Western Algebraic Geometry Seminar - Fall 2009

Colorado State University, Fort Collins CO

Investigators

Abstract

On October 24 and 25, 2009, the Western Algebraic Geometry Seminar (WAGS) will meet at the University of California at Los Angeles. WAGS is a weekend conference held twice a year at various institutions in the western part of the United States and Canada, including the University of Utah, Stanford University, the University of British Columbia, the University of California at Berkeley, Colorado State University, the University of Washington and now the University of Colorado and the University of Arizona. The seminar traces its roots back to the Utah-UCLA Algebraic Geometry Seminar started in 1989 by H. Clemens, D. Gieseker, M. Green, J. Kollar, and R. Lazarsfeld. In its current form WAGS has run since 2002, and every WAGS has had over 50 participants. For the UCLA-WAGS, currently there have been 55 registered graduate students, and there are about 30 faculty participants. WAGS has been instrumental in building a vibrant algebraic geometry community in the western part of US. It provides an important way for researchers to connect to one another in the broader geographical area. This is especially important in the west since many algebraic geometers there are the only members of their department in the field, and the geographical distance between the research institutions in the western United States means they can be relatively isolated. A crucial feature of WAGS is that it provides an opportunity for them to come together and hear a semesters worth of seminars, and equally importantly, meet at length with each other and with younger researchers. Graduate students get the opportunity to meet senior faculty, and to get a broader sense of the field than they would get from speaking only with their advisor. The success of WAGS is underscored by the fact that many people around the world currently leading the field of algebraic geometry have come up through the WAGS system. The speakers this fall will discuss their research in the field of algebraic geometry. Algebraic geometry concerns the solution sets of algebraic equations, and has long been a central subject in mathematics with deep and substantial connections to almost every aspect of modern mathematics. Beyond the natural interactions with ?neighboring? mathematical fields such as number theory, symplectic geometry, topology, and commutative algebra, exciting connections have recently emerged between algebraic geometry and apparently ?foreign? fields including mathematical physics, biology, digital communications, and robotics. There are numerous different approaches to the study of algebraic geometry, utilizing a wide variety of technical tools; commutative algebra, complex analysis, sheaf theory, cohomological methods, and combinatorial techniques all play important roles. Algebraic geometry continues to be a very active area of research. The recent year has been particularly exciting, as significant progress was made on ?classical? problems with roots going back to the 19th century (such as the minimal model program), as well as on the development of new tools and techniques (for example the extension of Givental?s formalism to the world of stacks). This broad and active field is widely represented in the Western United States. The speakers at WAGS this fall represent a broad spectrum of research in the field and a good mix of established figures and young active researchers. The organizers expect that the conference at UCLA will continue to facilitate the development of the algebraic geometry community in the Western United States.