The undergraduate and postgraduate students in the elite TopMath programme work and research in many different areas of mathematics and are individually supervised by different chairs. To promote professional and social exchange, TopMath regularly organises events in various formats, such as the TopMath Talks, the Alumni Speakers Series and student meetings. The latter includes the Summer Meeting, which has been held annually since 2022, replacing the previous annual Winter Meeting. Students from different years go on a two to three day retreat to get to know each other, discuss their research and grow as a group in a relaxed but productive atmosphere.
Organisation 2025: Alexander Armbruster, Florian Grundbacher, Mia Runge
Summer Meetup 2025: a student's report
This year's summer meeting took place at the youth hostel in Garmisch-Partenkirchen with eight top mathematicians in attendance. Already during the train ride to Farchant and the subsequent bus ride, we discussed the first mathematical problems, which ranged from fun puzzles to open research questions. After dinner, we ended the first day playing board games and table tennis.
On the second day, the participants gave short presentations on their current research topics. This led to a particularly detailed discussion of an as yet unsolved problem in the field of social choice, which was presented by Chris Dong and discussed repeatedly throughout the day. The lively technical discussions continued during a walk through Burgrain, which also provided an opportunity to exchange ideas about career paths and professional prospects. Unfortunately, the planned hike to Pflegersee had to be cancelled due to persistent rain. Instead, we devoted ourselves to further intensive discussions on mathematical issues until late into the night.
After the final technical presentations on the third day, the summer meeting ended in the course of the morning. Rain was forecast again for this day, so we decided to return directly to Munich without an excursion. Overall, the weekend offered many opportunities for professional and personal exchange and for broadening our horizons.
Many thanks to all participants for a great weekend!
Author: Alexander Armbruster