[Binghamton Geometry Topology Seminar] This week: Nicholas Vlamis

[sapir at math.binghamton.edu]

This week we will meet as usual on Thursday, October 24 at 2:50pm in
WH 100E.

We will go to dinner with the speaker after the talk at 6pm, location to
be determined. All are invited!

Speaker: Nicholas Vlamis (CUNY, Queen's College and Graduate Center)
Title: Topology of (big) mapping class groups

Abstract: Mapping class groups inherit a natural topology from the
compact-open topology on homeomorphism groups. When the underlying surface
is of infinite type, this topology is no longer discrete, which allows us
to study these mapping class groups from the perspective of topological
group theory. We will explain how to see that mapping class groups are
Polish groups and how we can use topological aspects to prove algebraic
statements.