Wisconsin Institute for Discovery

WID Seminar Series
2024-11-26 13:00 - 14:15 (America/Chicago) | 3rd Floor Orchard View Room, Discovery Building (Also offered online)
Discovering simplicity in complex systems at the intersection of digital and natural worlds.
ONLINE: https://uwmadison.zoom.us/j/96326864622

Trustworthy AI
2024-12-02 09:00 - 13:00 | WI
https://uw-madison-datascience.github.io/2024-12-02-uwmadison-trustworthyai/

This lesson equips participants with trustworthy AI/ML practices, emphasizing fairness, explainability, reproducibility, accountability, and safety across three general data/model modalities: structured data (tabular), natural language processing (NLP), and computer vision. Participants will learn to evaluate and enhance the trustworthiness and reliability of models in each modality. Additionally, they will explore how to integrate these principles into future models, bridging ethical practices with practical applications in their research.
This is a pilot workshop, testing out a lesson that is still under development. The lesson authors would appreciate any feedback you can give them about the lesson content and suggestions for how it could be further improved.
Who: The course is aimed at graduate students and other researchers at UW Madison. Participants must have experience using Python and a basic understanding of machine learning (e.g., familiar with the concepts like train/test split and cross-validation) and should have trained at least one model in the past. Prior experience training neural networks is recommended to get the most out of this workshop.
Where: This training will take place online. The instructors will provide you with the information you will need to connect to this meeting.
When: Dec 2-4, 2024; 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Add to your Google Calendar.

Trustworthy AI
2024-12-03 09:00 - 13:00, 2024-12-04 09:00 - 13:00 | WI
Learn Responsible Machine Learning Practices.
CONTACT: facilitator@datascience.wisc.edu
URL: https://uw-madison-datascience.github.io/2024-12-02-uwmadison-trustworthyai/

Crossroads of Ideas: Communicating through Creativity
2024-12-03 19:00 - 20:00 | Discovery Building, 330 North Orchard Street, Orchard View Room, Madison, WI, 53715, United States
Explore how art and science intersect as experts reveal creative ways to deepen our understanding of culture, justice, and science!

Join us for Crossroads of Ideas: Communicating through Creativity, a dynamic fireside chat that explores the intersection of art and science in shaping perspectives and values. Featuring Nan Li, an expert in science communication who leverages art to inform and influence public opinion; Casey Fletcher, who focuses on culture, justice, and diversity through creative expression; and mural artist Sonya Sankaran, who bridges the gap by using art as a medium to illuminate scientific concepts. Together, they’ll dive into how creative approaches can deepen our understanding and appreciation of the world around us.

We value inclusion and access for all participants. If you would like to request reasonable accommodations to enhance your participation experience, please email idhub@wid.wisc.edu no later than 2 weeks prior to the event. This event is wheelchair accessible.

ML+X Forum: Applied Machine Learning
2024-12-10 12:00 - 13:00 | Orchard View Room, Discovery Building (Also offered online)
Machine Learning Beyond Traditional CS Fields.
CONTACT: endemann@wisc.edu
ONLINE: https://uwmadison.zoom.us/j/92639425571?pwd=[REDACTED]

ML+Coffee
2024-12-11 09:00 - 11:00 | Discovery Building, 330 North Orchard Street, Orchard View Room, Madison, WI, 53715, United States
Machine Learning Community Event.
CONTACT: endemann@wisc.edu

WID Seminar Series: Yin Lab
2024-12-20 10:00 - 11:00 | 3rd Floor Orchard View Room, Discovery Building (Also offered online)
Molecular information processing: from COVID to the chemical origins of life. Featuring: Nan Jiang, PhD candidate in Biophysics, Chung-Hui Hsu, PhD Candidate in Chemical and Biological Engineering, and Dr. John Yin. Special introduction by Dr. Tim Rogers, Psychology. Light refreshments will be served and an online option is available.
ONLINE: https://uwmadison.zoom.us/j/96326864622

Software Carpentry
2025-01-13 09:00 - 13:00, 2025-01-14 09:00 - 13:00, 2025-01-15 09:00 - 13:00, 2025-01-16 09:00 - 13:00 | WI
Learn Skills for Research Software Engineering. Software Carpentry aims to help researchers get their work done in less time and with less pain by teaching them basic research computing skills. This hands-on workshop will cover basic concepts and tools, including program design, version control, data management, and task automation. Participants will be encouraged to help one another and to apply what they have learned to their own research problems.
CONTACT: facilitator@datascience.wisc.edu
URL: https://uw-madison-datascience.github.io/2025-01-13-uwmadison-swc/

