News & Events

Department Events & Announcements

Events

• Sep

  6

  Meena Jagadeesan, UC Berkeley Tues Sept 6 11AM "Machine Learning in Digital Marketplaces: Interactions between Learners, Consumers, and Producers"

  Department of Computer Science

  11:00 AM 3514, Mudd Hall ( formerly Seeley G. Mudd Library)

  EVENT DETAILSmore info

  Tuesday / CS Seminar
  September 6th / 11:00 AM
  Hybrid / Mudd 3514

  "Machine Learning in Digital Marketplaces: Interactions between Learners, Consumers, and Producers"
  Meena Jagadeesan, UC Berkeley

  Zoom: https://northwestern.zoom.us/j/91026176586?pwd=VUpacWtaRnpGMzRLVXE5YTFPYmpkQT09

  Livestream: https://www.ideal.northwestern.edu/special-quarters/fall-2022/workshops/panopto-9-6-22

  Abstract:
  Machine learning is typically analyzed as an isolated system. In reality, machine learning is often performed by a platform that is situated within a marketplace of consumers, producers, and other platforms performing machine learning. In this talk, we examine how the learning algorithm impacts and is affected by the marketplace, and we use recommender systems as a running example.
  First, we show that competition between digital platforms need not align market outcomes with user preferences, challenging conventional economic wisdom. Roughly speaking, the number of users on the platform impacts how much data the platform has and thus quality of its service. The platform thus doesn’t have to fully cater to users to have an edge over competitors. Moreover, this misalignment with user preferences persists even if platforms are required to share their data.

  Next, we examine how algorithmic recommendations shape the content that producers create. When the platform’s recommendations are personalized, producers compete to have their content shown to individual users. This fine-grained competition can incentivize producers to specialize their content, which leads to the formation of genres. Furthermore, when there is sufficient specialization, producers can achieve positive profit at equilibrium, which is indicative of monopoly-like behavior.

  More broadly, we highlight several avenues through which the learning algorithm and the marketplace interact with each other. To design effective learning algorithms and regulatory policy, researchers need to formalize and account for how machine learning is affected by the marketplace in which it occurs.

  Based on joint work with Nikhil Garg, Moritz Hardt, Nika Haghtalab, Michael I. Jordan, Celestine Mendler-Dünner, and Jacob Steinhardt.
  
  Biography: Meena Jagadeesan is a 3rd year PhD student in computer science at UC Berkeley advised by Michael I. Jordan and Jacob Steinhardt. She works on the theoretical foundations of machine learning and algorithmic decision-making. Previously, she received an A.B. and S.M. in computer science from Harvard. Her research is supported by an Open Philanthropy AI Fellowship and a Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship.

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  TIME Tuesday, September 6, 2022 at 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

  LOCATION 3514, Mudd Hall ( formerly Seeley G. Mudd Library)    map it

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  CONTACT Wynante Charles    wynante.charles@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR Department of Computer Science

• May

  29

  Bagel Thursday

  Department of Computer Science (CS)

  9:00 AM 3514, Mudd Hall ( formerly Seeley G. Mudd Library)

  EVENT DETAILS

  TBA

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  TIME Thursday, May 29, 2025 at 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM

  LOCATION 3514, Mudd Hall ( formerly Seeley G. Mudd Library)    map it

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

  CALENDAR Department of Computer Science (CS)

• May

  29

  Computer Science End of Year Awards

  Department of Computer Science (CS)

  2:30 PM Cohen Commons, Technological Institute

  EVENT DETAILS

  Dear CS Community,
  You're warmly invited to the Computer Science Award Celebration on Thursday, May 29, 2025, in Cohen Commons! Join us as we recognize the outstanding achievements and contributions of our CS community this year.

  Event Details:
  📅 Date: Thursday, May 29, 2025
  🕓 Time: 2:30-4PM
  📍 Location: Cohen Commons (Technological Institute)

  Light refreshments and cookies will be served, and all members of the CS department are welcome!

