Seminar Schedule
March 24-28, 2008
All Seminars are held in Boyd Graduate Studies Bldg. unless otherwise noted.
MONDAY, March 24, 2008
VIGRE – Algebraic Geometry
2:15pm, Room 222
Topology
2:30-3:30, Room 303
Speaker: Will Kazez, University of Georgia
Title of talk: Arcs, surfaces, contact topology, etc
Abstract: I will paraphrase some recent work with Honda and Matic and then explain the structure of our results in the category of families of properly embedded arcs in a surface. For instance, given a disk with 2n marked points on the boundary, this comes down to asking in how many ways can you connect the points on the boundary by arcs which don't intersect each other. The answer is C_n, the nth Catalan number. There appear to be loads of cool facts about Catalan numbers, and since none of them will be featured in the talk, I'll leave you with one from http://mathworld.wolfram.com/CatalanNumber.html
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The first few Catalan numbers for n=1, 2, ... are 1, 2, 5, 14, 42, 132, 429, 1430, 4862, 16796, ... (Sloane's A000108). The numbers of decimal digits in C_(10^n) for n=0, 1, ... are 1, 5, 57, 598, 6015, 60199, 602051, 6020590, ... (Sloane's A114466). The digits converge to the digits in the decimal expansion of log_(10)4=0.602059991... (Sloane's A114493).
Algebra
2:30pm, Room 410
No meeting this week
Faculty and Graduate Social
3:00pm, Room 409
Coffee, Tea, Cookies
TUESDAY, March 25, 2008
VIGRE - Graduate Student Seminar
2:00pm, Room 304
Speaker: Jie Yu, University of Georgia
Title of talk: Mean Reversion Model and Applications
Abstract: Mean reversion is a mathematical methodology commonly used in the energy market and finance market. It describes the tendency for price to move towards an equilibrium level. The change of time method is used to solve this stochastic differentiation equation. Morevoer I will talk about its application in evaluating financial derivatives.
Mathematical Physics
3:30pm, Room 303
Speaker: Justin Manning, University of Georgia
Title of talk: Differentiability of the pressure function in ergodic theory, continued
WEDNESDAY, March 25, 2008
Algebraic Geometry
2:30pm, Room 410
No meeting this week
Number Theory
3:30pm, Room 304
No meeting this week
Cantrell Lecture Refreshments
3:30pm, outside of Room 202 Physics
Cantrell Lecture Series
4:00pm, Physics Bldg., Room 202
Speaker: Bjorn Poonen, University of California at Berkeley
Title of talk: Solved and unsolved problems in number theory
Abstract: I will survey a few of my favorite problems in number theory,
such as
Fermat's last theorem (solved) and the rectangular box problem (unsolved).
THURSDAY, March 27, 2008
VIGRE – Tropical Geometry
2:00pm, Room 304
VIGRE – Circle Packing
2:00pm, Room 326
VIGRE – Number Theory
3:30pm, Room 303
Cantrell Lecture Refreshments
3:00pm, Room 409 Boyd
Cantrell Lecture Series
3:30pm, Boyd Graduate Studies Bldg., Room 328
Speaker: Bjorn Poonen, University of California at Berkeley
Title of talk: Hilbert's tenth problem
Abstract: Hilbert dreamed that someday we would have a general method for
solving all diophantine equations, but in 1970 it was proved that no such method exists.
FRIDAY, March 28, 2008
VIGRE-Algebra
2:30pm, Room 322
Applied Math
2:30pm, Room 302
Speaker: Malcolm Adams, University of Georgia
Title of talk: Hopf Bifurcations in a Parvo virus model
Abstract: Any dog owner is familiar with the Parvo virus. This causes a severe illness in canines that can be spread by animal to animal contact or by contact with the feces of an infected animal. Not only is it a threat to pets, but antibodies to this virus have also been found in wild carnivores. I will develop a simple modification of the SIR model in epidemiology that incorporates the delay mechanism of infection through fecal contact. I will give an analytic proof of a Hopf bifurcation in this model.
Geometry
2:30pm, Room 410
No meeting this week
Cantrell Lecture Refreshments
3:00pm, Room 409 Boyd
Cantrell Lecture Series
3:30pm, Boyd Graduate Studies Bldg., Room 328
Speaker: Bjorn Poonen, University of California at Berkeley
Title of talk:Undecidability everywhere
Abstract: Undecidable problems exist in many other subjects, such as group theory and topology. There are also a few problems in number theory and algebraic geometry whose decidability status is not yet known.