(organized by Matthias Köppe)

In the academic year 2009-10, I organize a Research Focus Group (RFG) in Optimization, within the framework of the NSF VIGRE program of the Department of Mathematics. The RFG is planned for August 1, 2009 to August 31, 2010.

If you are interested in participating, please contact me. I also encourage you to subscribe to this Google group, to receive updates on the RFG activities and other activities related to optimization.

Activities in Spring 2010:

Graduate classes:

280 (Geometric and algebraic algorithms in discrete optimization), also known as "New methods in optimization", taught by Jes?s De Loera

Undergraduate classes:

168 (Mathematical Optimization), taught by Matthias Koeppe

I encourage all graduate students who have not had a chance to take a class in Optimization yet to audit this class, as a gentle introduction into Mathematical Optimization.

Regular seminars:

Spring 2010: RFG Journal Club in Optimization

Special events:

TBA

Activities in Winter 2010:

Graduate classes:

258B (Discrete and Mixed-Integer Optimization), taught by Matthias Koeppe

Regular seminars:

RFG reading course on Optimization in Game Theory (Thursdays, note time change)

RFG research seminar on Optimization (Tuesdays)

Special events:

Friday Jan 15, 09-10 (note: time change): Lecture by Prof. Michael Ferris (U Wisconsin-Madison): Extended Mathematical Programming, 1147 MSB.

Monday Mar 1, 3-5pm: Lecture by Prof. Tim Roughgarden (Stanford U): Intrinsic Robustness of the Price of Anarchy, 1147 MSB.

Related outside classes:

ARE 252, Applied Optimization Models

ECS 234, Computational Functional Biology

Activities in Fall 2009:

Graduate classes:

258A (Numerical Optimization), taught by Matthias Koeppe, on Tuesdays and Thursdays 1:40 to 3:00

Regular seminars:

RFG, Combined reading course and research seminar, Tuesdays 10:30 to 1pm. The main topical track of this course will be on cutting plane theory for mixed integer linear programs.

RFG, Minicourse on graph theory and discrete optimization in computational biology, Mondays 12 to 2pm.

One topical track of the research and reading seminar is run as a minicourse, organized by postdoc Fumei Lam (Davis/Berkeley). Topics include chordal graphs, graph minor theory, treewidths, dynamic programming, and applications in computational biology.

The minicourse starts on October 26.

Special events:

Tuesday Sep 1: Special seminar: Talk by Robert Weismantel: "Four aspects of Mixed Integer Infeasibility"

Monday Oct 5: RFG research seminar: Talk by Olivier Rubel, "Optimal Advertising When Envisioning a Product-Harm Crisis"

Tuesday Oct 6: Applied math seminar: Talk by Golbon Zakeri: "Swapping generators' assets: market salvation or wishful thinking"

Saturday Oct 10: Optimization for Logistics Planning Workshop, sponsored by the Graduate School of Management

Monday Oct 19: RFG research seminar: Talk by Rachel Chen: A Comparison of Traditional and Open-Access Appointment Scheduling Policies

Planned activities:

Activities are currently being planned; expect changes and more details in the near future.

• The mathematical core of these activities will be the following graduate-level classes on Optimization.
  • Fall 2009: 258A (Numerical Optimization), taught by Matthias Koeppe
  • Winter 2010: 258B (Discrete and Mixed-Integer Optimization), taught by Matthias Koeppe
  • Spring 2010: 280 (Geometric and algebraic algorithms in discrete optimization), taught by Jes?s De Loera
  • Spring 2010: (undergraduate class) 168 (Mathematical Optimization), taught by Matthias Koeppe
• These three classes cover sufficient breadth and depth to get graduate students prepared for starting research in a wide range of topics in optimization.
• A year-long weekly research seminar on Optimization will be organized.
  • In the first weeks of the quarters, this seminar will provide expository lectures that will introduce students into topics of optimization and modeling.
  • Some of these lectures will be bundled to form an opening workshop event with introductory lectures, some from outside experts.
  • The main part of the seminar will consist of research lectures, both from UC Davis faculty, researchers, and graduate students; and from visitors, mostly from the Bay Area.
• In addition to this, reading courses will be organized that are suitable for undergraduate and graduate students.
• The topics will be decided on later.
  • Undergraduate students will be asked to prepare and present material from chapters of suitable textbooks, such as mathematical modeling topics and combinatorial optimization topics from Rardin, Optimization in Operations Research.
  • Graduate students will prepare material from graduate textbooks such as Bertsimas/Weismantel, Optimization over the Integers and selected original research articles.
• Some sections of the year-long reading course and research seminar will be organized in collaboration with interested faculty at other UC Davis departments, to form minicourses or short workshops (of 3 to 6 weeks) on a specific application area of optimization.
  • The topics of the minicourses will be determined later.
  • Minicourses will consist of both expository material (in the reading course) and talks on current research (in the research seminar). The goal is to be more effective and obtain more impact than what is possible with a single research talk. These minicourses will be designed to allow students to start research in optimization methods for the particular application area.
  • Breakout groups, consisting of interested faculty, researchers, and graduate and undergraduate students will be formed actively, to discuss and start concrete research projects.
• We will advertise related classes from other UC Davis departments.
• Undergraduate research will be coordinated during the summers of 2009 and 2010, with daily meetings with graduate students and postdocs for the duration of individual research sub-projects and weekly meetings with faculty members. During the quarters, undergraduate research will be coordinated with weekly meetings with graduate students, postdocs, or faculty members.
• All participating undergraduate students will present in the local REU conference. All participating graduate students will present at least once in a seminar.