Triangle Lectures in Combinatorics

North Carolina State University, Raleigh NC

Investigators

Abstract

ABSTRACT Combinatorics is a growing and important area of mathematics. The states of North Carolina, Virginia, South Carolina, Kentucky and Tennessee have recently seen an influx of research strength in combinatorics and adjacent areas. In particular, a remarkably large number of tenure-track combinatorialists (including several from underrepresented groups) currently work at various colleges and universities within about 5-6 hours drive of the Research Triangle area of North Carolina. The proposal supports one-day conferences, on combinatorial themes, to be held in the Triangle once a semester, with the aim of fostering regular contact between researchers in the geographic region. Each conference will bring four outstanding mathematicians from around the country to give talks about some of the most significant cutting-edge developments in combinatorics. The focus of combinatorics is the structure of discrete (as opposed to continuous) sets of objects. Combinatorics is critical to many areas of mathematics, and plays a key role in computational, scientific, and engineering applications. The proposed conferences will: enhance the national infrastructure for research and education by creating and strengthening a regional network of interacting researchers; facilitate the dissemination of cutting-edge research ideas, methods and results among researchers in a large portion of the Southeastern U.S.; promote the teaching and training of graduate students and postdoctoral scholars by exposing them to the perspectives of leading researchers; support the development of young faculty at various schools and help them build local support and research networks; and broaden participation of underrepresented groups, particularly women.