Welcome to the Homepage of Rieuwert J. Blok

Address :: Department of Mathematics and Statistics; Bowling Green State University; Bowling Green, OH 43403; U.S.A.
Office:: 440 Mathematical Sciences Building
Phone:: +1 (419) 372-7455
Fax:: +1 (419) 372-6092
E-mail:: blokr@member.ams.org

Research Interests

Combinatorial and geometric group theory. More generally, combinatorial aspects of pure mathematics, in particular algebra and group theory, geometry, topology, and discrete mathematics.

Publications

Abstracts (11/2010): (pdf)

Articles :

Expander graphs from Curtis Tits groups. (With C. Hoffman and A. Vdovina) Submitted September 2010. Available at http://arxiv.org/abs/1009.0667
On flips of unitary buildings I: Classification of flips. (With Benjamin Carr) Submitted (pdf).
On generalizations of Kac-Moody groups. (With C. Hoffman) Submitted November 2009. Available at http://arxiv.org/abs/0911.0824
Bass-Serre theory and counting rank two amalgams. (With C. Hoffman) Accepted by J. Group Theory. Available at http://arxiv.org/abs/0910.5652
A classification of Curtis-Tits amalgams. (With C. Hoffman) Submitted October 2009. Available at: http://arxiv.org/abs/0907.1388
Rieuwert J. Blok. Highest weight modules and polarized embeddings of shadow spaces. Submitted. Available at http://arxiv.org/abs/0909.4058
On natural representations of the symplectic group. (With Ilaria Cardinali, and Antonio Pasini). Accepted by Bull. Belg. Math. Soc.
The generating ranks of the symplectic and unitary polar grassmannians. (with Bruce N. Cooperstein). Submitted. Available at http://arxiv.org/abs/1010.0205
Polarized and homogeneous embeddings of dual polar spaces. (with Ilaria Cardinali, Bart De Bruyn (U. Gent, BE), and Antonio Pasini) J. Alg. Combin 30(3):381-399 (2009).
Projective subgrassmannians of polar grassmannians. (with Bruce N. Cooperstein). Accepted by Bull. Belg. Math. Soc.. Also available at http://arxiv.org/abs/1010.0199
On the nucleus of the Grassmann embedding of the symplectic dual polar space DSp(2n, F), char(F) = 2. (with Ilaria Cardinali, and Bart De Bruyn). European J. Combin., 30(2):468-472, 2009. (pdf)
A Curtis-Tits-Phan theorem for the twin-building of type _n-1. (with Corneliu Hoffman). J. Algebra, 321(4):1196--1124, 2009. (pdf)
A Quasi Curtis-Tits-Phan theorem for the symplectic group (joint with Corneliu Hoffman). J. Algebra, 319 (11):4662--4691, 2008. (pdf)
The generating rank of the symplectic grassmannians: hyperbolic and isotropic geometry. Europ. J. Combin. 28 (2007), pages 1368-1394. (pdf)
Extensions of isomorphisms for affine Grassmannians over F_2 (joint with Jonathan Hall). Advances in Geometry 6:2 (2006), pages 225-241. (pdf)
Topological properties of active orders on matroid bases (joint with Bruce Sagan). J. Combin. Theory Ser. B 94:1 (2005), pages 101-116. (pdf)
Extensions of isomorphisms for affine dual polar spaces and strong parapolar spaces, Adv. in Geom. 5:4 (2005), pages 509-532. (pdf)
The generating rank of the symplectic line-grassmannian, Beitraege zur Algebra und Geometrie 44:2 (2003), pages 575-580. (pdf)
A thin near hexagon with 50 points (joint with Bart De Bruyn and Ulrich Meierfrankenfeld), (J. Comb. Th. Ser. A. 102:2 (2003), pages 293-308. (pdf)
Partial orders generalizing the weak order and Bruhat order on Coxeter groups (joint with Curtis Bennett), J. Comb. Th. Ser. A. 102:2 (2003), pages 331-346. (pdf)
On Universal Embeddings (joint with Antonio Pasini), Discrete Mathematics 267:1-3 (2003), pages 45-62. (pdf)
Far from a point in the F_4(q) geometry, Europ. J. Combin. 22:2 (2001), pages 145-163. (pdf)
Geometries with a generating set that depends on the underlying field (joint with Antonio Pasini) in Finite Geometries, Proc. 4th Isle of Thorns Conference, (2000) , pages 1-25.(pdf)
On geometries related to buildings, Ph.D. thesis (1999). (pdf)
Spanning point-line geometries in buildings of spherical type (joint with Andries Brouwer.) J. Geom. 62:1-2 (1998), pages 26-35. (pdf)
The geometry far from a residue (joint with Andries Brouwer). in Proc. Siena Conference on geometries and groups 1996, pages 29-38. (pdf)

