News & EventsDepartment Events & Announcements
Events
-
May1
EVENT DETAILS
lessWednesday / CS Distinguished Lecture
May 1st / 12:00 PM
Hybrid / Mudd 3514Speaker
Tong Zhang, University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignTalk Title
Machine Learning Methods for Finetuning and Alignment of Large Language ModelsAbstract
Large Language Models (LLMs) represent a significant milestone in the development of artificial general intelligence. Numerous pretrained models are available within the open-source community, yet they often require further training to be effectively utilized in downstream applications. The enhancement of these models is primarily accomplished through two methods: finetuning and Reinforcement Learning from Human Feedback (RLHF). Finetuning is crucial for tailoring LLMs to specialized topics or for developing capabilities such as instruction following. Meanwhile, RLHF aims to align LLMs with human preferences.
This talk presents various machine learning problems and algorithms for both finetuning and RLHF. For finetuning, we will introduce techniques that minimize hallucinations and enhance resource efficiency in optimization processes. For RLHF, we will explore both the theoretical frameworks that establish principled approaches and the practical algorithms that implement these theories. The presentation highlights some key questions and solutions in optimizing LLMs for enhanced functionality and alignment with human preferences.
Biography
Tong Zhang is currently a professor in the Computer Science department at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign. He is a fellow of the IEEE, American Statistical Association, and Institute of Mathematical Statistics. His research interests include machine learning theory, algorithms, and applications. Tong Zhang has served as the chair or area chair in major machine learning conferences such as NeurIPS, ICML, and COLT, and has also served on the editorial boards of leading machine learning journals such as PAMI, JMLR, and the Machine Learning Journal.Research Area/Interests
TBAZoom: TBA
TIME Wednesday, May 1, 2024 at 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
LOCATION 3514, Mudd Hall ( formerly Seeley G. Mudd Library) map it
CONTACT Wynante R Charles wynante.charles@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR Department of Computer Science (CS)
-
May2
EVENT DETAILSmore info
less
With the explosion of AI platforms, what is the future of work? Will we need “humans in the loop”? Although these platforms are still in the early stages, implications are broadly significant. In this dialogue, we bring together researchers with distinct perspectives to discuss approaches for designing a desirable future of work for everyone. Tackling questions related to ethics, governance, and competition, this dialog will highlight the role of thoughtful design in achieving the vision of a desirable future of work for everyone.
TIME Thursday, May 2, 2024 at 4:00 PM - 5:15 PM
CONTACT Madison Deyo Madison.Deyo@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR Center for Human-Computer Interaction + Design (HCI+D)
-
May8
EVENT DETAILS
lessWednesday / CS Distinguished Lecture
May 8th / 12:00 PM
Hybrid / Mudd 3514Speaker
Monica Lam, Stanford UniversityTalk Title
TBAAbstract
TBABiography
TBAResearch Area/Interests
TBAZoom
TBATIME Wednesday, May 8, 2024 at 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
LOCATION 3514, Mudd Hall ( formerly Seeley G. Mudd Library) map it
CONTACT Wynante R Charles wynante.charles@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR Department of Computer Science (CS)
-
May8
EVENT DETAILSmore info
lessThe Center for Scientific Studies in the Arts is a collaboration between the Art Institute of Chicago and materials science-related departments at Northwestern University to pursue objects-based and objects-inspired scientific research. Materials research benefits ongoing work in conservation, archaeology, art history, and curatorial scholarship.
Learn how the Center uses materials research to care for art objects in sustainable, innovative ways with Maria Kokkori, Senior Scientist in the Center for Scientific Studies in the Arts. She will be in conversation with Corey Byrnes, Northwestern Associate Professor of Chinese Culture and co-founder/co-director of the Environmental Humanities Workshop in Kaplan Humanities Center.
This event is presented by the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science in conjunction with exhibition Actions for the Earth: Art, Care & Ecology.
