Georgia Institute of Technology College of Sciences

I will first discuss the motivation and background information necessary to study the subjects of branched covers and of contact geometry. In particular we will give some examples and constructions of topological branched covers as well as present the fundamental theorems in this area. But little is understood about the general constructions, and even less about how branched covers behave in the setting of contact geometry, which is the focus of my research. The remainder of the talk will focus on the results I have thus far and current projects.