Preprints : For preprints, please send me an e-mail.

Currently I'm working on

Amalgams in concrete categories
Presentations for Moufang Loops
Amalgams for (generalized) Kac-Moody groups
(Quasi) Phan-Curtis-Tits theory.
geometric approaches to modular representations of Lie groups.
generating sets for polar grassmannians, and applications
Lie geometries: embeddings, subspace complements
Geometric structures related to Twin Buildings
other combinatorial objects.

Seminars, Colloquia

Algebra Seminar: It meets Wednesdays 3:30-4:30 in MSc 445 and is open to anyone interested.
Departmental Colloquium: It meets Fridays 3:45-5:00pm in MSc 459 and is open to anyone interested.

Curriculum Vitae

Here's a curriculum vitae (research only) (pdf)

Teaching

Bowling Green State University

Fall 2010: M4030/5030 (TTR 11:30-12:45) Abstract Algebra I; M3390 (TTR 2:30-3:15) Fundamental Concepts of Modern Algebra
Spring 2010: M3130 (TTR 11:30-12:45) Logic and methods of proof; M3220 (TTR 1:00-2:15) Discrete Mathematics; M6340 (equivalent to M6340, Arrange) Algebra II
Fall 2009: M4001/5010 (TTR 11:30-12:45) Number Theory; M6330 (MWF 1:00-2:15) Algebra I
Spring 2009: M3220 Discrete Mathematics; M504/404 Abstract Algebra II
Fall 2008: M503/403 Abstract Algebra I; M222 Discrete Mathematics
Spring 2008: M332 Linear Algebra; M222 Discrete Mathematics
Fall 2007: M313 Logic and methods of proof; M401/501 Number Theory
Spring 2007: M339 Fundamental concepts of Algebra; M670 (equivalent to M734, Arrange) Advanced Algebra; M115 Introduction to Statistics
Fall 2006: M339 Fundamental concepts of Algebra; M733 Advanced Algebra
Spring 2006: M682 Topics in Group Theory; M634Algebra II
Fall 2005 (Bowling Green State University):: M339 Fundamental concepts of Algebra; M633 Algebra I

Colorado State University

Spring 2005: Mth 229-003 (Matrix Algebra); Mth 369-002 (Linear Algebra); As of April 6: Mth 502-001 (Combinatorics II)
Fall 2004: M161-4 and M161-7 (Calculus for Physical Scientists II)

Michigan State University

Spring 2003: Mth 320-001 and Mth 320-002 (Analysis I)
Fall 2002: Mth 309-001 and Mth 309-002 (Linear Algebra I)
Spring 2002: Mth 133-017 through 133-24 (Calculus II, mini-lecture)
Fall 2001: Mth 310-004 (Abstract Algebra and Number Theory)
Spring 2001: Mth 132-018 (Calculus I); Mth 310-004 (Abstract Algebra and Number Theory)
Fall 2000: Mth 132-029, -39 (Calculus I)

Delft University of Technology (NL)

Linear Algebra for Electrical Engineers (lecture/recitation, comparable to Mth 415) at the Delft University of Technology (nl)

Linear Algebra for Industrial Designers (lecture, comparable to Mth 415) at the Delft University of Technology (nl)

Links

The mathematics genealogy page for Rieuwert

My Erdös number is 3. The projection of Erdös on my neighborhood in the collaboration graph consists of A.E. Brouwer, A. Pasini, J.I. Hall, B.E. Sagan The Erdös Number Project.

Find references on MathSciNet.

Last Revised 10/04/2010 (mm/dd/yyyy)