  Please RSVP by May 23rd so we can plan accordingly: https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/2ba023053257473387bc29200e2587e7

  Register Now

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  TIME Thursday, May 29, 2025 at 2:30 PM - 4:00 PM

  LOCATION Cohen Commons, Technological Institute    map it

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

  CALENDAR Department of Computer Science (CS)

• Jun

  4

  CS Seminar: Reusing Deep Learning Models: Challenges and Directions in Software Engineering: An Update (George K. Thiruvathukal)

  Department of Computer Science (CS)

  12:00 PM

  EVENT DETAILS

  Wednesday / CS Seminar
  June 4th / 12:00 PM
  Hybrid / Mudd 3514

  Speaker: George K. Thiruvathukal

  Talk Title: Reusing Deep Learning Models: Challenges and Directions in Software Engineering: An Update

  Abstract: Deep neural networks (DNNs) achieve state-of-the-art performance in many areas, including computer vision, system configuration, and question-answering. However, DNNs are expensive to develop, both in intellectual effort (e.g., devising new architectures) and computational costs (e.g., training). Re-using DNNs is a promising direction to amortize costs within a company and across the computing industry. As with any new technology, however, there are many challenges in re-using DNNs. These challenges include both missing technical capabilities and missing engineering practices. We discusschallenges in current approaches to DNN re-use. We summarize studies of re-use failures across the spectrum of re-use techniques, including conceptual (e.g., re-using based on a research paper), adaptation (e.g., re-using by building on an existing implementation), and deployment (e.g., direct re-use on a new device). We outline possible advances that would improve each kind of re-use.

  In this update of my invited presentation at IEEE Services 2023 at the John Vincent Atanasoff Sypmposium on Modern Computing, I will include information about our work in progress on the use of Deep Learning and Pre-Trained Models (PTMs) in science and engineering applications and our efforts to conduct automated longitudinal analysis of same.

  Biography: https://gkt.sh/about/

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  TIME Wednesday, June 4, 2025 at 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

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

  CALENDAR Department of Computer Science (CS)

• Jun

  5

  Final Project Demos- Mobile and Ubiquitous Computing Class

  Department of Computer Science (CS)

  9:30 AM

  EVENT DETAILS

  Mobile and Ubiquitous Computing has been working on some awesome projects this quarter, ranging from sensing plants to UV glasses that help you understand your screen time. We would love to invite everyone in the CS department to our poster and demo presentations.

  Where: Mudd 3rd floor Lobby (right in front of the elevator)
  When: June 5th, 9:30-10:50 am
  
  Here are the mid-term evaluation videos
  Harmful Wavelength Detection Glasses
  (really funny and fun to watch) Battery-Free Photosynthesis Sensors for Scalable, Real Time Plant Metabolism Sensing
  Biodegradable repackaging of Chips
  Brace yourself : Smart Knee Health Monitoring System
  From Textile to Motion: Electrohydraulic Actuators with Knitted Electrodes for Everyday Applications
  Adaptive Lighting Growth Environment for Plants

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  TIME Thursday, June 5, 2025 at 9:30 AM - 11:00 AM

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

  CALENDAR Department of Computer Science (CS)

• Jun

  15

  2024-2025 Commencement Ceremony

  University Academic Calendar

  All Day

  EVENT DETAILSmore info

  2024-2025 Commencement Ceremony

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  TIME Sunday, June 15, 2025

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

  CALENDAR University Academic Calendar

• Jun

  16

  Northwestern Engineering PhD Hooding and Master's Degree Recognition Ceremony

  McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

  9:00 AM 2705 Ashland Ave

  EVENT DETAILS

  McCormick School of Engineering PhD Hooding and Master's Degree Recognition Ceremony. The most up to date information can be found on our graduation webpage.

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  TIME Monday, June 16, 2025 at 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM

  LOCATION 2705 Ashland Ave   

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  CONTACT Northwestern Engineering Events    northwestern-engineering-events@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

• Jun

  16

  Northwestern Engineering Undergraduate Convocation

  McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

  2:00 PM 2705 Ashland Ave

  EVENT DETAILSmore info

  McCormick School of Engineering Undergraduate Convocation. The most up to date information can be found on our graduation webpage.

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  TIME Monday, June 16, 2025 at 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

  LOCATION 2705 Ashland Ave   

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  CONTACT Northwestern Engineering Events    northwestern-engineering-events@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science