Wolfson Lectures: The University of Manchester - 4-10 January 2006

Model category theory

Professor Brooke Shipley, University of Illinois at Chicago

4-10 January 2006; MSS Building, Room TBA

Introduction

Between 4 January and 10 January 2006, Professor Brooke Shipley will deliver a sequence of lectures on model category theory, funded by the Wolfson Foundation. The lectures should be of interest to all mathematicians who would like to hear about, learn to use, or discuss the details of, model categories. Professor Shipley is an expert in the field, and author of several influential papers.

Some knowledge of elementary category theory will be assumed, as well as an awareness of the words fibration and cofibration in a topological context. The lectures will focus on concepts, rather than the full minutiae of every definition. Professor Shipley will also describe recent work (such as cofibrantly generated model categories, monoidal model categories ...) and various examples and applications, including algebraic models, derived categories, and spectra.

Date and venue

The lectures will take place in the Mathematics and Social Sciences Building at the north end of the campus, probably in Room M12. Precise details of the venue will be posted here in due course, and directions will be provided at the entrance to the MSS building on the day. We expect the first lecture to be at 200PM on Wednesday 4 January, and subsequent lectures to be at 1100AM and 400PM on each of Thursday 5 January and Friday 6 January. There may be an additional lecture on Monday 9th. Professor Shipley will be present in the School of Mathematics until the evening of Tuesday 10 January, and available for discussion and consultation.

The MSS building is number 21 on the University Campus map, and lies within 5 minutes walk of Piccadilly railway station, which hosts mainline services to most areas of the UK (London, for example, is 2 hours away, and Manchester International Airport about 20 minutes). Detailed directions are available on http://www.maths.man.ac.uk/mims/directions.html. The talks are timed to combine with the Sheffield Homotopy Theory mini-Conference, 11-14 January 2006 (Sheffield is less than an hour away by train from Piccadilly, and an hour by road).

The Wolfson Lectures form part of the programme of the newly formed Manchester Institute for Mathematical Sciences (MIMS), which expects to move into purpose built facilities within the new School of Mathematics during the summer of 2007. Further information is available from Emily Bauer at Emily.Bauer@manchester.ac.uk (or +44(0)161 275 5812). Emily will be happy to provide details of local accommodation for those who wish to stay in Manchester for the duration of the lectures.