Colloquium-Introduction to K-theory and flag manifolds
Fri, 2 March, 2018
6:00pm
Title: Introduction to K-theory and flag manifolds
Speaker: Rebecca Goldin, George Mason University
Date and Time: Friday, March 2, 1:00-2:00pm
Place: Rome 204
Abstract : K-theory is a ring associated to a smooth manifold, where elements represent (virtual) vector bundles. In equivariant K-theory, there is some additional structure (a group action) which gives this ring some nice properties. I will discuss this ring as it relates to the type-A flag manifold, a space consisting of sequences of inclusions of vector spaces.
Bio: Dr. Goldin is a professor of mathematics George Mason University and the Director of STATS at Sense About Science USA. She holds a B.A. in mathematics from Harvard University and a Ph.D. in math from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Mathematics. She has received several grants from the National Science Foundation to support her research in mathematics and in statistics education, as well as the Ruth I. Michler Memorial Prize from the Association of Women in Mathematics. Dr. Goldin is a regular Nifty Fifty speaker at the U.S. Science and Engineering Festival; she also coaches for a math clubs at a local elementary school, and volunteers regularly for the Fairfax Math Circle. Her work with STATS has appeared in many media sources, including NBC, CBS, NPR, CNN, and the Washington Post. She has worked with individually with journalists from the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, NPR, 538, and many other media outlets, as well as run workshops for journalists and students alike. She has given talks about statistics in the media across the country. In 2014, STATS became part of Sense About Science, USA, and a major collaboration with the American Statistical Association was established. Dr. Goldin continues to direct the effort to work with journalists to improve statistical reporting. In the meanwhile, she also enjoys thinking about mathematical problems involving combinatorics, geometry and algebra.
