PhD Candidate, Mathematics

University of Nebraska, Lincoln

Biography

Nick Meyer is a fifth-year Mathematics graduate student at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, advised by Alex Zupan. Nick’s current interests are primarily in the geometric and algebraic topology of 3- and 4-manifolds. In particular, he studies knot theory in dimensions 3 and 4, Heegaard splittings of 3-manifolds, and trisections of 4-manifolds. In addition, he is interested in the computational aspects of these areas, particularly computational algebraic topology and computational knot theory. A copy of his CV is available here.

Interests
  • Geometric and Algebraic Topology
  • Homological Algebra
  • Computational Topology
  • Mathematics Education and Pedagogy
Education

  • PhD in Mathematics (in-progress)

    University of Nebraska, Lincoln

  • MS in Mathematics

    University of Nebraska, Lincoln

  • BS in Mathematics with Honors

    Winona State University

Courses Taught

Current Students: Please see Canvas for more information

  • Math101 — College Algebra
    • Fall 2019, Instructor x1
  • Math103 — College Algebra and Trigonometry
    • Fall 2021, Convener and Instructor x1
    • Spring 2022, Convener Only
  • Math104 — Applied Calculus
    • Summer 2021, Instructor x1
  • Math107 — Calculus 2
    • Fall 2018, Recitations x2
    • Spring 2019, Recitations x2
    • Summer 2019, Recitations x1
  • Math203(J) — Contemporary Mathematics
    • Spring 2020, Instructor x1
    • Fall 2020, Instructor x2
    • Spring 2021, Convener and Instructor x1
  • Math 208 – Multivariable Calculus
    • Summer 2022, Course Development
    • Fall 2022, Recitations x5
    • Spring 2023, Instructor x1

Selected Talks

  • $4$-Manifolds Seminar at UNL:
    • November 2019: “Trisections from Morse $2$-Functions”
    • September 2019: “Heegaard-Kirby Diagrams for Trisections of $4$-Manifolds”
  • Groups, Semigroups, and Topology Seminar at UNL:
    • September 2022: “The Casson-Gordon Signature Invariant and Sliceness Obstructions”
    • April 2022: “Ends of Surfaces and Classification Theorems”
    • February 2022: “A quest for residual finiteness: Geometrization and the word problem for $3$-manifolds”
    • October 2021: “Maps from $3$-manifolds to $4$-manifolds that induce isomorphisms on fundamental groups (Part 2)”
    • October 2020: “Heegaard splittings and Trisections 101: A crash course in manifold decompositions in dimensions three and four”
    • October 2019: “Orderings on $3$-Manifold Groups”
  • Graduate Students Talking Groups, Semigroups, and Topology Seminar at UNL:
    • September 2022: “An Introduction Sliceness Obstructions”
    • March 2021: “Pants: An Introduction to Oriented Cobordism Theory”
    • September 2019: “An Alexander Polynomial for Knots in Thickened Surfaces”
    • March 2019: “The Extension Problem for Topological Dynamical Systems via Monoid Actions”
  • Graduate Student Seminar at UNL:
    • April 2021: “Pants: An Introduction to Oriented Cobordism Theory”
  • Other Seminars and Conferences:
    • June 2022: “Meier-Zupan Square Links and the Andrews-Curtis Conjecture”, New Developments in Four Dimensions, University of Victoria, Victoria BC
    • June 2021: “A Geometric Introduction to Heegaard Splittings and Trisections”, GOSS (Graduate Online Seminar Series), University of Georgia, Athens, GA