News & Events

Department Events & Announcements

Events

• Jan

  20

  CS Distinguished Lecture Series - Jelani Nelson "Sketching Algorithms:"

  Department of Computer Science

  12:00 PM

  EVENT DETAILS

  Livestream:
  https://northwestern.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=dd081a99-5e70-4c48-9536-acb1010b70d0
  

  Abstract
  A “sketch” is a data structure supporting some pre-specified set of queries and updates to a database while consuming space substantially (often exponentially) less than the information theoretic minimum required to store everything seen, and thus can also be seen as some form of functional compression. The advantages of sketching include less memory consumption, faster algorithms, and reduced bandwidth requirements in distributed computing environments. Work on sketching and streaming started in the late 70s and early 80s with algorithms such as the Morris approximate counter, Flajolet-Martin probabilistic counting (“distinct elements”), the Munro-Paterson rank/ select algorithms, and the Misra-Gries ‘Frequent’ algorithm, paused for a bit until the mid 1990s, and has maintained steam again since the 1996 work of Alon, Matias, and Szegedy. Despite decades of work in the area, some of the most basic questions still remain open or were only resolved recently. In this talk, I survey recent results across a wide variety of sketching topics, some old and some new.
  

  Biography

  Jelani Nelson is Professor in the Department of EECS at UC Berkeley.

  His research interests include sketching and streaming algorithms, dimensionality reduction, compressing sensing, and randomized linear algebra. In the past he has been a recipient of the PECASE award, a Sloan Research Fellowship, and an NSF CAREER award. He is also the Founder and President of a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, “AddisCoder Inc.”, which organizes annual summer camps that have provided algorithms training to over 500 high school students in Ethiopia.

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  TIME Wednesday, January 20, 2021 at 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

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  CONTACT Pamela Villalovoz    pmv@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR Department of Computer Science

• Aug

  20

  Alumni Education Webinar: McCormick School of Engineering's Strategic Vision

  McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

  12:00 PM

  EVENT DETAILS

  Join us to explore the McCormick School of Engineering’s strategic vision and its vital role in advancing Northwestern’s top priorities. From groundbreaking research to transformative education, Northwestern Engineering is shaping solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges and working to advance Northwestern. During this presentation, you will learn directly from Dean Christopher Schuh on how our alumni community can come together to amplify this impact—through engagement, mentorship, philanthropy, and industry connections. Learn how your involvement can help unlock bold ideas and ensure Northwestern remains a global leader in engineering and beyond.

  Event Contact Info

  NAA Alumni Education
  alumnieducation@northwestern.edu

  Register Now

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  TIME Wednesday, August 20, 2025 at 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

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  CONTACT Andi Joppie    andi.joppie@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

• Sep

  8

  Welcome & Breakfast for New McCormick PhD Students

  McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

  9:00 AM LR2 & Tech East Plaza, Technological Institute

  EVENT DETAILS

  Enjoy a welcome from Dean Christopher A. Schuh and other McCormick leaders, and receive a Northwestern Engineering T-shirt. A free light breakfast on the Tech East Plaza will follow.

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  TIME Monday, September 8, 2025 at 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM

  LOCATION LR2 & Tech East Plaza, Technological Institute    map it

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  CONTACT Andi Joppie    andi.joppie@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

• Sep

  12

  New Undergraduate Fall 2025 Registration

  University Academic Calendar

  All Day

  EVENT DETAILS

  New Undergraduate Fall 2025 Registration

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  TIME Friday, September 12, 2025

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  CONTACT Office of the Registrar    nu-registrar@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR University Academic Calendar

• Sep

  15

  Welcome & Luncheon for New Full-time Graduate Students

  McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

  11:00 AM Ryan Auditorium & Tech East Plaza, Technological Institute

  EVENT DETAILS

  Enjoy a welcome from Dean Christopher A. Schuh and other McCormick leaders, and receive a Northwestern Engineering T-shirt. A free lunch on the Tech East Plaza will follow.

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  TIME Monday, September 15, 2025 at 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM

  LOCATION Ryan Auditorium & Tech East Plaza, Technological Institute    map it

  ADD TO CALENDAR

  CONTACT Andi Joppie    andi.joppie@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

• Sep

  16

  Fall Classes Begin. Change of Registration (Drop/Add) Late registration for returning students begins

  University Academic Calendar

  All Day

  EVENT DETAILS

  Fall Classes Begin. Change of Registration (Drop/Add) Late registration for returning students begins

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  TIME Tuesday, September 16, 2025

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  CONTACT Office of the Registrar    nu-registrar@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR University Academic Calendar

• Sep

  25

  Bagel Thursday

  Department of Computer Science (CS)

  9:00 AM

  EVENT DETAILS

  TBA

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  TIME Thursday, September 25, 2025 at 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM

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  CONTACT Wynante R Charles    wynante.charles@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR Department of Computer Science (CS)