Barrett Lectures

University Of Tennessee Knoxville, Knoxville TN

Investigators

Abstract

"The 43rd Barrett Memorial Lectures - On the Proof of the Wilmore Conjecture" will be held at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, on May 4-5, 2013. The Willmore Conjecture was one of the most important open problems in geometric analysis, dating back almost 50 years. The conjecture was recently solved by Fernando Marques of IMPA, Brazil, and Andre Neves of Imperial College in the UK, who will be the speakers at the conference. The annual Barrett Memorial Lectures at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, is one of the longest-standing series of mathematical survey lectures in the country. This year, the conference will focus on the recent solution of a well-known problem in Geometric Analysis that dates back almost half a century. Support from the National Science Foundation will be combined with support from the University of Tennessee and the UT Mathematics Department to fund travel of participants to the conference. First consideration for travel funding will be given to participants who are within 5 years of earning (or expecting to earn) a PhD in Mathematics. Members of under-represented groups will be especially encouraged to apply for funding. The high profile nature of the conjecture, its elusive proof, and its relatively simple statement, should attract participants from various areas of mathematics and closely related fields such as physics. http://www.math.utk.edu/barrett/index.html