Graduate Student Colloquium
Steve Smith
UIC
New connections between finite group theory and algebraic topology
Abstract: Historically in finite group theory, the topic of group cohomology
has been more developed in the area of algebraic topology.
Some further connections were developed starting around 1975 by
Brown, Quillen, Webb, and others: using partially ordered subsets
of a finite group, to define simplicial complexes whose topological
properties cast further light on such topics as the group cohomology.
Now in the last 5 years or so, topologists such as Levi, Oliver, Grodal
and others are developing new topological structures such as
"p-local finite groups"---which are spaces which record information
about p-group and conjugacy within them: information which might,
but also might not, arise from a finite group.
The talk will be an exposition, from my viewpoint of finite groups,
of these new developments in topology that many of us are trying to learn
about.
Tea, coffee, questions after the talk...
Friday September 30, 2005 at 3:00 PM in SEO 636