Michael J. Hopkins of Harvard University will deliver the 2009 Howard Rowlee Lecture at 4:00pm on Friday, April 3, 2009 in 115 Avery Hall.
To be preceded by a reception in 348 Avery Hall from 3:15-3:50pm.
In addition to the Rowlee Lecture, there will be a conference on Homotopy theory and applications held April 3-8, 2009.
How topologists count things
Abstract
The mathematical field of Algebraic Topology came into being largely in order to come to grips with a single question: how can we count the number of solutions to an equation? In this talk I will describe some of the remarkable answers mathematicians have found to this question, and how, in recent years, the fundamentals of algebraic topology have been re-thought in order to come to grips with the demands of modern quantum field theory.
About the Speaker
Michael J. Hopkins, whose work linking algebraic topology to other branches of mathematics and physics has earned him a reputation as the world's pre-eminent algebraic topologist, was appointed a professor of mathematics in Harvard University's Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
Hopkins has been a major player in recent developments linking algebraic topology to issues in number theory, such as elliptic curves and modular forms, and contemporary physics, such as string theory. His work has also brought homotopy theory - specifically, understanding of the homotopy groups of spheres, one of the central problems in topology - into closer contact with other fields of mathematics. Continued...
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The Howard Rowlee Lecture series is made possible through a generous donation by Mr. Howard E. Rowlee, Jr., a Lincoln resident and friend of the Department, who has established a fund at the University of Nebraska Foundation to support research in mathematics. The Howard Rowlee Lecture is an annual event which seeks to bring internationally acclaimed scholars in the mathematical sciences to UNL to promote public understanding of mathematical research and to stimulate the environment for mathematics research at UNL. The inaugural Howard Rowlee Lecture was given in 1997 by Efim Zelmanov, Professor of Mathematics at Yale University and the winner of the Fields Medal in 1994 for his seminal contributions to algebra.
Complete Listing of Howard Rowlee Lecturers
| Year | Speaker | Institution |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Mike Hopkins | Harvard University |
| 2008 | Peter Sarnak | Institute for Advanced Study |
| 2007 | Béla Bollobás | Trinity College, Cambridge, and the University of Memphis |
| 2006 | Ingrid Daubechies | Princeton University |
| 2005 | James P. Keener | University of Utah |
| 2004 | Donald Saari | University of California, Irvine |
| 2003 | Mark J. Ablowitz | University of Colorado, Boulder |
| 2002 | Ron Graham | University of California, San Diego |
| 2001 | Vaughan F. R. Jones | University of California, Berkeley |
| 2000 | Melvin Hochster | University of Michigan |
| 1999 | Bradley Efron | Stanford University |
| 1998 | Avner Friedman | University of Minnesota |
| 1997 | Efim Zelmanov | Yale University |
Previous lectures in this series have also been supported by the Department of Mathematics, the College of Arts and Sciences, and the University of Nebraska–Lincoln Research Council.
