Seminars

Upcoming Seminars / Seminars This Week



Tue 09/19/23 11:30 am	Gerstenzang 122
Physics Department Colloquium
Gabriella Sciolla (Brandeis)
Enabling New Discoveries: Designing and building new detectors for the High-Luminosity LHC
Abstract: In ten years of operation, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) has made major strides in our understanding of Particle Physics: the Higgs boson was discovered and its properties have been measured. So far, all measurements point toward yet another confirmation of the Standard Model of Particle Physics. However, we know that New Physics beyond the Standard Model must exist. The High-Energy Physics community is gearing up to upgrade both the LHC accelerator and detectors to boost our sensitivity to New Physics in what is known as the High-Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) program. In this talk I will summarize what motivates this upgrade, how we are designing new detectors to meet the challenges presented by a high-luminosity collider, and what physics the HL-LHC will unlock.
Tue 09/19/23 12:45 pm	Gerstenzang 123
Joint Biology/Neuroscience Colloquium
Sam Gershman (Department of Psychology and Center for Brain Science, Harvard University)
The riddle of dopamine
For more information, please contact bioevents@brandeis.edu
Hosted by Christine Grienberger
Sponsored by: Biology Department, Neuroscience Interdepartmental Program
Tue 09/19/23 2:15 pm	Goldsmith 300
Topology Seminar
George Domat (Rice University)
Generating Sets and Coarse Geometry for "Big Out(F_n)
We will introduce an analogue of big mapping class groups as defined by Algom-Kfir and Bestvina that hopes to answer the question: What is "Big Out(F_n)?" These will arise as groups of proper homotopy classes of proper homotopy equivalences of locally finite graphs. Similar to the surface setting, these groups are not finitely nor compactly generated. As such, one must take more care when attempting to use the standard tools of geometric group theory. We will discuss new results that classify when these groups have a well-defined quasi-isometry type. This is joint work with Hannah Hoganson and Sanghoon Kwak.
Hosted by Carolyn Abbott, Ruth Charney, Kiyoshi Igusa, Thomas Ng, Daniel Ruberman
Wed 09/20/23 11:15 am	Gerstenzang 124
Molecular Genetics Journal Club
Maira Majano (Garrity Lab)
Ref: A Wnt11 and Dishevelled signaling pathway acts prior to injury to control wound polarization for the onset of planarian regeneration
For more information, please contact bioevents@brandeis.edu
Sponsored by: Biology Department
Wed 09/20/23 12 noon	Virtual
Special Seminar (Conversations on Climate: The People Behind the Science)
Gerrit Lohmann (Alfred Wegener Institute (Germany) and University of Bremen)
Speaker Bio: Gerrit Lohmann is a professor at the Alfred Wegener Institute (Germany) and represents the field of "Physics of the Climate System" at the University of Bremen. His field of work includes the development and analysis of complex models to simulate abrupt climate fluctuations, including transitions from ice ages to warm periods and future climate states. Gerrit Lohmann is involved in international research projects, schools and symposia and has supervised undergraduate and graduate students at the Universities of Hamburg and Bremen. He has published more than 300 articles in international journals in the field of climate modelling, data interpretation and scientific discoveries.
Max Maschke (Technische Universität Braunschweig)
Speaker Bio: Max Maschke is a master's student of physics at Technische Universität Braunschweig, where he also completed his undergraduate studies in 2022. Owing to his interest in programming and numerical methods, his bachelor's thesis investigated the applicability of a novel numerical approach to microscopic systems of quantum spins. Outside of his studies, Max has been involved in climate activism and is an active member of his faculty's student council.
Leon Focks (University of Münster)
Speaker Bio: Leon Focks is studying chemistry in the master's program at the University of Münster where he also graduated with a bachelor's degree in chemistry in 2022. He is currently at the McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada for a research visit. His research focuses on the investigation of novel battery materials via nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. For his bachelor's thesis, he analyzed lithium argyrodites as possible solid-state electrolytes for all-solid-state lithium batteries. Besides his studies, Leon is an elected member of the student parliament at the University of Münster for the Green Party since 2019.
Alexa Beaucamp (Universities of Copenhagen and Göttingen)
Speaker Bio: Alexa Beaucamp currently pursues the MSc ERASMUS Double Degree in Sustainable Forest and Nature Management at the Universities of Copenhagen and Göttingen, focussing on climate change mitigation and adaptation. For her Master's thesis she conducts a structural and carbon storage analysis of mixed forest stands using mobile terrestrial laser scanning (LiDAR). Before, she conducted her BSc in Environmental Policy with Economics at the London School of Economics, where she initiated an international environmental education programme, integrating highschool students into the sustainable management of different ecosystem types. Besides her work as a forestry entrepreneur, she has been volunteering for a German nature conservation organization for multiple years.
