Smoky Mountains / Great Plains Geometry Conference 2016

University Of Tennessee Knoxville, Knoxville TN

Investigators

Abstract

This award provides partial participant support for the Smoky Great Plains Geometry Conference, held August 18-12, 2016, in Townsend, Tennessee. The conference centers on modern developments in geometric analysis and metric geometry. These two closely related fields have played a large role in recent years in advancing several areas of mathematics. Those contributions include the solutions of a number of very famous unsolved problems in mathematics, not only in geometry but also in number theory, topology, and other areas. For example, recent solution of the 100-year-old Poincaré Conjecture relied heavily on methods from geometric analysis and metric geometry. This area of mathematics also has applications to physics, chemistry, engineering, and big data analysis. The conference encourages and supports participation by members of groups underrepresented in mathematics. The technical areas represented in the conference are global and comparison Riemannian geometry, special Riemannian metrics (Einstein, Ricci solitons, and generalizations), isometric group actions, positive curvature, metric geometry, and Alexandrov geometry. The conference features eight plenary speakers and approximately ten shorter talks by early-career mathematicians. The conference activities will bring together leading experts and young researchers and students, facilitating the dissemination of recent research progress and discussion of future directions and open problems. These interactions are expected to lead to cross-fertilization between the more specialized topics presented at the conference and to future progress in both geometric analysis and metric geometry. The conference webpage is available at http://sgpc.math.utk.edu/.