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UAE gets first official mathematics journal

If you fancy yourself as a number cruncher and an equation gets your creative juices flowing, then 2013 is about to get a whole lot better, thanks to the genius of two ambitious math professors here.

Dr Firuz Kamalov and Dr Ho Hon Leung ... happy with the success of the online journal. — Supplied photo

The UAE’s first official mathematics journal, The Gulf Journal of Mathematics, (www.gjom.org) which actually hit online shelves three months ago, has garnered so much popularity among enthusiasts in the field, the two founders now feel confident enough to shout about it.

With a passion for the subject stemming from a young age, Dr Firuz Kamalov — mathematician, and one of the founders of the journal, along with fellow maths professor Dr Ho Hon Leung — told Khaleej Times they were surprised by the amount of response the journal had received in such a short time.

“We thought it would take at least a year to get publicised, so we were impressed by its success.”

Launched back in August, Kamalov says they received such a high number of paper submissions — more than 100 — from both regional and international authors that they barely had time to coordinate an official journal release.

“We were just so busy with the papers and (putting the journal together). Once we published the second issue, just this month, that’s when we decided to go public,” he said. A compilation of papers, theories and analyses from leading mathematicians, Kamalov said quality and relevancy is key for their journal.

“(The subject matter) has to be relevant. It can’t be obscure — people should care about the topic, not just the professor writing it,” he said, adding that new results, non-trivial topics and well-written articles will catch their eyes.

Kamalov, who like Leung is a professor at the Canadian University of Dubai, said the idea to launch the publication came about when they realised the UAE was lacking its own math journal.

Aware the majority of math institutions here are younger than their Western counterparts, Kamalov said there is scepticism because submissions from the Arab world are regarded as having less authority because they don’t have a well-established reputation. But both Kamalov and Leung are particularly keen on receiving local submissions.

“We want to give people a fair shot at getting published. I feel any math community should have a journal as a platform to show their work,” he said.

And despite many often stereotyping those who work in the mathematics field, Kamalov said there is never a dull moment.

“You never do the same thing, there’s always new research, new thinking. This is a profession which is engaging and creative, and in my case, I get this feeling of euphoria when an answer comes to me.”

kelly@khaleejtimes.com

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