Speaker: Alex Lubotzky (Weizmann Institute & the Hebrew University, Simons Distinguished Visiting Professor, MIT)Title: High Dimensional Expanders (HDX) and their applications in pure math and computer scienceAbstract:Expander graphs have been an intensive topic of research in math and CS during the last six decades. In the last two decades a high dimensional theory has emerged with (very different) applications in math & CS.In this series of 8 independent (but related) lectures we present some aspects of the theory of HDX and its applications, a number of open problems and suggestions for further research.A more detailed plan:1. Thursday 2/20/25, 4:30pm, 2-190 (Math Colloquium); refreshments served at 4pm in 2-290  Introduction: three main problems(a) Gromov overlapping property(b) Locally testable codes(c) Are all groups sofic?2. Tuesday 2/25/25, 4:15-5:15pm, 32-G449 (Theory of Computing Colloquium), refreshments served at 4pmGood Locally testable codes3. Wednesday 2/26/25, 9:30-11am, 2-449Expander graphs: combinatorics, spectral gap, representation theory(Kazhdan property (T), property (\tau) and more) and property testing4. Wednesday 3/5/25, 9:30-11am, 2-449Geometric & topological expanders, Coboundary expanders, Random simplicial complexes and Property testing5. Wednesday 3/12/25, 9:30-11am, 2-449From Ramanujan graphs to Ramanujan complexes6. Wednesday 3/19/25, 9:30-11am, 2-449Stability and group approximation, Garland Theorem and the p-adic Deligne central extensionsWednesday 3/26/25 - Spring vacation7. Wednesday 4/2/26, 9:30-11am, 2-449Some more CS: Agreement tests, direct product test; PCP8. Wednesday 4/9/25, 9:30-11am, 2-449Are there non-sofic groups? The Aldous-Lyons conjecture and more

Speaker: Tonghai Yang (University of Wisconsin, Madison)Title: (A)FL at infinity and arithmetic generating series of CM cyclesAbstract:In this talk, we propose a FL and AFL at the real place with a proof of FL (if time permits). We also define a generating series of arithmetic CM cycles indexed by integer and conjecture it to be modular. Finally, we explain the connection between the two. This is a preliminary report of my joint work with Andreas Mihatsch and Siddarth Sankaran.

Disabled@MIT is hosting a movie night! My Beautiful Stutter follows five kids who stutter, ages 9 to 18, from all over the United States and all walks of life, who, after experiencing a lifetime of bullying and stigmatization, meet other children who stutter at an interactive arts-based program, The Stuttering Association for the Young, based in New York City. (https://www.mybeautifulstutter.com/) The movie is 90 minutes and we'll have snacks and some time for socializing and discussion afterwards. All are welcome -- you don't need to be a member of our group, a student, or have a disability to come. Date: Tuesday, February 25th, 2025Time: 4:30 - 6:30 pmLocation: MIT Building 33, room 33-218RSVP: https://forms.gle/VsQhB7uCtrieqvDr7 Accessibility: We'll be hosting this event indoors in a wheelchair accessible room. Mask-wearing is requested and high-quality masks will be provided. Please let us know in this form if you have any other access needs! Contact sophiakv@mit.edu or disabled-officers@mit.edu with further questions

Please join us for a conversation with leading experts on Syria and the Middle East as they explore the hopes and challenges of a post-Assad regime.Please RSVP here.Speakers:Marwa Daoudy is an associate professor of international relations at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service (SFS) and the Seif Ghobash Chair in Arab Studies at the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies (CCAS). Her research and teaching focus on critical and human security studies, environmental and climate security, climate justice, water politics, negotiation theory, peace negotiations, and Middle East politics.Rana Khoury is an assistant professor of political science and a faculty member of the Center for South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her expertise includes comparative and international politics, with a focus on nonviolent conflict processes including activism, displacement, and humanitarian response. Her geographic focus is on the Middle East, especially the Levant.Moderator:Richard Nielsen is an associate professor of political science at MIT and the faculty director of the MIT-Arab World Program at the Center for International Studies. He studies and teaches on Middle East politics, international relations, religion, gender, political violence, quantitative methodology, and interpretive methodology.The event is co-sponsored with MIT-Arab World.Free & open to the public. A recording will be posted on YouTube following the event.MIT is committed to providing an environment that is accessible to individuals with disabilities. If you need a disability related accommodation to attend or have other questions, please contact us at starrforum@mit.edu.Sign up for Starr Forum emails to get notified about upcoming events.A full listing of Starr Forums is available here.

MIT first-years and sophomores! Join us for a mock interview* session featuring MIT alumni. This event is offered exclusively to first-years and sophomores over two nights in early spring. Space is limited, so register soon!*A mock interview is a practice interview that simulates a real job interview. This is a low-stakes opportunity for students to practice their interview skills, develop confidence, and get feedback to help you ace your next interview.

Copies of Too Much Fun will be available for purchase at the event from the MIT Press Bookstore.In this talk, in conversation with CMS/W Professor Nick Montfort, video game theorist Jesper Juul will explore two mysteries about the history of technology and the Commodore 64 computer.1) The Commodore 64 was the best-selling home computer of the 1980s, with the largest video game catalog, so why is it unmentioned in many game and computer histories?2) Given that the Commodore 64 was never upgraded or improved in the 12 years it was produced, (1982-1994) how could it be so many things to so many different people, for so long?Based on his new book Too Much Fun: The Five Lives of the Commodore 64 Computer (MIT Press), Jesper Juul tells the story of how users reinvented a versatile machine long past its expected expiration date. He will trace the C64’s five lives, from serious computer for BASIC programming, to game computer, to demoscene computer, to its current status as a retro device for new experimentation.With game and software examples, personal stories of piracy and the demoscene, and interviews with Commodore engineers, this talk offers a new take on the history of technology and the legacy of an iconic machine.There will also be an opportunity to try an original Commodore 64 with new and historical software.Jesper Juul is a video game theorist and occasional developer. He works at the Royal Danish Academy in Copenhagen but has previously taught at MIT and New York University. He coedits the MIT Press Playful Thinking series. His previous books include Half-Real, The Art of Failure, and Handmade Pixels. His first computer was a Commodore 64, on which he wrote games and demos.Nick Montfort develops computational poetry and art, often collaboratively. He is professor of digital media at MIT and principal investigator in the Center for Digital Narrative at the University of Bergen, Norway. His lab/studio, The Trope Tank, has locations in New York City and at MIT. He studies creative computing and seeks to enable learning in many ways. He also devotes himself to computational art and media as an event organizer, curator, editor, and publisher. He lives in New York City with his spouse, Flourish Klink, and their daughter.