Near-horizon expansion (conformal) approach to the calculation of Black Hole entropy in `t Hooft's brick-wall model

A review and the latest results on the near-horizon expansion (conformal) approach to `t Hooft's brick-wall model calculation of Black Hole entropy developed recently by the speaker and his collaborators will be given in this talk. With mainly a graduate student audience in mind, the seminar will be pedagogical in nature, with emphasis on the ideas and logic of the methods and the insights gained with this approach more than on details. If time permits, possible future directions will also be mentioned.