Seminar Schedule
January 24– 28, 2005

All Seminars are held in Boyd Graduate Studies Bldg. unless otherwise noted.

MONDAY, January 24, 2005

Algebra
2:30–3:30p.m., Room 410
Speaker: Ian Leary, The Ohio State University
Title of talk: Elements of finite order in VF groups

Probability Theory
2:45-4:00p.m., Room 222
Speaker: Q. Zhang, University of Georgia
Title of talk: Two-time scale Markovian systems: An introduction

Lie Theory
3:30-4:30p.m., Room 303
No Meeting this week

Topology
3:30-4:30p.m., Room 326
Speaker: Will Kazez, University of Georgia
Title of talk: Computing Ozsvath-Szabo invariants

CATS
4:40-5:30p.m., Room 306
Speaker: Dr. Rod Canfield, UGA, Dept. of Computer Science
Title of talk: An Introduction to WZ Pairs Using Alternating Sign Matrices
Abstract: Wilf and Zeilberger have given an automated method for proving certain identities involving summation. Their algorithm is available in Maple. Alternating sign matrices were first defined in 1983 by Mills, Robbins, and Rumsey [\MRR]. We will prove a theorem from their paper using the WZMethod.

Reference. William H. Mills, David P. Robbins, and Howard Rumsey, Alternating Sign Matrices and Descending Plane Partitions, J. Combin. Theory, Ser. A, 34(1983) 340-359.

TUESDAY, January 25, 2005

VIGRE Graduate Student Seminar
2:00p.m., Room 304
Speaker: Will Kazez, University of Georgia
Title of talk: A topological approach to the geometry of surfaces
Abstract: This talk will explore some features of negative curvature that distinguish the two-holed torus from a one-holed torus. My goal is to cover topics that will serve as background, introductory material for Sa'ar Hersonky's colloquium and seminar talks on Thursday and Friday.

Faculty and Graduate Social
3:00 p.m., Room 409
Coffee, Cookies, Tea

Colloquium
3:30p.m., Room 304
Speaker: Raphael Rouquier, CNRS, Institut de Mathematiques de Jussieu, Paris, France
Title of talk: Dunkl operators and Hecke algebras
Abstract: We introduce certain algebras of deformed differential operators on an affine space. Their representation theory can be studied via monodromy representations, leading to Hecke algebras. On the combinatorial side, this involves canonical bases of Fock spaces. There are algebraic descriptions involving quantum groups. This relates also to Hilbert schemes of points on the complex plane.

Dynamics on Berkovich Space
3:30-5:30p.m., Room 326
No Meeting this week

WEDNESDAY, January 26, 2005

Spline Analysis
2:00pm-3:00pm, Room 326
Speaker: V. Baramidze, University of Georgia
Title of talk: Stability of Spherical Bernstein-Bezier Polynomials over Spherical Triangles

Algebraic Geometry
2:30-3:45 p.m., Room 410
No Meeting this week

VIGRE – Cardiac Physiology
2:30p.m., Room 640

Faculty and Graduate Social
3:00 p.m., Room 409
Coffee, Cookies, Tea

VIGRE – Algebra
3:30-4:30p.m., Room 303
Speaker: Dave Benson, Brian Boe and Dan Nakano
Title of talk: Varieties for Specht modules - p^2 and beyond.

Number Theory
3:45-5:15pm, Room 304
Speaker: Su-ion Ih, University of Georgia
Title of talk: Arithmetic aspects of dynamical systems


THURSDAY, January 27, 2005

VIGRE – Algebraic Geometry
2:00p.m., Room 304

Faculty and Graduate Social
3:00 p.m., Room 409
Coffee, Cookies, Tea

Colloquium
3:30p.m., Room 304
Speaker: Sa'ar Hersonsky, Ben-Gurion University, Israel
Title of talk: Diophantine Approximation in Negatively Curved Manifolds
Abstract: Inspired by the theory of Diophantine approximation of a real (or complex)
number by rational ones, we develop a theory of approximation of geodesic lines in a negatively curved Riemannian manifold. The talk will be a survey on some of our results: We prove a Dirichlet type theorem, define a Hurwitz type constant in terms of the lengths of closed geodesics, and a Khintchine-Sullivan type theorem on the Hausdorff measure of the geodesic lines starting from acusp thatare well approximated by cusp returning ones. This is a joint project with Frederic Paulin (ENS-Paris).

Specifically, I will describe recently constructed solutions which are the first solutions known to be discontinuous.

FRIDAY, January 28, 2005

Student Arithmetic/Algebraic Geometry Seminar
12:20p.m., Room 410
No Meeting this week

Geometry
2:30p.m., Room 222
Speaker: Sa'ar Hersonsky, Ben Gurion University
Title of talk: Maximal cusps on boundaries of deformations of hyperbolic 3-manifolds
Abstract: Let $M$ be a compact 3-manifold with $\partial M=\neq\emptyset$. The space of allhyperbolic structures on the interior of $M$ (i.e. Riemannian metrics withcurvature equals -1), is well understood. It's boundary is a topic of much research. We show that a certain type of hyperbolic manifolds (which are easy to understand) are dense on the boundary. This is a joint work with Richard D. Canary (Ann-Arbor).

VIGRE – Clifford Algebras
3:30-4:30p.m. Room 302

Wavelet Analysis
3:30-4:30p.m., Room 322
Speaker: Ming-Jun Lai, University of Georgia
Title of talk: Reversed Polynomials
Abstract: We explain how to use reversed polynomials to solve Riesz-Fejer factorization theorem in the univariate