| Spring 2005 UMASS
Amherst Operations Research / Management Science Seminar Series |
Date: Friday, February 18, 2005 Time: 11:00 AM Location: Isenberg School of Management, Room 112 |
| Speaker: Professor
Catherine C. McGeoch Department of Mathematics and Computer Science Amherst College Amherst, MA |
| Biography: Catherine McGeoch is a Professor
of Computer Science at Amherst College, where she conducts research in
experimental analysis of algorithms, a field which combines the abstract/universal sensibilities of
the theoretician with the concrete/specific needs of the practitioner. Since 2003 she has been editor in chief of the ACM Journal of Experimental Algorithmics. She was co-founder of the annual ALENEX Workshop (on Algorithm Engineering and Experimentation), and she was the founding coordinator of the DIMACS Implementation Challenges, which promote experimental research on (you guessed it) algorithms. |
| TITLE: What Computers Can't Do
For You |
| Abstract: We are living in a golden age of
computing, enjoying unprecedented access to vast repositories of
information (and entertainment), near-instant communication with
friends and colleagues anywhere in the world, and powerful
computational tools for solving all kinds of problems, including
the types of logistical problems arising in Operations Research. The future potential of computing technology seems unlimited -- but it is limited. This talk will explore some results from theoretical computer science that set out the boundaries of feasible computation. Besides those fundamental boundaries, I will also discuss some practical obstacles to solving every possible problem with computers. |
| This series is organized by the
UMASS Amherst INFORMS Student Chapter. Support for this series is
provided by the Isenberg School of Management, the Department of
Finance and Operations Management, and the John F. Smith Memorial Fund. For questions, please contact the INFORMS Student Chapter President, Ms. Tina Wakolbinger, wakolbinger@som.umass.edu |