{ "150762-21910122": { "datetime_modified":"20260824T081912", "datetime_start":"20260925T150000", "datetime_end":"20260925T160000", "has_end_time":1, "date_start":"2026-09-25", "date_end":"2026-09-25", "time_start":"15:00:00", "time_end":"16:00:00", "time_zone":"America\/Detroit", "event_title":"The Irrational Decision: How We Gave Computers the Power to Choose for Us", "occurrence_title":"", "combined_title":"The Irrational Decision: How We Gave Computers the Power to Choose for Us: Benjamin Recht Professor, Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences University of California, Berkeley", "event_subtitle":"Benjamin Recht Professor, Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences University of California, Berkeley", "event_type":"Lecture \/ Discussion", "event_type_id":"13", "description":"Abstract: Mathematicians and engineers of the 1940s set out to design machines capable of making critical decisions in the face of uncertainty. In less than a decade, they developed a suite of powerful mathematical technologies, including information theory, linear programming, game theory, and neural networks. These tools didn\u2019t merely lay the foundation for contemporary computer science but became the foundation of a new definition of rationality itself, reshaping how we judge human decision making. The Irrational Decision traces how a computational framework designed for machines came to define rationality for people in economics, public policy, and popular culture.\n\nThis talk will explore success stories in accelerating computers, regulating pharmaceuticals, and deploying electronic commerce. The successes reveal a common pattern. Automated decision systems thrive in well-defined spaces with clear rules and measurable goals. However, the same systems produce results ranging from brittle to absurd outside those controlled settings. Given these strengths and limitations, the talk will close by asking how we can put these tools to work without surrendering human agency and judgment.\n\nBio: Benjamin Recht is a Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences at the University of California, Berkeley. Ben studies the foundations of machine learning, be they mathematical, statistical, and computational, or philosophical, sociological, and historical. He is the author of three books: Optimization for Modern Data Analysis (2022) with Stephen J. Wright, Patterns, Predictions, and Actions (2022) with Moritz Hardt, and The Irrational Decision (2026). He also spends too much time blogging at argmin.net.", "occurrence_notes":null, "guid":"150762-21910122@events.umich.edu", "permalink":"http:\/\/events.umich.edu\/event\/150762", "building_id":"1000397", "building_name":"Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr", "campus_maps_id":"90", "room":"Johnson Rooms (3rd Floor)", "location_name":"Lurie Robert H. Engin. 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Create a custom magnet while meeting new people and enjoying tasty snacks!", "occurrence_notes":null, "guid":"152577-21913940@events.umich.edu", "permalink":"http:\/\/events.umich.edu\/event\/152577", "building_id":"1000054", "building_name":"East Quadrangle", "campus_maps_id":"54", "room":"Abeng Multicultural Lounge", "location_name":"East Quadrangle", "has_livestream":0, "cost":"", "tags":["Community Building","Community Engagement","Crafts","Free Food"], "website":"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/umichhousing\/", "sponsors":[ { "group_name":"Michigan Housing Community Connections and Engagement", "group_id":"4577", "website":"" } ], "image_url":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/attachments\/2026\/09\/event_152577_original-1.jpg", "styled_images":{ "event_thumb":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/event_thumb\/media\/attachments\/2026\/09\/event_152577_original-1.jpg", "event_large":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/event_large\/media\/attachments\/2026\/09\/event_152577_original-1.jpg", "event_large_2x":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/resolve\/event_large_2x\/media\/attachments\/2026\/09\/event_152577_original-1.jpg", "event_large_lightbox":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/event_large_lightbox\/media\/attachments\/2026\/09\/event_152577_original-1.jpg", "group_thumb":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/resolve\/group_thumb\/media\/attachments\/2026\/09\/event_152577_original-1.jpg", "group_thumb_square":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/resolve\/group_thumb_square\/media\/attachments\/2026\/09\/event_152577_original-1.jpg", "group_large":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/resolve\/group_large\/media\/attachments\/2026\/09\/event_152577_original-1.jpg", "group_large_lightbox":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/resolve\/group_large_lightbox\/media\/attachments\/2026\/09\/event_152577_original-1.jpg", "event_large_crop":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/resolve\/event_large_crop\/media\/attachments\/2026\/09\/event_152577_original-1.jpg", "event_list":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/resolve\/event_list\/media\/attachments\/2026\/09\/event_152577_original-1.jpg", "event_list_2x":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/event_list_2x\/media\/attachments\/2026\/09\/event_152577_original-1.jpg", "event_grid":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/event_grid\/media\/attachments\/2026\/09\/event_152577_original-1.jpg", "event_grid_2x":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/resolve\/event_grid_2x\/media\/attachments\/2026\/09\/event_152577_original-1.jpg", "event_feature_large":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/resolve\/event_feature_large\/media\/attachments\/2026\/09\/event_152577_original-1.jpg", "event_feature_thumb":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/event_feature_thumb\/media\/attachments\/2026\/09\/event_152577_original-1.jpg" }, "occurrence_count":1, "first_occurrence":21913940 } , "152563-21913919": { "datetime_modified":"20260921T131301", "datetime_start":"20260925T153000", "datetime_end":"20260925T163000", "has_end_time":1, "date_start":"2026-09-25", "date_end":"2026-09-25", "time_start":"15:30:00", "time_end":"16:30:00", "time_zone":"America\/Detroit", "event_title":"Smith Lecture: Emily Stewart", "occurrence_title":"", "combined_title":"Smith Lecture: Emily Stewart: Lithospheres and atmospheres on Earth and beyond: how metamorphism links planetary interiors with (un)inhabitable environments", "event_subtitle":"Lithospheres and atmospheres on Earth and beyond: how metamorphism links planetary interiors with (un)inhabitable environments", "event_type":"Lecture \/ Discussion", "event_type_id":"13", "description":"Geologic volatile cycling is fundamental to the past and future habitability of our planet. The elements carbon and sulfur in particular play essential roles in the regulation of global surface temperature. Carbon in the form of CO2 acts as a greenhouse gas, insulating and warming the planet, while sulfur in the form of aerosols (e.g., SO2) contributes to cloud formation and global cooling. Geologic processes control and moderate global climate on long timescales (millions of years); yet, on shorter timescales (tens of thousands of years), solid Earth carbon and\/or sulfur release may drive environmental catastrophe and mass extinction We will explore a few aspects of this cycle from the perspective of a metamorphic petrologist. Rock metamorphism is an often-neglected part of the geologic volatile cycling, but I will argue that it may be of paramount importance to our planetary habitability. Drawing examples from Ancient mountain-building and Mesozoic mass extinction, an observation-driven approach is used to quantify some of these interactions. 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