Conference on the work of W. Hugh Woodin

Miami University, Oxford OH

Investigators

Abstract

This award provides support for participants to Conference on the work of W. Hugh Woodin,to be held at Harvard University during March 27-29, 2015. Professor Woodin has been one of the top figures in mathematical logic since the early 1980's, and he has made important contributions to other areas, both in mathematics and philosophy. In addition to his many results, Woodin has introduced a number of important technical methods, and he has been the primary developer of some of the deepest areas of foundational research. The meeting will attract a diverse audience, and it will promote awareness and understanding of Woodin's work and its importance. For younger researchers, it will be an excellent opportunity to interact with some of the best-known figures in mathematical logic. Funds are requested to cover the travel expenses of the speakers and student participants. The conference will focus on areas to which Woodin has made major contributions include applications of set theory to analysis, forcing and large cardinals (especially work on the continuum function), the relationship between large cardinals and the Axiom of Determinacy, forcing over models of determinacy, using inner models to prove lower bounds in consistency strength for natural combinatorial statements via his core model induction technique, building inner models for the largest large cardinals, the structure of the Turing degrees, and the philosophy of set theory. Much of this work is unpublished, technically deep and understood in detail by only small groups of experts. The speakers for the meeting have been chosen to cover as much of this ground as possible. More details on the conference can be found at the web site http://logic.harvard.edu/woodin_meeting.html.