With a growing global population competing for the same global resources, an increased frequency and intensity of dramatic climatic events, and evidence pointing to more long-term patterns of general climate change, the pressure to comprehend nature and its trends is greater than ever. Leaders in politics, sociology and economics have begun to seriously take note of issues which before were confined to the natural sciences alone, and mathematical modeling is at the heart of much of the research undertaken. The year 2013 has thus been earmarked by mathematical sciences institutes around the world as a time for a special emphasis on the study of the “Mathematics of Planet Earth” (MPE 13). This theme is to be interpreted as broadly as possible, in the aim of creating new partnerships with related disciplines and casting new light on the many ways in which the mathematical sciences can help to comprehend and tackle some of the world’s most pressing problems.

The Banff International Research Station (BIRS) is a full partner in this important initiative, as the goals of MPE 13 are completely in line with the station’s commitment to pursuing excellence in a broad range of mathematical sciences and applications. BIRS has already planned to host five workshops in 2012 which deal with the themes of MPE 13 – “Emergent behavior in multi-particle systems with non-local interactions” (January 22-27), “Frontiers in the Detection and Attribution of Climate Change” (May 29–June 1), “Tissue Growth and Morphogenesis: from Genetics to Mechanics and Back” (July 22-27), “Model reduction in continuum thermodynamics: Modeling, analysis and computation” (September 16-21), and “Thin Liquid Films and Fluid Interfaces: Models, Experiments and Applications” (December 9-14). BIRS also invites interested applicants to use the opportunities of its 2013 program and submit proposals in line of the MPE 2013 theme, in conjunction with BIRS’ regular format for programming. Proposals should be made using the BIRS online submission process.