This is a proposal for the 16th West Coast Operator Algebra Seminar (WCOAS), to be held for the first time at California State University Long Beach (CSULB) on February 02-03, 2008. Support is requested for speakers, graduate students, post-docs, and partial support for other participants. Approximately 60 participants are expected, including 30 graduate students and post-docs to attend the yearly weekend seminar, which will feature 6 hour-long and 5 half hours-long talks on current topics.
The WCOAS is a two decades-long tradition among the operator algebraists in the western United States. The seminar provides a tremendous opportunity for researchers in the field, which fosters and reinforces ties among the western universities. Additionally, the seminar provides young researchers with a forum to present their latest results and discuss them with senior mathematicians. This creates opportunities and future connections for graduate students. Furthermore, this event keeps the field specialists updated with the latest discoveries and projects. For math graduate students, this will be an inspiring event: they will be able to observe and interact with professionals devoted to mathematical research. The high concentration of operator algebraists in the western United States and Canada has been the main reason for the huge success of the WCOAS.
