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Events for January 12, 2023

  • NL Seminar

    Thu, Jan 12, 2023 @ 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

    Information Sciences Institute

    Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars


    Speaker: Arjun Subramonian, UCLA

    Talk Title: Bias and Power in NLP

    Abstract: REMINDER:
    If you are an outside visitor, please inform us at nlg DASH seminar DASH host AT isi DOT edu beforehand so we are aware of your attendance and let you in.

    Meeting hosts only admit guests that they know to the Zoom meeting. Hence, you are highly encouraged to use your USC account to sign into Zoom.

    In person attendance will be held in CR 689 at ISI in Marina Del Rey, remote attendees can log on via Zoom.

    NLP models are increasingly deployed as part of technological pipelines. However, these models reinforce the biased and unjust treatment of marginalized people. In this talk, I discuss the multiplicity and sociotechnical nature of bias, and sources of bias and harms in the NLP lifecycle, situating these concepts in the context of gender exclusivity. I further examine bias metrics, interventions, and their pitfalls. Finally, I connect bias and harms to the power structures in which NLP is embedded. Ultimately, I urge for more intersectional and reflexive approaches to NLP.




    Biography: Arjun Subramonian is a Computer Science PhD student at the University of California, Los Angeles. Their research focuses on inclusive graph machine learning and natural language processing, including fairness, bias, ethics, and integrating queer perspectives. They are further a core organizer of Queer in AI.

    Host: Jon May and Meryem M'hamdi

    More Info: https://nlg.isi.edu/nl-seminar/

    Webcast: https://usc.zoom.us/j/96014548234

    Location: Information Science Institute (ISI) - Virtual and ISI-Conf Rm#689

    WebCast Link: https://usc.zoom.us/j/96014548234

    Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

    Contact: Pete Zamar

    Event Link: https://nlg.isi.edu/nl-seminar/

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  • What Recruiters Look for in Your Resume

    Thu, Jan 12, 2023 @ 12:00 PM - 12:30 PM

    Viterbi School of Engineering Career Connections

    Workshops & Infosessions


    THIS EVENT WILL BE HOSTED HYBRID: IN-PERSON & ONLINE SIMULTANEOUSLY

    Does your resume highlight the skills that will land an interview? Review tips and tricks on how to best showcase yourself to employers by attending this professional development Q&A moderated by Viterbi Career Connection staff. Have your resume ready to take notes and make modifications in real-time!

    To access more information on this workshop, log into Viterbi Career Gateway>> Events>>Workshops: https://shibboleth-viterbi-usc-csm.symplicity.com/sso/

    For more information about all workshops, please visit viterbicareers.usc.edu/workshops.

    Location: Ronald Tutor Hall of Engineering (RTH) - 211

    Audiences: All Viterbi

    Contact: RTH 218 Viterbi Career Connections

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  • PhD Defense - Liyu Chen

    Thu, Jan 12, 2023 @ 01:00 PM - 02:00 PM

    Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science, USC Viterbi School of Engineering

    University Calendar


    Title: Understanding Goal-oriented Reinforcement Learning

    Defense committee: Haipeng Luo, David Kempe, Ashutosh Nayyar, Rahul Jain

    Date: January 12, 2022. 1 p.m. - 2 p.m. PST

    Zoom meeting link: https://usc.zoom.us/j/93602803008

    Abstract:
    Reinforcement Learning (RL) studies how an agent learns to behave optimally in an unknown environment. One challenge in applying RL in practice is task specification, that is, how to inform the algorithm of the task we want it to solve. My research focuses on solving the problem of task specification in goal-oriented reinforcement learning (GoRL), whose objective is to reach a goal state with the smallest possible cost. Unlike standard RL that focuses solely on cost minimization, GoRL has dual objectives: 1) reach the goal state and 2) minimize the cost.

    Standard RL models such as the finite-horizon model or the discounted model often have difficulty in specifying tasks for GoRL, which leads to heavy engineering efforts in practice.

    To tackle this issue, we study learning in a Markov Decision Process named stochastic shortest path (SSP), which exactly captures the dual objectives of GoRL. We focus on developing practical learning algorithms for SSP. Specifically, we study the PAC learning setting for SSP, and develop various reduction schemes that connect SSP to the simpler finite-horizon model. Our reduction schemes help to develop optimal and efficient online learning algorithms for SSP.

    Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

    Contact: Caitlin Dawson

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  • DEN@Viterbi - Online Graduate Engineering Virtual Information Session

    Thu, Jan 12, 2023 @ 06:00 PM - 07:00 PM

    DEN@Viterbi, Viterbi School of Engineering Graduate Admission

    Workshops & Infosessions


    Join USC Viterbi School of Engineering for a virtual information session via WebEx, providing an introduction to DEN@Viterbi, our top ranked online delivery system. Discover the 40+ graduate engineering and computer science programs available entirely online.

    Attendees will have the opportunity to connect directly with USC Viterbi representatives during the session to discuss the admission process, program details and the benefits of online delivery.

    Register Today!

    WebCast Link: https://uscviterbi.webex.com/uscviterbi/onstage/g.php?MTID=e5d8609b0a07f90d1782a4de047a51459

    Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

    Contact: Corporate & Professional Programs

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