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1. GTC Graduate Seminar: Discussion about presentation of research: talks and research statements

Location: MSRI: Baker Board Room
Updated on Oct 20, 2017 01:36 PM PDT
2. GTC Main Seminar: Spectrahedral Shadows

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Speakers: Claus Scheiderer (Universität Konstanz)

A spectrahedron is an affine-linear section of the cone of positive semidefinite matrices. A spectrahedral shadow is a linear image of a spectrahedron. By means of interior point methods one can very effectively optimize linear functions over spectrahedral shadows (semidefinite programming). We will discuss examples and construction methods of spectrahedral shadows, and then turn to the recent disproof of the Helton-Nie conjecture, which stated that every convex semialgebraic set is a spectrahedral shadow. Explicit counter-examples will be given, and a number of related open questions will be addressed.

Updated on Oct 16, 2017 05:54 PM PDT
3. GFA Main Seminar: Small ball probabilities via isoperimetry

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Speakers: Peter Pivovarov (University of Missouri)

Small ball probabilities (or anti-concentration inequalities) typically involve different tools  than those used for proving large deviation or concentration inequalities.   I will discuss a general method that leads to sharp small ball probabilities for quantities involving random vectors, their marginals, operator norms of random matrices and the volume of random convex sets. Various isoperimetric inequalities in convex geometry play a central role.  In particular,  stronger empirical versions in which stochastic dominance holds are well suited for small ball probabilities.  I will describe how techniques from convexity interface well with rearrangement inequalities such as the Rogers-Brascamp-Lieb-Luttinger inequality and Christ's version of the latter. (Based on joint work with G. Paouris).

Updated on Oct 20, 2017 03:14 PM PDT
4. Combinatorial Fixed Point Theorems Working Group: When Mr Sperner, Mr. Tucker, Mr. Helly, Mr. Caratheodory and, Mr. Tverberg decide to talk’

Location: MSRI: Baker Board Room
Speakers: Jesus De Loera (University of California, Davis)
I recently co-wrote a long survey (with Goaoc, Meunier, and Mustafa) about these 5 fundamental Theorems in geometric topological combinatorics. My key point will be to outline some connections between these theorems; some known, some new, some are easy some are not. Please see survey at http://front.math.ucdavis.edu/1706.05975  People who send us comments, corrections and suggestions, will be rewarded !!
Updated on Oct 20, 2017 08:38 AM PDT
5. GFA Main Seminar: Small ball probabilities via isoperimetry

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Speakers: Peter Pivovarov (University of Missouri)

Small ball probabilities (or anti-concentration inequalities) typically involve different tools  than those used for proving large deviation or concentration inequalities.   I will discuss a general method that leads to sharp small ball probabilities for quantities involving random vectors, their marginals, operator norms of random matrices and the volume of random convex sets. Various isoperimetric inequalities in convex geometry play a central role.  In particular,  stronger empirical versions in which stochastic dominance holds are well suited for small ball probabilities.  I will describe how techniques from convexity interface well with rearrangement inequalities such as the Rogers-Brascamp-Lieb-Luttinger inequality and Christ's version of the latter. (Based on joint work with G. Paouris).

Updated on Oct 20, 2017 03:17 PM PDT
6. GFA Young Researchers Seminar: Limits of inference and functional inequalities

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Speakers: Yair Shenfeld (Princeton University )

How big is the entropy of a random vector? The Gaussian log-Sobolev inequality gives one answer but it is not always optimal. If a signal is transmitted through a noisy channel how much information can be extracted about the original signal? We show how these two questions are connected and how basic tools from Statistics/Signal Processing appear (sometimes in disguise) in the field of geometric and functional inequalities. Along the way we will make use of stochastic methods. (Ongoing work with Ramon van Handel.)

Updated on Oct 19, 2017 10:02 AM PDT
7. GTC Visions Seminar

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Updated on Sep 28, 2017 08:48 AM PDT
8. GFA Main Seminar: Improving concentration under convexity

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Speakers: Grigoris Paouris (Texas A & M University)

Concentration of measure is a fundamental tool in high dimensional geometry and in modern probability. However, typically it fails to capture the behavior of high dimensional objects (like norms) when fine estimates are required, such as small deviation inequalities or small ball probabilities. However the convexity (or concavity) of the function can be used to get improved estimates. Applications to convex geometry will be presented. (This talk will be based on joint works with P. Pivovarov and P. Valettas)

Updated on Oct 20, 2017 03:20 PM PDT
9. GFA Main Seminar: Improving concentration under convexity

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Speakers: Grigoris Paouris (Texas A & M University)

