Principal Investigator: Kevin D. Corlette
This project will support activities of the geometry/topology group at the University of Chicago which have an impact on the training of graduate students. This group currently consists of six senior faculty, thirteen junior faculty and about thirty graduate students. The research interests of members of the group span a wide array of topics in geometry and topology, including complex differential geometry, rigidity and locally symmetric spaces, connections of ergodic theory with discrete groups and number theory, geometric group theory, 3-manifold topology, Teichmuller theory, geometric topology of high-dimensional manifolds, the moduli space of Riemannian metrics, complex dynamics, symplectic topology and homotopy theory. The activities of the group include active research seminars in geometry/topology and algebraic topology, several student seminars and a visitors program, all of which are directly relevant to the education of graduate students. These activities, in combination with the general structure of the graduate program in the department, provide ideal conditions for students to gain exposure to a broad range of current research while pursuing their own specific research projects.
Geometry and topology are fundamental parts of mathematics which are currently experiencing rapid development, with many new ideas and lines of investigation being pursued. Many of these developments are internal to the subject, while others arise, at least in part, from contact with fields such as physics and computer science. It is particularly exciting to be a student in a field undergoing this kind of change, but it is at the same time a challenge to orient oneself when the landscape is rapidly changing. This project will enhance the ability of doctoral students at the University of Chicago to learn about and do research in these areas, thus helping to train the next generation of researchers in geometry and topology. In addition to providing direct support for graduate students as they do research, the project will also provide support for graduate students to travel to conferences and the bring visitors to the University for seminar talks and collaboration. All of this is intended to expose graduate students to the frontlines of research as effectively as possible.