TIME Wednesday, May 8, 2024 at 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
LOCATION Block Museum of Art, Mary and Leigh map it
CONTACT Block Museum of Art block-museum@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR Block Museum of Art
-
May10
EVENT DETAILS
lessFriday / CS Distinguished Lecture
May 10th / 12:00 PM
Hybrid / Mudd 3514Speaker
Shafi Goldwasser; Simons Institute for the Theory of Computing, University of California BerkeleyTalk Title
Trust, Backdoor Vulnerabilities and Possible MitigationsAbstract
Cryptographic tools and models enable to trust the use of technology platforms controlled by worst case computationally bounded adversaries. In this talk I will use cryptographic modeling and tools to view trust dilemmas in various phases of the machine learning pipelines. We will touch on privacy in the training stage, verification of properties of
machine learning models, and the possibility of achieving robustness in presence of backdoors.Biography
Shafi Goldwasser is Director of the Simons Institute for the Theory of Computing, and Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of California Berkeley. Goldwasser is also the RSA Professor (post tenure) of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT and Professor Emeritus of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics at the Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel. Goldwasser holds a B.S. Applied Mathematics from Carnegie Mellon University (1979), and M.S. and Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of California Berkeley (1984).
Goldwasser's contributions include the introduction of probabilistic encryption, interactive zero knowledge protocols, elliptic curve primality testings, hardness of approximation proofs for combinatorial problems, combinatorial property testing, and pseudo deterministic algorithms.
Goldwasser was the recipient of the ACM Turing Award in 2012, the Gödel Prize in 1993 and in 2001, the ACM Grace Murray Hopper Award in 1996, the RSA Award in Mathematics in 1998, the ACM Athena Award for Women in Computer Science in 2008, the Benjamin Franklin Medal in 2010, the IEEE Emanuel R. Piore Award in 2011, the Simons Foundation Investigator Award in 2012, and the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in 2018. Goldwasser is a member of the NAS, NAE, AAAS, the Russian Academy of Science, the Israeli Academy of Science, the London Royal Mathematical Society and a Foreign Member of the Royal Society. Goldwasser holds honorary degrees from Ben Gurion University, Bar Ilan University, Carnegie Mellon University, Haifa University, University of Oxford, and the University of Waterloo, and has received the UC Berkeley Distinguished Alumnus Award and the Barnard College Medal of Distinction.
Research Area/Interests
Cryptography, Complexity, Probabilistic AlgorithmsZoom: TBA
TIME Friday, May 10, 2024 at 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
LOCATION 3514, Mudd Hall ( formerly Seeley G. Mudd Library) map it
CONTACT Wynante R Charles wynante.charles@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR Department of Computer Science (CS)
-
May30
EVENT DETAILS
lessTBA
TIME Thursday, May 30, 2024 at 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
LOCATION 3514, Mudd Hall ( formerly Seeley G. Mudd Library) map it
CONTACT Wynante R Charles wynante.charles@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR Department of Computer Science (CS)
-
May30
EVENT DETAILS
lessTBA
TIME Thursday, May 30, 2024 at 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
LOCATION TBA, Mudd Hall ( formerly Seeley G. Mudd Library) map it
CONTACT Wynante R Charles wynante.charles@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR Department of Computer Science (CS)
-
Jun10
EVENT DETAILSmore info
lessMcCormick School of Engineering PhD Hooding and Master’s Degree Recognition Ceremony
TIME Monday, June 10, 2024 at 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
LOCATION Welsh-Ryan Arena
CONTACT Amy Pokrass amy.pokrass@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science
-
Jun10
TIME Monday, June 10, 2024 at 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
LOCATION Welsh-Ryan Arena
CONTACT Amy Pokrass amy.pokrass@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science
-
Aug14
EVENT DETAILSmore info
lessInnovation in Quantum Pedagogy, Application, and its Relation to Culture (IQ-PARC), funded by the Department of Defense — National Defense Education Program, is extending an invitation to underrepresented students nationwide (including military-connected students) to participate in a summer school focused on quantum technologies, to be held at Northwestern University. Join us for presentations by faculty and industry partners introducing quantum technologies, cutting-edge research areas, and related job opportunities particularly in the areas of national security.
This effort aims to foster an inclusive environment that encourages participation from all corners of the academic community. Successful applicants will receive up to $1,000 USD to cover travel and lodging expenses in Evanston, IL.
Priority application deadline: May 15, 2024.
Decisions will be sent by June 15, 2024.
TIME Wednesday, August 14, 2024
LOCATION Ford Motor Company Engineering Design Center map it
CONTACT Dongyang Li lidongyang@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science