The Cartesian product of three triangles can be embedded into a subspace of genus 7 (Q1068095)

Let G denote the three-fold direct product of the integers mod three: \(G={\mathbb{Z}}_ 3\times {\mathbb{Z}}_ 3\times {\mathbb{Z}}_ 3\). Let \(\tau\) (G) denote the genus of G and \({\tilde \tau}\)(G) the nonorientable genus of G. Then G is the smallest group with \(\tau\) (G) unknown. A. T. White has announced, in an unpublished communication, that \(\tau\) (G)\(\leq 9\). In this note the authors exhibit an embedding of G into a nonorientable surface of Euler characteristic -12. From this embedding they obtain an embedding into an orientable surface of the same Euler characteristic. These embeddings provide new upper bounds: \(\tau\) (G)\(\leq 7\) and \({\tilde \tau}\)(G)\(\leq 14\).