SMS scnews item created by Alex Casella at Sat 27 Aug 2016 0007
Type: Seminar
Distribution: World
Expiry: 26 Nov 2016
Calendar1: 29 Aug 2016 1700-1800
CalLoc1: Carslaw 535A
CalTitle1: MaPSS Seminar
Auth: casella@pa49-195-46-214.pa.nsw.optusnet.com.au (acas5565) in SMS-WASM

# 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.