Equivariant, Motivic, and Physical Topology in the Midwest

This three-day conference celebrates the 60th birthday and influential career of Igor Kriz, whose groundbreaking contributions have shaped modern perspectives in homotopy theory and its interactions with physics. This special event will gather leading researchers and early-career mathematicians from around the world for a series of stimulating lectures, discussions, and collaborations.

The conference will spotlight cutting-edge developments in equivariant and motivic homotopy theory, as well as their deep connections to mathematical physics and symplectic topology. Invited talks by prominent experts will explore recent advances and open problems at the rich interface of these fields, honoring the wide-ranging impact of Kriz’s work.

We warmly invite you to be part of this celebration of mathematics, community, and visionary research.

Registration

If you plan to attend, please complete the registration form below. The National Science Foundation has graciously provided some funding for graduate students and junior researcher participants. If you wish to apply for travel funding, you may do so on the registration form. The deadline to apply for this support is September 5th, 2025.

All registrants will be asked for a personal statement. If you’re not requesting funding this can be very brief, e.g., a copy of your CV. Graduate students will be asked for contact information for a mentor to provide a brief letter of support.

There will be a banquet on the evening of Friday, October 24th at the Tea House. If you are interested in attending, please fill out this RSVP form by Tuesday, October 21st.

Speakers

David Ayala, Montana State University
Agnès Beaudry, University of Colorado, Boulder
Jeremiah Heller, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Mike Hill, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
Po Hu, Wayne State University
Daniel Kriz, Università degli Studi di Milano
Sophie Kriz, Princeton University
Tyler Lawson, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
Yunze Lu, University of California, San Diego
Peter May, University of Chicago
Morgan Opie, Northwestern University
JD Quigley, University of Virginia
Hisham Sati, New York University, Abu Dhabi

Schedule

Talk titles and abstracts

Friday

12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. – Arrival and registration
1:30 p.m. - 1:40 p.m. – Very brief welcome remarks
1:40 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. – Jeremiah Heller
2:30 p.m. - 2:50 p.m. – Break
2:50 p.m. - 3:40 p.m. – Po Hu
3:40 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. – Break
4:00 p.m. - 4:50 p.m. – Mike Hill
4:50 p.m. - 5:10 p.m. – Break
5:10 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. – Yunze Lu
7:00 p.m. – Dinner at Tea House

Saturday

8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. – Coffee and light breakfast
9:00 a.m. - 9:50 a.m. – Hisham Sati
9:50 a.m. - 10:10 a.m. – Break
10:10 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. – David Ayala
11:00 a.m. - 11:20 a.m. – Break
11:20 a.m. - 12:10 p.m. – Agnès Beaudry
12:10 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. – Lunch break
2:00 p.m. - 2:50 p.m. – Daniel Kriz
2:50 p.m. - 3:10 p.m. – Break
3:10 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. – JD Quigley
4:00 p.m. - 4:20 p.m. – Break
4:20 p.m. - 5:10 p.m. – Peter May

Sunday

8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. – Coffee and light breakfast
9:00 a.m. - 9:50 a.m. – Sophie Kriz
9:50 a.m. - 10:10 a.m. – Break
10:10 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. – Morgan Opie
11:00 a.m. - 11:20 a.m. – Break
11:20 a.m. - 12:10 p.m. – Tyler Lawson
12:10 p.m. – Closing and departure

Organizers

Thomas Fiore, University of Michigan-Dearborn
José Manuel Gómez Guerra, Universidad Nacional de Colombia
Kyle Ormsby, Reed College
Maru Sarazola, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
Sasha Voronov, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
Craig Westerland, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

Logistics

Getting to UMN

The Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP) is conveniently located nearby Downtown Minneapolis. The airport is connected to the city center and to the UMN campus by public transport, particularly the Metro Blue Line.
Metro Transit is the Minneapolis / St. Paul public transportation system – it includes bus and train services that run from very early morning until late in the evening.
Bicycles and scooter rentals are available from Lime, Spin, and Veo.

Child care

Care.com connects visiting families with experienced local caregivers.

Explore the Twin Cities

Looking for things to do while in Minneapolis? Here are some great resources:

This event is supported in part by the U.S. National Science Foundation, the Institute for Mathematics and its Applications, and the K-theory Foundation.

"Equivariant, Motivic, and Physical Topology in the Midwest” on an abstract black and pink background

Start date

Friday, Oct. 24, 2025, Noon

End date

Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025, 1 p.m.

Location

On Friday, October 24th, the workshop will take place in Keller Hall. Registration begins at 12:30 p.m. in Keller Hall Room 3-176 (the room is at street level). The lectures will be held in Room 3-180.

On Saturday and Sunday, the conference location will move to Vincent Hall. Coffee and a light breakfast will be available on Saturday and Sunday mornings in Vincent 120. Lectures will take place in Vincent 16.