Speaker: Matthew Hedden (Michigan State University)
Title: Knot theory and complex curves
Abstract: The modern study of knots and links has important roots in the theory of algebraic curves, where links encode subtle features of singularities. The interaction between links in 3-dimensional manifolds and algebraic curves in complex surfaces continues to be a rich source of interesting mathematics. In this talk I will survey the subject, from its seeds in the work of Newton to advances which have occurred in the past decade.
