Conference Program: https://web.math.princeton.edu/~petero/Browder/Browder.html

9:30 AM — 10:30 AM
Speaker: Zhouli Xu
Location: Lewis Library 120 (Registered Attendees) Lewis Library 121 (Overflow/Walk-In viewing)                                                                                   

The Last Kervaire Invariant Problem in dimension 126

I will survey on the Kervaire invariant problem and discuss the recent solution of the final case in dimension 126, joint work with W. Lin and G. Wang.

11:00 AM — 12:00 PM
Speaker: Richard Schwartz
Location: Lewis Library 120 (Registered Attendees) Lewis Library 121 (Overflow/Walk-In viewing)

The optimal paper Moebius band 

To make a paper Moebius band of aspect ratio L you start with a 1 x L rectangle and then smoothly and isometrically twist it in space so that the ends join together and the whole thing makes a Moebius band. If L is large this is easy to make, and if L is small it is impossible. I will prove that a paper Moebius band of aspect ratio L exists if and only if L is greater than sqrt(3). This bound had been conjectured in 1978 by B. Halpern and C. Weaver. I will also discuss a number of related questions, most of which are unsolved.

12:00 PM GROUP PHOTO (location TBA)

1:15 PM — 2:15 PM
Speaker: Søren Galatius
Location: Lewis Library 120 (Registered Attendees) Lewis Library 121 (Overflow/Walk-In viewing)

Integral lifts of graph complexes 

Graph complexes, as originally defined by Kontsevich, are chain complexes over the rational numbers, defined explicitly by generators and relations. They appear in surprisingly many areas of topology. I will briefly survey their connection to operads and discuss how parts of the theory may be upgraded from rational chain complexes to integral and even space-level objects.

2:30 PM — 3:30 PM
Speaker: Ruth Charney
Location: Lewis Library 120 (Registered Attendees) Lewis Library 121 (Overflow/Walk-In viewing)

A geometric approach to Artin groups 

Artin groups arise naturally as fundamental groups of hyperplane complements. They form a large and diverse collection of groups which include braid groups, free groups, free abelian groups and many more. While some classes of Artin groups are well understood, many remain mysterious, with even very basic questions unanswered. In this talk I will review what is known and not known, then discuss a variety of geometric techniques that have been effective for studying these groups.

4:00 PM — 5:00 PM
Speaker: Tadashi Tokieda
Location: Lewis Library 120 (Registered Attendees) Lewis Library 121 (Overflow/Walk-In viewing)

A Magic Show in Memory of Bill Browder

A magic show should not steal its own thunder with an abstract, but this one is topological (as befits a student of Bill's) and magical (as befits the advisor). It is entertaining for everyone, curious children, and seasoned scientists alike.

5:30 PM — 6:30 PM
Musical Program
Location: Taplin Auditorium

Anthony Coniglio, Susanna Haziot, Brittany M. King, Jisang Kymm, Mark W. McConnell, Peter Ozsváth