This award supports the research training of postdoctoral researchers, PhD students and undergraduates in the mathematics department at the University of Georgia working in three closely related geometric areas: algebraic geometry, symplectic geometry and low-dimensional topology. These fields deal with both foundational questions at the heart of pure mathematics, such as understanding the possible shapes of spaces and their descriptions in terms of equations, and questions related to mathematical physics, computation and new ideas for analysis of large data. The training includes collaborative seminars, outreach and visualization projects, summer schools, visiting speakers, and research working groups.
This RTG award supports students and postdocs working under the supervision of eight topologists, algebraic geometers and symplectic geometers at the University of Georgia (UGA). The topologists all work on problems that have strong connections with symplectic and contact topology, the algebraic geometers study moduli spaces that have fascinating topology and can be studied using symplectic techniques, with connections to mirror symmetry and mathematical physics, while the symplectic geometry work extends all the way to connections with topological data analysis. In addition to special seminars, workshops, RTG bridge-building topics courses, research working groups, and computational working groups, this project supports several innovative outreach and recruitment-oriented activities. These include the Geometry Research, Outreach and Visualization Initiative, in collaboration with Moon Jang, UGA associate professor of graphic design, and with interdisciplinary project management provided by the UGA Arts Collaborative, which involves participants from multiple levels working together on visual communication projects directly related to this RTG’s research activities.
Funder: National Science Foundation
Amount: $2,497,014
PI: David Gay, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Mathematics