Kick-off Colloquium of the PIMS CRG “Explicit Methods for Abelian Varieties”

As part of the opening workshop of the PIMS CRG “Explicit Methods for Abelian Varieties”, we are pleased to welcome Prof. Kumar Murty (Toronto), who will give a colloquium on the subject. This talk is intended for a general science audience, and will be followed by a light reception. No advance registration is required. Title: Symmetry, Periodicity and Information Security Abstract: Two notions that are of central importance in mathematics are symmetry and periodicity. The concept of symmetry is connected to the theory of groups, an important part of algebra, and periodicity is connected with harmonic analysis and special functions, an important part of analysis. The two notions come together in the geometric structure known as an Abelian variety. These varieties, which abound in nature, are now also fundamental to information security. For example, they form the basis of the security of a Blackberry. In this informal talk, we will discuss symmetry and periodicity and illustrate them with examples. We will then introduce the concept of an Abelian variety and explain its connection to information security.

Location:

Math Sciences 431

Speaker:

Prof. Kumar Murty works in Number Theory and Algebraic Geometry, and their application to problems in Information Technology. His received his Ph.D. in 1982 under the direction of John Tate at Harvard University. After spending a year each at the Institute for Advanced Study (Princeton) and the Tata Institute for Fundamental Research (Mumbai), he joined Concordia University as an NSERC University Research Fellow. In 1987, he moved to the University of Toronto where he is Professor and Chair. Kumar received the Coxeter-James prize of the Canadian Mathematical Society in 1991, a Steacie Fellowship from NSERC in 1995, and was elected to the Royal Society of Canada in 1995. He was elected a Fellow of the Fields Institute in 2003 and a Foreign Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences (India) in 2011. He has published more than 100 papers and authored or edited 6 books in number theory, algebraic geometry and their applications to security, privacy and data integrity. He also holds 2 patents in data integrity and identity management.

More information at http://www.ucalgary.ca/events/calendar/kick-colloquium-pims-crg-explicit-methods-abelian-varieties