Lukas Kalvoda (Ludwig Maximilian University and the Technical University of Munich)
Speaker Bio: Lukas Kalvoda is enrolled in the elite MSc program "Theoretical and Mathematical Physics" jointly offered by Ludwig Maximilian University and the Technical University of Munich. Since his Erasmus studies in Paris during the past academic year, he has been researching the frustrated self-assembly of highly complex particles. This scenario arises in various neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's. Together with dedicated fellow students, he has been organizing a series of talks within the German Academic Scholarship Foundation focusing on technologies and concepts driving the sustainability transition for over a year now.
Karolin Stiller (Technical University of Berlin and the University of Bologna)
Speaker Bio: Karolin Stiller currently studies mathematics in the Master's program at the Technical University of Berlin and the University of Bologna. Prior to that she obtained an interdisciplinary Bachelor's degree, studying physics, chemistry, computer science, psychology as well as mathematics and conducting an efficiency analysis for ridesharing services as a thesis. Besides her studies she works in science communication, developing workshops on the relevance of mathematical models for our society. Morevor, she is highly interested in climate science and sustainability research, forming an active part of the climate justice movement.
Pre-registration is required - see website for details.
Thu 09/21/23 10 am	https://brandeis.zoom.us/s/95283599609/Online
Computer Science Seminar
Professor Tyler Derr (Vanderbilt University)
Data Quality-Aware Learning on Graphs
Abstract: In today's data-driven world, graphs play a pivotal role in representing a significant portion of big data across diverse domains. However, real-world graph data often bring challenges in terms of quality, such as being imbalanced or biased, having missing values, or even the structure itself uncertain. By addressing these challenges through innovative models and optimizing graph datasets, we can substantially boost the performance of graph neural networks in real-world applications. Join us in this talk as we unveil our recent strides in crafting methods tailored to address the data quality challenges of real-world graph data. Our journey encompasses both the present advancements and the tantalizing future prospects in this emerging domain of research. Speaker Bio: Dr. Tyler Derr is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science and the Data Science Institute at Vanderbilt University. He directs the Network and Data Science lab, which conducts research in social network analysis.deep learning on graphs, and data science for social good with applications in drug discovery, education, and political science. Under his guidance, his PhD students received Vanderbilt's C. F. Chen Best Paper Award in 2022 and Runner-Up Award in 2023 for Computer Science. He is actively involved in top conferences in his field, both in terms of publishing and serving as an SPC/PC member, while also receiving recognition such as the Best Student Poster Award at SDM'19 and Best Reviewer Awards at ICWSM'21 and WSDM'22. He has contributed to the organization of international conferences, such as KDD ('21-'23) and WSDM ('22, '24), and has co-organized multiple workshops, including the Machine Learning on Graphs (MLoG) Workshop held at WSDM and ICDM. Additionally, he was honored with the Fall 2020 Teaching Innovation Award from Vanderbilt's School of Engineering, highlighting his dedication to exceptional teaching. He was awarded the esteemed NSF CAREER Award in 2023.
https://brandeis.zoom.us/s/95283599609
Hosted by Professor Chuxu Zhang
Sponsored by: Computer Science Department
Thu 09/21/23 11:15 am	Volen 201
Computational/Systems Neuroscience Journal Club
For more information, please contact bioevents@brandeis.edu
Thu 09/21/23 12 noon	Abelson 229/Online
MRSEC Seminar
Alison Sweeney (Yale University)
Giant Clams Achieve a Physical Optimum in Photosynthetic Efficiency
Living photosynthetic systems can be near-perfectly efficient at solar energy conversion at small length- and time-scales. However, they are very inefficient (~3%) at the scale of crops or ecosystems. Is it physically possible to realize the near-perfect efficiencies of photosynthesis at a small scale over large land areas? Answering this question is crucial for reducing economic reliance on fossil fuels. We created a simple model of a "solar transformer" that was inspired by the geometry of symbiotic giant clams that host single-celled algae in their tissues. We found a straightforward, general mechanism to achieve a photosynthetic light-use efficiency of 67% of the solar radiance in an average tropical day. Remarkably, living clams may exceed this efficiency, and we describe additional mechanisms that may allow this.
