This proposal requests funding for the organization of the conference "Riemannian Topology and Geometric Structures on Manifolds," to be held at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, Oct. 10-14, 2006. The objective of this meeting is to provide a forum for the discussion of recent advances in the areas of positive sectional curvature, Kaehler and Sasakian geometry, and their interrelation to mathematical physics, especially M and Superstring theory. We intend to create and provide a platform for the discussion of these fundamental ideas, the growth they have experienced in the recent past, and the open problems of interest.
The conference plans to unite a range of worldwide experts, members of the local group at UNM, and graduate students and young mathematicians from across the country and beyond, to create an interactive environment for the discussion and understanding of advances in these various branches of mathematics and theoretical physics, for the firm grasp of their many recent results, and for the discussion of plaussible approaches to attack a number of interesting open questions. Strong effort is to be made to encourage the participation of mathematicians from all over the nation, and in particular those belonging to the large minority population of the Rocky mountain area. The impact of this activity is expected to be made long lasting by the prompt dissemination of its results, presenting the scientific community with the Proceedings of the conference shortly after its completion.
