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SUNMONTUEWEDTHUFRISAT
Events for February 21, 2018
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Computer Science General Faculty Meeting
Wed, Feb 21, 2018 @ 12:00 PM - 02:00 PM
Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science
Receptions & Special Events
Bi-Weekly regular faculty meeting for invited full-time Computer Science faculty only. Event details emailed directly to attendees.
Location: Mcclintock Building (MCC) - 101 - Michelson Building
Audiences: Invited Faculty Only
Contact: Assistant to CS chair
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Center for Systems and Control (CSC@USC) and Ming Hsieh Institute for Electrical Engineering
Wed, Feb 21, 2018 @ 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Sean Meyn, University of Florida
Talk Title: Reinforcement Learning: Hidden Theory, and New Super-Fast Algorithms
Abstract: Stochastic Approximation algorithms are used to approximate solutions to fixed point equations that involve expectations of functions with respect to possibly unknown distributions. The most famous examples today are TD- and Q-learning algorithms. The first half of this lecture will provide an overview of stochastic approximation, with a focus on optimizing the rate of convergence. A new approach to optimize the rate of convergence leads to the new Zap Q-learning algorithm. Analysis suggests that its transient behavior is a close match to a deterministic Newton-Raphson implementation, and numerical experiments confirm super fast convergence.
Biography: Sean Meyn received the BA degree in mathematics from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1982 and the PhD degree in electrical engineering from McGill University, Canada, in 1987 (with Prof. P. Caines). He is now Professor and Robert C. Pittman Eminent Scholar Chair in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Florida, the director of the Laboratory for Cognition and Control, and director of the Florida Institute for Sustainable Energy. His academic research interests include theory and applications of decision and control, stochastic processes, and optimization. He has received many awards for his research on these topics, and is a fellow of the IEEE. He has held visiting positions at universities all over the world, including the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore during 1997-1998 where he was a Fulbright Research Scholar. During his latest sabbatical during the 2006-2007 academic year he was a visiting professor at MIT and United Technologies Research Center (UTRC). His award-winning 1993 monograph with Richard Tweedie, Markov Chains and Stochastic Stability, has been cited thousands of times in journals from a range of fields. The latest version is published in the Cambridge Mathematical Library. For the past ten years his applied research has focused on engineering, markets, and policy in energy systems. He regularly engages in industry, government, and academic panels on these topics, and hosts an annual workshop at the University of Florida.
Host: Mihailo Jovanovic, mihailo@usc.edu
More Information: meyn.png (PNG Image, 134 × 168 pixels).pdf
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 132
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Gerrielyn Ramos
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CAIS Seminar: Dr. Robin Stevens (University of Pennsylvania) - Hashtag HIV?: Using Digital Epidemiology to advance HIV prevention among youth
Wed, Feb 21, 2018 @ 04:00 PM - 05:00 PM
Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Dr. Robin Stevens, University of Pennsylvania
Talk Title: Hashtag HIV?: Using Digital Epidemiology to advance HIV prevention among youth
Series: USC Center for Artificial Intelligence in Society (CAIS) Seminar Series
Abstract: Racial and ethnic disparities in HIV remain a public health priority in the U.S. In this talk, Dr. Stevens will discuss her research investigating associations between offline and online sexual risk behavior among African American and Latino youth. She will also discuss her ongoing Virus to Viral study, that seeks to provide a characterization of HIV risk and prevention behaviors on Twitter, with the goal of offering insights on effective messaging strategies that leverage social media. She will also discuss her approach to conducting community-engaged, theory driven digital epidemiology.
This lecture satisfies requirements for CSCI 591: Research Colloquium
Biography: Dr. Robin Stevens is a health communication scholar focused on achieving health equity in African American and Latino communities. Her research integrates public health and communication science to influence the individual, social and structural determinants that drive health inequity. Her area of expertise is in examining the relationship between new and traditional media and youth risk behavior. Dr. Stevens is an Assistant Professor of Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing and the Director of the Health Equity & Media Lab.
Host: Milind Tambe
Location: Seeley G. Mudd Building (SGM) - 123
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Computer Science Department
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Viterbi E-Week Scavenger Hunt
Wed, Feb 21, 2018 @ 07:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Viterbi School of Engineering Career Connections
Student Activity
Solve puzzles and riddles while competing with fellow engineers in a race around campus! Sign up here: http://bit.ly/2FqbxSe | For more info: http://bit.ly/2E70q0A
For questions, please reach out to the KIUEL Programming Committee at vkiuel@gmail.com. We look forward to seeing you at our E-Week events next week!
Location: Epstein Family Plaza (E-Quad)
Audiences: Undergrad
Contact: RTH 218 Viterbi Career Connections
