Dear Students, I am writing you either because you have enrolled in "Math V3951 - Undergraduate Seminars", or because you are on a list of students who may be interested in enrolling. We had our organizational session last Friday, September 10. If you missed it, but you would still like to join an undergraduate seminar this semester, it may still be possible by getting in touch with one of the instructors, or by coming a bit early to one of the seminars. Xander Faber's seminars will meet: 1. Tuesdays, 1:00pm - 2:30pm, 405 Mathematics 2. Thursdays, 9:00am - 10:30am, 405 Mathematics Eric Simring's seminars will meet: 1. Tuesdays, 5:30pm - 7:00pm, 405 Mathematics 2. Tuesdays, 7:15pm - 8:45pm, 405 Mathematics Further information is available at MATH V3951: Undergraduate Seminars I http://www.math.columbia.edu/~bayer/F04/seminar/ Regards, Dave Bayer
For the first seminar, Xander will give a brief introductory talk on this Tuesday on inverse Galois theory, differential Galois theory, and the general framework of Galois theories. We can pursue any or all of these topics. The students will vote on which ones to pursue further and pick the first round of dates to speak. Make sure you have a calendar of some sorts with you.
For the second seminar, Xander will give a lecture on some number theory topics (not yet chosen), and we'll proceed just as in the Tuesday seminar. The topics will be picked so as not to coincide much at all with Darren Glass's algebraic number theory course. Again, make sure you have a calendar with you.
Stay tuned to www.math.columbia.edu/~xander for an undergraduate seminar webpage with new information on Xander's seminars.
Each of Eric's seminars will cover some combination of ideas leading to Topological Quantum Field Theory, and the Jones polynomial, with a focus on examples, stopping on the way to look at symmetry, representations, and lie algebras. Please speak with Eric for more details.
My email address is