Subject: More detail Date: Fri, 22 Feb 2002 12:18:50 +1100 (EST) From: Amnon Neeman To: amnon.neeman@anu.edu.au Dear Colleagues, A number of people asked for more detail about the topology conference, to help them decide if they want to come. Stupid of me not to include this in the last message. The format follows a suggestion of Andrew Ranicki's. Ranicki pointed out that there are very many topology conferences, but almost none which attempt to cover topology broadly. No conference includes low dimensional topology, high dimensional topology and homotopy theory. [Ranicki went on to say that he has never been to a conference where the homotopy theorists tried to talk to anyone else. These were not his actual words. It is my toned-down version.] Presuming all goes well with the funding, this conference will attempt to cover topology broadly. We will try to have not only high and low dimensional geometric topology and homotopy theory, but will also try to cover K-theory and the topology that comes up in mathematical physics. The plenary talks will give homotopy theorists a chance to convince the rest of the topology world that their subject is alive and thriving, and has seen some progress recently [I am using homotopy theory purely for illustration here; the same holds for all the other branches of topology]. Then there will be special sessions for the various fields. Yours, Amnon