Select a calendar:
Filter August Events by Event Type:
SUNMONTUEWEDTHUFRISAT
Events for August 23, 2024
-
CAIS seminar: How to make optimal decisions (that are unfair, biased and non-objective)
Fri, Aug 23, 2024 @ 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Prof. Guido Tack, Monash University
Talk Title: How to make optimal decisions (that are unfair, biased and non-objective)
Abstract: Optimisation technology promises to help us make better decisions: plan the best route on a map, deliver goods quickly and with low emissions, construct efficient staff rosters, or design complex industrial plants. But most of these optimal decisions are in fact compromises. For example, there may be many “optimal” staff rosters that enable an organisation to function effectively and at the lowest possible cost. But some of those “optimal” rosters may be very unfair for certain staff. What if one of your staff asks you why they always get the graveyard shift, and after you’ve analysed the problem, you have to tell them it’s because their name starts with an “A”? This talk is about how optimisation technology can introduce bias and unfairness in subtle ways, and what needs to be done to fix this problem.
Biography: Guido Tack is an Associate Professor in the Department of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence at Monash University, Australia. His research focuses on combinatorial optimisation, in particular architecture and implementation techniques for constraint solvers, translation of constraint modelling languages, and industrial applications. Guido leads the development of the MiniZinc constraint modelling language and toolchain, and he is one of the leading developers of Gecode, a state-of-the-art constraint programming library. Guido’s broader research interests include programming languages and computational logic.
Host: Bistra Dilkina
More Info: https://cais.usc.edu/events/how-to-make-optimal-decisions-that-are-unfair-biased-and-non-objective/
Location: Ethel Percy Andrus Gerontology Center (GER) - 206
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Bistra Dilkina
Event Link: https://cais.usc.edu/events/how-to-make-optimal-decisions-that-are-unfair-biased-and-non-objective/
-
Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering
Fri, Aug 23, 2024 @ 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Alyssa Panitch, Ph.D., Emory University and Georgia Tech.
Talk Title: Promoting tissue healing and regeneration using proteoglycan mimetics
Abstract: Proteoglycans play an important role in extracellular matrix remodeling, homeostasis, and signaling. Due to their negatively charged glycosaminoglycan chains as well as distinct core protein structures, they interact with a variety of molecules, including matrix proteins, growth factors, cytokines and chemokines, pathogens, and enzymes. Here we focus on two bioconjugates that were designed to mimic features of existing proteoglycans. The first models the biological activity of the small leucine-rich proteoglycan, decorin. Like native decorin, our decorin mimetic plays a key role in collagen organization and wound healing. Recently, we have augmented the decorin mimetic with peptide ligands to the avb3 integrin receptor found on endothelial and endothelial progenitor cells. The avb3 ligand confers angiogenic activity to the decorin mimetic and supports wound healing in an ischemic environment in diabetic animals. The second mimetic is designed to target inflamed endothelium to restore physical barrier function of the endothelial glycocalyx. By restoring barrier function, the glycocalyx mimetic reduces intravascular thrombosis and inflammation thereby improving healing outcomes following ischemia reperfusion injury in animal models.
Biography: Dr. Panitch received bachelor’s degrees from Smith College in Biochemistry and from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst in Chemical Engineering. She completed her Ph.D. in Polymer Science and Engineering from the University of Massachusetts. After a postdoctoral fellowship at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) and University of Zurich. She started her first faculty position at Arizona State University in 1999 where she was awarded an NSF CAREER award. She is currently the chair of the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Emory University and Georgia Tech. She is a member and Fellow of the Biomedical Engineering Society, the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineers (AIMBE)and the National Academy of Inventors. She also serves as an Editor for the Journal of Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces.
Host: Peter Wang
Location: Corwin D. Denney Research Center (DRB) - 145
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Carla Stanard
-
PhD Dissertation Defense - Shushan Arakelyan
Fri, Aug 23, 2024 @ 01:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science
University Calendar
Title:
Building Generalizable Language Models for Code Processing
Abstract:
Successful deployment of any AI model requires generalization to previously unseen, real-world scenarios. Lack of generalization in models can lead to outcomes ranging from reduced performance to potential legal liabilities. In this thesis, I explore generalization challenges in large language models for code processing. I will discuss three different generalization concerns that language models for code processing can exhibit, and present my progress in building models that can overcome those. 1) I will start by discussing compositional generalization issues, where models must adapt to previously unseen instruction combinations 2) Next I will talk about out-of-domain generalization, and how distribution shifts within single projects or corporations can affect model performance, and how to overcome it. 3) Finally, I will talk about generalization of advanced models to programming languages with fewer resources.
Venue: SAL 213
Date/Time: August 23, 1pm-3pm
Names of the Dissertation Defense Committee members:
Xiang Ren (chair), Morteza Dehghani, Aram Galstyan, Mukund Raghothaman
Location: Henry Salvatori Computer Science Center (SAL) - 213
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Ellecia Williams
