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PRODID:-//Department of Economics at Columbia University - ECPv4.6.23//NONSGML v1.0//EN
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X-WR-CALNAME:Department of Economics at Columbia University
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://econ.columbia.edu
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Department of Economics at Columbia University
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20190926
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20190928
DTSTAMP:20260404T015025
CREATED:20190718T191814Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20200402T195522Z
UID:14580-1569456000-1569628799@econ.columbia.edu
SUMMARY:PER Mini Course - David Blei\, Professor of Statistics & Computer Science\, Columbia University
DESCRIPTION:Variational Inference: Foundations and Innovations \nVenue:\nThe Program for Economic Research (PER)’s Fall Mini Course will be held in two parts.\nPart I: Thursday\, September 26\, 2:30pm– 4:30pm\, Room 301\, Uris Hall (get directions)\nPart II: Friday\, September 27\, 2:00pm-4:00pm\, Room 301\, Uris Hall (get directions). \n*Open to current Columbia University students only \nSpeaker:\nDavid Blei\, Professor of Statistics & Computer Science\, Columbia University \nA core problem of modern statistics and machine learning is to approximate difficult-to-compute probability distributions. This problem is especially important in probabilistic modeling and Bayesian statistics\, which frame all inference about unknown quantities as calculations about conditional distributions. \nThis tutorial reviews variational inference (VI)\, a method that approximates probability distributions through optimization. VI has been used in myriad applications in machine learning and tends to be faster than more traditional methods\, such as Markov chain Monte Carlo sampling. \nAfter discussing the basics of variational inference\, Professor Blei will describe some of the pivotal tools for VI that have been recently developed: Monte Carlo gradients\, black box variational inference\, stochastic variational inference\, and variational autoencoders. The Mini Course will conclude with a review of some of the unsolved problems in VI and promising research directions. \nRegistration:\nThe Mini Course is open to all current Columbia University students. Register here.\nYou may download Professor Blei’s presentation here. \nThis conference is sponsored by Columbia University’s Program for Economic Research (PER).\nPlease direct all questions to econ-per@columbia.edu. \n  \n
URL:https://econ.columbia.edu/event/mini-course-david-blei-professor-of-statistics-and-computer-science/
LOCATION:NY\, United States
CATEGORIES:PER,PER Events,PER Mini Courses
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