Graduate Student Workshops in Mathematics with Applications to Physics

Suny At Stony Brook, Stony Brook NY

Investigators

Abstract

Abstract Award: DMS 1242046, Principal Investigator: John W. Morgan This award provides partial support for graduate student workshops on "String Phenomenology" (July 2012) and "Symplectic Topology" (October 2012) at Stony Brook University. The Simons Center has programs at the cutting edge of research in geometry, in theoretical physics, and in areas of overlap between the two fields. These programs bring together senior researchers, mid-career experts, and postdocs with a common interest around a topic in geometry or physics. The purpose of this project is to expose these fields to graduate students and give them access to the expertise of the assembled workers in the field. The project calls for workshops aimed specifically at graduate students with approximately 40 students being invited to each workshop. The graduate students are invited to the Center and supported during their stay, which will be either one week or two weeks. They will listen to introductory talks in the chosen area by experts in the field, and then later in the workshop by more specialized talks by other graduate students. The programs at the Simons Center for Geometry and Physics bring together experts on various topics in geometry and physics to exchange ideas and to learn of the results of other workers in the field. This is one of the best ways for various workers in the field to become aware on all the latest trends and ideas in their subject. The project extends the scope of these programs by providing activities within the overall scientific framework aimed specifically at graduate students, who are not otherwise usually included in the activities. A week or two is dedicated to a workshop aimed at graduate students and approximately 40 students are invited to the Center and supported during their stay. During the workshop experts in the field give talks suitable for graduate students; also there are more specialized talks by the graduate students. This exposes the students to the field, to many of the leading researchers in the field, and to other graduate students with similar interests. This will ease their integration into the field and assist them as they launch their own research careers. The URL for the first of these workshops is: http://scgp.stonybrook.edu/archives/3978