Summer School in Modern Mathematics

An international summer school in Modern Mathematics took place from August 20^th to 29^th 2014, in Lyon, France. It was organized by Universite de Lyon, ENS de Lyon, Plaisir Maths, and Jacobs University, and was hosted by Ecole Normale superiuere de Lyon. Daria Alexeeva, student of the HSE Faculty of Mathematics, shared her impressions of the event.

The school included eight mini-courses, which were divided into two levels: plenary lectures and advanced lectures. Speakers included researchers from Europe and the USA, namely professors John Conway (Princeton University), Ilia Itenberg (Universite Pierre et Marie Curie) and Don Zagier (Max Planck Institute Bonn). Lecture topics were varied, including differential equations, tropical geometry, logics, group theory, and number theory as well as many others. The school attracted a total of 80 students from 40 countries.

Personal impressions

I was incredibly happy to attend this summer school! I believe such events give us many unique opportunities, for example, we could listen to lectures by renowned researchers from various universities, and immerse ourselves in certain topics thanks to the intensive programme. I should particularly mention the friendly atmosphere and possibilities for informal communication with our lecturers. It’s great when you can talk to the speakers and ask your questions in person. It was thrilling to meet students from different countries and exchange experience and knowledge.

For me, the most interesting topic at the school was tropical geometry, taught as a mini-course by Ilia Itenberg. It inspired me to read the article ‘A bit of tropical geometry’ by Erwan Brugalle.

Thanks to everyone who supported my participation in this school!

Daria Alexeeva, student of the HSE Faculty of Mathematics