The format of the TopMath Talks was already established and thrived on the direct interaction in the seminar room. But in early 2020 a new challenge arose: public events were no longer possible. Could the format of the talks work as an online platform? One year and four talks later we can clearly say – yes! In fact, the flexibility for the listeners, who could login from anywhere, meant that we had an increase in those visiting the talks, which also benefitted the scientific exchange. The “virtual coffee break” at the end of the talks could obviously not adequately replace the live event, but nonetheless contributed to the upkeep of networking and exchange between the members of the Elite Graduate Program "TopMath". In particular, it meant that those new to the program could still be integrated into the TopMath community.
Our conclusion is that the digital talks work well on a scientific level and that it is worth considering continuing this method of presenting in the future, even when public events are again possible. However, purely digital events do remain an emergency solution. The informal social exchange which takes place in combination with scientific talks, conferences etc, complements, fuels and furthers scientific exchange, enables the community to grow together, motivates and often sparks new ideas. And that is sorely missed in the current situation. So we hope to return to our lecture theatres, seminar rooms, faculty hallways and offices soon and to be able to meet again in an informal manner.
TopMath Talks 2020: An overview
Dominik Schmid, Wahrscheinlichkeitstheorie: Mixing times for the exclusion process (05.05.2020) Luca Arcidiacono, Dynamics: Geometric Desingularization of Non-Autonomous Differential Equations (26.05.2020) Claudia Stadlmayr, Algebra: Del Pezzo surfaces and rational double points (04.11.2020) Fabian Roll, Geometrie und Topologie: Persistent Homology and the Nerve Theorem (15.12.2020)
Related links:
https://www.ma.tum.de/de/studium/eliteprogramme/topmath/veranstaltungen.html
https://www.ma.tum.de/de/news-events/studium/topmath/archiv/topmath-talk-schmid.html
https://www.ma.tum.de/de/news-events/studium/topmath/archiv/topmath-talk-arcidiacono.html
https://www.ma.tum.de/de/news-events/studium/topmath/archiv/topmath-talk-mit-claudia-stadlmayr.html
Text: Katja Kröss, Elite Graduate Program "TopMath"