Weekly bulletin

Find out what's happening this week at MSI.

24
Mar

Improving discrepancy by moving a few points

  • Mon, Mar 24 2025, 1 - 2pm

  • Seminar Room 1.33, Hanna Neumann Building 145
    Science Road, Acton ACT 2601

  • Gleb Smirnov (Australian National University)

Abstract 

Given a sample of n independent, identically distributed observations, the expected star discrepancy (aka Kolmogorov-Smirnov statistic) has order O(1/sqrt(n)). Multiple proofs exist of that well-known result. In this talk, we will show that one can modify 1% of the given observations so that the resulting discrepancy becomes O(1/n). This is a joint work with Roman Vershynin.

28
Feb

MSI Graduate Student Colloquium

  • Fri, Feb 28 2025, 2 - 3pm, Fri, Mar 7 2025, 2 - 3pm, Fri, Mar 14 2025, 2 - 3pm, Fri, Mar 21 2025, 2 - 3pm, Fri, Mar 28 2025, 2 - 3pm, Fri, Apr 4 2025, 2 - 3pm, Fri, Apr 11 2025, 2 - 3pm, Fri, Apr 18 2025, 2 - 3pm, Fri, Apr 25 2025, 2 - 3pm, Fri, May 2 2025, 2 - 3pm, Fri, May 9 2025, 2 - 3pm, Fri, May 16 2025, 2 - 3pm, Fri, May 23 2025, 2 - 3pm

  • Seminar Room 1.33

    Hanna Neumann Building 145 Science Road

    Acton ACT 2601

Interested in meeting your fellow graduate students and learning about their research? We are restarting for 2025 the informal colloquium for graduate HDR students to share interesting topics they’ve come across during their studies.  

The aim is to introduce everyone to a topic/problem and then discuss a model problem/example together. The talks will be casual and (if appropriate) provide a platform for further discussion about the model problem/example. 

28
Feb

Student Seminar Series on Étale Cohomology

  • Fri, Feb 7 2025, 3 - 5pm, Fri, Feb 14 2025, 3 - 5pm, Fri, Feb 21 2025, 3 - 5pm, Fri, Feb 28 2025, 3 - 5pm, Fri, Mar 7 2025, 3 - 5pm, Fri, Mar 14 2025, 3 - 5pm, Fri, Mar 21 2025, 3 - 5pm, Fri, Mar 28 2025, 3 - 5pm, Fri, Apr 4 2025, 3 - 5pm, Fri, Apr 11 2025, 3 - 6:50pm, Fri, Apr 18 2025, 3 - 5pm, Fri, Apr 25 2025, 3 - 5pm

  • Rm 2.48, Hanna Neumann Building #145

Abstract: This is a 12-week long student seminar series on Étale cohomology and its applications. Starting from the basics, the speakers would try to rigorously motivate the need and essence of étale topology and cohomology, ending with several applications of the theory. Time permitting, we will also discuss the proofs of Weil Conjectures (except Riemann Hypothesis) in explicit details. The primary references would be Milne’s 1980 Book, Artin’s Notes (on Grothendieck Topology) and Deligne’s SGA 4 1/2. Basics from Scheme Theory and Homological Algebra will be assumed.