As generative AI tools become increasingly prevalent in education, their impact on collegiate writing raises important questions about creativity, academic integrity, and effective teaching practices. This panel brings together faculty and students to share perspectives on the opportunities and challenges that AI presents in an academic setting. Through an open dialogue, participants will engage in meaningful conversations, allowing for a deeper understanding of each other's viewpoints and fostering collaboration. Students and faculty will explore diverse ways AI can be used in teaching and learning and seek solutions to utilize AI writing tools ethically. This exchange aims to build a community of trust and shared knowledge, ensuring that AI's role in education is both innovative and responsible.

Register here: https://stonybrook.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJAqdOitpjIpHtDGAsGBfEb3ah0YIzhIJolN
Time: May 5, 2022, Thursday, 02:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Place: New Computer Science (NCS) Room 220, and Zoom

Zoom link: https://stonybrook.zoom.us/j/95948672934?pwd=d3ZDcUJkK3VweFBDVWhIVDhtaFU2Zz09
Meeting ID:  959 4867 2934
Passcode:  082036

Title:  Generative Adversarial Learning using Optimal Transport

Abstract: 

Generative Adversarial Learning (GAL) aims to learn a target distribution in an adversarial manner. A Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) is a concrete implementation of GAL using a discriminator and a generator that play a min-max game. GANs have been used in many machine learning and computer vision applications. However, GANs are known to be hard to train, mainly because a min-max saddle point optimization problem needs to be solved in GAL. In this thesis, I investigate several methods to improve generative adversarial learning using Optimal Transport (OT). 

Previous Wasserstein GANs (WGANs) do not compute the correct Wasserstein distance to train the discriminator. To address this problem, I propose WGAN-TS that uses the L1 transport cost and computes the correct Wasserstein distance to train the discriminator. To ensure the local convergence of WGANs, I propose WGAN-QC that adopts the quadratic transport cost. I prove that WGAN-QC not only computes the correct Wasserstein distance but also converges to a local equilibrium point. To compute the Wasserstein distance over the whole dataset, I propose to use Semi-Discrete Optimal Transport (SDOT) to match noise points and the real images during GAN training. To measure the quality of an SDOT map, I use the Maximum Relative Error (MRE) and the L_1 distance between the target distribution and the transported distribution obtained by an OT map. I propose statistical methods to estimate the MRE and the L_1 distance. I propose an efficient Epoch Gradient Descent algorithm for SDOT (SDOT-EGD). To deal with the 2D special case of GAL, I propose to use OT to learn 2D distributions. In particular, I adopt OT to match persistent diagrams in training a topology-aware GAN and learn density maps in the crowd counting task. Finally, I use OT and the topological maps of the crowd to improve the crowd counting performance and propose a topology-based metric to measure the quality of the crowd density maps.
Johannes Hachmann, University of Buffalo Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering presents Making Machine Learning Work in Chemistry

The use of modern machine learning, informatics and data mining approaches is a relatively new development in the chemical and materials domain. These techniques have been exceedingly successful in other application fields, and since there is no fundamental reason why they should not have a similarly transformative impact on chemical and materials research, there is now a concerted effort by the community to introduce data science in this new context. However, adapting techniques from other application domains for the study of chemical and materials systems requires a substantial rethinking and redevelopment of the existing methods.

In this presentation, we will discuss our work on designing advanced, physics-infused neural network architectures, the fusion of unsupervised clustering with supervised regression for local ensemble models, active and transfer learning techniques, bootstrapping approaches to minimize our training data footprint, methods to increase the applicability domain of data-derived models and automated hyperparameter optimization.

