Midwest Computability Seminar

Midwest Computability Seminar

XXXVII


The Midwest Computability Seminar is a joint venture between the University of Chicago, the University of Notre Dame, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and the University of Illinois Chicago. It meets once or twice per semester, and is attended by faculty and students from these universities and others in the area. The seminar started in the fall of 2008.



DATE: Thursday, October 8th, 2026

PLACE: SEO (Science and Engineering Offices) 636, The University of Illinois Chicago
851 S. Morgan St., Chicago IL
PLEASE NOTE THE CHANGE IN VENUE TO THE ABOVE LOCATION

REMOTE ATTENDANCE: https://notredame.zoom.us/j/99754332165?pwd=RytjK1RFZU5KWnZxZ3VFK0g4YTMyQT09
Meeting ID: 997 5433 2165
Passcode: midwest


Speakers:

Schedule:


Abstracts:


Uri Andrews

Title: Complexity in infinite argumentation

Abstract: Argumentation theory studies the general problem of reasoning in a setting with conflicting information. In particular, a reasoning setting is modeled by a structure whose elements are the arguments that we are reasoning over. In argumentation theory, several decision problems are studied, and I'll talk about a computable model theoretic analysis of these decision problems when the structure is infinite. Work join with Luca San Mauro.


Rachel Greenfeld

Title: Between translational tilings and configurations of low pattern complexity

Abstract: I will introduce these structures, discuss an interesting connection between them, and show how it can be leveraged to solve Nivat's conjecture in symbolic dynamics.


James Hanson

Title: Constructive math and the continuous degrees

Abstract: : I will give an expository account of my work with Bauer in which we used Miller's seminal work on non-total continuous degrees to show that it is constructively consistent for there to be a surjection from the natural numbers onto the Dedekind reals. This talk will only assume basic familiarity with computability theory.


Logan Heath

Title: Unions of cones as theory spectra

Abstract: During the 90s, Knight and her collaborators established that whenever a and b are incomparable Turing degrees, then the union of their upper cones cannot be the spectrum of any structure. Andrews and Miller showed that the same does not hold for theory spectra and in particular that for any pair of incomparable c.e. degrees the union of their upper cones is the spectrum of a theory. This talk explores the question of which pairs of incomparable Turing degrees have the union of their upper cones realized as theory spectra and offers a partial characterization of such pairs of degrees.


Previous Seminars:

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