Article I : Purpose
The purpose of the SIAG is to foster activity in the area of Nonlinear Waves and Coherent Structures. Its goals are:
To foster collaborations among applied mathematicians, physicists, fluid dynamicists, engineers, biologists, and economists in those areas of research related to the theory, development, and use of nonlinear waves and coherent structures.
To promote and facilitate Nonlinear Waves and Coherent Structures as an academic discipline.
Article II : Activities
The SIAG on Nonlinear Waves and Coherent Structures (NWCS) will promote and facilitate research in the area through a variety of activities, including:
Organize a biennial SIAM Conference on NWCS. The SIAG also will consider dovetailing specialized workshops and conferences with the SIAM Annual meeting. In particular, it is planned to have the biennial meeting alternate loosely between university-style meetings, ones dovetailed with SIAM Annual Meetings, and joint meetings with other SIAGs.
Broker partnerships between academia, industry, and government laboratories. The SIAG will seek to facilitate the establishment of academic programs in NWCS to foster its development as an academic discipline. The SIAG also will facilitate the placement of undergraduate and graduate students in internships in industry and government laboratories.
The SIAG will work with other professional societies to promote NWCS. For example, SIAM and another society might organize a workshop on a topic of mutual interest. The SIAG also would attempt to increase government support for NWCS through various outreach activities.
Article III : Membership
Membership in the SIAG shall be open to any SIAM member, but to no others.
Article IV : Officers
Section 1. There shall be a Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, and Program Director, all of whom shall be regular members in good standing of the SIAG. The SIAG shall hold an election to fill those offices every two years.
Elections will follow standard SIAM Activity Group practices. In particular, at least two candidates must be nominated for each office and the nomination process must provide the opportunity for any modest-sized group of SIAG members to nominate candidates.
Section 2. The SIAG chairperson shall preside at the meetings of the SIAG, coordinate the completion of the bi-annual charter report to the SIAM Council, and represent the SIAG at meetings of the SIAG Chairs. In the absence of the Chair, the line of succession is the Vice-Chair, Secretary, and Program Director.
Section 3. The secretary of the SIAG shall keep a record of the affairs of the SIAG.
The Secretary is responsible for the production and distribution of SIAG newsletters and for insuring that the information about the SIAG on the SIAM website is correct.
Section 4. The Program Director will have responsibility for SIAG conferences and programs, including participation in the SIAM Annual Meeting. The Program Director will coordinate these activities with the Chair, who has overall responsibility for the direction of the SIAG. The Program Director will serve as the conference organizer or delegate such responsibilities to an individual approved by the Chair and other officers.
Article V : Prizes and Awards
The SIAG shall not present awards or prizes that recognize scientific achievement, professional service, or the like without prior approval by the SIAM Major Awards Committee, the SIAM Council, and the SIAM Board of Trustees. Petitions to establish prizes or awards must follow standard SIAM procedures.
Article VI : Reporting
This SIAG must submit a formal, standardized charter report to the SIAM Board and Council on the final year of their renewed operation period.
Article VII : Period of Operation and Renewal
Each period of activity of the SIAG will be two years. Each period of activity must be renewed by the Council and Board. The SIAG shall apply to the Council and Board for renewal at least seven months prior to the end of each two-year period of activity. The application for renewal shall describe how the SIAG will continue to complement SIAM activities and describe its support of the functions indicated in its RULES. The renewal application shall be based on the SIAM Board and Council "Guidelines for the Renewal and Termination of Activity Groups." The activities of the SIAG shall not be continued to a new two-year period of activity without council and board approval.
Article VIII : Termination
In the event that the activity level of the SIAG is below expectations in any two-year period herein designated, the SIAG shall be considered terminated at the end of that two-year period and any continuation of the SIAG's activities will be contingent on the establishment of a new SIAG according to the practices established for the initiation of a SIAG. Principles for the termination of SIAGs may be found in the SIAM Board and Council "Guidelines for the Renewal and Termination of Activity Groups."
Article IX : Publications
With the approval of the appropriate managing editor, the SIAG may have articles and news columns in SIAM News and, on special occasions, a portion of a SIAM journal may be devoted to topics suggested, organized, and/or prepared by the SIAG. No separate SIAG publications are permitted without the specific written approval of the publications committee.
Article X : Fees
A yearly membership fee may be assessed each member of the SIAG at the time of payment of annual SIAM dues. This fee shall be established by the SIAM Board of Trustees.
Monies shall be collected and accounted for by SIAM. Such monies shall not be used for purposes other than support of the activities of the SIAG from which they were collected, except that such monies may be assessed on a per-member basis for costs incurred by SIAM in providing services to the members of the SIAG.
Article XI: Contracts
No officer or member of the SIAG may apply for a grant to support SIAG activities or enter into any contract to support such activities or to provide services without specific approval in writing by the President and either the Treasurer of SIAM or the Executive Director acting on behalf of the Treasurer.
No SIAG or any officer or representative thereof shall have any authority to contract debts for, pledge the credit of, or in any way bind SIAM.
Article XII: Funds for Support
Requests for funds to support SIAG activities may be made in writing to the treasurer of SIAM. A loan or grant to the SIAG in the amount of $200 or less can be made by the treasurer. Only one such loan or grant may be made to the SIAG during any fiscal year. Other loans or financial grants to the SIAG shall be approved by the Board.
All requests for funds shall be substantiated by a proposed budget for expenditures.
All distributions of said funds shall be in the form of disbursements from SIAM; said disbursements shall be made on receipt of substantiating vouchers.
Article XIII: Changes
Changes to these RULES may be made at any time by the SIAM Council and SIAM Board of Trustees on the recommendation of the SIAM President. Changes to these RULES may be made by the SIAG with the approval of the Council and the Board.
Amendments
The initial period of activities of this SIAG shall begin on January 1, 2003 and end on December 31, 2004.
The SIAM Activity Group on Nonlinear Waves and Coherent Structures (SIAG/NLW) remains active; it has been renewed every two years by the SIAM Council and Board. See the most recent Charter renewal application for their current statement of activities and plans; a copy is located in the SIAG/NLW Archive.