Collaborative Research: Oregon Number Theory Days

This award is to support Oregon Number Theory Days, a joint seminar series to be held at University of Oregon, Oregon State University, and Portland State University. For the first year of this seminar series the workshops be held at Portland State University on Saturday, October 21, 2017, at Oregon State University on Saturday, February 24, 2018, and at the University of Oregon, On Saturday, April 21, 2018. Oregon Number Theory Days are targeted primarily at regional graduate students, postdocs, and faculty in number theory located in the Willamette Valley area in the state of Oregon. Each of the host institutions operates on a schedule of three terms per year, and the goal is to hold three seminars per year, one seminar per term, over the course of three years. The speakers will be distinguished researchers in number theory, or related fields of direct interest to number theorists, who are also known to be exceptional expositors. They represent an internationally diverse group of mathematicians, speaking on a wide variety of topics, including topics that are complementary to those already studied by local number theorists in Oregon. In particular, without this seminar series, these topics are harder to access by mathematicians in Oregon. Local postdoctoral fellows and advanced graduate students will also be invited to speak and present their most recent research in an encouraging environment.

Oregon is home to a growing community of researchers and students in number theory, but it is a low-population state which is geographically isolated from the traditional major centers of activity. This poses a significant financial challenge to students and postdoctoral faculty members for travel to conferences and workshops. Oregon Number Theory Days will feature presentations by high-profile international number theory experts on current research topics, which will be of great benefit to students, postdocs, and faculty residing in Oregon. In addition, it will help build a strong sense of community among the number theory researchers within the Willamette Valley area. This seminar series will host a diverse group of participants and speakers. The organizers of Oregon Number Theory Days believe that providing a broad representation of distinguished mathematicians is an important factor in the recruitment and development of underrepresented groups in academia. Oregon Number Theory Days will welcome every interested participant, and will particularly encourage graduate students to participate. This award will primarily be used to support the traveling expenses of local graduate and postdoctoral fellows to the hosting institutions.