What AI tools are available to help with the scholarly research process? Are they helpful? What do they do and is it worth the time and energy to try them out? Join librarian Christine Fena to explore and compare established and emerging AI research tools such as Elicit, Scite, Consensus, and Undermind. The workshop will not offer a lengthy tutorial on how to use any of these tools, but will provide a starting point to understanding what they are, what new ones are emerging, and how AI research assistants might bring changes to your search process. All are welcome!
Abstract:
People shift their visual attention to gather and prioritize information from their surroundings, helping them navigate complex environments. Understanding these attentional shifts involves decoding the features that guide where attention is directed (spatial areas of focus) and when attention shifts (timing). Decoding these processes can aid applications from interface design to medical diagnosis. However, prior models have not fully explored the underlying factors addressing these aspects. In this dissertation, we study the factors that guide visual attention across diverse image types, spanning natural images, graphic design documents, and whole slide images (WSIs) of cancer tissues, while also predicting visual attention based on these factors.
First, we propose a method to quantify object recognition uncertainty as a factor influencing spatio-temporal attention (where and when) in natural images. We found that it plays a larger role than bottom-up saliency in guiding visual attention. Second, we analyze graphic design documents such as webpages, comics, posters, mobile UIs, etc., which differ from natural images in that they are designed to convey specific messages or elicit desired viewer response. We propose a unified and interpretable deep learning model that predicts both static and dynamic visual attention behavior (addressing where and when) by integrating document layout and content saliency as factors, enhancing attention prediction performance. Finally, in the domain of digital pathology, we investigate pathologists' attention during their examination of giga-pixel WSIs of prostate cancer with an objective to aid in the development of computer-assisted pathology training and clinical decision support systems. Using a digital microscope interface, we collected the largest known dataset of pathologist attention, which allows us to study the factors that guide their spatial and temporal attention patterns (where and when) and develop predictive models. Our study explores key factors guiding their attention, including magnification, slide staining, the nature of the diagnostic task, and their expertise. Motivated by this analysis, we propose deep learning models to solve two tasks: 1) predicting pathologist attention via spatial (heatmaps) and spatio-temporal (scanpaths) models, and 2) inferring pathologist expertise level, both essential technical components towards developing an AI-assisted pathology training pipeline.
Speaker:
Souradeep Chakraborty
People shift their visual attention to gather and prioritize information from their surroundings, helping them navigate complex environments. Understanding these attentional shifts involves decoding the features that guide where attention is directed (spatial areas of focus) and when attention shifts (timing). Decoding these processes can aid applications from interface design to medical diagnosis. However, prior models have not fully explored the underlying factors addressing these aspects. In this dissertation, we study the factors that guide visual attention across diverse image types, spanning natural images, graphic design documents, and whole slide images (WSIs) of cancer tissues, while also predicting visual attention based on these factors.
First, we propose a method to quantify object recognition uncertainty as a factor influencing spatio-temporal attention (where and when) in natural images. We found that it plays a larger role than bottom-up saliency in guiding visual attention. Second, we analyze graphic design documents such as webpages, comics, posters, mobile UIs, etc., which differ from natural images in that they are designed to convey specific messages or elicit desired viewer response. We propose a unified and interpretable deep learning model that predicts both static and dynamic visual attention behavior (addressing where and when) by integrating document layout and content saliency as factors, enhancing attention prediction performance. Finally, in the domain of digital pathology, we investigate pathologists' attention during their examination of giga-pixel WSIs of prostate cancer with an objective to aid in the development of computer-assisted pathology training and clinical decision support systems. Using a digital microscope interface, we collected the largest known dataset of pathologist attention, which allows us to study the factors that guide their spatial and temporal attention patterns (where and when) and develop predictive models. Our study explores key factors guiding their attention, including magnification, slide staining, the nature of the diagnostic task, and their expertise. Motivated by this analysis, we propose deep learning models to solve two tasks: 1) predicting pathologist attention via spatial (heatmaps) and spatio-temporal (scanpaths) models, and 2) inferring pathologist expertise level, both essential technical components towards developing an AI-assisted pathology training pipeline.
Speaker:
Souradeep Chakraborty
Location: New Computer Science Bldg., Room 220
Zoom Link: https://stonybrook.zoom.us/j/
Meeting ID: 975 528 8447
Passcode: 338037
Prof. Eugene A. Feinberg, from the Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics, presents, Recent Developments in Markov Decision Processes Relevant to AI on April 4 at 4p.
The talk discusses recent developments in Markov Decision Processes potentially relevant to artificial intelligence. These developments include complexity estimations for exact and approximate algorithms, decision making with incomplete information and multiple criteria, and continuity properties of optimal values and expectations.
