First post, summaries of work done up until now

Lots of stuff already happened, happening, and hopefully will happen. Here's an account of what's happened so far. Spoke with a few individuals, and got some suggestions for what to focus on. Developed a research proposal, got some feedback, rewrote it, and then got more feedback, and then totally rewrote it again. Major thanks to the colloquium, students and faculty especially CH, LC, LC, BB, JVT, JDW, KV, and SP among many many others. Spoke with UM, RR for great direction, NB for contacts. Lots of stuff to do now...