Mathematics and Statistics Colloquium
The language of forms (understanding what a straight line is)
Date: Friday, Feb. 16
Time: 3:30 pm
Location: Physics Building Room 165, 116 Science Pl., Saskatoon
Free and open to the public
About this event
A talk by Dr. Arturo Pianzola (PhD) of the University of Alberta, hosted by the USask Department of Mathematics and Statistics
One of the most recurrent themes in geometry is the study of objects that locally look the same. I will explain, mainly via examples and in non-technical terms, how the concept of "locally look the same" has evolved through time (mostly through some beautiful ideas of J.-P. Serre and of A. Grothendieck). Somehow surprisingly, this journey can start by raising a very innocent question: What is a straight line? The talk will be accessible to a general audience.
Info: colloquium@math.usask.ca
Upcoming Events
Literature Matters: Competing Visions of Ireland in the 1840 Painting A Blind Girl at a Holy Well
Mar 18, 2026
A public talk by STM English faculty member Kylee-Anne Hingston
(CANCELLED) Global Café: The Human Rights Crisis in Iran: Narratives, Insights, and Actions
Mar 18, 2026
An evening of art performance and discussion
Nativism and internal migration in Canada
Mar 19, 2026
This lecture will be presented by Isabelle Côté, associate professor in the Department of Political Science, Memorial University of Newfoundland