- Thursday, March 23, 2023
- 3:00 PM–4:00 PM
- NH 276
The Mathematics and Statistics Department invites you to the March 23 Colloquium.
Hello! Join us for Thursday's Colloquium in NH 276 at 3:00 pm for light refreshments, followed by a fascinating lecture at 3:10 pm.
Speaker: Professor Dana Hunter (Kalamazoo College)
Title: A Diagrammatic Approach to Invariant Theory and Steenrod Actions
Abstract: Algebraic topologists study geometric objects by associating to them algebraic structures which remain unchanged under deformation. One very powerful such algebraic structure is the cohomology ring, along with its Steenrod squaring operations. After an introduction to these topological notions, we will focus on examples of algebraic structures that show up as cohomology rings (or images of those rings). Our first example will be the ring of symmetric polynomials. We will look at both the product structure and the Steenrod squares in this ring using geometric diagrams. We will then consider the ring of polynomials that are not just symmetric, but invariant under any linear transformation of variables. This will give us Dickson algebras, which with their Steenrod squaring structure are an important building block in a new approach to the classic topological problem of studying families of maps between spheres.
Location details
North Hall 276
