• A Signal Separation View of Classification (Ryan O’Dowd, CGU)

    Estella 1021 (Emmy Noether Room), Pomona College Claremont, CA, United States

    Abstract: The problem of classification in machine learning has often been approached in terms of function approximation. In this talk, we propose an alternative approach for classification in arbitrary compact metric spaces which, in theory, yields both the number of classes, and a perfect classification using a minimal number of queried labels. Our approach uses […]

  • Structure-Aware Adaptive Nonconvex Optimization for Deep Learning and Scientific Computing (Minxin Zhang, UCLA)

    Emmy Noether Room, Estella 1021, Pomona College, 610 N. College Ave., Claremont, CA, United States

    Abstract: Modern machine learning and scientific computing pose optimization challenges of unprecedented scale and complexity, demanding fundamental advances in both theory and algorithmic design for nonconvex optimization. This talk presents recent advances that address these challenges by exploiting matrix and tensor structures, integrating adaptivity, and leveraging sampling techniques. In the first part, I introduce AdaGO, […]

  • Fractional Brownian Motion: Small Increments and First Exit Time from One-sided Barrier (Qidi Peng, CGU)

    Emmy Noether Room, Estella 1021, Pomona College, 610 N. College Ave., Claremont, CA, United States

    Abstract: The talk introduces a conjecture on the first exit time of fractional Brownian motion: the upper-tail probability for a fractional Brownian motion to first exit a positive-valued barrier over time T has the exact asymptotic rate T^(H-1), where H is the Hurst parameter of the fractional Brownian motion. The talk tries to understand this conjecture […]

  • Sampling from the proper colorings of a graph using a number of colors linear in the maximum degree in expected linear time (Mark Huber, CMC)

    Emmy Noether Room, Estella 1021, Pomona College, 610 N. College Ave., Claremont, CA, United States

    Abstract: A proper coloring of a graph is an assignment of colors from \( \{1, 2, \ldots, k\} \) to each node of a graph such that no two nodes connected by an edge receive the same color. Let \( \Delta \) denote the maximum degree of the graph. If \( k \geq \Delta + […]

  • A BKM-type criterion for the 3D incompressible Euler equations (Mustafa Aydin, USC)

    Emmy Noether Room, Estella 1021, Pomona College, 610 N. College Ave., Claremont, CA, United States

    Abstract: The three-dimensional incompressible Euler equations describe the motion of an ideal fluid, yet the mechanisms that govern the possible loss of regularity of smooth solutions remain only partially understood. A classical result of Beale, Kato, and Majda shows that if a smooth solution breaks down in finite time, then the time integral of the […]

  • Explainability and Analysis of Variance (Zijun Gao, USC)

    Emmy Noether Room, Estella 1021, Pomona College, 610 N. College Ave., Claremont, CA, United States

    Abstract: Existing tools for explaining complex models and systems are associational rather than causal and do not provide mechanistic understanding. We propose a new notion called counterfactual explainability for causal attribution that is motivated by the concept of genetic heritability in twin studies. Counterfactual explainability extends methods for global sensitivity analysis (including the functional analysis […]

  • An Odd Estimator for Shapley Values (Teal Witter, CMC)

    Emmy Noether Room, Estella 1021, Pomona College, 610 N. College Ave., Claremont, CA, United States

    Abstract: The Shapley value is a ubiquitous framework for attribution in machine learning, encompassing feature importance, data valuation, and causal inference. However, its exact computation is generally intractable, necessitating efficient […]

  • The Euler Equations in Function Spaces of Generalized Smoothness (Zachary Radke, OSU)

    Emmy Noether Room, Estella 1021, Pomona College, 610 N. College Ave., Claremont, CA, United States

    Abstract: In this talk, we will describe a well/ill-posedness result for the 2D incompressible Euler equations. We investigate solutions in a setting logarithmically smoother than previously done, in a hope to identify the key dynamics leading to a breakdown of regularity in 2D fluid flow. When order of the logarithmic derivative is sufficiently large one […]