Founded in 1888 to further mathematical research and scholarship, the American Mathematical Society fulfills its mission through programs and services that promote mathematical research and its uses, strengthen mathematical education, and foster awareness and appreciation of mathematics and its connections to other disciplines and to everyday life.



The Society has over 32,000 individual members and 550 institutional members in the United States and around the world. Programs and services for AMS members and the mathematical community include professional programs such as meetings and conferences, surveys, employment services; publications including Mathematical Reviews (a database of over 2 million items covering over 60 years of mathematics literature), journals, and over 3,000 books in print; support for Young Scholars Programs and the Mathematical Moments program of the Public Awareness Office; resources such as MR Lookup for researchers and authors; and a Washington office that connects the mathematical community with the broader scientific community and with decision makers who determine science funding.



The central goal of the Ross Program has always been to instruct bright young students in the art of mathematical thinking and to inspire them to discover for themselves that abstract ideas are valuable and important. First year participants take the basic course in number theory. For most students, this is the first time they are asked to consider entirely new questions, to develop methods that they have not seen before, and to justify every answer.