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X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Ashoka University
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TZID:Asia/Kolkata
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DTSTART:20240101T000000
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DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20250924T133000
DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20250924T144500
DTSTAMP:20250912T022301Z
CREATED:20250912T022301Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250912T022301Z
UID:82129-1758720600-1758725100@www.ashoka.edu.in
SUMMARY:Physics Colloquium: Machine Learning Applied to Health and Disease
DESCRIPTION:Abstract: We will discuss various applications of machine learning in the healthcare sector. After an introductory review covering applications from across the field\, we will describe our recent work on predicting the birth weight of a fetus from ultrasound measurements (collaborative work with Uma Ram\, obstetrician/gynaecologist; C Kumari\, GI Menon\, L Narlikar).  We will also discuss the problem of data sharing and patient confidentiality in medicine\, and describe one possible alternative\, sharing synthetic data generated to mimic essential characteristics of real data. We will describe an algorithm\, MMMSynth\, for this\, which outperforms deep-learning-based algorithms (with C. Kumari). \nAbout the Speaker: Dr. Rahul Siddharthan is a Professor of Computational Biology at the Institute of Mathematical Sciences (IMSc)\, Chennai. His research interests include bioinformatic algorithms\, regulatory genomics\, chromatin\, evolutionary biology\, and\, more recently\, machine learning and clinical outcomes. He earned his Ph.D. in Physics from the Indian Institute of Science\, Bangalore\, and transitioned into biology during his second postdoctoral fellowship at The Rockefeller University\, New York. He was a postdoctoral fellow at École Normale Supérieure (ENS)\, Paris (2000–2002)\, and subsequently at Rockefeller University (2002–2004). Dr. Siddharthan joined the Physics group at IMSc in 2004\, and in 2013\, they established a new research group and Ph.D. programme in Computational Biology. \nLooking forward to your active participation.
URL:https://www.ashoka.edu.in/event/physics-colloquium-machine-learning-applied-to-health-and-disease/
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20250924T133000
DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20250924T144500
DTSTAMP:20250919T041715Z
CREATED:20250919T032725Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250919T041715Z
UID:82726-1758720600-1758725100@www.ashoka.edu.in
SUMMARY:Interactive Book Event: Mischief of Math : Thought Provoking Paradoxes and Biases
DESCRIPTION:Book Title: The Mischief of Math: Short Stories of Clowns\, Contortionists\, and Court-Jesters  \nAuthors: Inavamsi Enaganti\, Director (Param Innovation Centre)\,Nivedita Kousik\, Researcher and Consultant\, Prof. Bud Mishra\, Professor of Mathematics\, Computer Science\, and Biology (New York University) and Visiting Professor of Computer Science (Ashoka University) \nAbout the book: This book is a vibrant fusion of mathematics and storytelling\, challenging the traditional perception of math as a dry\, academic subject. It uses engaging short stories to introduce complex\, interdisciplinary concepts that are crucial for students in the modern world. The narrative delves into the playful paradoxes and surprising biases that shape our understanding of everything from economic stability to AI ethics. \n\nBlurb: Embark on a whimsical odyssey through the realms of ethics in AI bots\, logic\, game theory\, paradoxes\, biases\, fake data detection\, graph theory\, and so much more! Within these pages you'll find a collection of fictional short stories that weave together the intriguing\, the counterintuitive and the downright quirky with bold characters from every walk of life.\nKey Topics from the Book:\n• Scientific Experimentation & Cascading Errors\n• Economic Stability\n• Fake Data\, Privacy\, AI Bots\, & Signaling Games\n• Political Establishment\n• Hypothesizing in Clinical Trials\n• Policy & Deployment during a Pandemic\n• Logical Fallacies & Number Tricks \n• Morality & Ethics\n• Applied & Abstract Mathematics \nAccolades & Highlights:\n• Acclaimed Launch: The book sold-out at the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore and Chennai Mathematical Institute launch events\, graced by distinguished academics.\n• Literary Festival Presence: Featured at the Hindu Lit Fest 2025 with a panel and a workshop.\n• Academic Adoption: Adopted as a textbook at New York University and Ashoka University.\n• Global Reach: Now part of the catalogues of the Library of Congress (US) and the British Library.\n• Media Recognition: Featured in over 15 press outlets across six languages\, including The Times of India and The Hindu. \nAbout the Authors: Nivedita Ganesh and Inavamsi Enaganti\, both alumni of Chennai Mathematical Institute and NYU\, are the dynamic duo behind The Mischief of Math\, mentored by NYU’s\nProfessor Bud Mishra. Nivedita\, a changemaker and banker by day\, and a classical dancer\, cellist\, and DJ by night\, bridges the worlds of arts\, science\, East\, and West. Inavamsi\, director of Param Science Centre\, is a startup pioneer unravelling the mysteries of reality and dreaming of floating cities for humanity. Together\, they’ve turned math into mischief\, proving numbers can entertain\, educate\, and inspire in equal measure. \nWe look forward to your active participation.