Dr. Eugene A. Feinberg is currently Distinguished Professor in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics at Stony Brook University. He is an expert on applied probability, stochastic models of operations research, Markov decision processes, and on industrial applications of operations research and statistics. He has published more than 150 papers and edited the Handbook of Markov Decision Processes. His research has been supported by NSF, DOE, DOD, NYSTAR (New York State Office of Science, Technology, and Academic Research), NYSERDA (New York State Energy Research and Development Authority) and by industry. He is a Fellow of INFORMS (The Institute for Operations Research and Management Sciences) and has received several awards including 2012 IEEE Charles Hirsh Award for developing and implementing smart grid technologies, 2012 IBM Faculty Award, and 2000 Industrial Associates Award from Northrop Grumman. Dr. Feinberg is an Associate Editor for Mathematics of Operations Research and for Applied Mathematics Letters. He is an Area Editor for Operations Research Letters.
Refreshments will be provided
CSE 600 Seminar Series | Fall 2025
Abstract: Large reasoning models have demonstrated capabilities to solve competition-level math problems, answer deep research questions, and address complex coding needs. Much of this progress has been enabled by scaling of data: pre-training data to learn vast knowledge, fine-tuning data to learn natural language reasoning, and RL environments to refine that reasoning. In this talk, I will describe the current LLM reasoning paradigm, its boundaries, and the future of LLM reasoning beyond scaling. First, I will describe the state of reasoning models and where I think scaling can lead to some additional (though perhaps limited) successes. I will then shift to discussing more fundamental issues with models that scale will not resolve in the next few years. I will touch on four current limitations: outdated knowledge, generator-validator gaps, limited creativity, and poor compositional generalization. In all cases, fundamental limitations of LLMs or of supervised learning in general make these problems challenging, inviting future study and novel solutions beyond scaling.
Bio: Greg Durrett is an associate professor in the Department of Computer Science and the Center for Data Science at New York University. His research is broadly in the areas of natural language processing and machine learning. Currently, his group's focus is on reasoning about knowledge in text, verifying correctness of generation methods, and studying how to make progress on problems that defy LLM scaling. He is a 2023 Sloan Research Fellow and a recipient of a 2022 NSF CAREER award. He has served in numerous roles for ACL conferences, recently as a member of the NAACL Board since 2024 and as Senior Area Chair for ACL 2025 and EMNLP 2025. He received his BS in Computer Science and Mathematics from MIT and his PhD in Computer Science from UC Berkeley, where he was advised by Dan Klein.
Abstract: Large reasoning models have demonstrated capabilities to solve competition-level math problems, answer deep research questions, and address complex coding needs. Much of this progress has been enabled by scaling of data: pre-training data to learn vast knowledge, fine-tuning data to learn natural language reasoning, and RL environments to refine that reasoning. In this talk, I will describe the current LLM reasoning paradigm, its boundaries, and the future of LLM reasoning beyond scaling. First, I will describe the state of reasoning models and where I think scaling can lead to some additional (though perhaps limited) successes. I will then shift to discussing more fundamental issues with models that scale will not resolve in the next few years. I will touch on four current limitations: outdated knowledge, generator-validator gaps, limited creativity, and poor compositional generalization. In all cases, fundamental limitations of LLMs or of supervised learning in general make these problems challenging, inviting future study and novel solutions beyond scaling.
Bio: Greg Durrett is an associate professor in the Department of Computer Science and the Center for Data Science at New York University. His research is broadly in the areas of natural language processing and machine learning. Currently, his group's focus is on reasoning about knowledge in text, verifying correctness of generation methods, and studying how to make progress on problems that defy LLM scaling. He is a 2023 Sloan Research Fellow and a recipient of a 2022 NSF CAREER award. He has served in numerous roles for ACL conferences, recently as a member of the NAACL Board since 2024 and as Senior Area Chair for ACL 2025 and EMNLP 2025. He received his BS in Computer Science and Mathematics from MIT and his PhD in Computer Science from UC Berkeley, where he was advised by Dan Klein.
Abstract: Modern language agents often need to solve tasks requiring long-horizon, multi-turn interactions, where they retrieve external information, adapt to observations, and answer interdependent queries. Yet, most LLM systems rely on full-context prompting, appending all past turns regardless of their relevance. This leads to un-bounded memory growth, increased computational costs, and degraded reasoning performance on out-of-distribution input lengths due to LLM forgetting the context. We introduce MEM1, an end-to-end reinforcement learning framework that enables agents to operate with constant context size when solving long multi-turn tasks. At each turn, MEM1 updates a compact shared internal state that jointly supports memory consolidation and reasoning. Leveraging reinforcement learning (RL) and rollout trajectory truncation, we train a MEM1 agent to develop internal states that integrate prior memory with new observations from the environment while strategically discarding irrelevant or redundant information. Experiments across three domains, including internal retrieval QA, open-domain web QA, and multi-turn web shopping, show that MEM1-7B improves performance by 3.5x while reducing memory usage by 3.7x compared to Qwen2.5-14B-Instruct on an augmented multi-hop QA dataset with 16 objectives in each task, and generalizes beyond the training horizon. Our results demonstrate the promise of reasoning-driven memory consolidation as a scalable alternative to existing solutions for training long-horizon task-solving agents that involve multiple interactions, where both efficiency and performance are optimized.
