fall 2017 lecture series suresh final - school of computingsuresh/static/files/cakes.pdf ·...
TRANSCRIPT
Fall 2017 Lecture Series
How to do Math (and Computer Science!) while Cutting a Cake
Dr. Suresh Venkatasubramanian Associate Professor, School of Computing, University of Utah
Wethinkofmathashardandallaboutaddingnumbers.Wethinkofcomputerscienceasstaringintoaglowingscreenandwritingcodealldayandallnight.Butthisisnothinglikewhattheyreallyare!Infact,mathandcomputerscienceareeverywherewelook.Andtoproveit,Sureshwilldescribetheintricatemathematicsofhowtocutacake.Thisisafun(anddelicious!)problem,andisalsousedtonegotiatetreaties,resolvedivorces,andgenerallyhelppeopleagreeonhowtoshare.Dr.SureshVenkatasubramanianhasabackgroundintheoreticalcomputerscience:thestudyoftheintrinsiccomplexityofcomputations.Overtheyears,hehasbecomemoreinterestedinproblemsofdataanalysis(whichhelikestothinkofasaspecialcaseofhighdimensionalgeometry!).Heisalsoasci-fifan,andhasspentmanyyearsreadingcyberpunkthrillers,whichgothimthinkingaboutourmachine-enhancedfuture.Afewyearsago,Sureshstartedimaginingwhatitwouldbeliketoliveinaworldwhereallhisdecisionswerecontrolled(ornudged)byalgorithmsthatlearntthingsabouthim,anditdidn’ttakelongtorealizethatwe’rebarrelingintoafuturedrivenbyalgorithmsthataren’tthatsmart,andaren’tparticularlyfair.
Sponsored by: The University of Utah Prison Education Project
Friday, October 20, 2017 5:00pm-8:00pm
Timpanogos Women’s Facility Draper, UT