The Magic of Steiner Triple Systems with Guillermo Alesandroni, CSU Chico

Steiner triple systems (STSs) is a charming combinatorial topic consisting of points and sets of points that display a certain symmetry. A distinctive mark of STSs is the fact that their study feels like playing a game: a successful completion to the game generates an STS and, conversely, an STS provides a winning strategy to the game. In this talk, we introduce STSs as a combinatorial game and then we give a tour through the main concepts and results in this area. Finally, we discuss some research projects that are within reach of students who may lack combinatorial expertise but have a surplus of curiosity and enthusiasm. Undergraduate students are especially encouraged to attend. In fact, this talk has been designed for them.