Concentration of measure is a fundamental tool in high dimensional geometry and in modern probability. However, typically it fails to capture the behavior of high dimensional objects (like norms) when fine estimates are required, such as small deviation inequalities or small ball probabilities. However the convexity (or concavity) of the function can be used to get improved estimates. Applications to convex geometry will be presented. (This talk will be based on joint works with P. Pivovarov and P. Valettas)

Updated on Oct 20, 2017 03:21 PM PDT
10. UC Berkeley Colloquium:

Location: 60 Evans Hall
Speakers: Alexander Postnikov (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
Created on Sep 29, 2017 09:49 AM PDT
11. Lattice Points Working group: Open problem on Cones and Hilbert bases

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Updated on Oct 20, 2017 08:37 AM PDT
12. GFA Postdoc Seminar: Volume and covering

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Speakers: Beatrice-Helen Vritsiou (University of Michigan)
Given a pair of convex bodies K, L, denote by N(K,L) the least number of copies of L whose union covers (or in other words contains) K. If we are allowed to linearly transform one of the bodies, can we bound both N(K,L) and N(L,K) well? Also, can the volume of the unit ball of an n-dimensional normed space and the volume of the unit ball of its dual both be very large or very small?
In this talk, after we make these questions more precise, we will discuss results (old or more recent) which give answers to them, and which also show that for most intents and purposes these answers are just restating of the same fundamental underlying property.
Updated on Oct 20, 2017 08:39 AM PDT
13. GTC Postdoc Seminar: What is the realization space of a polytope?

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Speakers: Federico Castillo (University of California, Davis)

We will first discuss when two polytopes are equivalent. There are many possible definitions, but through examples I'll motivate the most combinatorial one. Once we define a suitable equivalence, then we will consider the space of all polytopes equivalent to a given one. These spaces are wild. The talk will be flooded with graphic examples. Indeed, most of the strange phenomena can be explained in dimension 2.

Updated on Oct 19, 2017 01:21 PM PDT
14. Writing Seminar

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Speakers: Igor Pak (University of California, Los Angeles)
Created on Oct 04, 2017 03:29 PM PDT

Location: MSRI: Baker Board Room
Created on Aug 18, 2017 11:45 AM PDT
16. GTC Main Seminar: Discrete slicing problems

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Speakers: Martin Henk (TU Berlin)

The well-known  slicing problem in Convex Geometry asks whether there exists an absolute constant $c$ so that for every origin-symmetric convex body $K$  of volume 1 there is a hyperplane section of $K$ whose $(n − 1)$-dimensional volume is greater than $c$. Motivated by a question  of Alexander Koldobsky, we are studying a similar  slicing problem (and related problems) when the volume functional is  replaced by the lattice point enumerator.
(Based on joint works with Matthew Alexander, Artem Zvavitch and Sören L. Berg)

Updated on Oct 16, 2017 01:18 PM PDT
17. GFA Main Seminar

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Created on Aug 18, 2017 11:53 AM PDT
18. Mathematical Research Culture Seminar

Location: MSRI: Baker Board Room

In the first seminar, on September 26, we will be discussing the culture of "brilliance" in mathematics research. We ask that everyone read the following Science Magazine article about a 2015 study on this topic: http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2015/01/belief-some-fields-require-brilliance-may-keep-women-out For anyone who is interested in reading in more depth about this, you can find the original article plus two responses attached.

We will spend the first 15-20 minutes of the seminar holding small-group discussions about the article. We will spend the remaining seminar time sharing the results of these initial discussions and discussing ways in which these findings might impact our practices with regard to mentoring, collaboration, and public advocacy.
Article 1  Article 2  Article 3

Created on Sep 14, 2017 09:37 AM PDT
19. Combinatorial Fixed Point Theorems Working Group

Location: MSRI: Baker Board Room
Created on Aug 30, 2017 11:45 AM PDT
20. GFA Main Seminar

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Created on Aug 18, 2017 11:53 AM PDT
21. GTC Main Seminar

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Created on Aug 18, 2017 11:50 AM PDT
22. GFA Young Researchers Seminar

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Updated on Sep 01, 2017 01:05 PM PDT
23. GTC Visions Seminar

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Updated on Sep 28, 2017 08:48 AM PDT
24. GFA Main Seminar

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Created on Aug 18, 2017 11:59 AM PDT
25. GFA Main Seminar

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Created on Aug 18, 2017 11:58 AM PDT
26. UC Berkeley Colloquium: Serge Lang Undergraduate Lecture: When the precision of mathematics meets the messiness of the world of people

