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X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Ashoka University
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DTSTART:20240101T000000
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20250326T113000
DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20250326T131000
DTSTAMP:20250324T211149Z
CREATED:20250323T210850Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250324T211149Z
UID:75421-1742988600-1742994600@www.ashoka.edu.in
SUMMARY:\"Accelerating scientific discovery in astrophysics using machine learning\"  by Shravan Hanasoge
DESCRIPTION:Joint Department of Physics and SCDLDS colloquium\n"Accelerating scientific discovery in astrophysics using machine learning"\nby Shravan Hanasoge \n \nProfessor\nDepartment of Astronomy and Astrophysics\nTata Institute of Fundamental Research \nShravan Hanasoge is a Professor at the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research and a co-Principal Investigator of the Center for Astrophysics and Space Science at New York University Abu Dhabi. He received his PhD and M.S. from Stanford University\, B.Tech. from IIT Madras and has been a postdoctoral scholar at Princeton University\, Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences (New York University) and the Max-Planck Institute for Solar System Research.\nAbstract: Machine learning can dramatically speed up astrophysical analyses\, especially in the modern era of high-quality\, large-scale observations. To advocate for the case of deep learning applied to fundamental science\, I will describe results that we have obtained from asteroseismic analyses of the Kepler field. Stellar pulsations offer valuable insights into the internal structure and rotation profiles of stars. The availability of high-quality observations from numerous space-based instruments makes it possible to pursue ensemble analyses on an unprecedented scale. To this end\, we have used machine learning to accelerate these studies by several orders of magnitude.  This endeavor presents unique challenges and opportunities for machine learning researchers. By collaborating with us\, machine learning experts can contribute to advancing algorithms in areas such as unsupervised learning for pattern discovery in high-dimensional\, unlabeled data\, and developing robust models capable of handling noisy and irregular datasets characteristic of stellar spectra. Additionally\, there is significant potential for innovation in model interpretability techniques tailored to complex scientific data\, which can enhance transparency and trust in AI systems across various domains. This collaboration not only aids in solving complex astrophysical problems but can also drive methodological advancements in machine learning.\nDate: Wednesday\, March 26\, 2025\nTime: 12:00 PM IST\nVenue: AC-04-LR-304\nFor details: ashoka-cdlds@ashoka.edu.in or call: +91-9136857558\nZoom link: https://zoom.us/j/92800513341?pwd=ViT004pTtZRJFIArbppPdiK25qNdjb.1
URL:https://www.ashoka.edu.in/event/accelerating-scientific-discovery-in-astrophysics-using-machine-learning-by-shravan-hanasoge/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20250326T120000
DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20250326T130000
DTSTAMP:20250326T063318Z
CREATED:20250127T090924Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250326T063318Z
UID:72544-1742990400-1742994000@www.ashoka.edu.in
SUMMARY:Accelerating scientific discovery in astrophysics using machine learning by Shravan Hanasoge
DESCRIPTION:Joint Department of Physics and SCDLDS colloquium\n“Accelerating scientific discovery in astrophysics using machine learning”\nby Shravan Hanasoge \n \nProfessor\nDepartment of Astronomy and Astrophysics\nTata Institute of Fundamental Research \n\nShravan Hanasoge is a Professor at the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research and a co-Principal Investigator of the Center for Astrophysics and Space Science at New York University Abu Dhabi. He received his PhD and M.S. from Stanford University\, B.Tech. from IIT Madras and has been a postdoctoral scholar at Princeton University\, Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences (New York University) and the Max-Planck Institute for Solar System Research. \nAbstract: Machine learning can dramatically speed up astrophysical analyses\, especially in the modern era of high-quality\, large-scale observations. To advocate for the case of deep learning applied to fundamental science\, I will describe results that we have obtained from asteroseismic analyses of the Kepler field. Stellar pulsations offer valuable insights into the internal structure and rotation profiles of stars. The availability of high-quality observations from numerous space-based instruments makes it possible to pursue ensemble analyses on an unprecedented scale. To this end\, we have used machine learning to accelerate these studies by several orders of magnitude.  \nThis endeavor presents unique challenges and opportunities for machine learning researchers. By collaborating with us\, machine learning experts can contribute to advancing algorithms in areas such as unsupervised learning for pattern discovery in high-dimensional\, unlabeled data\, and developing robust models capable of handling noisy and irregular datasets characteristic of stellar spectra. Additionally\, there is significant potential for innovation in model interpretability techniques tailored to complex scientific data\, which can enhance transparency and trust in AI systems across various domains. This collaboration not only aids in solving complex astrophysical problems but can also drive methodological advancements in machine learning. \n\nDate: Wednesday\, March 26\, 2025\nTime: 12:00 IST\nVenue: AC-04-LR-304\nFor details: ashoka-cdlds@ashoka.edu.in or call: +91-9136857558\nZoom link: https://zoom.us/j/96444529163?pwd=YEyk5H5IQETx2Xx89AVPu8Qn8u8yVP.1
URL:https://www.ashoka.edu.in/event/scdlds-coll02/
LOCATION:AC04-304 (LT)
CATEGORIES:Online Event,Offline
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.ashoka.edu.in/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/coll02-banner-6v3.png
ORGANIZER;CN="SCDLDS":MAILTO:ashoka-cdlds@ashoka.edu.in
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20250326T133000
DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20250326T150000
DTSTAMP:20250326T011510Z
CREATED:20250321T030118Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250326T011510Z
UID:75246-1742995800-1743001200@www.ashoka.edu.in
SUMMARY:CS Colloquium: Approximation Algorithms: Some Ancient\, Some New - the Good\, the Bad and the Ugly
DESCRIPTION:Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/96807279045?pwd=P1p1V90vE6K94Wyfne8HbH72lqk8jJ.1 \nAbstract: NP-complete problems abound in every aspect of our daily lives. One approach is to simply deploy heuristics\, but for many of these we do not have any idea as to when the heuristic is effective and when it is not. Approximation algorithms have played a major role in the last three decades in developing a foundation for a better understanding of optimization techniques – greedy algorithms\, algorithms based on Linear Programming relaxations have paved the way for the design of (in some cases) optimal heuristics. Are these the best ones to use in “typical” instances? Maybe\, maybe not.  \nIn this talk we will focus on two specific areas – one is in the use of greedy algorithms for a basic graph problem called connected dominating set\, and the other is in the development of LP based algorithms for a basic scheduling problem in the context of data center scheduling. \n\nAbout the Speaker: Samir Khuller received his M.S and Ph.D from Cornell University in 1989 and 1990\, respectively\, under the supervision of Vijay Vazirani. He spent two years as a Research Associate at the University of Maryland\, before joining the Computer Science Department in 1992\, where he was a Professor for 27 years. He spent several summers at the IBM T. J. Watson Research Center\, and also visited the IBM Tokyo Research Lab for several weeks. From 2003 to 2008 he was the Associate Chair for Graduate Education. and he was the first Elizabeth Stevinson Iribe Chair for CS. As chair he led the development of the Brendan Iribe Center for Computer Science and Innovation\, a project completed in March 2019. In March 2019\, Khuller joined Northwestern University as the Peter and Adrienne Barris Chair for CS. His research interests are in graph algorithms\, discrete optimization\, and computational geometry. He has published about 200 journal and conference papers\, and several book chapters on these topics. He was an editor for the journal Algorithmica\, and International Journal on Foundations of Computer Science\, problems Editor for ACM Trans. on Algorithms\, and currently is a columnist for SIGACT News and Associate Editor for Networks. He has served on several program committees including SODA 1997\, APPROX 1999\, APPROX 2000 (chair)\, STOC 2003\, PODS 2006\, SODA 2007\, APPROX 2010\, ESA 2010\, STOC 2013\, SPAA 2017 and SODA 2021. He served on the ESA Steering Committee from 2012-2016 and chaired the 2019 MAPSP Scheduling Workshop. From 2018-2021 he will serve as the Chair of SIGACT. In 2020\, he received the CRA-E Undergraduate Research Mentoring Award. \nHe received the National Science Foundation's Career Development Award\, several Dept. Teaching Awards\, the Dean's Teaching Excellence Award and also a CTE-Lilly Teaching Fellowship. In 2003\, he and his students were awarded the "Best newcomer paper" award for the ACM PODS Conference. He received the University of Maryland's Distinguished Scholar Teacher Award in 2007\, as well as a Google Research Award and an Amazon Research Award. In 2016\, he received the European Symposium on Algorithms inaugural Test of Time Award for his work with Sudipto Guha on Connected Dominating Sets. He graduated at the top of the Computer Science Class from IIT-Kanpur. \nWe look forward to your active participation.
