Combinatorics is a growing and important area of mathematics. The states of North Carolina, Virginia, South Carolina, Kentucky and Tennessee have recently seen an influx of research strength in combinatorics and adjacent areas. In particular, a remarkably large number of tenure-track combinatorialists (including several from underrepresented groups) currently work at various colleges and universities within about 5-6 hours drive of the Research Triangle area of North Carolina. The proposal supports one-day conferences, on combinatorial themes, to be held in the Triangle once a semester, with the aim of fostering regular contact between researchers in the geographic region. Each conference will bring four outstanding mathematicians from around the country to give talks about some of the most significant cutting-edge developments in combinatorics.
The focus of combinatorics is the structure of discrete (as opposed to continuous) sets of objects. Combinatorics is critical to many areas of mathematics, and plays a key role in computational, scientific, and engineering applications. The proposed conferences will: enhance the national infrastructure for research and education by creating and strengthening a regional network of interacting researchers; facilitate the dissemination of cutting-edge research ideas, methods and results among researchers in a large portion of the Southeastern U.S.; promote the teaching and training of graduate students and postdoctoral scholars by exposing them to the perspectives of leading researchers; support the development of young faculty at various schools and help them build local support and research networks; and broaden participation of underrepresented groups, particularly women.
conferences in the Research Triangle region of North Carolina during the period from 2010 to 2012. The conferences attracted over 50 participants, on average, from a wide area across the southeastern U.S. as well as from other regions. The conferences particularly benefitted young faculty, many of whom also happened to be female. Grant funds supported travel for speakers and for other participants. Intellectual Merit: The Triangle Lectures in Combinatorics conferences foster regular contact between researchers in the geographic region. They facilitate supportive interaction between participants and the broader research community. This interaction was particularly beneficial to tenure-track and recently tenured combinatorialists, some of whom are scientifically isolated. Broader Impacts: The Triangle Lectures in Combinatorics conferences enhance the national infrastructure for research and education by creating and strengthening a regional network of interacting researchers. They facilitate the dissemination of cutting-edge research ideas, methods and results among researchers and promote the teaching and training of graduate students by exposing them to the perspectives of leading researchers. The conferences support the development of young faculty and graduate students at various schools and help them build local support and research networks. The conferences also broaden participation of underrepresented groups, particularly women.
