BINGHAMTON GEOMETRY/TOPOLOGY SEMINAR<br><br>This week in the Geometry and Topology seminar, we have two speakers. The first speaker, Anna Wienhard of Princeton University, is part of our Dean's Speaker Series in Geometry/Topology. The second speaker, Dani Wise of McGill University, will be talking to us on Friday at 10:50am in Science 2 room 143 (note the different time and location).<br>
<br><br><i>Date</i>: Thursday, April 28, 2011<br><i>Time</i>: 2:50-3:50pm<br><i>Place</i>: Library North 2205 followed by coffee/tea in the Anderson Reading Room.<br><br><br><i>Speaker</i>: Anna Wienhard (Princeton)<br>
<b>Dean's Speaker Series in Geometry/Topology</b><br><i>Title</i>: Higher Teichmueller spaces -- from SL(2,R) to other Lie groups<br><br><i>Abstract</i>: The Teichmueller space of a surface S parametrizes hyperbolic structures on S; it can be embedded as a connected component of the representation variety of the fundamental group of S into PSL(2,R). Higher Teichmueller spaces are connected components of representation varieties of the fundamental group of S into more general Lie groups G, which share several algebraic and geometric properties with classical Teichmueller space. A central question is if higher Teichmueller spaces also parametrize geometric structures on the surface S.<br>
<br><br><br><br><i>Date</i>: Friday, April 29, 2011<br><i>Time</i>: 10:50-11:50am<br><i>Place</i>: Science 2 room 143<br><br><br><i>Speaker</i>: Dani Wise (McGill)<br><i>Title</i>: Morse Theory, Random Subgraphs, and Incoherent Groups<br>
<br><i>Abstract</i>: I will use the "probabilistic method" to prove that certain polygons of finite groups have finitely generated subgroups that are not finitely presented. This gives a new family of incoherent Kleinian groups. I'll try to give an idea of what I'm doing here, and perhaps what to expect next.