Minutes of the Open General Meeting of the BCTCS

Opening: The meeting opened at 17.15.

Quorum: The meeting was recognised as quorate, there being present the President and Secretary of the BCTCS, a local organiser for BCTCS 26, and at least ten other members of the BCTCS.

Apologies: No apologies for absence were received.

Previous minutes: The minutes of the Open General Meeting held at BCTCS 25 in Warwick were approved. The following matters were discussed:

• Learned Society. In light of the formation of the BCS Academy as a Learned Society for Computing in October 2009, which will be formally launched this month, it was decided for the moment not to take forward the proposal for BCTCS to evolve itself into a Learned Society for Theoretical Computer Science, as this might be interpreted as a negative distraction from the launch of the Academy. It remains to be worked out if and how the BCTCS might become associated with the BCS Academy, and how this might impact on future funding opportunities.

President's statement: Faron Moller stated that he was very pleased with the number of participants (about 90), and thanks were conveyed to Julian Bradfield, Mary Cryan and the rest of the local organisation team for their excellent work. The President also reported that the LMS had once again generously provided support for the meeting, in the form of a sponsored international invited speaker in discrete mathematics (Gil Kalai, Hebrew University of Jerusalem). It is hoped that the LMS will continue this support in the future.

The current three-year EPSRC grant to support BCTCS runs out this year, and indications are that it may be problematic to secure further EPSRC support in the future, due to a change in policy regarding the funding of training events. EPSRC have argued that they already fund training through the Doctoral Training Accounts (DTA) scheme. However, our experience over many years is that departments are reluctant to use their DTA funding for BCTCS, as there are no published papers. Also, very few of the students attending BCTCS appear to be supported by their University's DTA, and hence would not be eligible for support to attend BCTCS from the DTA. The case needs to be made again to EPSRC about the importance of continued funding of BCTCS for the health of Theoretical Computer Science in the UK.

Treasurer's Report: Stephan Reiff-Marganiec reported that the balance of the BCTCS bank account stands at 7164 pounds. Warwick have not yet submitted their accounts for BCTCS 25, but they have reported that they expect to return a surplus of around 900 pounds. Edinburgh also expect to return a surplus for BCTCS 26, but the amount is not yet known.

Elections:

• President. Faron Moller from Swansea University was nominated to continue in the role of President by Iain Stewart (Durham) and was seconded by Rick Thomas (Leicester). He was re-elected unopposed.

• Treasurer. Stephan Reiff-Marganiec from the University of Leicester was nominated to continue in the role of Treasurer by Graham Hutton (Nottingham) and was seconded by Iain Stewart (Durham). He was re-elected unopposed.

• Additional Members. David Manlove from the University of Glasgow was nominated to continue in the role of Additional Member by Rick Thomas (Leicester) and was seconded by Oliver Kullmann (Swansea).

  Daniel Paulusma from Durham University was nominated for the role of Additional Member by Iain Stewart (Durham) and was seconded by Mark Jerrum (Queen Mary).

  Raphael Clifford from the University of Bristol was nominated for the role of Additional Member by David Manlove (Glasgow) and was seconded by Vashti Galpin (Edinburgh).

  Radhakrishnan DelhiBabu from the Anna University (India) was nominated for the role of Additional Member by Oliver Kullmann (Swansea) and was seconded by Achim Jung (Birmingham).

  Due to the level of interest and having already served for two terms, David Manlove withdrew his candidacy. The remaining three candidates each made a short statement, and a vote was taken. As a result of this vote (Paulusma: 15, Clifford: 13, DelhiBabu: 7), Paulusma and Clifford were elected.

• Postgraduate Student Representative. The President conveyed his thanks to Julian Gutierrez for serving in this role during the previous year.

  Radhakrishnan DelhiBabu from Anna University (India) was nominated for the role of Postgraduate Student Representative by Oliver Kullmann (Swansea) and was seconded by Achim Jung (Birmingham). He was elected unopposed.

Report on Arrangements for BCTCS 27: Achim Jung reported on the arrangements for BCTCS 27, which will be held 18-21 April 2011 (the four days prior to Good Friday) at the University of Birmingham. Birmingham is centrally located in England, and has excellent road, rail, and air connections (via Birmingham International). The talks will take place in University facilities on campus, with accommodation either in student halls close to the campus or hotels in the city centre. The anticipated registration fee for full delegates will be around 275-300 pounds (similar to this year.)

Invitations to invited speakers will be sent out as soon as possible, in consultation with the BCTCS committee. The importance of maintaining a good balance of topics was noted.

The Midlands Graduate School will also be held in central England during the Easter period in 2011, at the University of Nottingham. The dates for this had not yet been set, but Achim Jung proposed that it be scheduled for the week prior to BCTCS, to make it convenient to attend both events.

Choice of Host for BCTCS 28: It was noted that Ian Pratt-Hartmann had proposed an offer for the University of Manchester to host BCTCS 28, which will take place during the Turing Centenary Year. The meeting voted to accept Ian's proposal.

Any Other Business: None.

Closing: The meeting closed at 18.00.

Graham Hutton
Secretary, BCTCS