Software Carpentry
2025-01-13 09:00 - 2025-01-16 13:00 | WI
https://uw-madison-datascience.github.io/2025-01-13-uwmadison-swc/

Crossroads of Ideas: Gut Instincts - Microbes, Addiction, and Immunity
2025-01-16 19:00 - 20:00 | Discovery Building or streaming at https://uwmadison.zoom.us/j/95175400747, 330 North Orchard Street, Madison, WI, 53715, United States
Part 1 of the Microbiome Miniseries, with Margaret Alexander and Vanessa Sperandio

Kick off an exciting three-part mini-series on the gut-brain superhighway with UW-Madison researchers Vanessa Sperandio and Maggie Rose Alexander. In this thought-provoking conversation, they will unpack the complex interplay between gut microbes, addiction, and immunity, sharing cutting-edge research and visionary perspectives on how these connections shape the future of brain and gut health in society.

Margaret Alexander is an Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin Madison in the department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology. Dr. Alexander’s research is focused on understanding the mechanistic interactions between diet, the microbiota, and immune responses and the functional consequences of these interactions for autoimmune diseases. Dr. Alexander did her postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco in the laboratory of Dr. Peter Turnbaugh in the department of Microbiology and Immunology. She attended Carleton College for her undergraduate degree in Biology and the University of Utah for her PhD in the lab of Dr. Ryan O’Connell studying immune cell communication.

Vanessa Sperandio is the Chair of the Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology in the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Robert Turell Professor. She was the Jane and Bud Smith Distinguished Chair in Medicine, and a Professor in the departments of Microbiology and Biochemistry at UT Southwestern Medical Center. She got her bachelors in biology, and her masters and PhD in Molecular Genetics in the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in Brazil.

We value inclusion and access for all participants. If you would like to request reasonable accommodations to enhance your participation experience, please email idhub@wid.wisc.edu no later than 2 weeks prior to the event. This event is wheelchair accessible.

All Crossroads of Ideas sessions are recorded and shared post-event. Due to popular request, we will also be livestreaming the Microbiome Mini-series. Please register through the provided link if you intend to join in person or via the livestream link which will be shared upon registration.

Health Sciences Data Carpentry
2025-01-21 09:00 - 13:00, 2025-01-22 09:00 - 13:00, 2025-01-23 09:00 - 13:00, 2025-01-24 09:00 - 13:00 | 3330 Health Sciences Learning Center
Fundamental Data Skills Workshop. Data Carpentry develops and teaches workshops on the fundamental data skills needed to conduct research. Its target audience is researchers who have little to no prior computational experience, and its lessons are domain specific, building on learners’ existing knowledge to enable them to quickly apply skills learned to their own research. Participants will be encouraged to help one another and to apply what they have learned to their own research problems.
CONTACT: facilitator@datascience.wisc.edu
URL: https://uw-madison-datascience.github.io/2025-01-21-uwmadison-dc/

Research Cyberinfrastructure Community of Practice meeting (FREE and Online)
2025-01-23 13:00 - 14:00 | (Online)
Learn about tools and services to support campus research.. Researchers and IT/support staff are invited to participate in this monthly community of practice, which features presentations and support related to campus research tools/services.
This month: RCI Tools & Services Overview –
Learn about tools available through the Research Cyberinfrastructure, including ResearchDrive, Research Object Storage (S3), Electronic Lab Notebook, Globus, Data Science Platform, and cloud computing.
RCI staff available for consultations during this session!
CONTACT: rci@g-groups.wisc.edu
URL: https://go.wisc.edu/rci
ONLINE: https://uwmadison.zoom.us/j/98069906780?pwd=[REDACTED]