URL:https://www.ashoka.edu.in/event/cs-colloquium-approximation-algorithms-some-ancient-some-new-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20250326T133000
DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20250326T150000
DTSTAMP:20250320T062710Z
CREATED:20250320T054728Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250320T062710Z
UID:75229-1742995800-1743001200@www.ashoka.edu.in
SUMMARY:Between Polity and Politesse: Reading a Sanskrit Inscription of Ghiyasuddin Balban
DESCRIPTION:Abstract: \nThe prasasti is a panegyric poem usually found in the inscriptions of South Asia. This talk will trace the early medieval history of the Sanskrit prasasti\, and explore its role in legitimizing polity. We will trace the braiding of the poetic and political in this genre\, which perhaps accounts for its longevity. We will then discuss the Palam Baoli inscription\, which records the philanthropy of a Punjabi merchant\, while also incorporating a praise-poem addressed to Sultan Ghiyasuddin Balban. The talk will highlight the hybridity and polyvalence of the prasasti\, an insight that is worth exploring with other premodern literary genres. The talk will adumbrate a problematic consequence of outdated models of periodization of Indian history\, i.e. the association of Sanskrit sources with ‘Ancient History’ and Persian and Arabic sources with ‘Medieval History’.   \nAuthor Bio: \nKesavan Veluthat has taught history at the Universities of Calicut\, Mangalore\, and Delhi. He is one of the most important voices in re-examining the notion of the ‘medieval’ in South Asian history. Alongside his many contributions to the political and cultural history of South India\, Kesavan has been producing valuable studies and translations of Sanskrit belletristic texts into English – The Buffalo Century: Vanchesvara Diksita’s Mahisatakam (2020)\, and into Malayalam – Magha’s Sisupalavadham (2022) and Bharavi’s Kiratarjuniyam (2023). His latest book is Clio Revisits Calliope: A Historian’s Excursion to the Kavya Literature (2025).
URL:https://www.ashoka.edu.in/event/between-polity-and-politesse-reading-a-sanskrit-inscription-of-ghiyasuddin-balban/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20250326T133000
DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20250326T153000
DTSTAMP:20250304T024434Z
CREATED:20250304T024434Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250304T024434Z
UID:74498-1742995800-1743003000@www.ashoka.edu.in
SUMMARY:Philosophy Colloquium: The Demise of the Object as a Cause of Cognition in Late Medieval Philosophy
DESCRIPTION:All are invited to a Philosophy Department colloquium talk by Professor Antoine Côté from the Department of Philosophy\, Universty of Ottawa. The talk will take place on Wednesday 26th March at 1:30 PM in AC04 LR303. \nTitle: The Demise of the Object as a Cause of Cognition in Late Medieval Philosophy \nAbstract: According to a prominent model of cognition in late medieval European philosophy\, the object of my knowledge (say\, Coriscus\, in my knowing that Coriscus is standing in front of me) is the efficient and formal cause of my knowledge. Coriscus stands at the starting point of the process that terminates in my act of knowledge and gives that act its content. \nMany medieval philosophers\, however\, rejected this model\, arguing that it granted too great a role to the object and the sense faculties. Instead\, they proposed accounts of cognition that made the mind the principal cause of its acts of knowledge. My presentation focuses on one such account: that of the maverick Dominican theologian Durand of Saint-Pourçain. \nFor Durand and his followers\, knowing something is not a matter of the mind’s being acted upon or having information conveyed to it but rather of the mind’s being directed to or related to that object. While indispensable for knowledge to occur\, the object does not contribute to its production in any causally robust sense. After spelling out Durand’s position and contrasting it with rival solutions\, I gesture at its significance for subsequent theories of cognition. \nSpeaker Bio: Antoine Côté is a Professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Ottawa. He is interested in all aspects of philosophy in the Long Middle Ages (roughly from Justin Martyr to Leibniz). He works mostly on the metaphysics\, theories of cognition\, and political philosophy of thirteenth and fourteenth century thinkers. He is currently working on a project focusing on the theory of cognition and the metaphysics of the Benedictine Pierre Roger\, who was Master of Theology at the University of Paris from 1323 to 1326.
