The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) will host the 53rd Annual Spring Topology and Dynamical Systems Conference, March 14-16, 2019 in Birmingham, Alabama. The Spring Topology and Dynamical Systems Conference (STDC) is one of the longest standing regular conferences in general topology, having started in 1967 and continuing as an annual conference. It attracts participants nationally and internationally. Dynamical systems was added as part of the conference in 1987, when it was held at UAB, and has remained as an integral part ever since. The conference provides opportunities for participants to attend talks outside their specialty, to interact with mathematicians in contiguous fields, and to be inspired by prominent mathematicians in topology and dynamics. Over the years, the STDC has become broader, and now includes continuum theory, dynamical systems, geometric group theory, geometric topology and set-theoretic topology.
Hotel Reservations
Hotel reservations for the 53rd Spring Topology and Dynamical Systems Conference are now available. To make your reservation or find additional information about accommodations, visit the conference booking page.
Attendees are expected to make their own reservations - beware of scams.
For additional accomodations, visit the provided Google Maps resources for hotels and restaurants in the area.
The conference usually attracts 150 to 200 participants and has often attracted over 200 participants. We have every reason to believe, based upon past experience, that in Birmingham the conference will attract over 200 participants. The conference has been one of the foremost forums in which recent results in topology and dynamics are presented and questions of active research interest are posed. In addition to traditional topics covered at the conference, we will explore a new area which has strong connections to participants at the conference: topology and graph theory, including large data sets. This component will be spearheaded by Ben Espinoza.
While the special sessions are intended to highlight the strength and diversity of the areas represented, they also will promote the unity of these areas by providing an opportunity for interaction among the participants in the various special sessions. To further promote unity and interaction, there will be 14 semi-plenary talks of 50-minutes in two parallel sessions, and 6 plenary talks of 50 minutes for a total of 20 invited speakers. It is our intention that these talks in large part emphasize interaction of the research agendas of two or more conference areas.
Abstract Submission
Topology Atlas provides the abstract service for the 53rd Spring Topology and Dynamical Systems Conference. You will need to select a topic area (Special Session) for your abstract upon submission for it to be properly directed for approval. Title and abstract submissions can be made through the abstract submission form.
The deadline for the abstract submission is March 1. Late abstracts may also be considered, time permitting. To review published abstracts, visit the Topology Atlas abstract page.
Special Sessions
To ensure strong and balanced representation in each of the areas central to the conference, we propose to have two organizers for each of six special sessions. The areas and organizers who have agreed to participate are listed below.
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Continuum Theory
Facilitators: Chris Mouron and Gerardo Acosta
Continuum theory is a well-established area of topology that recently has seen a revival. The area is penetrating in adjacent areas, in particular dynamical systems, and old problems are finally being solved (i.e., the classification of all homogeneous plane continua). It is always well represented at this conference with a large number of international participants from Europe, Canada and Mexico.
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Dynamical Systems
Facilitators: Lori Alvin and Nikita Selinger
The special session will continue to explore and encourage the rich interplay between continuum theory, topological dynamics and complex dynamics, in which continuum theoretic methods see fruitful application to the study of Julia sets of complex analytic maps, dynamics on trees and these interactions inspires interesting new questions for continuum theory.
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Geometric Topology
Facilitators: Craig Guilbault, Greg Friedman, and Bena Tshishiku
Geometric topology is the study of manifolds and maps between them. This active and vital area of topology has been strongly represented at this conference since the Bing era.
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Geometric Group Theory
Facilitators: Matt Haulmark, Rob Kropholler, and Talia Fernos
Geometric group theory is an active and relatively new area which became a clearly identifiable branch of mathematics in the late 1980s and early 1990s and continues to this day. Geometric group theory closely interacts with low-dimensional topology, hyperbolic geometry, algebraic topology, computational group theory and differential geometry. While there have often been talks in the area of Geometric Group Theory throughout the history of the conference, instituting it as a distinct special session it was inspired by the classification of Menger manifolds by Bestvina.
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Set Theoretic Topology
Facilitators: Ted Porter and Lynne Yengulap
Set Theoretic Topology is always very strongly represented at this conference. This session covers a blend of set theory and general topology which invigorates both fields.
