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The Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences (PIMS) is a mathematical institute created in 1996 by universities in Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest to promote research and excellence in all areas of the Mathematical Sciences. It provides training and support for graduate students and post-doctoral researchers hosted at member institutions. It also supports visiting researchers and coordinates events ranging from individual lectures to multi-year "focus periods" in the mathematical sciences. Additionally, PIMS has a large educational outreach program aimed at promoting mathematics at all levels but with particular focus on primary and secondary levels (K-12).

Structure
PIMS has a distributed structure consisting of 8 full member institutions and 3 affiliate members. The central offices of PIMS are located on the campus of the University of British Columbia.

Full Members

 * University of British Columbia
 * University of Calgary
 * University of Alberta
 * University of Regina
 * University of Victoria
 * University of Saskatchewan
 * Simon Fraser University
 * University of Washington

Affiliate Members

 * University of Portland
 * University of Lethbridge
 * University of Northern British Columbia

Joining dates of each institution and other notes should go here.

Research Program
Research at PIMS includes both event coordination and support for personnel. Post-doctoral researchers, visitors and graduate students supported by PIMS are hosted at one of the member institutes for the duration of their stay. The event program includes individual lectures, seminar series and meetings. A scientific review panel made up of members of PIMS institutes and external reviewers reviews event applications each year and decides on a scientific program for the year. Longer term projects are also supported as [Collaborative Research Groups which will typically consist of a series of smaller events (e.g. lecture series). PIMS receives funding from its major supporters NSERC, the Government of British Columbia, the Government of Alberta (Advanced Education and Technology) and in 2011 became a Unité Mixte Internationale of the French CNRS.

Education & Outreach
PIMS is involved in all levels of mathematical education from Elementary School onwards. In British Columbia, PIMS organizes the Elementary Math Contest (Elmacon), an annual competition open to grades 5, 6 and 7. Math Mania is directed at high school students and uses interactive games and demonstrations to introduce students to mathematical concepts. PIMS also runs teacher workshops in many rural areas and conferences for example the annual 'Changing the Culture' conference which brings together teachers and educators to discuss issues and new developments relating mathematics education. Outreach to Aboriginal and First Nations students is also a strong focus for the BC and Saskatchewan sites, with annual summer camps, programs and resources aimed at providing increased learning opportunities to for those students, for example the Aboriginal Perspectives website established in 2009.

mathtube.org
In October 2011, PIMS launched a new multimedia site mathtube.org. This site includes lecture videos, slides and notes from significant PIMS lectures from the past decade, as well as recent events. The site was created to meet the increasing demand to see lecture content online. The site features notable speakers such as Ram Murty, Dusa McDuff and George Papanicolaou and is updated regularly.