Location: 60 Evans Hall
Speakers: Keith Devlin (Stanford University)

http://events.berkeley.edu/index.php/calendar/sn/math.html?event_ID=110346

Almost all mathematicians are attracted to the subject by its certainty and precision. It’s one of the most finely sharpened blades in the human cognitive armory. It rules supreme in many parts of Physics and Engineering. It is almost as precise when applied to the activities of large populations of living creatures, including humans, though the precision then is a statistical one that applies to the group as a whole. But can math be useful when applied to living creatures on a more local scale? The answer is “yes”, but the contribution mathematics can make shifts from “providing precise answers to specific questions” to “providing data that helps a domain expert make a decision”. These newer uses of mathematics can be traced back at least as far as the early days of probability theory (concepts such as “utility”), but became prevalent much more recently, with applications in the financial markets (for example, the Black-Scholes model for pricing derivatives), workplace study and design (including workplace communication), and intelligence analysis. I’ll give examples from the last two domains, both of which I have worked in. Unless you find your way into a university mathematics department after graduation, you may find yourself using mathematics in this kind of way.

Updated on Sep 29, 2017 09:54 AM PDT
27. Lattice Points Working group

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Updated on Sep 15, 2017 04:06 PM PDT
28. GFA Postdoc Seminar

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Created on Aug 21, 2017 09:21 AM PDT
29. GTC Postdoc Seminar

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Created on Aug 21, 2017 09:22 AM PDT
30. GFA Postdoc Seminar

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Updated on Oct 05, 2017 08:41 AM PDT
31. GTC Postdoc Seminar

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Updated on Oct 05, 2017 08:41 AM PDT

Location: MSRI: Baker Board Room
Created on Aug 18, 2017 11:45 AM PDT
33. GTC Main Seminar

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Updated on Aug 29, 2017 02:24 PM PDT
34. GFA Main Seminar

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Created on Aug 18, 2017 11:53 AM PDT
35. Combinatorial Fixed Point Theorems Working Group

Location: MSRI: Baker Board Room
Created on Aug 30, 2017 11:45 AM PDT
36. GFA Main Seminar

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Created on Aug 18, 2017 11:53 AM PDT
37. GTC Main Seminar

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Created on Aug 18, 2017 11:50 AM PDT
38. GFA Young Researchers Seminar

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Updated on Sep 01, 2017 01:04 PM PDT
39. GTC Visions Seminar

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Updated on Sep 28, 2017 08:48 AM PDT
40. GFA Main Seminar

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Created on Aug 18, 2017 11:59 AM PDT
41. GFA Main Seminar

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Created on Aug 18, 2017 11:58 AM PDT
42. UC Berkeley Colloquium:

Location: 60 Evans Hall
Created on Sep 29, 2017 09:49 AM PDT

Location: MSRI: Baker Board Room
Created on Aug 18, 2017 11:45 AM PDT
44. GTC Main Seminar

Location: MSRI: Baker Board Room
Updated on Aug 29, 2017 02:24 PM PDT
45. Combinatorial Fixed Point Theorems Working Group

Location: MSRI: Baker Board Room
Created on Aug 30, 2017 11:45 AM PDT
46. GTC Main Seminar

Location: MSRI: Baker Board Room
Created on Aug 18, 2017 11:50 AM PDT
47. GTC Visions Seminar

Location: MSRI: Baker Board Room
Updated on Sep 28, 2017 08:49 AM PDT
48. UC Berkeley Colloquium:

Location: 60 Evans Hall
Created on Sep 29, 2017 09:49 AM PDT
49. Lattice Points Working Group

Location: MSRI: Baker Board Room
Updated on Sep 15, 2017 04:08 PM PDT
50. GTC Postdoc Seminar

Location: MSRI: Baker Board Room
Created on Aug 21, 2017 09:22 AM PDT

Location: MSRI: Baker Board Room
Created on Aug 18, 2017 11:45 AM PDT
52. GTC Main Seminar

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Updated on Aug 29, 2017 02:23 PM PDT
53. GFA Main Seminar

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Created on Aug 18, 2017 11:53 AM PDT
54. Combinatorial Fixed Point Theorems Working Group

Location: MSRI: Baker Board Room
Created on Aug 30, 2017 11:45 AM PDT
55. GFA Main Seminar

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Created on Aug 18, 2017 11:53 AM PDT
56. GTC Main Seminar

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Created on Aug 18, 2017 11:50 AM PDT
57. GFA Young Researchers Seminar

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Updated on Sep 01, 2017 01:05 PM PDT
58. GTC Visions Seminar

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Created on Sep 07, 2017 10:09 AM PDT
59. UC Berkeley Colloquium:

Location: 60 Evans Hall
Created on Sep 29, 2017 09:49 AM PDT

Location: MSRI: Baker Board Room
Created on Aug 18, 2017 11:45 AM PDT
61. GTC Main Seminar

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Updated on Aug 29, 2017 02:24 PM PDT
62. GFA Main Seminar

