HMC First Undergrad School to Host Algebraic Geometry Symposium

Harvey Mudd College will host the Western Algebraic Geometry Symposium (WAGS) Feb. 16-17, 2013, making the College the first undergraduate institution to host the prestigious event.

“WAGS is the premier venue in the western United States to learn about cutting-edge research in algebraic geometry,” said Assistant Professor of Mathematics Dagan Karp, the event coordinator. “Algebraic geometry is one of the oldest and most active branches of mathematics. Its current research includes applications to robot motion and image recognition. Relations with other subjects include string theory and theoretical physics.”

Scheduled speakers for the symposium

Federico Ardila, San Francisco State University

Ardila is an associate professor of mathematics who investigates objects in algebra, geometry, topology, phylogenetics and optimization by understanding their underlying combinatorial structure.

Noah Giansiracusa, University of California, Berkeley

Giansiracusa is a National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellow whose research focuses on moduli spaces, birational geometry and geometric invariant theory.

Xinyi Yuan, University of California, Berkeley

Yuan is an assistant professor of mathematics who studies Arakelov geometry, Shimura varieties and automorphic forms.

Zhiwei Yun, Stanford University

Yun is an assistant professor of mathematics whose research focuses on geometric representation theory.

Supported by a National Science Foundation grant and participating institutions, WAGS is held twice a year and draws participants—including students and experts in the field of algebraic geometry—from throughout the western United States. The event is free, but registration is required.