Now in its second year, the BUGCAT is a venue where algebra and topology graduate students in all stages of their research can present their work and meet other mathematicians with related research interests. It encourages participation from a diversity of schools. The conference organizing committee, all graduate students, is remarkably diverse in gender, ethnicity, and background, and hence is well positioned to encourage participation by women and minorities.
This year it will be a two-day conference (Nov. 14-15, 2009) on the Binghamton University campus. Participants will include graduate students at all levels. Speakers will be selected based on status as graduate student, postdoc, or professor; relevance of the talk to the algebra and topology theme; and time of registration. Speakers will be chosen with the intent of representing each school from which a speaker applies, but if there is not space, quality of talk content will be considered. Graduate students will give at least 75% of the presentations, and in total there will be 50 thirty-minute presentations delivered by participants. There will also be two keynote speakers, one in algebra and one in topology.