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Created on Aug 18, 2017 11:53 AM PDT
63. Combinatorial Fixed Point Theorems Working Group

Location: MSRI: Baker Board Room
Created on Aug 30, 2017 11:45 AM PDT
64. GFA Main Seminar

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Created on Aug 18, 2017 11:53 AM PDT
65. GTC Main Seminar

Location: MSRI: Baker Board Room
Created on Aug 18, 2017 11:50 AM PDT
66. GFA Young Researchers Seminar

Location: MSRI: Baker Board Room
Updated on Sep 01, 2017 01:05 PM PDT
67. GTC Visions Seminar

Location: MSRI: Baker Board Room
Updated on Sep 28, 2017 08:50 AM PDT
68. GFA Main Seminar

Location: MSRI: Baker Board Room
Created on Aug 18, 2017 11:59 AM PDT
69. GFA Main Seminar

Location: MSRI: Baker Board Room
Created on Aug 18, 2017 11:58 AM PDT
70. UC Berkeley Colloquium:

Location: 60 Evans Hall
Created on Sep 29, 2017 09:49 AM PDT
71. Lattice Points Working Group

Location: MSRI: Baker Board Room
Updated on Sep 15, 2017 04:09 PM PDT
72. GFA Postdoc Seminar

Location: MSRI: Baker Board Room
Created on Aug 21, 2017 09:21 AM PDT
73. GTC Postdoc Seminar

Location: MSRI: Baker Board Room
Created on Aug 21, 2017 09:22 AM PDT

Location: MSRI: Baker Board Room
Created on Aug 18, 2017 11:45 AM PDT
75. GTC Main Seminar

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Updated on Aug 29, 2017 02:24 PM PDT
76. GFA Main Seminar

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Created on Aug 18, 2017 11:53 AM PDT
77. Combinatorial Fixed Point Theorems Working Group

Location: MSRI: Baker Board Room
Created on Aug 30, 2017 11:45 AM PDT
78. GFA Main Seminar

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Created on Aug 18, 2017 11:53 AM PDT
79. GTC Main Seminar

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Created on Aug 18, 2017 11:50 AM PDT
80. GFA Young Researchers Seminar

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Updated on Sep 01, 2017 01:05 PM PDT
81. GTC Visions Seminar

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Updated on Sep 28, 2017 08:50 AM PDT
82. GFA Main Seminar

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Created on Aug 18, 2017 11:59 AM PDT
83. GFA Main Seminar

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Created on Aug 18, 2017 11:58 AM PDT
84. Lattice Points Working Group

Location: MSRI: Baker Board Room
Updated on Sep 15, 2017 04:10 PM PDT
85. GFA Postdoc Seminar

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Created on Aug 21, 2017 09:21 AM PDT
86. GTC Postdoc Seminar

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Created on Aug 21, 2017 09:22 AM PDT

Location: MSRI: Baker Board Room
Created on Aug 18, 2017 11:45 AM PDT
88. GTC Main Seminar

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Updated on Aug 29, 2017 02:24 PM PDT
89. GFA Main Seminar

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Created on Aug 18, 2017 11:53 AM PDT
90. Combinatorial Fixed Point Theorems Working Group

Location: MSRI: Baker Board Room
Created on Aug 30, 2017 11:45 AM PDT
91. GFA Main Seminar

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Created on Aug 18, 2017 11:53 AM PDT
92. GTC Main Seminar

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Created on Aug 18, 2017 11:50 AM PDT
93. GFA Young Researchers Seminar

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Updated on Sep 01, 2017 01:06 PM PDT
94. GTC Visions Seminar

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Updated on Sep 28, 2017 08:50 AM PDT
95. GFA Main Seminar

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Created on Aug 18, 2017 11:59 AM PDT
96. GFA Main Seminar

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Created on Aug 18, 2017 11:58 AM PDT
97. Lattice Points Working Group

Location: MSRI: Baker Board Room
Updated on Sep 15, 2017 04:10 PM PDT
98. GFA Postdoc Seminar

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Created on Aug 21, 2017 09:21 AM PDT
99. GTC Postdoc Seminar

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Created on Aug 21, 2017 09:22 AM PDT
100. The Bowen Lectures

Location: UC Berkeley
Speakers: Avi Wigderson
Created on Aug 21, 2017 02:36 PM PDT
101. The Bowen Lectures

Location: UC Berkeley
Speakers: Avi Wigderson
Created on Aug 21, 2017 02:36 PM PDT
102. The Bowen Lectures

Location: UC Berkeley
Speakers: Avi Wigderson
Created on Aug 21, 2017 02:36 PM PDT
103. Seminar Sequence

Location: MSRI: Simons Auditorium
Created on Aug 31, 2017 03:27 PM PDT