The third lecture of Famnits‘ excursion into the mathematical universe 2023/24, titled “Königsberg: A Hidden Key to Graph Theory’s Door”  was conducted by Dr. Blas Fernandez from the Department of Mathematics UP FAMNIT. The lecture took place live and via video conference link on Zoom. 

Unnoticed within the pages of history rests the unfamiliar city of Königsberg. While modern maps may find it hard to precisely locate, one particular quirk in its geography has made it one of the most recognizable cities in mathematics. Right in the middle of this city, where the Pregel River flowed, lay two interconnected islands joined to the riverbanks by seven distinct bridges. Residents became captivated by a simple question: Could one traverse all Königsberg’s bridges without retracing their steps? This innocent and curious question challenged the minds of mathematicians and forged the very essence of graph theory. The lecturer presented the secret role that Königsberg had, unlocking the door to the amazing world where graph theory began. Dr. Fernandez unraveled the essential ideas behind graphs— visual representations of interconnected nodes —and dive into their wide applicability for solving all sorts of different problems. 

Blas Fernandez, born in 1992 in Alberti, Buenos Aires, Argentina, finished his Master’s thesis in Mathematics at the National University of La Plata in 2018. Before defending his thesis, he was at the University of Primorska as part of the Erasmus programme. At the beginning of the academic year 2018/2019, Blas enrolled in the doctoral Mathematics study programme at the University of Primorska, where he made remarkable progress in the field of algebraic combinatorics. He is the author of twelve high-quality articles and has presented several results from his doctoral dissertation at international conferences and research seminars.