UNSW Pure Maths Seminar: Savage -- Categorification for the vacationing mathematician

           THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES

             DEPARTMENT OF PURE MATHEMATICS


_________________DEPARTMENTAL SEMINAR __________________


Speaker: Prof Alistair Savage (University of Ottawa)

Title:         Categorification for the vacationing mathematician

Date:      Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Time:       2:00 pm
Venue:    RC-4082, The Red Centre, UNSW

Abstract:
This will be an expository talk concerning the idea of
categorification and its role in representation theory.  We will begin
with some very simple yet beautiful observations about how various
ideas from basic algebra (monoids, groups, rings, representations
etc.) can be reformulated in the language of category theory.  We will
then explain how this viewpoint leads to new ideas such as the
``categorification’’ of the above-mentioned algebraic objects.  We
will conclude with a brief synopsis of some current active areas of
research involving the categorification of quantum groups.  One of the
goals is to produce higher-dimensional topological quantum
field theories.  Very little background knowledge will be assumed.