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Exploratory Session on Topology and Graph Theory
Facilitators: Ben Espinoza
In this exploratory session, we plan to investigate exciting new avenues of research in graph theory and its links to topology. We will invite speakers with expertise in these applications, to bring them together with other faculty, post-doctoral fellows, and students with interests in topology. Our aim is to reveal and highlight new problems and lines of research that will be accessible to and of interest to topologists, and which are inspired by and will have applications to these new fields of study. Contributed talks in this session are most welcome. We will attempt to avoid conflicting talks with the sessions in Continuum Theory and Dynamics.
The special session organizers will be strongly encouraged to identify promising young researchers and graduate students, as well as senior researchers, for speakers in 20 minute talks running in six parallel sessions. Up to 27 talks are slated for each area, with some room for expansion, if needed. Every effort will be made to ensure fair representation among speakers of women and minority groups. Contributed talks in these sessions will also be solicited and welcomed. Organizers will be advised to provide periods for discussion of open problems in the areas they represent.
Invited Speakers
We are very pleased that the following mathematicians have accepted our invitation to give a talk at this conference.
- Carolyn Abbott
(UC-Berkeley), Geometric Group Theory - Dana Bartosova
(U. Florida), Set Theoretic Topology - Jan Boronski
(Ostravska U., Czech Republic), Continuum Theory - Will Brian
(UNC-Charlotte), Set Theoretic Topology - Nathan Carlson
(California Lutheran U.), Set Theoretic Topology - Mauricio Chacon
(BUAP, Mexico), Continuum Theory - Matt Clay
(U. Arkansas), Geometric Group Theory - Silvia Fernandez
(CSU-Northridge), Topology and Graph Theory - Osvaldo Guzman Gonzalez
(U. Toronto), Mary Ellen Rudin Award
- Joel Hass
(UC-Davis), Geometric Topology - James Kelly
(Christopher Newport U.), Continuum Theory - Mikhail Lyubich
(Stony Brook U.), Dynamical Systems - Jonathan Meddaugh
(Baylor U.), Dynamical Systems - Michal Misiurewicz
(IUPUI), Dynamical Systems - Max Pitz
(U. Hamburg), Topology and Graph Theory - Andrew Putman
(Notre Dame), Geometric Topology - Bena Tshishiku
(Harvard U.), Geometric Topology - Genevieve Walsh
(Tufts U.), Geometric Group Theory
Facilities
Talks will be held in the Heritage Hall classroom building with large rooms (6 rooms seating 50-160) for the parallel sessions, and an auditorium (seating ~200) in the same building for the plenary talks. The lobby of Heritage Hall is available for registration (Thursday and Friday morning 7:30-10:30), morning snack (7:30-8:00) and coffee breaks. Internet access can be obtained for visitors by connecting to UABStartHere.
For location information regarding the conference venue and parking, view both the provided Google Maps resource and a detailed map of campus.
Welcome Reception
There will be a Welcome Reception on Wednesday, 5:00-8:00 PM, at Ted's Restaurant, 328 12th Street South, three blocks from the conference venue and six blocks from most hotels. Parking is available at Ted’s for the reception.
Parking
Parking for the conference is free Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at the parking deck on the corner of 13th Street and University Boulevard, one block from the conference venue at Heritage Hall.
Publicity
Full details will be added in the coming months. Information of the conference has been posted on the Topology Atlas and will be posted on the appropriate web pages for each of the conference areas. The conference will be included in the conference listings of the American Mathematical Society, the Canadian Mathematical Society, and the Sociedad Matematica Mexicana.
Travel Support Application
Organizers of the 53rd Spring Topology and Dynamical Systems Conference have applied for National Science Foundation funding to cover travel costs of some participants. Applications from members of under-represented groups, and from graduate students, post-doctoral students, and recently appointed faculty (PhD last 5 years) are given preference. Some funding may be available for senior faculty without other travel support. To apply for funding, please fill out the travel support application.
Mary Ellen Rudin Award
For information about the Mary Ellen Rudin Award, visit the award page. The Mary Ellen Rudin Award is sponsored by Elsevier.
Acknowledgments
The 2019 Spring Topology and Dynamics Conference was partially sponsored by the National Science Foundation.
The 2019 Spring Topology and Dynamics Conference is conducted in cooperation with the Association of Women in Mathematics (AWM), and supports the Non-Discrimination Statement of the AWM. Information about other conferences conducted in cooperation with the Association of Women in Mathematics can be found on the AWM website.
The Organizing Committee also wishes to thank the UAB College of Arts and Sciences for its support.
