Semiprojectivity of universal C*-algebras generated by algebraic   elements
  Let $p$ be a polynomial in one variable whose roots either all have multiplicity more than 1 or all have multiplicity exactly 1. It is shown that the universal $C^*$-algebra of a relation $p(x)=0$, $\|x\| \le 1$ is semiprojective. In the case of all roots multiple it is shown that the universal $C^*$-algebra is also residually finite-dimensional. Applications to polynomially compact operators are given. 
Tatiana Shulman