Speaker: Dusan Repovs.
Title: Topology of Generalized 3-Manifolds (1983-2003).
Affiliation: University of Ljubljana.
Date: Friday, 7 March 2003.
Place and Time: Room 101 - Love Building, 3:35-4:30 pm.
Refreshments: Room 204 - Love Building, 3:00 pm.

Abstract. I shall begin the talk by a brief historical survey of the geometric topology of generalized manifolds, i.e. ENR homology manifolds, from their early beginnings in 1930's to 1983, concentrating on those geometric properties which are particular for dimensions 3 and 4, in comparison with generalized (n>4)-manifolds. In the second part of the talk I shall present the highlights from the history of the topology of generalized 3-manifolds since 1983 (the year of my defense at FSU of a thesis on this subject, under the guidance of R.C. Lacher).
   I shall describe the progress on the main problems concerning this class of spaces - the Resolution problem (the work of Bestvina-Daverman-Venema-Walsh, Bryant-Lacher, Brin-McMillan, Lacher-Repovs, Thickstun, and others) and the General position problem (the work of Bing, Brahm, Lambert-Sher, Daverman-Eaton, Lacher-Repovs, Daverman-Thickstun, Daverman-Repovs, Brahm, and others). I shall also list several open problems and related conjectures.