Biosketch: Johannes Hachmann is an Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University at Buffalo (UB), the Director of the Engineering Science in Data Science graduate program, a Core Member of the UB Computational and Data-Enabled Science and Engineering graduate program, and a Faculty Member of the New York State Center of Excellence in Materials Informatics. He earned a Dipl.-Chem. degree (2004) after undergraduate studies at the universities of Jena and Cambridge, M.Sc. (2007) and Ph.D. (2010) degrees in Chemistry from Cornell University, and he conducted postdoctoral research at Harvard University before joining the UB faculty in 2014. The research of the Hachmann Group fuses (first-principles) molecular and materials modeling with virtual high-throughput screening and modern data science (i.e., the use of database technology, machine learning and informatics) to advance a data-driven discovery and rational design paradigm in the chemical and materials disciplines. One of the centerpieces of the group's efforts is the creation of an open, general-purpose software ecosystem for the data-driven design of chemical systems and the exploration of chemical space. This work was recognized with a 2018 NSF CAREER Award.
Abstract: AI has achieved remarkable advancements in image recognition and natural language processing. However, its applications in Earth and environmental sciences are still emerging. Unprecedented data from satellites, sensors, and in-situ measurements oIers new opportunities to improve physics-based models and forecasts of environmental systems with AI and to gain deeper insights into these phenomena. Extreme systems, such as weather and climate events, pose distinct challenges for AI, such as limited sampling of rare events, non-trivial data augmentation, errors-in-variables, and complexities of transfer learning across diverse tasks. In this talk, we will explore some of these challenges and showcase AI architectures designed to address them. We will use specific examples of forecasting dust storms, precipitation extremes, flash floods, and drought events in the Middle East. Finally, we will discuss a different AI approach for studying sinkhole formation in the Dead Sea.

Speaker: Prof. Yinon Rudich, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Weizmann Institute, Israel


Join Zoom Meeting
ID: 98731258879
Passcode: cJjGQJqP

Time: Jan 26, 2021 03:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

All are welcome!

Zoom Meeting:
https://stonybrook.zoom.us/j/93818552212?pwd=ajZkT2x4a2tiaDJUL1h3VFhLZEgwQT09

Meeting ID: 938 1855 2212
Passcode: 802722

Title: Data-Driven Document Unwarping

Abstract: Capturing document images is a common way to digitize and record physical documents due to the ubiquitousness of mobile cameras. To make text recognition easier, it is often desirable to digitally flatten a document image when the physical document sheet is folded or curved. However, unwarping a document from a single image in natural scenes is very challenging due to the complexity of document sheet deformation, document texture, and environmental conditions. Previous model-driven approaches struggle with inefficiency and limited generalizability. In this thesis, I investigate several data-driven approaches to tackle the document unwarping problem.

Data acquisition is the central challenge in data-driven methods. I first design an efficient data synthesis pipeline based on 2D image warping and train DocUNet, the pioneering data-driven document unwarping model, on the synthetic data. A benchmark dataset is also created to facilitate comprehensive evaluation and comparison. To improve the unwarping performance by training on more realistic data, I introduce the Doc3D dataset and DewarpNet. Supervised by 3D shape ground truth in Doc3D, DewarpNet is significantly better than DocUNet. DocUNet and DewarpNet depend on the synthetic data for the ground truth deformation annotation. To exploit the real-world images, I propose PaperEdge, a weakly supervised model trained with in-the-wild document images with easy-to-obtain boundary information. PaperEdge surpasses DewarpNet by utilizing both the synthetic data and weakly annotated real data in the Document In the Wild (DIW) dataset. Finally, I propose to incorporate the 3D physical constraints in training DewarpNet and PaperEdge. The constraints regulate the possible deformations on document papers. I also propose to augment the Doc3D and DIW dataset by introducing an online document segmentation model and better hardware.
Professor Nanpeng Yu from UC Riverside present Machine Learning and Big Data Analytics in Power Distribution Systems.

Abstract: The electric utility industry is being swamped by petabytes of data coming from various sources such as smart meters, phasor measurement units, SCADA systems, geographical information systems and customer management systems. The primary and secondary value embedded in the complex and heterogeneous data sets from power distribution systems is immense. However, algorithms and applications for unlocking the potential of big data in power systems are at an early stage of development. This talk discusses the recent advancement of machine learning algorithms and big data analytics methods in power distribution systems. In particular, we will explain how to develop hybrid algorithms, which synergistically combine the merits of state-of-the-art machine learning algorithms and physical model-based methods. We will take a deep dive into the following applications: network topology identification, electricity theft detection, estimation of behind-the-meter solar generation and data-driven distribution system controls.

Bio: Dr. Nanpeng Yu received his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Tsinghua University, Beijing, China, in 2006. Dr. Yu received his M.S. degrees in Electrical Engineering and Economics and Ph.D. degree from Iowa State University in 2010. Before joining University of California, Riverside, Dr. Yu was a senior power system planner and project manager at Southern California Edison from Jan, 2011 to July 2014.

