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Events for November 09, 2010
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CS Colloquium
Tue, Nov 09, 2010 @ 03:30 PM - 05:00 PM
Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Shaddin Dughmi, Stanford University
Talk Title: How to Compute in a Selfish Society: Randomness May be the Key
Abstract: Algorithmic Mechanism Design is concerned with solving computational problems in situations where essential problem data is being held privately by selfish agents. Techniques from economics have long existed for aligning the incentives of the agents with the social good, yet they often require solving a hard optimization problem exactly. On the other hand, computer scientists have coped with intractability by designing approximation algorithms. Unfortunately, recent results have demonstrated that these two approaches are fundamentally at odds for deterministic mechanisms: combining truthfulness and polynomial-time computation results in an inevitable deterioration of the approximation ratio for many important problems.
Fortunately, there is hope: randomized mechanisms are emerging that reconcile computational and economic constraints, yielding optimal approximate mechanisms for problems where deterministic mechanisms provably fail. In this talk, I will advocate randomized mechanism design by taking a tour through a sequence of our recent results. I will illustrate the power of randomized mechanisms by: (1) Overviewing recent positive results for paradigmatic problems such as multi-unit auctions and variants of combinatorial auctions, and (2) Showing how a black-box reduction can transforms any FPTAS for a social-welfare maximization problem into a truthful FPTAS , and (3) Arguing that, in the future, there is hope for more powerful black box reductions that would yield sweeping positive results for welfare-maximization problems in general.
Biography: Shaddin Dughmi is a PhD student in the computer science theory group at Stanford University, advised by Professor Tim Roughgarden. His interests include algorithms, game theory, and combinatorial optimization. Recently, Shaddin has focused on the following meta-question in algorithmic mechanism
design: When and how can we efficiently compute a desirable solution to a resource allocation problem despite the presence of selfish behavior? Shaddin graduated from Cornell University in 2004 with a B.S. in computer science and a minor in applied mathematics. From 2004 to 2006, he was an Information Security Engineer at the MITRE Corporation, where he worked on cryptographic protocol analysis. He enrolled in the Stanford computer science PhD program in the Fall of 2006, with an expected graduation date of June 2011.
Host: Dr. David Kempe
Location: Seaver Science Library (SSL) - 150
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Kanak Agrawal
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McCarthy Building Companies Info Session
Tue, Nov 09, 2010 @ 03:30 PM - 04:30 PM
Viterbi School of Engineering Student Organizations
Workshops & Infosessions
USC AGC presents McCarthy Building Companies Info Session
For nearly 150 years, McCarthy has provided clients and partners with exceptional commercial construction results. Staying true to our foundation as a builder; yet, leading the way with new tools and delivery options when these add value. Always with a focus on delivering the best result, every time.
Tuesday, November 9, 3:30 pm in KAP 209
Members can pick up their AGC T-shirtsLocation: Kaprielian Hall (KAP) - 209
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Events USC AGC
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Undergraduate Co-op/Intern Panel
Tue, Nov 09, 2010 @ 05:30 PM - 06:30 PM
Viterbi School of Engineering Career Connections
Workshops & Infosessions
Are you looking for an internship this summer? Have you ever wondered what a Co-Op is? Come to the Viterbi Engineering Intern and Co-Op panel to learn more. Current undergraduate and graduate Viterbi students will share how they received their positions and answer your questions about how to succeed as an intern.
Companies being represented a/o 11/3 include:
Intel, NASA Johnson Space Center, KPMG Philippines, and AXA Advisors
Dinner will be served.
There is limited space for this event; RSVP is required
Please RSVP to Viterbi.careers@usc.edu by Friday, November 5th. In the subject line, please write, RSVP- Co-op Intern Panel.
Location: Grace Ford Salvatori Hall Of Letters, Arts & Sciences (GFS) - 106
Audiences: All Viterbi Undergraduate Students
Contact: RTH 218 Viterbi Career Services
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CANCELLED- Ericsson Information Session
Tue, Nov 09, 2010 @ 06:00 PM - 08:00 PM
Viterbi School of Engineering Career Connections
Workshops & Infosessions
THIS INFORMATION SESSION HAS BEEN CANCELLED
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: RTH 218 Viterbi Career Services
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USC NSBE Fall Regional Conference Planning Meeting
Tue, Nov 09, 2010 @ 06:30 PM - 08:30 PM
Viterbi School of Engineering Student Organizations
Student Activity
Location: Kaprielian Hall (KAP) - 144
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: NSBE National Society of Black Engineers
