Thu, March 12, 2026
3:00 pm - 3:55 pm
Cockins Hall - CH240
John Etnyre
Georgia Tech
Title
Contact geometry and knot theory
Abstract
Contact geometry has a long history, with connections to many areas of physics and mathematics. I will begin by giving a bit of history and motivation for contact geometry. I will then discuss the development of contact geometry in dimension three, and the central role knot theory has played in that development. We will end by considering the beautiful structure of special knots in contact manifolds.