Dear Topologists and Friends of Topology: I'll be the speaker for the topology seminar this afternoon at 3:30 in MSCS 514. Title: Constructing geodesics in the curve complex Abstract: The curve complex for a surface is a simplicial complex whose vertices represent simple closed curves in the surface. The large scale geometry of the curve complex has proved to be closely related to both two-dimensional geometry (such as Teichmuller theory) and three-dimensional topology (such as Heegaard splittings). I will give an introduction to the structure of this complex, describe a construction that produces geodesics in the complex, and (if time permits) describe some applications to three-dimensional topology.