For more information about the Seminar, to suggest speakers, or to volunteer to speak, contact Bahar Acu, Dave Bachman, Sam Nelson, Vin de Silva, or Helen Wong
| Date | Speaker | Title and Abstract |
| Tuesday
September 22 |
Sam Nelson Claremont McKenna College (CMC)
|
Title: Permutation Jones Polynomials
Abstract: The Jones Polynomial is an important invariant of knots with applications in physics, quantum computation and more. In this talk I will introduce a family of generalizations of the Jones polynomial associated to permutations of finite sets and discuss their properties. |
| Tuesday
September 29 |
Helen Wong CMC
|
Title: Introduction to the colored Jones polynomial
Abstract: This is a learning seminar. We will present an accessible definition of the colored Jones polynomial for knots and links and discuss the Volume Conjecture, which relates the colored Jones polynomial of K with the volume of its complement S^3 \K. |
| Tuesday
October 6 |
Puttipong Pongtanapaisan Pitzer College
|
Title: Introduction to Quantum Invariants of 3-Manifolds
Abstract: The previous speakers showed us how to distinguish knots and links using techniques involving quantum groups. I will start by explaining briefly why 3-manifolds, much like the universe we live in, can actually be represented as knots and links with numbers assigned to each component. Furthermore, diagrams of equivalent 3-manifolds differ by a sequence of moves that are highly similar to Reidemeister moves. To study 3-manifolds, we will adapt the techniques discussed by previous speakers to come up with a quantity unchanged by these new moves. I will compute the invariant for some classic examples and draw lots of pictures. |
| Tuesday
October 13 |
Jim Hoste Pitzer College
|
Title: Enumerating 2-bridge knots
Abstract: A new proof of an old theorem. This is joint work with Patrick D. Shanahan (Loyola Marymount University). |
| Tuesday
October 20 |
No Meeting | Fall Break |
| Tuesday
October 27 |
Robert Cass CMC
|
Title: TBA
Abstract: TBA |
| Tuesday
November 3 |
Chris Soteros University of Saskatchewan
|
Title: TBA
Abstract: TBA |
| Tuesday
November 10 |
Vin de Silva Pomona College
|
Title: TBA
Abstract: TBA |
| Tuesday
November 17 |
Bahar Acu Pitzer College
|
Title: TBA
Abstract: TBA |
| Tuesday
November 24 |
No Meeting | Thanksgiving Week |
| Tuesday
December 1 |
Giuseppe Martone Sam Houston State University
|
Title: TBA
Abstract: TBA |
| Tuesday
December 8 |
Dave Bachman Pitzer College
|
Title: TBA
Abstract: TBA |