First meeting of the Fall semester

[R. Paul Wiegand]

Greetings,

The EECS Algorithms & Theory group is ready to begin meeting this
semester. We will meet on Thursdays from 2:30p - 4p. Most Thursdays,
we will meet in HEC 356. When there are exceptions, we'll let you
know.

Our first meeting is this Thursday, September 17. We'll have a short
discussion orienting us for the semester, then Nadeem Mohsin will
start us off with some background in Bayesian inference and joint
probability distribution, leading to graphical models.

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If you are unfamiliar with our group, the following may help clarify.
The Algorithms & Theory Group meets regularly to have interactive
discussions on a variety of topics related to foundations of computer
science. These discussions sometimes take the form of white-board
based lectures by *BOTH* students and faculty, they and sometimes the
form of directed reading discussion on background-oriented technical
topics. In the past, we have included topics such as analysis of
randomized algorithms, competitive analysis, graph theory,
computational complexity of "interesting" problems, as well as some
basic materials on probabilities (random walks, generating functions,
Markov chains, etc.).

Topics in the group are self-selected by the group. The goal has been
to keep the discussions casual and interactive, while focusing on
formal topics. We favor efforts where we take time to jointly work
through formal proofs step-by-step rather than engage in top-down
content delivery as in most coursework. Amongst the crucial aspects
of the group is the view that we *SHARE* the responsibility and
experience of preparing and presenting material.

We welcome everyone, regardless of your background level in
mathematics or fundamental computer science ... the chief necessary
condition for attendance is interest.

R. Paul Wiegand.