Conference: Groundwork for Operator Algebras Lecture Series 2023

This award provides funding in support of the 2023 Groundwork for Operator Algebras Lecture Series (GOALS), to be hosted at Purdue University, June 5-17, 2023. The conference offers early-career graduate students an introduction to the basic principles and fundamental techniques of operator algebras, as well as a glimpse into current research topics. A further aim of GOALS is to increase the participation of mathematicians from traditionally underrepresented groups in the field by removing technical barriers and building a strong community of support. Operator algebras is a branch of functional analysis which has a long-standing dialogue with various fields of mathematics and physics, including topology, group theory, conformal field theory, probability, and logic. Although it is a highly active area of research, the depth and breadth of technical knowledge required to begin working in operator algebras can present an obstacle to graduate students wishing to enter the field. The primary aim of GOALS is to help provide early-career graduate students with this much-needed background and introduce them to a variety of more advanced topics of current interest. Activities will include lecture series on the basics of C*-algebras and von Neumann algebras, problem sessions, evening discussions on psychological barriers, expository talks about more advanced topics, and a culminating conference with leading researchers in operator algebras. The community created at GOALS 2023 will be sustained by providing financial support for the participants to reunite at major annual operator algebras conferences such as the Great Plains Operator Theory Symposium in May 2024. More details about GOALS are available at https://users.math.msu.edu/users/banelson/conferences/GOALS.html This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.