URL:https://www.ashoka.edu.in/event/interactive-book-event-mischief-of-math-thought-provoking-paradoxes-and-biases/
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DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20250924T133000
DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20250924T150000
DTSTAMP:20250923T044553Z
CREATED:20250923T044553Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250923T044553Z
UID:83088-1758720600-1758726000@www.ashoka.edu.in
SUMMARY:Second Lecture in Ashoka History Monsoon Seminar Series 2025
DESCRIPTION:Abstract: Early modern Iran was a distinctly patriarchal society\, dominated by an exclusively male military aristocracy. Yet\, at the height of the empire’s turmoil and civil strife at the end of the sixteenth century\, two women\, opposed to one another\, came to practically rule the empire\, subordinating the male elites to their will. This talk examines how and why this was possible. It examines the institutional\, religious\, and cultural opportunities that these women took advantage of in order to gain power over a thoroughly patriarchal and violent aristocratic empire. \n(Trigger warning: sensitive topics regarding women and violence against women) \n  \nBio: M.A.H. Parsa (“Amir”) is a scholar of empires and world history. After completing his undergraduate studies in Mathematics at the Royal Holloway University of London\, Amir briefly worked at the UK Civil Service Fast Stream programme and several private consulting firms in London. Resigning from the private sector\, he chose to continue his studies\, but shifted to the humanities. In 2022\, he completed his PhD on imperial identity and state formation in the eighteenth-century Turco-Persianate world at SOAS University of London. His doctoral dissertation forms the basis for his upcoming book: Imperial Iran in the Eighteenth Century: Identity and State Formation under the Post-Safavid and Naderid Empires c. 1720–1750 (Edinburgh University Press). He lectured on Islamic history at NYU London in 2022–23\, then\, from 2023–25\, he lectured on a variety of historical subjects at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. In 2025\, he received a Leverhulme Fellowship to remain at St Andrews\, but owing to growing restrictions on freedom of speech in UK academia\, he rejected this offer. Instead\, he took up his current position in the Department of History at Ashoka University\, where he works on imperial and world history.
URL:https://www.ashoka.edu.in/event/second-lecture-in-ashoka-history-monsoon-seminar-series-2025/
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20250924T183000
DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20250924T200000
DTSTAMP:20250918T093714Z
CREATED:20250916T045517Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250918T093714Z
UID:82466-1758738600-1758744000@www.ashoka.edu.in
SUMMARY:The coup in nature's governance: Centralisation of Indian wildlife conservation in the 1970s
DESCRIPTION:Dear All\,  \nDepartment of Environmental Studies cordially invites you to the second colloquium in the Monsoon ’25 colloquium series. \nTitle of Talk: The coup in nature’s governance: Centralisation of Indian wildlife conservation in the 1970s \nSpeaker: Professor Biswajit Sarmah\, IIT Palakkad  \nTime: 6:30 PM – 8 PM  \nZoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/91449988816?pwd=3fPvkFGkVyKHyPp74W10tjzGY85L7s.1 \nAbstract: The dominant understanding of ecological restoration in India attributes its origins to the 1970s\, with the enactment of the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972 (WLPA) and the launch of Project Tiger (1973). These initiatives led to fundamental power shifts in wildlife management reducing the authority of state governments—who were constitutionally mandated to manage forests and wildlife—in favour of the Union government. This research re-evaluates this conventional dating of ecological restoration by demonstrating significant wildlife conservation efforts in the 1950s and 1960s by states such as Assam. Focusing on rhino conservation in the Kaziranga National Park\, Assam\, I argue that the centralisation of power in the 1970s was\, in fact\, the culmination of a conservation vision articulated by a diverse group of Indian conservationists: erstwhile princely state rulers\, planters\, and natural historians. Their ideas on conservation often conflicted with the principles of an electoral democracy. By tracing the roots of this power shift to the visions of this select group\, the talk reveals how ideas averse to democratic norms significantly shaped contemporary Indian conservation policy. I conclude by examining the consequences of this centralisation on the conservation of megafauna\, particularly the rhino and the elephant. \nSpeaker’s Bio: Biswajit Sarmah is a faculty member in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Palakkad\, Kerala. Before joining IIT Palakkad\, Biswajit was a postdoctoral fellow at the Moturi Satyanarayana Centre at Krea University (2023-24) and served briefly at the Archives of Contemporary India\, Ashoka University. Biswajit completed his PhD from IIT Guwahati in 2022 for his thesis on the history of rhinoceros conservation in the Kaziranga National Park\, Assam. Currently\, he is working on his first monograph based on the thesis. He is a recipient of the Fulbright Fellowship (2019–20) and the Charles Wallace India Trust Travel Grant (2022). \nWe look forward to your active participation. \n  \nWarm regards\, \nEnvironmental Studies Department
URL:https://www.ashoka.edu.in/event/the-coup-in-natures-governance-centralisation-of-indian-wildlife-conservation-in-the-1970s/
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