Currently, he is an Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of California, Riverside, CA. Dr. Yu is the recipient of the Regents Faculty Fellowship and Regents Faculty Development award from University of California. He received multiple best paper awards from IEEE Power and Energy Society General Meeting, IEEE Power and Energy Society Grand International Conference and Exposition Asia and the Second International Conference on Green Communications, Computing and Technologies.

Dr. Yu is the director of Smart City Innovation Laboratory at UC Riverside. He currently serves as the vice chair of the distribution system operation and planning subcommittee of IEEE Power and Energy Society and the co-chair for IEEE Big Data Applications in Power Distribution Networks Task Force. Dr. Yu currently serves as the associate editor for IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid and International Transactions on Electrical Energy Systems.

Abstract: The development of embodied AI has largely focused on scaling data and computational power, often at the cost of energy efficiency. In contrast, biological intelligence achieves remarkable adaptability with minimal resources, inspiring a shift toward neuromorphic AI, an approach that mimics the structure and dynamics of biological neural systems. In this talk, I will explore the promises and challenges of neuromorphic computer vision from three key perspectives: algorithms, robot actions, and data. First, I will discuss algorithmic advances, including continuous visual hull reconstruction, continuous-time human motion field estimation, and unsupervised independent motion segmentation. Next, I will illustrate how neuromorphic vision enables agile robotic actions by leveraging event-based perception for real-time decision-making. Finally, I will address challenges in training data-driven models with event data, highlighting strategies to enhance data availability and efficiency. By integrating these elements, neuromorphic AI paves the way for energy-efficient, high-performance embodied intelligence in dynamic real-world environments.

Speaker Bio: Ziyun (Claude) Wang is a fifth-year Ph.D. student in the General Robotics, Automation, Sensing & Perception (GRASP) Lab at the University of Pennsylvania, advised by Professor Kostas Daniilidis. His research focuses on developing algorithms for neuromorphic computer vision and integrating them with real hardware to enable agile perception in embodied AI systems. Prior to his Ph.D., he worked at the Samsung AI Center New York, where he developed 3D reconstruction techniques for robotic applications and earned three patents. He also contributed to the Apple Vision Pro team, enhancing user comfort for AR glasses. His research work has been recognized at major computer vision, robotics, and machine learning venues including the AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence (AAAI), European Conference on Computer Vision (ECCV), International Conference on Learning Representations (ICLR), Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR) workshops, and IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters (R-AL), with an oral presentation at ECCV placing in the top 2.7%. His research aims to drive the development of next-generation bio-inspired AI systems, enabling more efficient, adaptive, and intelligent embodied perception.

You are cordially invited to attend the biweekly Brookhaven AI Mixer (BAM). BAM includes one short talk on AI research happening at BNL, followed by an open mixer over coffee and snacks for everyone to network and discuss all things AI. The first half hour will consist of presentations that will be available via ZOOM, and the second half hour will be for in person only networking.

Join us every other Tuesday at noon in CDSD's Training Room (building 725, 2nd floor) to learn about interesting AI methods and applications, engage with potential collaborators, prepare for pending FASST funding calls, and build a community of AI for Science at BNL.

HPCortex - a new, general-purpose machine learning library for HPC

Abstract: I will introduce HPCortex, a lightweight, C++, MPI-native machine-learning library for heterogeneous HPC systems. It implements many common architecture patterns including transformers, graph neural networks, and convolutional networks, and delivers performance portability across NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel GPUs while depending only on MPI and standard compiler/BLAS stacks. I will illustrate its capabilities via a surrogate model for the RHIC AGS Booster digital twin, a simple GNN for a coupled spring system, and a compact language model, then outline the roadmap.

Biography: Christopher is a research scientist and head of the Scientific Computing Applications Group in the Computational Science Department at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Previously he was an assistant staff scientist in the Physics Dept. at Columbia University, and held physics postdoctoral research positions at both Brookhaven and Columbia. He earned his Ph.D in Theoretical Physics from the University of Edinburgh, UK.
His scientific background is in lattice QCD and high performance computing, but since joining Brookhaven in 2020 his research interests have expanded to include machine learning, applied mathematics and performance analysis, with a particular emphasis on building tools to support scientific research on HPC systems.

Location: CDS, Bldg. 725, Training Room

Join ZoomGov Meeting: https://bnl.zoomgov.com/j/1604143373?pwd=hHT2yaIjahBIQ6tieURFqs8Pwex9gU.1

Meeting ID: 160 414 3373
Passcode: 277410