The AMS (American Mathematical Society) is one of the premier mathematics organizations. It is well known for its research programs, surveys, employment services and publications including Mathematical Reviews. It also raises public awareness of mathematics.
I was notified of a newly launched AMS Graduate Student Blog which is a blog by and for math graduate students. The blog is being handled by Frank Morgan, AMS vice-president, and professor of mathematics at Williams College. The Graduate Student Editorial Board members are Asher Auel, Adam Boocher, Diana Davis, Daniel Erman, Fernando Galaz, Brian Katz, Alex Levin, Kathryn Lindsey, Andrew Obus, David Shea Vela-Vick, Clay Shonkwiler, Annalies Z. Vuong, and Tom Wright.
The blog promises to cover many of the issues which are faced by PhD students from other fields and other geographical regions. Some of the issues already covered in the blog include organizing a reading seminar, how to give a good mathematics talk, advice for beginning teaching assistants, navigating seminars and finding an advisor. One entry which caught my eye was on the hardest part of writing a mathematics paper. It highlights the challenge of writing a good introduction:
My experience in writing the paper from that summer has given me an appreciation for solid introductions in research papers. Reading a paper, it is easy to lose sight of the big picture when struggling through the technical details. A glance at a well-written introduction can serve as a much-needed reminder of the context and outline of the argument. And even if many technical details in a paper prove elusive, the introduction can help frame one’s discussion with someone who would be able to help understand the paper.
