Yisong Yue (ML/NLP candidate)

Yisong Yue is a postdoctoral researcher in the Machine Learning Department and the iLab at Carnegie Mellon University. His research interests lie primarily in machine learning approaches to structured prediction and interactive systems, with an application focus in developing new approaches for information retrieval and access. He received a Ph.D. from Cornell University and a B.S. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is the author of the SVM-map software package for optimizing mean average precision using support vector machines. His current research focuses on machine learning approaches to diversified retrieval and interactive information systems.

Learning with Humans in the Loop

Mar 18, 12:10pm. WEB 1230

Abstract: Making sense of digital information is a growing problem in almost every domain, ranging from scientists needing to stay current with new research, to companies aiming to provide the best service for their customers. What is common to such “Big Data” problems is not only the scale of the data, but also the complexity of the human processes that continuously interact with digital environments and generate new data.

To address this problem, I will show how we can develop principled approaches that explicitly model the process of continuously learning with humans in the loop while improving system utility. As one example, I will present the linear submodular bandits problem, which jointly addresses the challenges of selecting optimally diversified recommendations and balancing the exploration/exploitation tradeoff when personalizing via user feedback.  More generally, I will show how to integrate the collection of training data with the user’s use of the system in a variety of applications, ranging from long-term optimization of personalized recommender systems to disambiguation within a single search session.

Schedule

Sunday Mar 17, 2013: Arrive in SLC 8:32pm @ Marriott in downtown SLC.

Monday Mar 18, 2013.

• 8am-9:30am: Breakfast (John Hollerbach)
• 9:30am-10am: Chuck Hansen (WEB 4692)
  
• 10:10-10:45am: Suresh Venkatasubramanian (MEB 3404)
• 11:00-11:30am: Dean Richard Brown (Dean’s office)
• 11:30am-12:00pm: Miriah Meyer (WEB 4887)
  
• 12:10-1:15pm: Talk (WEB 1230)
• 1:15pm-2:30pm: Lunch (GradSAC)
• 2:30pm-3pm: Matt Might (MEB 3450)
• 3pm-3:30pm: Jeff Phillips (MEB 3442)
• 3:30pm-4pm: Jur van den Berg (MEB 3126)
• 4pm-4:30pm: Rajeev Balasubramanian (MEB 3414)
  
• 4:30pm-5pm: Tom Fletcher (WEB 4686) (afterwards, bring back to Suresh @ MEB 3404)
• 6pm-: Dinner (Suresh, Ellen)

Tuesday Mar 19, 2013.

• 8am-9:15am: Breakfast (Jur van den Berg)
• 9:15-9:45: Ganesh Gopalakrishnan (MEB 3428)
  
• 9:45-10:15: Feifei Li (MEB 3464)
  
• 10:15-10:45: Bob Kessler [EAE] (MEB 3146)
  
• 10:45-11:30: Ellen Riloff (MEB 3140)
• 11:30-1pm: Lunch (John Regehr)
• 1pm-1:30pm: Sneha Kasera (MEB 3408)
  
• 1:30pm-2pm: Cem Yuksel (WEB 2686)
• 2pm-2:30pm: Al Davis [Soc Director] (MEB 3190) (Samira Daruki will take Yisong to Tom)
• 2:30pm-3pm: Tom Henderson (WEB 2871)
• 3pm-3:30pm: Adam Bargteil (WEB 2666)
  
• 3:30pm-4pm: Zvonimir Rakamaric (MEB 3424)
  
• 4pm-5pm: Round-table (MEB 3105)
• 5pm-5:30pm: Mike Kirby (WEB 3750)
  
• 6pm-: Dinner (Jeff, Jur, Zvonimir)

Wednesday Mar 20: Leave SLC 2:57pm