MaPSS: Mathematical Postgraduate Seminar Series: Montek Gill -- Stiefel-Whitney classes and real division algebras

Dear All, 

We are delighted to present the MaPSS Seminar topic of Monday 29/08; please see the
abstract below.  

**This Semester the Seminar will always run on Monday, at 5:00pm in 535A** 

Following the talk, there will be pizza on offer.  

Speaker: Montek Gill (University of Michigan) 

Title: Stiefel-Whitney classes and real division algebras.  

Abstract: We will first describe what a vector bundle is and then describe what a
characteristic class is.  Roughly, the latter is a natural assignment to each vector
bundle of a cohomology class of the base. Next, we will provide Stiefel-Whitney classes
as examples of characteristic classes and describe an application of these classes to
the existence of real division algebras.  

Supervisors, please encourage your students to attend.  

Thanks,
MaPSS Organizers