https://brandeis.zoom.us/s/97035170339
Hosted by Brandeis MRSEC
Thu 09/21/23 12:15 pm	Virtual/Online
Dynamics and Number Theory
Omri Solan (Hebrew University)
Birkhoff generic points on curves
Let a_t be a diagonal flow on the space X of unimodular lattices in R^n. A point x in X is called Birkhoff generic if a_t.x equidistributes in X as t\to \infty. By Birkhoff ergodic theorem, almost every point x in X is Birkhoff generic. One may ask whether the same is true when the point x is sampled according to a measure singular to Lebesgue. In a joint work with Andreas Wieser, we discuss the case of a generic point x in an analytic curve in X, and show that under certain conditions, it must be Birkhoff generic. This Birkhoff genericity result has various applications in Diophantine approximation. In this talk we will relate Birkhoff genericity to approximations of real numbers by algebraic numbers of degree at most n.
https://brandeis.zoom.us/j/93966619553?pwd=ZWZDOFVRbGd1di9mOXN2SFFqV1cyQT09
Hosted by Dmitry Kleinbock, Han Li, Tariq Osman, Lam Pham, Felipe Ramirez
Fri 09/22/23 12:45 pm	Gerstenzang 123
Molecular and Cell Biology & Neuroscience Student Seminars
Nathan Brownstein (Kadener Lab)
Josh Harrison (Birren Lab)
For more information, please contact bioevents@brandeis.edu
Sponsored by: Biology Department, Neuroscience Interdepartmental Program
Wed 09/27/23 11:15 am	Gerstenzang 124
Molecular Genetics Journal Club
Melissa Seman (Ragunathan Lab)
Sayan Biswas (Kadener Lab)
For more information, please contact bioevents@brandeis.edu
Sponsored by: Biology Department
Thu 09/28/23 12:15 pm	/Online
Dynamics and Number Theory
Zach Selk (Queen's University)
Stochastic Calculus for the Theta Process
The Theta process, $X(t)$, is a complex valued stochastic process of number theoretical origin arising as a scaling limit of quadratic Weyl sums $$\sum_{n=1}^N e^{2\pi i \left(\frac{1}{2}(n^2+\beta)x+\alpha n\right)},$$ where $(\alpha,\beta)\in \mathbb R^2 \setminus \mathbb Q^2$ and $x\in \mathbb R$ is chosen at random according to any law absolutely continuous with respect to Lebesgue measure. The Theta process can be explicitly represented as $X(t)=\sqrt{t} \Theta(\Gamma g \Phi^{2 \log t})$ where $\Theta$ is an automorphic function defined on Lie group $G$, invariant under left multiplication under lattice $\Gamma$. Additionally, $g\in \Gamma \setminus G$ is chosen Haar uniformly at random and $\Phi$ is the geodesic flow on $\Gamma \setminus G$. The Theta process shares several similar properties with the Brownian motion. In particular, both lack differentiability and have the same $p$ variation and H\"older properties. Similarly to Brownian motion, standard calculus and even Young/Riemann-Stieltjes calculus techniques do not work. However, Brownian motion is what is known as a martingale allowing for a classical theory of It\^o calculus which makes use of cancellations "on average". The It\^o calculus can be used to prove several properties of Brownian motion such as its conformal invariance, bounds on its running maximum in terms of its quadratic variation, absolutely continuous changes in measure and much more. Unfortunately, we show that the Theta process $X$ is not a (semi)martingale, therefore It\^o techniques don't work. However, a new theory introduced in 1998 by Terry Lyons called rough paths theory handles processes with the same analytic regularity as $X$. The key idea in rough paths theory is that constructing stochastic calculus for a signal can be reduced to constructing the "iterated integrals" of the signal. In this talk, we will show the construction of the iterated integrals -- the "rough path" -- above the process $X$. Joint with Francesco Cellarosi.
https://brandeis.zoom.us/j/93966619553?pwd=ZWZDOFVRbGd1di9mOXN2SFFqV1cyQT09
Hosted by Dmitry Kleinbock, Han Li, Tariq Osman, Lam Pham, Felipe Ramirez
Thu 09/28/23 12:29 pm	Raoaporte Treasure Hall, Goldfarb Library
Psychology Department Colloquium
Judith F. Kroll (School of Education, University of California, Irvine)
Language as a life experience: How using two languages shapes the bilingual mind and brain
In the last two decades there has been an upsurge of research on the bilingual mind and brain. Although the world is multilingual, only recently have cognitive and language scientists come to see that the use of two or more languages provides a unique lens to examine the neural plasticity engaged by language experience. How does bilingualism change the mind? It is now uncontroversial to claim that the bilingual's two languages are continually active, creating a dynamic interplay across them. But there continues to be controversy about the consequences of that cross-language exchange for how cognitive and neural resources are recruited when a second language is learned and used actively and whether native speakers of a language retain privilege in their first acquired language. In the earliest months of life, minds and brains are tuned differently when exposed to more than one language from birth. That tuning has been hypothesized to open the speech system to new learning. For the oldest bilingual adults, there is evidence that a life of being bilingual confers protections against cognitive decline. In this talk, I illustrate the ways that recent studies have shown that the minds and brains of bilinguals are inherently complex and social, taking into account the variation in contexts in which the two languages are learned and used, and shaping the dynamics of cross-language exchange across the lifespan.
