The University of Notre Dame will host the Conference on Metric Geometry and Applications during March 14-17, 2013. The objective of the conference is to provide a forum for the presentation, exchange and discussion of new ideas and directions in the broad area of metric geometry and its interface with other areas. Another goal of the conference is to provide an informal setting for graduate students and younger researchers in the USA to learn of the newest trends and interact with prominent geometers and geometric analysts. The topics treated at the conference are at the core of metric geometry and its impact on other areas such as comparison geometry, Alexandrov geometry, and geometric analysis with emphasis on geometric flows and complex geometry.
The abstract notion of distance has always played an important role in mathematics and applications. During the last few decades geometry and analysis in this general setting has witnessed dramatic developments and in turn is playing an increasingly important role in many areas of mathematics. The topics to be treated at the conference represent vibrant and growing fields with strong interactions to large classical areas in geometry and analysis. The strong field of speakers include several of the best contemporary researchers in these areas, and their work has opened up new and important avenues of investigation. Besides providing and opportunity for senior researchers to exchange ideas and discuss important new results and directions, another equally important goal of the conference is to foster interaction among graduate students from different universities. Graduate students and junior researchers have much to gain from being exposed to the most recent research problems and from contact with students and faculty from universities other than their own. Participation at such an event could trigger interesting thesis projects, or suggest new ideas for ongoing research. The conference website can be found at http://nd.edu/~conf/mga13/.
The objective of this conference was be to provide a forum for the presentation, exchange and discussion of new ideas and directions in the broad area of metric geometry, including but not limited to topics such as comparison geometry, Alexandrov geometry, and applications of metric geometry to geometric analysis with emphasis on geometric flows and complex geometry. The format consisted of presentations of cutting edge research by fifteen experts in the two main areas of focus, allowing time for questions, discussions and interactions during and after the presentations. The latter aspect was amplified by a setting in which all participants were on campus throughout each day of the conference. In addition to promoting research activities in metric and complex geonetry in the mid-west region, it was a special goal for the conference to provide an informal setting where graduate students and younger researchers would learn of the newest trends and interact with some of the most prominent geometers around the world. The confernce attracted almost twice the number of participants originally planned for, and about half of them were graduate students or young post docs. from across the US and even abroad. It is apparent from those involved that our goals were fully met, and that many new contacts were established providing a bases for promising future developments.