Speaker: Yiyang Feng
Location: CS2311
Speaker: Yiyang Feng
Location: CS2311
The event will take place on Zoom and will feature two distinguished guest speakers: SBU alumnus, Velchamy Sankarlingam, president of Product and Engineering at Zoom, and Simeon Ananou, vice president for Information Technology and CIO at Stony Brook University. The discussion will be moderated by Haresh Gurnani, dean of the College of Business at Stony Brook University.
Exploring AI's Impact on Communication and Connection
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has rapidly evolved, becoming an integral part of various industries, including education and business. This event aims to delve into how AI is reshaping the way we learn and work, particularly in enhancing communication and fostering human connections. Velchamy Sankarlingam, an SBU alumnus and a key figure at Zoom, will share his insights on how AI-driven tools are revolutionizing virtual communication platforms, making interactions more seamless and effective.
Simeon Ananou, with his extensive experience in information technology, will provide a perspective on how AI is being integrated into educational institutions to improve learning outcomes and administrative efficiency. His role at Stony Brook University places him at the forefront of implementing innovative technologies that benefit both students and staff.
A Conversation Led by Expertise
Dean Haresh Gurnani, known for his leadership and expertise in business education, will guide the conversation, ensuring that the discussion remains focused on the practical implications of AI. He will explore how AI is not only boosting productivity but also enriching overall experiences in the workplace and educational settings. The event will include an interactive Q&A session, allowing attendees to engage directly with the speakers and gain deeper insights into the topics discussed.
As AI continues to develop, events like this are crucial for understanding its impact and potential. Stony Brook University's College of Business is committed to providing platforms for such important discussions, fostering an environment where innovation and education intersect.
This event is open to all. Please visit https://www.givecampus.com/schools/StonyBrookUniversity/events/artificial-intelligence-reshaping-learning-and-work to register.
What AI tools are available to help with the scholarly research process? Are they helpful? What do they do and is it worth the time and energy to try them out? Join librarian Christine Fena to explore and compare established and emerging AI research tools such as Elicit, Scite, Consensus, and Undermind. The online workshop will provide a starting point to understanding what these tools are, the basics of how they work, and how AI research assistants might bring changes to your search process in the future. All are welcome!
Register here via Zoom.
Register here via Zoom.
Last day of finals for 2019 Fall Semester: https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/registrar/registration/exams
CSE 656 Seminars in Computer Vision - Wednesdays 11:30am-12:50pm, Room NCS 120
The overall purpose of this seminar is to bring together people with interests in Computer Vision theory and techniques and to examine current research issues. This course will be appropriate for people who already took a Computer Vision graduate course or already had research experience in Computer Vision. To enroll in this course, you must either: (1) be in the PhD program or (2) receive permission from the instructors.
Each seminar will consist of multiple short talks (around 10 minutes) by multiple people. Students can register for 1 credit for CSE656. Registered students must attend and present a minimum of 2 or 3 talks. Everyone else is welcome to attend. Fill in https://forms.gle/pCVXovgfMfQwGqG38 to subscribe to our mailing list for further announcement.
The first meeting will be Wed Jan 29 at 11.30am, room 120 New CS. The meeting will deal with organizational matters and we will start right away with some presentations. Send David Paredes Merino <dparedesmeri@cs.stonybrook.edu> an email if you are interested but cannot attend the first meeting. Please forward to people outside the CS department that you think might be interested.
The overall purpose of this seminar is to bring together people with interests in Computer Vision theory and techniques and to examine current research issues. This course will be appropriate for people who already took a Computer Vision graduate course or already had research experience in Computer Vision. To enroll in this course, you must either: (1) be in the PhD program or (2) receive permission from the instructors.
Each seminar will consist of multiple short talks (around 10 minutes) by multiple people. Students can register for 1 credit for CSE656. Registered students must attend and present a minimum of 2 or 3 talks. Everyone else is welcome to attend. Fill in https://forms.gle/pCVXovgfMfQwGqG38 to subscribe to our mailing list for further announcement.
The first meeting will be Wed Jan 29 at 11.30am, room 120 New CS. The meeting will deal with organizational matters and we will start right away with some presentations. Send David Paredes Merino <dparedesmeri@cs.stonybrook.edu> an email if you are interested but cannot attend the first meeting. Please forward to people outside the CS department that you think might be interested.