Seminar

Thursday, March 14, 2019 4:00 pm - 4:00 pm EDT (GMT -04:00)

Continuous Optimization Seminar - Courtney Paquette

Title: High-dimensional probability: Random vectors in high dimensions

Speaker: Courtney Paquette
Affiliation: University of Waterloo
Room: MC 5417

Abstract:

In this talk, I will finish our discussion of concentration inequalities, particularly, I will discuss the sub-exponential distribution and state Bernstein’s inequality; thereby completing our study of large deviations.

Friday, March 15, 2019 1:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT (GMT -04:00)

Combinatorial Optimization Reading Group - Joshua Nevin

Title: Approximate Coloring of 2-Colorable 4-Uniform Hypergraphs

Speaker: Joshua Nevin
Affiliation: University of Waterloo
Room: MC 5479

Abstract:

In this talk, we discuss several inapproximability results of Bhangale for 2-colorable 4-uniform hypergraphs.

Friday, March 22, 2019 3:30 pm - 3:30 pm EDT (GMT -04:00)

Tutte Colloquium - Stephen J. Wright

Title: Optimization in Data Analysis: Some Recent Developments

Speaker: Stephen J. Wright
Affiliation:

Computer Sciences Department and Wisconsin Institute for Discovery 

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Room: MC 5501

Abstract:

Optimization is vital to the modern revolution in data science, and techniques from optimization have become essential in formulating and solving a wide variety of data analysis problems. In turn, data science has caused a ferment of new research activity in optimization by posing challenging new problems and new contexts.

Wednesday, March 13, 2019 3:30 pm - 3:30 pm EDT (GMT -04:00)

Graphs and Matroids - Ahmad Abdi

Title: Ideal clutters and k-wise intersecting families

Speaker: Ahmad Abdi
Affiliation: Carnegie Mellon University
Room: MC 5501

Abstract:

A clutter is *ideal* if the corresponding set covering polyhedron has no fractional vertices, and it is *k-wise intersecting* if the members don’t have a common element but every k members do. 

Friday, March 8, 2019 3:30 pm - 3:30 pm EST (GMT -05:00)

Tutte Colloquium - Anton Bernshteyn

Title: From graph theory to set theory and back

Speaker: Anton Bernshteyn
Affiliation: Carnegie Mellon University
Room: MC 5501

Abstract:

Many results in finite combinatorics can be extended to infinite structures via compactness---but this transfer is powered by the Axiom of Choice and leads, in general, to highly "pathological" objects.

Thursday, March 7, 2019 4:00 pm - 4:00 pm EST (GMT -05:00)

Continuous Optimization Seminar- Courtney Paquette

Title: Introduction to high-dimensional probability: some basic concentration inequalities and useful distributions

Speaker: Courtney Paquette
Affiliation: University of Waterloo
Room: MC 5417

Abstract: In this seminar, we introduce important tools from high-dimensional probability useful in studying applications in data science such as covariance estimation, matrix completion,

Friday, March 8, 2019 1:00 pm - 1:00 pm EST (GMT -05:00)

Combinatorial Optimization Reading Group- Akshay Ramachandran

Title: On the Hardness of 4-coloring a 3-colorable graph

Speaker: Akshay Ramachandran
Affiliation: University of Waterloo
Room: MC 5479

Abstract: A consequence of the PCP theorem is that it is NP-hard to approximate the chromatic number of a general graph to within \n^{1-\eps} for any constant epsilon.