The Fields Institute in Toronto will host and fund ($400,000 CAN) a Thematic Program on Discrete Geometry and its Applications, July-December 2011. This project shall provide support for two postdoctoral participants and a graduate student to the Fields thematic program. The goal of the program is to advance the understanding of discrete geometry and its relation to other parts of mathematics including packings and coverings of disks, expansive reconfigurations of spherical disks, visibility problems, optimization problems, algebraic geometry, topology, arrangements, polytopes, rigidity theory both local and global, rigidity and symmetry, geometric probability theory, and convexity as well as engineering problems related to the stability of structures, computational geometry, computational topology, computational structural biology, coding problems, and solid modeling to name a few. The common thread is the role that geometry plays and how a geometric viewpoint provides vital, often the critical insight, into the understanding of discrete structures. The program organizers have scheduled three roughly one-week focus workshops along with a Coxeter Lecture series and a Distinguished Lecture series. In addition, during July and August 2011, the Fields Institute will sponsor a program to introduce undergraduates, in the spirit of the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU), to many of the subjects that will be studied during the rest of the semester. Graduate courses will also be offered for students who will be attending during the semester. Significant numbers of senior and junior researchers and postdoctoral fellows will reside long-term with the program: others will make shorter visits.
This program capitalizes on the rapid development of several related areas in discrete geometry and comes at a time that is excellent for their interaction and common growth. The experienced and highly respected mathematicians, promising younger postdoctoral fellows and graduate students will have the diversity, creativity, and energy to make a significant impact on discrete geometry and its many applications for many years to come. This grant supports the training of two junior U.S. researchers and a graduate student by providing travel support and living expenses, making it possible for them to participate in the program. The participants will experience a wide range of activities including workshops, distinguished lecturer series, courses both specialized and for a general audience, day-to-day interactions for the people there, all connected with top researchers to provide guidance and direction for junior researchers and nonspecialists to provide synergy and excitement for all. The organizers, guided and overseen by the directorate of the Fields Institute will have a priority of making possible the participation and inclusion of qualified students, junior researchers, women, minorities, people with disabilities and under-represented groups. In addition, with the help of the Fields Institute infrastructure, the proposed activities will be communicated widely internationally.
The Fields Institute in Toronto hosted and funded ($400,000 CAN) a Thematic Program on Discrete Geometry and its Applications, July-December 2011. NSF supported junior U.S. participation in the program, such as J. Malestin, A. Kumar, I. Gorbovickis, and L. Theran. The program contributed to the understanding of discrete geometry and its relation to other parts of mathematics including packings and coverings of disks, expansive reconfigurations of spherical disks, visibility problems, optimization problems, algebraic geometry, topology, arrangements, polytopes, rigidity theory both local and global, rigidity and symmetry, geometric probability theory, and convexity as well as engineering problems related to the stability of structures, computational geometry, computational topology, computational structural biology, coding problems, and solid modeling to name a few. The common thread is the role that geometry plays and how a geometric viewpoint provides vital, often the critical insight, into the understanding of discrete structures. The organizers scheduled three roughly one-week focus workshops for each month of September, October, and November 2011, along with a Coxeter Lecture series featuring Steven Smale, and a Distinguished Lecture series featuring Erik Demaine. In addition, during July and August 2011, the Fields Institute sponsored a program to introduce undergraduates, in the spirit of the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU), that has been so successful in the US, to many of the subjects that will be studied during the rest of the semester. Graduate courses were also offered for students who will be attending during the semester. Significant numbers of senior researchers such as Robert Connelly, Walter Whitely, Asia Weiss, Peter McMullen, and junior researchers and postdoctoral fellows such as Tony Nixon, Bernd Schulze, Elissa Ross resided long-term with the program: others made shorter visits. This program capitalized on the rapid development of several related areas in discrete geometry and comes at a time that was excellent for their interaction and common growth. The organizers and participants, who came, have an outstanding track record of contributions to both discrete geometry and its applications. The experienced and highly respected mathematicians, promising younger postdoctoral fellows and graduate students had the diversity, creativity, and energy to make a significant impact on discrete geometry and its many applications for many years to come. NSF funding supported the training of a number of junior U.S. researchers and graduate students by providing travel support and living expenses, making it possible for them to participate in the program. We had a wide range of activities including workshops, courses both specialized and for a general audience, day-to-day interactions for the people there, all connected with top researchers that provided guidance and direction for junior researchers and non-specialists. One high point was a popular lecture by Erik Demaine to a wide audience that included some mathematical magic for children. With the help of the Fields Institute infrastructure, our activities are being communicated widely internationally through a series of proceedings of our activities.
