The workshop and conference met in Marseilles, France for 3 weeks. The activities began with a series of workshops* on foundational material in the study of the outer automorphism group of a rank n free group, denoted Out(F_n). These workshops were primarily aimed at graduate students and post-docs but with an additional opportunity for advanced researchers to increase their overall knowlede of the subject. Later activities included a conference of lectures* on new research in Out(F_n), in Teichmuller theory, and in overlaps between these two topics. Activities that continued throughout the workshop and conference included informal mathematical discussions. The people taking part in these activities ranged from beginning graduate students just learning the basics of the subject, to advanced graduate students and postdocs presenting their first research, to some of the most influential world experts.* This included in particular a healthy proportion of the community of Out(F_n) students and researchers from the United States, as well as from other countries.

Perhaps the most immediate outcome is the spread of knowledge and the formation of new collaborations amongst this community. Longer term outcomes are more difficult to assess, but we expect that they will translate into a new infusion of interest and expertise in the subject, continuing formation of new collaborations, and the emergence of new research for a number of years to come. Another quantifiable outcome, one year after the conference, is that several lecturers have completed new research papers based on cutting edge lectures given during the conference.*  

* For lists, see the Final Report.

Last Modified: 08/23/2014
Modified by: Lee Mosher