Conference in Honor of Ronald Fintushel

Southeastern Louisiana University, Hammond LA

Investigators

Abstract

Abstract Award: DMS-0506737 Principal Investigator: Thomas Mark, Scott J. Baldridge, Terry Lawson This proposal funds a conference in honor of Professor Ronald Fintushel's sixtieth birthday, to be held in late October or November 2005 at Tulane University. Dr. Fintushel has led a distinguished career as a researcher in low-dimensional topology, particularly the differential topology of 3- and 4-dimensional manifolds and applications of gauge theory to that study. His work with various co-authors on group actions on low-dimensional manifolds, and more recent results with Ronald Stern on the homology cobordism group of homology 3-spheres, gauge theory, and constructions of ``exotic'' 4-manifolds, has been an inspiration to contemporary topologists and continues to provide new directions for inquiry in these areas. The past two decades have been a period of remarkable progress in low-dimensional topology, particularly the theory of smooth 4-manifolds. This conference, involving leading figures in this area, will provide participants with both a context in which to understand recent advances and a framework for future endeavors. The speakers will include experts in fields that Fintushel has contributed to, with a focus on smooth 4-manifolds, and the audience will include graduate students and recent Ph.D.'s who will benefit from exposure to Fintushel's fascinating and creative work. Both Ronald Stern (UC Irvine) and Peter Ozsvath (Columbia) have already expressed interest in giving lectures; other invited speakers may include John Morgan (Columbia), Tomasz Mrowka (MIT), Allan Edmonds (Indiana), Danny Ruberman (Brandeis), Zoltan Szabo (Princeton), and Clifford Taubes (Harvard). The final schedule will be determined closer to the time of the conference in consultation with Dr. Fintushel; the influence of the guest of honor can often sway the balance in a speaker's decision to attend. As a conference in honor of an individual, the lectures will naturally center on those areas of research most influenced by that individual. Dr. Fintushel has made many contributions to an area of mathematics that has relatively recently become a crossroads among disciplines, both within mathematics and in theoretical physics. Conferences such as this are therefore increasingly important, providing researchers with a variety of perspectives on problems that are nevertheless united by common themes. As a joint project of Tulane University, Southeastern Louisiana University, and Louisiana State University, this conference will provide exposure for these mathematics departments on a national level and boost the reputation of the region as a center of research. This will increase the potential for the universities in this area to attract more high-quality faculty and students from around the country. Likewise, the conference will enhance the exposure of local current graduate students to the latest developments in research and to the researchers themselves.