Rob Kirby's Edinburgh Lectures
Topological manifolds: their triangulations and smoothings

The visit of Rob Kirby (Berkeley) to Edinburgh in November 2012 was supported by Scheme 2 of the London Mathematical Society.
The 12 lectures were recorded on video by Carmen Rovi, with the links posted below.
References

Monday, November 5, 5PM, Room 5325, JCMB
Lecture #1 of Rob Kirby.
Video
An extended introduction to Lectures #3-#12 on the triangulations of topological manifolds, their existence and uniqueness,
and applications to topological transversality, handlebodies, and the topological invariance of Whitehead torsion.

Wednesday, November 7, 3.30PM, Lecture Room C, JCMB
Lecture #2 of Rob Kirby The Arf-Rochlin invariant in manifold topology.
Video
Abstract: I will discuss how the Arf invariant of a Z/2 enhancement of
a Z/2 intersection form is important in dimensions one (knot theory) through infinity.
Slides. A historical talk at a colloquium-level.

Wednesday, November 7, 5.00PM, Lecture Room C, JCMB
Sir Michael Atiyah (Edinburgh) Chern classes for Real vector bundles.
Video
Abstract: Mod 2 invariants, such as the Rochlin invariant, have links to analysis.
In my lecture I investigate a new version of Chern classes that may shed light on these matters.

Lectures #3-12 of Rob Kirby follow on November 9,12,14,16,19,21,23,26,28,30,
at 5.00PM in Lecture Room A, JCMB.

Rob Kirby also gave a seminar on Tuesday, November 27, 5.30PM, Lecture Room A, JCMB
Morse 2-functions and trisections of 4-manifolds
Video
Abstract: In joint work with David Gay, we show existence and uniqueness
of Morse 2-functions (also known as broken Lefschetz fibrations), and then existence and uniqueness
(up to stabilization) of trisections of 4-manifolds (analogous to Heegaard splittings of 3-manifolds).