[PRL] Practice Talk for PHD Thesis Defense - Ahmed Abdelmeged - Thursday May 22, 6pm, 366 WVH - Organizing Open Online Computational Problem Solving Competitions

[Karl Lieberherr]

Ahmed will give a practice defense on Thursday May 22, 6pm.

-- Karl
==========
PhD Thesis Defense, College of Computer and Information Science,
Northeastern University

Who: Ahmed Abdelmeged

Title: Organizing Open Online Computational Problem Solving Competitions

Abstract:

Competitions have been successfully used to build and organize communities
aiming to solve complex computational problems. Recently, the winner of an
open online competition to solve a complex immunogenomics problem has
produced an algorithm that has a higher accuracy and is 1,000 times faster
than the corresponding algorithm developed by the US National Institutes of
Health.

We developed a novel sports-like approach for organizing open online
computational problem solving competitions where participants assist in the
evaluation of their opponents. Therefore, we reduce the competition
administration overhead. We tackled several challenges that can render the
results of this kind of competition meaningless. The most prominent
challenges are the potential of incorrect peer evaluation of participants
as well as collusion potential.

We addressed the potential of incorrect peer evaluation of participants by
using generalized semantic games of interpreted predicate logic sentences
specifying computational problems.

We addressed the collusion potential by using collusion-resistant ranking
functions. We developed a first of its kind, formal characterization of
collusion-resistant ranking functions for generalized semantic game
tournaments. We also developed a representation theorem for
collusion-resistant ranking functions as well as other basic correctness
properties. In essence, we show that under basic correctness properties of
ranking functions, the collusion-resistant property is logically equivalent
to using a ranking function that is based on a generalized form of fault
counting.

In addition to competition organization, the system and its theoretical
foundation is also useful for pushing the state-of-the-art in formal
science education. Indeed, the system was developed in the context of
education (Algorithms and Software Development Courses) to facilitate fair
peer grading and focused debates among students.

Committee:

Karl Lieberherr (advisor)

Ravi Sundaram

Thomas Wahl

Nicole Immorlica (Microsoft Research)
_______________________________________________
Colloq mailing list
Colloq at lists.ccs.neu.edu
https://lists.ccs.neu.edu/bin/listinfo/colloq
-------------- next part --------------
HTML attachment scrubbed and removed