IMU DonAuction at ICM 2014

There will be an IMU-sponsored “DonAuction” during the end of ICM 2014!

The auction will be available online during the ICM and will culminate with an actual physical auction event on August 20 at 5:30 pm.

Twenty different mathematical objects will be available in an “all-pay” or Chinese auction. Payments will made in cash or online. For each US $5.00 or 5,000 SKW (SKW = South Korean Won,  exchange rate is ~ US $1 for 1,000 SKW), participants will receive a ticket that they can put in the “hat” for an object on auction.  The contributions will go to the Adopt-a-Mathematics-Graduate-Student program.

Each object has a fundraising goal of 100 tickets, equaling US $500. If the number of tickets for an object reaches that threshold, then the object will be allotted at the live event on August 20 to a randomly picked ticket. – If an object falls short a bit, but can reach the goal with some extra unallocated amount, it will still get assigned to a lucky winner.

Each of the 20 diverse mathematical objects will be unique, have aesthetic appeal, and mathematical meaning. Some them will be special prints of pictures from the Imaginary Galleries – designed by or in collaboration with prominent mathematicians and signed by them, some will be 3-D prints, some will be objects of mathematically historical events, etc.

Before the August 20 event, the objects will only be visible online on the ICM 2014 DonAuction website, which will display a few photographs of each object together with its story.

Payments will be possible in cash or check at a number of exhibitors’ booths, or payments must be made online at the ICM DonAuction website. Online payments will be possible also for non-ICM participants. A winner who cannot pick up the object in person (or arrange for pick-up) on August 20, must also agree to pay shipping charges.

All objects will be reasonably small and easily shipped or carried on a plane.