Opportunities for Interdisciplinary Collaborations at the Mathematical Science Institutes

In this talk I will give an overview over the Mathematical Science Research Institutes in the US that are supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF), and discuss the importance of the institutes to the culture in the mathematics community. It is the mission of the math institutes to advance research in the mathematical sciences, increase the impact of the mathematical sciences in other disciplines, and expand the talent base engaged in mathematical research in the United States. To fulfill this mission, the institutes host a variety of programs. I will review the different types of program that are offered by the institutes, and will focus specifically on opportunities for physicists at the institutes. I will then give some examples of significant scientific progress in different areas that were enabled by collaboration that were started at one (or several) of the math institutes.