Hosted by Angela Gutchess
Fri 09/29/23 11:10 am	Gerstenzang 122
Biochemistry-Biophysics Friday Lunchtime Pizza Talks
Dan Herschlag (Stanford University, Department of Biochemistry)
How serine proteases work
Hosted by Carol Fierke
Sponsored by: Biochemistry and Biophysics PhD Program
Fri 09/29/23 12:45 pm	Gerstenzang 123
Molecular and Cell Biology & Neuroscience Student Seminars
Christina Mazzio (Katz Lab)
Lydia Joh (Kardon Lab)
For more information, please contact bioevents@brandeis.edu
Sponsored by: Biology Department, Neuroscience Interdepartmental Program
Mon 10/02/23 11:15 am	Gerstenzang 124
Neurobiology Journal Club
Dan Leman (Turrigiano Lab)
Jazmin Morales (Kadener Lab)
For more information, please contact bioevents@brandeis.edu
Hosted by Christine Grienberger
Sponsored by: Neuroscience PhD Program, Neuroscience Masters Program
Tue 10/03/23 11:30 am	Gerstenzang 122
Physics Department Colloquium
Netta Engelhardt (MIT)
Tue 10/03/23 12:45 pm	Gerstenzang 123
Joint Biology/Neuroscience Colloquium
Allen Liu (Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Cellular and Molecular Biology Program, Department of Biophysics, and Applied Physics, University of Michigan)
For more information, please contact bioevents@brandeis.edu
Hosted by Alexandre Bisson
Sponsored by: Biology Department, Neuroscience Interdepartmental Program
Wed 10/04/23 11:15 am	Gerstenzang 124
Molecular Genetics Journal Club
For more information, please contact bioevents@brandeis.edu
Sponsored by: Biology Department
Thu 10/05/23 10 am	https://brandeis.zoom.us/s/95283599609
Computer Science Seminar
Ahmet Erdem Sariyuce (SUNY Buffalo)
Associate Professor, Department of Computer School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Fri 10/06/23 11:10 am	Gerstenzang 122
Biochemistry-Biophysics Friday Lunchtime Pizza Talks
Mark Chiu (Tavotek Therapeutics)
Steps for Treating Cancer Resistance, One - Two : mAb to Bispecific Antibody why do, Three - Four : Multispecific Antibody and More
Hosted by Chi Ting, Thomas C. Pochapsky
Sponsored by: Biochemistry and Biophysics PhD Program
Fri 10/06/23 12:45 pm	Gerstenzang 123
Molecular and Cell Biology & Neuroscience Student Seminars
Nayara Ferreira (Haber Lab)
Lisandro Martin (Grienberger Lab)
For more information, please contact bioevents@brandeis.edu
Sponsored by: Biology Department, Neuroscience Interdepartmental Program
Tue 10/10/23 12:45 pm
Joint Biology/Neuroscience Colloquium
Garrett Stanley (McCamish Parkinson's Disease Innovation Program, Georgia Tech Neural Engineering Center, Department of Biomedical Engineering)
For more information, please contact bioevents@brandeis.edu
Hosted by Donald Katz
Sponsored by: Biology Department, Neuroscience Interdepartmental Program
Wed 10/11/23 11:15 am	Gerstenzang 124
Molecular Genetics Journal Club
Anjali Pandey (Sengupta Lab)
Angele Louis-Jean (Kadener Lab)
For more information, please contact bioevents@brandeis.edu
Sponsored by: Biology Department
Fri 10/13/23 12:45 pm	Gerstenzang 123
Molecular and Cell Biology & Neuroscience Student Seminars
Kelsey Clements (Griffith Lab)
Alexis Ryan (Bradshaw Lab)
For more information, please contact bioevents@brandeis.edu
Sponsored by: Biology Department, Neuroscience Interdepartmental Program
Mon 10/16/23 11:15 am	Gerstenzang 124
Neurobiology Journal Club
Brady Weissbourd
For more information, please contact bioevents@brandeis.edu
Hosted by Avital Rodal
Sponsored by: Neuroscience PhD Program, Neuroscience Masters Program
Tue 10/17/23 11:30 am	Gerstenzang 122
Physics Department Colloquium
Robijn Bruinsma (UCLA)
Physics and the Origins of Life
The self-assembly of closed membranes and the self-replication of nucleic acids play a central role in current attempts to recreate the earliest living systems. The colloquium will discuss experiments that highlight aspects of the assembly, growth and division of proto-cells under laboratory conditions and the physical mechanisms that are involved. A focus of the colloquium will be on the question how proto-cells could capture free energy from the environment to power these processes.