WID Seminar Series: Ponto VR Lab
2025-01-24 10:00 - 11:00 | 3rd Floor Orchard View Room, Discovery Building (Also offered online)
Discovering simplicity in complex systems at the intersection of digital and natural worlds. WID Seminar Series: Ponto VR Lab
January 24, 2025
10:00 AM
Orchard View Room
Introduction by: Jayaraman Tharmalingam, Scientist, May Lab
Featuring:
Ross Tredinnick – CAVE and Virtual Environments Group
Bryce Sprecher – Mixed Reality for Training
Jingxin Du – Mixed Reality Museums
Bonbon Yang – The Impact of Gestures in VR
CONTACT: 316-4511, lredeagle@wisc.edu
ONLINE: https://uwmadison.zoom.us/j/96326864622

ComBEE Monthly Meeting
2025-01-28 15:00 - 16:00 | Orchard View Room, Discovery Building
Decoding Proteins: Exploring Transformers, AlphaFold, and Hands-On with ColabFold. Join us for an engaging COMBEE talk exploring the fascinating world of protein language models, transformers, and the revolutionary advancements of AlphaFold, presented by Dr. Hannah Wayment-Steele
CONTACT: facilitator@datascience.wisc.edu

Crossroads of Ideas: Alzheimer's and the Gut-Brain Superhighway
2025-02-04 19:00 - 20:00 | Discovery Building or streaming at https://uwmadison.zoom.us/j/91298964513, 330 North Orchard Street, Madison, WI, 53715, United States
Part 2 of the Microbiome Miniseries, featuring Barbara Bendlin and Federico Rey

Part 2 of the Microbiome Miniseries, with Barbara Bendlin and Federico Rey
In this second installment of the Microbiome Miniseries, researchers Barbara Bendlin and Federico Rey will discuss the many factors that can impact brain aging, with a special focus on the gut-brain superhighway and the role that the gut microbiome can have on brain health.
Barbara Bendlin is a faculty member in the Division of Geriatrics and Gerontology within the Department of Medicine. She is a member of the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Institute’s Executive Committee and the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center Executive Committee, leads the Research Education Component in the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, and directs the UW-Madison Neuroscience and Public Policy Program. Dr. Bendlin is a recipient of a 2019 Distinguished Honors Faculty Award and is an associate editor of the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.
Federico Rey started his independent research program in bacteriology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2013. A major focus of his group is to understand how variations in the gut microbiome composition modulate the effects of diet and the host’s susceptibility to cardiometabolic and cognitive diseases. To address these issues, his team uses a combination of hypothesis-generating, sequencing-centered analyses of microbiomes from humans and mice, followed by proof-of-principle/proof-of-mechanism studies in gnotobiotic mouse models of disease and classical bacteriology experiments. The contributions from his team are helping move the field from associations to causal relationships and shedding light on the mechanisms by which gut microbes modulate health.

We value inclusion and access for all participants. If you would like to request reasonable accommodations to enhance your participation experience, please email idhub@wid.wisc.edu no later than 2 weeks prior to the event. This event is wheelchair accessible.

All Crossroads of Ideas sessions are recorded and shared post-event. Due to popular request, we will also be livestreaming the Microbiome Mini-series. Please register through the provided link if you intend to join in person or via the livestream link which will be shared upon registration.

Learning Through Comparison: Use Cases of Contrastive Learning
2025-02-10 10:30 - 11:30 | Orchard View Room, Discovery Building (Also offered online)
ML+X: Machine Learning Beyond Traditional CS Fields.
CONTACT: endemann@wisc.edu
ONLINE: https://uwmadison.zoom.us/j/92639425571?pwd=[REDACTED]

Building and Using Containers for Large-scale Computing
2025-02-11 10:30 - 12:00 | Researcher's Link, Discovery Building (Also offered online)
Learn about building and using your software environment with containers!. Learn about building and using your software environment with containers! In this virtual and in-person workshop, we’ll introduce basic container concepts, guidelines for building and storing container images, and using them in job submission. In the last half of the training, CHTC facilitators will assist as users build their own Docker or Apptainer container images (in-person only). A CHTC account and registration is required.
CONTACT: chtc@cs.wisc.edu
URL: https://chtc.cs.wisc.edu/events/2025/02/containers
ONLINE: https://chtc.cs.wisc.edu/events/2025/02/containers

ML+Coffee: How Can I Apply ML/AI To My Data?
2025-02-12 09:00 - 11:00 | 1145 Discovery Building
ML+X: Machine Learning Beyond Traditional CS Fields.
CONTACT: endemann@wisc.edu

SoundWaves: Developing Ideas, Part 3
2025-02-21 19:30 - 21:00 | Discovery Building, 330 North Orchard Street, Orchard View Room, Madison, WI, 53715, United States
Explore how trends, plans, viewpoints, projects, materials, and sounds develop. Where we are and where we might be headed in the future.

