Western Algebraic Geometry Seminar - Five Year Plan

Colorado State University, Fort Collins CO

Investigators

Abstract

Western Algebraic Geometry Seminar (WAGS) is a weekend conference on algebraic geometry held twice a year at various institutions in the western region of the United States and Canada, including Utah, Stanford , British Columbia, Berkeley, Colorado State, Washington and now Colorado and Arizona. WAGS has been instrumental in building a vibrant algebraic geometry community in the West. It provides an important way for researchers to connect to one another in the broader geographical area. A crucial feature of WAGS is that it provides an opportunity for algebraic geometers to come together and hear a semesters worth of seminars. Young researchers and graduate students get the opportunity to meet senior faculty, and to get a broader sense of the field. The relevance of WAGS in the development of research in algebraic geometry 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. 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. The speakers at WAGS are chosen to represent a broad spectrum of research in the field and a good mix of established figures and young active researchers. A goal of WAGS is certainly to share new research result within algebraic geometry community and to encourage new connections and research collaborations.