Seminars

Innovative Algorithms and Their Applications

2023-01-06T09:00:00-05:00/2023-01-06T11:00:00-05:00 in WCC Room 1010, with Catherine Deskur

The analysis of algorithms and their limitations can turn simple tasks like sorting a deck of cards, scheduling meetings, or shoveling the sidewalk into complex and thought-provoking problems. This seminar offers a deep dive into the fascinating world of algorithms and their uses in computer science and beyond. We will broadly overview examples of ingenious algorithms along with current research about their theoretical limits, apply them to real-world scenarios, and uncover algorithms that you already use in your daily life!

Data Visualization for Better or Worse

2023-01-09T09:00:00-05:00/2023-01-09T11:00:00-05:00 in WCC Room 1010, with Patrick Thornton

Using a slew of readily available, user-friendly Python libraries such as Pandas, Matplotlib, and Seaborn, this seminar offers you something of a crash course on the art of data visualization. Not only will we be going over the basics of converting incomprehensible spreadsheets into beautiful, cogent plots; we’ll also be dealing with some of the myriad ways in which visualizations can be ambiguous, misleading, or downright mendacious. Hopefully, learning to produce a few of these representations yourself will make you all the more vigilant in detecting and defusing faulty visualizations out in the wild.

Will the FCC’s Net Neutrality Pendulum Ever Stop?

2023-01-11T18:00:00-05:00/2023-01-11T20:00:00-05:00 in WCC Room 1010, with Sophia Cho

Net neutrality, a term coined by Professor Tim Wu at Columbia Law School in 2002, has been one of the most contentious issues in telecommunications policy since the early 2000s. In this seminar, we will delve into what net neutrality is, how the FCC has oscillated on net neutrality rules under different administrations, and if/how this net neutrality pendulum can be put to rest for the best interests of consumers, internet service providers, and the entire internet ecosystem.

Git, GitHub, Software Licences, and the World of Open-Source Software

2023-01-13T18:00:00-05:00/2023-01-13T20:00:00-05:00 in WCC Room 1010, with Inno Munai

When software developers, engineers, and other professionals collaboratively develop software, whether, for a small personal project or commercial use, they need a way to track and manage changes in a codebase that multiple people are working on. To this end, Git is the most widely used version control system — think Google Docs, but much more powerful and with support for distributed, non-linear workflows.

During the seminar, attendees will learn about version control systems (particularly Git) and how to track and manage changes to software projects over time. This seminar will also delve into the world of open-source software, discussing the different types of open-source licenses and the benefits and drawbacks of using open-source software in projects. Attendees will learn about the role of GitHub in the open-source ecosystem, including how to use GitHub to contribute to and collaborate on open-source projects.

Creating and Deploying a Website of Your Own

2023-01-17T10:00:00-05:00/2023-01-17T12:00:00-05:00 in WCC Hauser Hall – 105 Jackson Meeting Room, with Varsha Venkatasubramanian

Have you ever wanted an online portfolio, a blog or some other kind of personal website? This is a hands-on seminar in which we will build a simple, static website using readily available online resources and templates. Through this process, we will learn about the overarching components of website building and discuss briefly.

The Painters Who Passed the Turing Test: History and Impact of AI Art

2023-01-19T12:00:00-05:00/2023-01-19T14:00:00-05:00 in WCC Room 1019, with Michael Hu

Artificial intelligence is a discipline of computer science that is rapidly changing our cultural landscape, including art. We will first examine the common tools and processes used to create artificial-intelligent artwork with a brief history of machine-generated images. Then, we will explore the social and cultural implications of images created by AI generators, as well as present concerns regarding AI-aided creative outputs in general.