Bermuda College and the local and international business communities, concluded here last week.

Liz Ward, of Executive Choice Ltd., who had primary responsibility for the organisation of the conference at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Inistitute, said that she was "pleased that the extended Bermuda business community had come out to support the conference and to listen to, and learn from, some of the eminent speakers.'' On Thursday, the second day of the conference, yet more insight was provided into the world of the mathematician working in banking, finance and insurance, with topics ranging from "coherent measures of risk'' to "independent price verification''.

A greater cohesion was apparent on the second day, with speakers frequently referring back to points raised by previous speakers. The parallels in the mathematical approaches of insurers and financiers were also made more evident.

Certainly, the underlying mechanics of modelling processes in general were revealed with such clarity that it became possible for the layman to move beyond merely keeping up with the speakers.

Ted Dew's speech was particularly enlightening, as he chose to explain in great depth the mechanics of several mathematical models and how increased computer processing speeds have made multiple simulations possible within business-driven time deadlines.

The importance of good corporate communication was stressed, as was the idea of buying into the applicability, helpfulness, and limitations of such models.

This led rather neatly into the final session, which concerned the mathematical education of business school students.

The general thesis put forward was that, ideally, business students should encounter mathematical material which is widely considered to be relevant to their future needs, rather than being filled up with generic calculus and courses in linear algebra, which only succeed in putting some of them off mathematics for life.