Principal Investigator: Philip L. Boyland, Louis S. Block, Alexander N. Dranishnikov, James E. Keesling
The University of Florida Department of Mathematics will host a joint Ulam Centennial and 43rd Annual Spring Topology and Dynamical Systems Conference (Ulam Centennial STDC-2009) from Saturday, March 7 through Thursday, March 12, 2009. The Annual Spring STDC's are among the nation's most successful series of topology/dynamics conferences. Stanislaw Ulam would turn 100 in Spring, 2009. He was one of the preeminent mathematical scientists of the 20th century and a Graduate Research Professor at the University of Florida. In light of Ulam's many contributions to topology, dynamics, and related fields, it is very fitting that the annual STDC be combined with an Ulam Centennial. The joint conference will maintain the basic structure and sessions of the STDC, but will be extended by 3 days to allow additional special sessions and plenary lectures in the areas of Ulam's many contributions to mathematics and science.
Topology studies generalized notions of spatial structure; Dynamical Systems studies the topological and analytic nature of time evolution. Each is a fundamental part of modern mathematics and has applications as far ranging as robotics, fluid mixing, computer networks and cardiac rhythms. Conferences are fundamental to the strength and development of mathematics, and as such are a fundamental part of the national scientific infrastructure. This conference will combine the latest results in Topology and Dynamical Systems with many applied topics associated with Stan Ulam. While Ulam is perhaps best remembered by the public for his participation in the Manhattan Project, his mathematical and scientific contributions were wide and deep. They include significant work in numerical methods, classical mechanics, dynamical systems, number theory, graph theory, set theory, and ergodic theory. Inspired by Ulam's example, the conference will advance top quality research in Topology and Dynamical Systems while facilitating broad and deep interaction among adjacent mathematical research areas and between abstract and applied research.
