Georgia Institute of Technology College of Sciences

The Whitney-Graustein theorem classifies immersions of the circle in the plane by their turning number. In this talk, I will describe a proof of this theorem, as well as a related result due to Hopf.

A recent extension by Guth (2015) of the basic polynomial partitioning technique of Guth and Katz (2015) shows the existence of a partitioning polynomial for a given set of k-dimensional varieties in R^d, such that its zero set subdivides space into open cells, each meeting only a small fraction of the given varieties. For k > 0, it is unknown how to obtain an explicit representation of such a partitioning polynomial and how to construct it efficiently. This, in particular, applies to the setting of n algebraic curves, or, in fact, just lines, in 3-space. In this work we present an efficient algorithmic construction for this setting almost matching the bounds of Guth (2015); For any D > 0, we efficiently construct a decomposition of space into O(D^3\log^3{D}) open cells, each of which meets at most O(n/D^2) curves from the input. The construction time is O(n^2), where the constant of proportionality depends on the maximum degree of the polynomials defining the input curves. For the case of lines in 3-space we present an improved implementation using a range search machinery. As a main application, we revisit the problem of eliminating depth cycles among non-vertical pairwise disjoint triangles in 3-space, recently been studied by Aronov et al. Joint work with Boris Aronov and Josh Zahl.

Let Mod(Sg) denote the mapping class group of the closed orientable surface Sg of genus g ≥ 2. Given a finite subgroup H < Mod(Sg), let Fix(H) denote the set of fixed points induced by the action of H on the Teichmuller space Teich(Sg). In this talk, we give an explicit description of Fix(H), when H is cyclic, thereby providing a complete solution to the Modular Nielsen Realization Problem for this case. Among other applications of these realizations, we derive an intriguing correlation between finite order maps and the filling systems of surfaces. Finally, we will briefly discuss some examples of realizations of two-generator finite abelian actions.

We model and analyze the dynamics of religious group membership and size. A groups is distinguished by its strictness, which determines how much time group members are expected to spend contributing to the group. Individuals differ in their rate of return for time spent outside of their religious group. We construct a utility function that individ- uals attempt to maximize, then find a Nash Equilibrium for religious group participation with a heterogeneous population. We then model dynamics of group size by including birth, death, and switching of individuals between groups. Group switching depends on the strictness preferences of individuals and their probability of encountering members of other groups. We show that in the case of only two groups one with finite strictness and the other with zero there is a clear parameter combination that determines whether the non-zero strictness group can survive over time, which is more difficult at higher strictness levels. At the same time, we show that a higher than average birthrate can allow even the highest strictness groups to survive. We also study the dynamics of several groups, gaining insight into strategic choices of strictness values and displaying the rich behavior of the model. We then move to the simultaneous-move two-group game where groups can set up their strictnesses strategically to optimize the goals of the group. Affiliations are assumed to have three types and each type of group has its own group utility function. Analysis on the utility functions and Nash equilibria presents different behaviors of various types of groups. Finally, we numerically simulated the process of new groups entering the reli- gious marketplace which can be viewed as a sequence of Stackelberg games. Simulation results show how the different types of religious groups distinguish themselves with regard to strictness.