Tue 10/17/23 12:45 pm
Joint Biology/Neuroscience Colloquium
Jean Gautier (Professor of Genetics and Development, Institute for Cancer Genetics, Columbia University)
For more information, please contact bioevents@brandeis.edu
Hosted by James E. Haber
Sponsored by: Biology Department, Neuroscience Interdepartmental Program
Fri 10/20/23 10 am	Abelson 131
Thesis Seminar: Molecular and Cell Biology PhD Program
Thalia Sass (Lovett Lab)
to be announced
Sponsored by: Molecular and Cell Biology PhD Program
Mon 10/23/23 11:15 am	Gerstenzang 124
Neurobiology Journal Club
For more information, please contact Cathy Lauinger at clauinger@brandeis.edu
Hosted by Christine Grienberger
Sponsored by: Neuroscience PhD Program, Neuroscience Masters Program
Tue 10/24/23 12:45 pm
Joint Biology/Neuroscience Colloquium
For more information, please contact Cathy Lauinger at clauinger@brandeis.edu
Sponsored by: Biology Department, Neuroscience Interdepartmental Program
Thu 10/26/23 10 am	Volen 101/Online
Computer Science Seminar
Shomir Wilson (Penn State University)
Associate Professor, College of Information, Sciences and Technology
see https://shomir.net
https://brandeis.zoom.us/s/95283599609
Hosted by Professor Chuxu Zhang
Sponsored by: Computer Science Department
Thu 10/26/23 2:30 pm	Gerstenzang 124
Thesis Seminar: Neuroscience PhD Program
Tyler Hill (Sengupta Lab)
to be announced
Sponsored by: Neuroscience PhD Program
Fri 10/27/23 12:45 pm	Gerstenzang 123
Molecular and Cell Biology & Neuroscience Student Seminars
For more information, please contact bioevents@brandeis.edu
Sponsored by: Biology Department
Mon 10/30/23	Volen 101/Online
Computer Science Seminar
Liping Liu (Tufts University)
Associate Professor, Computer Science
Speaker Bio: Liping Liu, who earned his doctorate at Oregon State University in 2016, is interested in probabilistic modeling and graph learning within the area of machine learning. He also applies these machine learning techniques to ecology studies, spatial data modeling, and chemical data analysis. Liu previously held the position of postdoctoral associate at Columbia University. He is a reviewer for several conferences and journals on machine learning.
https://brandeis.zoom.us/s/95283599609
Hosted by Professor Chuxu Zhang
Sponsored by: Computer Science Department
Tue 10/31/23 12:45 pm
Joint Biology/Neuroscience Colloquium
For more information, please contact Cathy Lauinger at clauinger@brandeis.edu
Sponsored by: Biology Department, Neuroscience Interdepartmental Program
Fri 11/03/23 12:45 pm	Gerstenzang 123
Molecular and Cell Biology & Neuroscience Student Seminars
For more information, please contact bioevents@brandeis.edu
Sponsored by: Biology Department
Tue 11/07/23 12:45 pm
Joint Biology/Neuroscience Colloquium
For more information, please contact Cathy Lauinger at clauinger@brandeis.edu
Sponsored by: Biology Department, Neuroscience Interdepartmental Program
Wed 11/15/23 11:15 am	Gerstenzang 124
Molecular Genetics Journal Club
For more information, please contact bioevents@brandeis.edu
Sponsored by: Biology Department
Fri 11/17/23 12:45 pm	Gerstenzang 123
Molecular and Cell Biology & Neuroscience Student Seminars
For more information, please contact bioevents@brandeis.edu
Sponsored by: Biology Department
Tue 11/28/23 12:45 pm
Joint Biology/Neuroscience Colloquium
For more information, please contact Cathy Lauinger at clauinger@brandeis.edu
Sponsored by: Biology Department, Neuroscience Interdepartmental Program