More than 2,400 mathematicians from nearly 80 countries have signed a petition to boycott the International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) in Philadelphia, where the Fields Medal is awarded. They denounce risks for participants due to the immigration policies and military decisions of the Trump administration, sparking a debate on science and geopolitics.
The impact of geopolitics on technological innovation 🌍
The boycott directly affects the transfer of knowledge in areas such as artificial intelligence, cryptography, and computational modeling. The lack of participation from researchers in countries with immigration restrictions limits the exchange of advanced algorithms and methodologies. This slows down key developments in numerical simulation and data processing, where international collaboration is essential for validating results and optimizing resources.
The Fields Medal is left without candidates because of the wall 🧱
Now mathematicians wonder if the Fields Medal will be awarded in a virtual ceremony via a VPN. Meanwhile, ICM organizers try to calculate the probability that attendees will reach Philadelphia without being detained by the TSA. In the end, the only theorem that will hold true is that the number of participants will decrease in direct proportion to the distance from the airport.