Catch-All Mathematical Colloquium

The colloquium will be held once a month. It will be held online for the time being. Each event consists of a one-hour talk on mathematics followed by a one-hour diversity panel discussion session.

https://sites.google.com/view/catch-allmathematicscolloquium/home

In the mathematics part, we will hear an exciting overview talk for a general audience. October speaker is Megumi Harada, Professor of McMaster University. In the discussion session, we will hear about the speaker's personal journey as a mathematician. You can take inspiration from them and exchange ideas with other participants in a small group. After the sessions are over, there will be a tea time where participants can chat freely.

You can join Part I only or both parts of the colloquium. Please register before Oct 18th, 5 pm. Click here to register!

Part I Expository math talk 9-10 am

Speaker: Megumi Harada, McMaster University

Talk Title : An invitation to Newton-Okounkov bodies ... and beyond.

Abstract: This will be an expository talk aimed at a broad audience, including beginning graduate students.

The aim is to give a bird’s-eye view of the research area of Newton-Okounkov bodies, which lies in the rich intersection of algebraic/symplectic geometry, combinatorics, and representation theory, among others. The story will be necessarily biased by my personal taste but I hope will be nevertheless engaging. My story will begin with the theory of toric varieties and fans, which establishes an exact dictionary between the combinatorics of a “fan” and the geometry (and topology) of an associated toric variety. Using toric varieties as a motivation, I will sketch how the theory of Newton-Okounkov bodies (and subsequent developments) have created new links between geometry, combinatorics, and algebra. If the time permits, I will sketch some ways that Newton-Okounkov bodies have contributed to other research areas, including (but not limited to!): symplectic geometry, toric degenerations, and the search for Mori dream spaces.

The talk will be light on details, and instead, it will aim to convey some of the pleasure and excitement of this research area.

Part II Diversity Panel Discussion 10-11 am