Algebraic geometry has a strong and broad representation at the research institutions of the Northeastern states. AGNES is a series of biannual workshops that intends to further the interaction and collaborations between the algebraic geometers in the area. Each workshop is held over a weekend at one of the participating institutions. The workshops include research talks by renowned experts and junior researchers, both from outside the area and within. Professional development sessions and introductory pre-talks are aimed particularly at graduate students. Every workshop culminates with an open problem session. This gives an opportunity to disseminate recent results and developments, and exchange ideas and views about future directions of algebraic geometry.
Algebraic geometry is the study of spaces defined by polynomial equations. Many of the spaces occurring in nature are of this type, and for this reason algebraic geometry has found diverse applications in the sciences. In particular, there are strong connections with recent work in theoretical physics (string theory). This grant will support a series of algebraic geometry conferences in the Northeastern states. The key aims of the series are to expose graduate students to a broad spectrum of research in the field and to improve communication between the many algebraic geometers in the northeast.
Brown held it's session of the Algebraic Geometry North Eastern Series - known as AGNES - in October 26-28, 2012. At least 147 registered participants were in attendance, including a vast majority of PhD students and postdoctoral fellows. These workshops are structured with trainees in mind, with pre-talks, poster session, and proffesional development events. All materials, including lecture program, poster session material, and video, are available on the web site https://sites.google.com/site/agneshomepage/brown-2012. The workshop lecturers were Dmitri Arinkin (University of Wisconsin at Madison), Frederic Campana (University of Nancy), Melody Chan (Harvard University), Daniel Huybrechts (Universitat Bonn), Hee Oh (Brown University), Andrei Okounkov (Columbia University), Cathy Oneil (New York), Christian Schnell (Stony Brook University), and Angelo Vostoli (Scuola Normale Superiore Pisa). Lecturers presented participants with cutting edge mathematics, including pre-talks by angelo Vistoli and Daniel Huybrechts - aimed to prepare graduate students for the deeper material of the main lectures - and a Colloquium style lecture followed by a session on possible future developments by Andrei Okounkov. Catherine O'Neil presented an exciting thought-provoking lecture on mathematics outside academia. Participants represent many institutions in the northeast, including undergraduate institutions. In addition participants arrived from as far as Rochester, Penn State, Wisconsin and the university of British Columbia.