URL:https://www.ashoka.edu.in/event/philosophy-colloquium-the-demise-of-the-object-as-a-cause-of-cognition-in-late-medieval-philosophy/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20250326T134000
DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20250326T150000
DTSTAMP:20250322T004823Z
CREATED:20250322T004823Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250322T004823Z
UID:75340-1742996400-1743001200@www.ashoka.edu.in
SUMMARY:Environmental Studies\, Biology & Trivedi School of BioSciences - Talk
DESCRIPTION:Dear All\, \nThe Department of Environmental Studies in collaboration with Department of Biology & Trivedi School of BioSciences cordially invite you to a talk on: \nTitle: Acoustic communication in tree crickets: From biophysics to behavioural ecology \nSpeaker: Prof. Rohini Balakrishnan\, Centre for Ecological Sciences\, IISc\, Bangalore \nAbstract: Tree cricket males use long-distance acoustic communication signals to attract conspecific females for mating. Male songs are species-specific in structure and their song features\, including carrier frequency\, facilitate species recognition by females. Unusually among true crickets\, tree cricket song carrier frequency changes with temperature. The song production mechanism has been investigated to understand why carrier frequency changes with temperature\, as well as the implications of this for female receivers. Intraspecific female mate choice based on variation in male song has also been examined using a sensory ecological approach. The causes and consequences of a unique male alternative mating tactic\, baffling\, wherein they build an acoustic amplifier using leaves\, has been studied. Baffling is more common among smaller and less loud males\, suggesting that it is a condition-dependent mating tactic. Finally\, individual-based simulation models suggest that habitat spatial structure may be key to explaining the evolutionary persistence of multiple alternative mating tactics in tree crickets. \nSpeaker's Bio: Dr. Rohini Balakrishnan is a Professor at the Centre for Ecological Sciences\, Indian Institute of Science (IISc)\, specializing in animal communication and bioacoustics. Her research encompasses bioacoustics\, animal behavior\, community and habitat ecology\, and systematics. She investigates sender and receiver strategies in complex acoustic environments\, predator-prey interactions\, and decision-making in mate-finding and choice. Her work integrates theoretical\, experimental\, and observational approaches\, combining laboratory and field studies. \n  \nWe look forward to your presence and an engaging discussion! 
URL:https://www.ashoka.edu.in/event/environmental-studies-biology-trivedi-school-of-biosciences-talk/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20250326T134000
DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20250326T150000
DTSTAMP:20250324T233533Z
CREATED:20250324T002026Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250324T233533Z
UID:75362-1742996400-1743001200@www.ashoka.edu.in
SUMMARY:Economics Department | Weekly Seminars
DESCRIPTION:Dear All\, \nThe Department of Economics invites you to their weekly seminar on Wednesday\, March 26th\, 2025. \nTime: 1:40 PM to 2:50 PM \n Venue: AC 04 301 \n Speaker: Prof. Sulagna Dasgupta \n Title: Communication via Hard and Soft Information. \nAbstract –  A privately informed sender with state-independent preferences communicates with an uninformed receiver about a single-dimensional state. The sender can verifiably reveal the state precisely. She can also communicate via cheap messages when not disclosing the state. I show that unravelling occurs\, with or without cheap talk\, if and only if sender's preferences satisfy a condition slightly weaker than strict quasiconvexity. Moreover\, the ability to use cheap talk can prevent unravelling for some prior distribution of the state\, if and only if the sender's payoff is "M-shaped". When unravelling does not occur\, the model features multiple equilibria. I show that as long as the sender's payoff function does not pool "too many types" together\, cheap talk typically expands the set of equilibria\, regardless of other parameters. Varying across equilibria\, I also show that equilibria that feature more disclosure are worse for the sender\, with the disclosure minimizing equilibrium being sender-best.
URL:https://www.ashoka.edu.in/event/economics-department-weekly-seminars/
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