The Mission of the Visual Math Institute
The VMI evolved on the campus of the University of California
at Santa Cruz from 1975 until the retirement of Ralph Abraham
as Professor of Mathematics in 1994,
when it moved to a new location
in downtown Santa Cruz.
It was incorporated as an educational institution
in August of 1996.
In January of 1997 it acquired
501(c)(3) nonprofit status from the IRS.
The VMI exists for these reasons:
- Research on the frontiers of chaos theory,
especially for massively complex dynamical systems.
- Applications of chaos theory to model complex natural systems,
for example, the global economy, large-scale ecosystems, and
social systems.
- Reform in the curriculum and teaching methods
of mathematics in schools, all levels.
- Revealing the beauty and importance of mathematics to a broad public.
Revised by Ralph, 12 May 1997