what our focus areas are today, and the many programs and initiatives SIAM has built over the years.

Our Rich History 

2022 marked the 70th anniversary of SIAM’s formal establishment and incorporation! The idea of a professional organization for mathematicians in industry and government first arose in November 1951 at an assembly of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers. This concept was well-received by attendees, and the inaugural organizational meeting for the budding society took place in December. During this gathering, members of the organizing committee settled on the name “Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics,” in part because it lent itself well to an interesting acronym: SIAM.

SIAM’s first three meetings took place in March, April, and May of 1952 at the Drexel Institute of Technology (now Drexel University). William Francis Gray Swann, director of the Franklin Institute’s Bartol Research Foundation and SIAM’s first conference speaker, delivered his talk on “Mathematics, the Backbone of Science” to an audience of roughly 180 individuals.

On April 30, 1952, SIAM was officially incorporated in the State of Delaware with three key purposes: (i) further the application of mathematics to industry and science, (ii) promote basic research in mathematics that leads to new methods and techniques for industry and science, and (iii) provide media for the exchange of information and ideas between mathematicians and other technical/scientific personnel. The bylaws were completed in June 1952 and the election of SIAM’s first officers, trustees, and council members took place that October. Elected officers included William E. Bradley (president), Grace M. Hopper and George W. Patterson III (vice presidents), Emil Amelotti (treasurer), and I. Edward Block (secretary). By the following year, SIAM had six corporate members and about 350 individual members; that number has since increased to more than 14,000 members in the U.S. and around the world.

The SIAM that we know has grown immensely since its incorporation as a local entity 70+ years ago. The organization now hosts approximately 20 conferences in applied and computational mathematics each year; publishes 18 peer-reviewed research journals that receive more than 6,000 annual submissions; and sponsors numerous activity groups, student chapters, programs, and funding initiatives that benefit its rich international community.

Information on this page came from a 1973 SIAM Review article by I. Edward Block.

With Respect & Gratitude

Honoring a Legacy

I. Edward Block was a founder and longtime managing director of SIAM. From 1952, when SIAM was officially incorporated, through 1976, the beginning of his full-time employment at SIAM, until his retirement in the fall of 1994, he had a hand in every aspect of every step of SIAM’s development and growing presence in the international mathematical sciences community. Ed Block passed away in 2015, leaving behind a true legacy at SIAM. Read his obituary in SIAM News. (Pictured on the left.)