Malabika Pramanik, University of British Columbia
"Needles, bushes, hairbrushes and polynomials"
Points, lines and circles are among the most primitive and fundamental of mathematical concepts, yet few geometric objects have generated more beautiful and nontrivial mathematics. Deceptively simple in their formulation, many classical problems involving sets of lines or circles remain open to this day. I will begin with a sample that has spearheaded much of modern research, and explore connections with analysis, geometry, combinatorics - maybe also parallel parking.
Reception at 3:30pm; lecture at 4:00pm.