CIMPA Research School on Combinatorial and Computational Algebraic Geometry

University of Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria, 11—24 June 2017.

Pictures from the School    
Schedule    
List of Participants    
Information Sheet About School (.pdf)
Poster for the School (courtesy of the Fields Institute)    
We acknowlege additional support from The University of Ibadan, CDC of the IMU, ICTP, Fields Institute, Perimeter Institute, National Science Foundation Grant DMS-1501370, Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences, Leipzig, Department of Mathematics, Texas A&M University, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Emory University, and the French Embassy in Nigeria.

We will be staying at Adebayo Akande Hall near the University of Ibadan Campus.
Registration:
The registration for the school is now closed.
Scientific Committee:
Dr. H. Praise Adeyemo, (University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria), Co-chair.
Erwan Brugallé, (École polytechnique), Co-chair.
Victoria Powers, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Frank Sottile, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA.

Local Organization Committee

Prof. G.O.S. Ekhaguere, University of Ibadan  .
Prof. Ezekiel Ayoola, University of Ibadan  .
Prof. O.O. Ugbebor, University of Ibadan  .
Prof. V.F. Payne, University of Ibadan  .
Dr. U.N. Bassey, HOD Mathematics, University of Ibadan  .
Dr. Deborah Ajayi, University of Ibadan  .
Dr. M. EniOluwafe, University of Ibadan
Dr. H. Praise Adeyemo, University of Ibadan  .
Dr. Babatunde Onasanya, University of Ibadan
Dauda Dikko, University of Ibadan
Ini Adinya, University of Ibadan
A. Akeju, University of Ibadan
Ignatius Ngwongwo (Ph.D Student), University of Ibadan
Felemu Olasupo (Ph.D Student), University of Ibadan
Kayode Oke (M.Sc), University of Ibadan

Ex Officio

Prof. A. Kuku (President, African Academy of Sciences).
Prof. S.A. Ilori (AMMSI Regional Coordinator Zone 1 (Anglophone)).
Prof. A.T. Solarin (President, African Mathematical Union).
Prof. M.O. Ibrahim (President, Mathematical Association of Nigeria).
Prof. N.I. Akinwande (President, Nigerian Mathematical Society).

Scientific Overview:

  This research school will introduce the participants to some basics of algebraic geometry with an emphasis on computational aspects, such as Groebner bases and combinatorial aspects, such as toric varieties and tropical geometry. We will also learn how to use the freely available software Macaulay2 for studying algebraic varieties. The lecturers for this school are all active in these areas and collectively have deep experience both as researchers and educators through the supervision of students; Ph.D. and postdoctoral, as well as the organization of and lecturing in short courses.


Scientific Program:

    This CIMPA Research School will last two weeks, and will have seven short courses of four or five lectures each, as described below. These will range from foundational to provide background through more advanced topics. We plan to have lectures in the morning and just after lunch (approximately four hours each day) with afternoon exercise sessions, including computer labs to gain experience using open-source software such as Macaulay2. Each day of the research school will conclude with a more advanced research talk given by participants and by some distinguished Nigerian Mathematicians. This model of lectures, exercise sessions, and research talks has been used successfully at past summer schools.
    This school is aimed at faculty and advanced graduate students from Nigeria and neighboring countries. We are planning to have approximately 40 participants with 25 from Nigeria and 15 from other countries from Africa, particularly from Nigeria's neighbours, both anglophone and francophone. If more funding is found, we will invite more students.


Lectures:

Dr. H. Praise Adeyemo, University Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo, Nigeria. Ideals and Varieties.
  Quoting Sophie Germain, "Algebra is written geometry and geometry is drawing algebra". Algebraic geometry is the study of common zeroes associated to a set of polynomials. I will give a short course on algebraic sets and ideals. This will focus on Hilbert's theorems and their consequences which establish a dictionary between algebraic sets and ideals. This dictionary is the source of the strength of algebraic geometry, for it allows us to study algebraic sets through their defining polynomials and vice versa
Dr. Erwan Brugallé, École polytechnique, Paris, France. Enumerative geometry of plane curves.
  Enumerative geometry is the area of mathematics which studies questions like: how many lines pass through two points (easy)? How many conics pass through five conics pass through five points (easy)? How many cubics with a crossing point pass through 8 points (less easy)?... The aim of this course is to give a basic introduction to this topic from different points of view: enumeration of algebraic curves, and enumeration of tropical curves. In particular, tropical geometry provides an efficient tool to solve enumerative problem via combinatorial methods.
Dr. Damian Maingi, University Nairobi, Kenya. Gröbner Bases.
  Algebraic structures, polynomials, and ideals of polynomial rings. Gr&oum;obner basis basics, orderings on monomials, division algorithm, monomials ideals, Hilbert Basis Theorem and Gröobner Basis Buchberger's algorithm, ideal membership problem, implication problem and elimination theory.
Prof. Victoria Powers Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Positive polynomials and sums of squares
  If a real polynomial f can be written as a sum of squares of real polynomials, then clearly f must take only nonnegative values in real n-space. This simple fact and generalizations of it underlie a large body of theoretical and computational results concerning positive polynomials and sums of squares. We will introduce the subject, discuss its history, which goes back to Hilbert's work in the late 19th century, and look at recent advances, computational aspects, and applications.
Dr. Kristin Shaw, Max Planck Institut, Leipzig. Tropical, discrete, and algebraic geometry   This course will be an introduction to tropical geometry. The primary goal will be to highlight its applications to both discrete and algebraic geometries.
  Tropical geometry can be viewed as algebraic geometry over the max-plus semi-field. Its objects are polyhedral in nature and are of interest to classical algebraic geometers because tropical varieties appear via a degeneration procedures of classical varieties. Yet, in the world of tropical geometry there are many objects not arising in this way. Sometimes they arise purely from combinatorics.
  In this way, tropical geometry provides a powerful bridge between the worlds of combinatorics and algebraic geometry and the benefits of this connection go both ways. Combinatorial methods can be used to solve problems in classical algebraic geometry. A major example of this is the tropical enumerative geometry of complex and real curves via Mikhalkin's correspondence theorem.
  On the other hand, tools standard in algebraic geometry can be used to approach structures in discrete mathematics. This has been quite useful in the study of matroids, which, thanks to tropical geometry, can be treated with the tools and theorems of classical algebraic geometry. In particular, the development of the tropical intersection theory has led to the resolution of conjectures in matroid theory in the very recent work of Adiprasito, Huh and Katz.
Prof. Frank Sottile, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA. Toric Varieties.
  Among the simplest ideals are toric ideals–prime ideals generated by binomials. These are the ideals of toric varieties, and they enjoy a strong relation to geometric combinatorics of point conficurations, integer polytopes, and fans. This course will introduce toric ideals, leading to the basic theory of toric varieties.
Prof. Bernd Sturmfels University of California, Berkeley, California, USA. Tensors
  Eigenvectors of square matrices are central to linear algebra. Eigenvectors of tensors are a natural generalization. The spectral theory of tensors was pioneered by Lim and Qi a decade ago, and it has found numerous applications. We discuss the use of orthogonal tensor decompositions in data analysis, and we present work with Abo and Seigal aimed at characterizing which configurations of vectors arise as the eigenvectors of some tensor. This short course also serves an invitation to applied algebraic geometry.


Last modified: Thu Jul 13 14:32:12 EDT 2017