What can archeology tell us about the development of our forebears? How can we develop better conditions for dairy animals? How do babies develop language? How do computer scientists develop operating systems? What is musical development, and how did Franz Schubert master it in the beautiful string quartet Death and the Maiden? Find out at SoundWaves’ third event in our Development series, with special guests the Pro Arte Quartet.
Speakers:Sarah Clayton, anthropology
Jennifer van Os, dairy science
Mike Swift, comp sci
Jenny Saffran, psych
Moderator: Daniel Grabois

We value inclusion and access for all participants. If you would like to request reasonable accommodations to enhance your participation experience, please email https://mailto: idhub@wid.wisc.edu no later than 2 weeks prior to the event. This event is wheelchair accessible.

SoundWaves combines scientific lectures about the world with live classical music performances. Each event revolves around a theme, exploring it first from many scientific angles and then through the lens of music. The program concludes with a live performance of music related to the evening’s theme.
This event will take place in the DeLuca Forum in the Discovery Building. This is a free event, however registration is requested to ensure adequate seating.

WID Seminar Series
2025-02-25 13:00 - 14:15 | 3rd Floor Orchard View Room, Discovery Building (Also offered online)
Accelerating High-Dimensional Insights: A Block-Diagonal Approach to Sparse PCA. Discovering simplicity in complex systems at the intersection of digital and natural worlds. Join us to catch the latest from the Del Pia Lab with Dekun Zhou presenting on "Accelerating High-Dimensional Insights: A Block-Diagonal Approach to Sparse PCA."
Special introduction by Xiaoya Zhang, Sridharan Lab.
Online option available. Light refreshments served.
CONTACT: 316-4534, lredeagle@wisc.edu
URL: https://wid.wisc.edu/event/wid-faculty-seminar-6/
ONLINE: https://uwmadison.zoom.us/j/96326864622

CHTC Researcher Forum
2025-02-26 14:30 - 16:30 | Orchard View Room, Discovery Building
The Center for High Throughput Computing (CHTC) is holding an inaugural Researcher Forum on Wednesday, February 26.
We invite CHTC users and the UW-Madison research computing community to join us!
* Learn about recent changes at CHTC and what's new and upcoming
* Connect with CHTC users and learn from each other at a mini poster session
* Engage with CHTC staff – ask questions, provide suggestions, and more!
* Meet a computer server
CONTACT: chtc@cs.wisc.edu
URL: https://chtc.cs.wisc.edu/events/2025/02/researcher-forum

Research Object Storage (S3): An overview for researchers and support staff (online)
2025-02-27 10:00 - 11:00 | (Online)
Research generates data of all sizes, from a few megabytes to hundreds of terabytes. And let’s face it, storing all that data can be costly. In this virtual session, we’ll introduce Research Object Storage (S3), a new campus-hosted data storage service offering 50TB of no cost storage to eligible researchers. Discover how this service can significantly reduce storage costs and enable new ways to use and distribute your data.
Recommended for researchers, IT, and other support staff.
CONTACT: researchdrive@wisc.edu
URL: https://it.wisc.edu/research-ci/research-object-storage-s3-an-overview-for-researchers-and-support-staff-virtual-presentation/
ONLINE: https://uwmadison.zoom.us/j/95225402864?pwd=[REDACTED]

Research Cyberinfrastructure (RCI) Community of Practice meeting (FREE and Online)
2025-02-27 13:00 - 14:00 | (Online)
Learn about tools and services to support campus research.. Researchers and IT/support staff are invited to participate in this monthly community of practice, which features presentations and support related to campus research tools/services.
This month: From the Notebook to the Cluster –
This presentation details a workflow that takes R markdown/quarto document, strips its R code, encapsulates the code and its dependencies into container, and programmatically creates the necessary files to r
RCI staff available for consultations during this session!
CONTACT: rci@g-groups.wisc.edu
URL: https://go.wisc.edu/rci
ONLINE: https://uwmadison.zoom.us/j/98069906780?pwd=[REDACTED]
