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DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260410T100000
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DTSTAMP:20260414T071043
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UID:10017912-1775815200-1775818800@sdtechscene.org
SUMMARY:Optimization for ML and AI Seminar: A survey of the mixing times of the Proximal Sampler algorithm
DESCRIPTION:Abstract: Sampling is a fundamental algorithmic task with many connections to optimization. In this talk\, we survey a recent algorithm for sampling known as the Proximal Sampler\, which can be seen as a proximal discretization of the continuous-time Langevin dynamics\, and achieves the current state-of-the-art iteration complexity for sampling in discrete time. We survey the mixing time guarantees of the Proximal Sampler algorithm and show they match the guarantees for the Langevin dynamics. When the target distribution satisfies log-concavity or isoperimetry\, the Proximal Sampler has rapid convergence guarantees. We illustrate the proof technique via the strong data processing inequality along the Gaussian channel and its time reversal under isoperimetry. \n\nAndre Wibisono is an assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science at Yale University\, with a secondary appointment in the Department of Statistics & Data Science. His research interests are in the design and analysis of algorithms for machine learning\, in particular for problems in optimization\, sampling\, and game theory. He received his BS degrees in Mathematics and in Computer Science from MIT\, his MEng in Computer Science from MIT\, his MA in Statistics from UC Berkeley\, and his PhD in Computer Science from UC Berkeley. He has done postdoctoral research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and at the Georgia Institute of Technology. \nZoom: https://bit.ly/Opt-AI-ML
URL:https://sdtechscene.org/event/optimization-for-ml-and-ai-seminar-a-survey-of-the-mixing-times-of-the-proximal-sampler-algorithm/
LOCATION:Hybrid
CATEGORIES:AI,Hybrid,Seminar
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260408T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260408T120000
DTSTAMP:20260414T071043
CREATED:20260408T060308Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260408T060308Z
UID:10017887-1775646000-1775649600@sdtechscene.org
SUMMARY:TILOS-HDSI Seminar: Engineering Interpretable and Faithful AI Systems
DESCRIPTION:Abstract: Large Language Models (LLMs) and Vision Language Models (VLMs) have achieved remarkable performance across a wide range of tasks. However\, their growing deployment has exposed fundamental limitations in faithfulness\, safety\, and transparency. In this talk\, I will present a unified perspective on addressing these challenges through principled model interventions and interpretable decision-making frameworks. I first introduce Information Pursuit (IP)\, an interpretable-by-design prediction framework that replaces opaque reasoning with a sequence of informative\, user-interpretable queries\, yielding concise explanations alongside accurate predictions. I then present Parsimonious Concept Engineering (PaCE)\, an approach that improves faithfulness and alignment by selectively removing undesirable internal activations\, mitigating hallucinations and biased language while preserving linguistic competence. Results across text\, vision\, and medical tasks illustrate how these ideas advance transparency without sacrificing performance. Together\, these contributions point toward a broader direction for building AI systems that are powerful\, faithful\, and aligned with human values. \nRené Vidal is the Penn Integrates Knowledge and Rachleff University Professor of Electrical and Systems Engineering and Radiology at the University of Pennsylvania\, where he directs the Center for Innovation in Data Engineering and Science (IDEAS) and serves as Co-Chair of Penn AI. He is also an Amazon Scholar\, Affiliated Chief Scientist at NORCE\, and former Associate Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence. Professor Vidal’s research advances the mathematical foundations of deep learning and trustworthy AI\, with broad impact across computer vision and biomedical data science. His contributions have been recognized with major honors\, including the IEEE Edward J. McCluskey Technical Achievement Award\, the D’Alembert Faculty Award\, the J.K. Aggarwal Prize\, the ONR Young Investigator Award\, the NSF CAREER Award\, and best paper awards in machine learning\, computer vision\, signal processing\, control\, and medical robotics. He is a Fellow of ACM\, AIMBE\, IEEE\, and IAPR\, and a Sloan Fellow. \nZoom: https://bit.ly/TILOS-Seminars
URL:https://sdtechscene.org/event/tilos-hdsi-seminar-engineering-interpretable-and-faithful-ai-systems/
LOCATION:Hybrid
CATEGORIES:AI,Hybrid,Seminar
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260319T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260319T180000
DTSTAMP:20260414T071043
CREATED:20250901T061403Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260319T030447Z
UID:10012093-1773936000-1773943200@sdtechscene.org
SUMMARY:Simbiosyx: Matching Startups with Verified Experts to Fuel Innovation
DESCRIPTION:🚨Join us for the matchmaking between startups and experts Simbiosyx Showcase Event\, where innovation meets expertise. Startups will take the stage to present bold ideas and real-world challenges—seeking expert collaborators to help them grow.\nWe’re thrilled to announce the launch of Simbiosyx—Aquillius’ new AI-powered platform designed to connect startups with the expert to support them in their needs and grow. \nStartups can now enter their company details and get matched with pre-vetted experts across industries like biotech\, medtech\, sustainability\, and AI. Whether you’re seeking scientific insight\, regulatory guidance\, or technical expertise\, Simbiosyx makes collaboration seamless.\n‍\n💡 Flexible Compensation Options\nStartups and experts can choose to work together through monetary payment or sweat equity\, making innovation more accessible and community driven. \nLearn More: https://www.aquillius.com/simbiosyx\n‍\nLet’s build the future—together.
URL:https://sdtechscene.org/event/simbiosyx-matching-startups-with-verified-experts-to-fuel-innovation/
LOCATION:Hybrid
CATEGORIES:Innovation,Pitches,Startups & Founders
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260319T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260319T131500
DTSTAMP:20260414T071043
CREATED:20260318T064212Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260318T064212Z
UID:10017244-1773921600-1773926100@sdtechscene.org
SUMMARY:Risk is good: A Hacker's Guide to Managing GRC
DESCRIPTION:“We turned tribal knowledge into a repeatable\, auditable playbook — think blue‑team discipline with rogue‑hacker swagger. \nWhat we did: \n\n\nRecon: Interviewed engineers\, architects\, analysts\, and leaders to expose undocumented ops and inconsistent controls. \n\n\nExploit the gaps: Mapped policies\, SOPs\, and GRC to reveal missing/ineffective controls and untracked risks. \n\n\nScore & Prioritize: Work with second line of defense to standardized risk scoring (likelihood × impact) aligned to NIST/ISO. \n\n\nDeploy the framework: Process → Risk → Controls with owners\, templates\, review cadences\, and preventive/detective/corrective controls. \n\n\nShip culture: Accessible docs\, continuous monitoring\, and training to make resilience repeatable. \n\n\nResult: From chaotic scripts to a hardened playbook — proactive risk management that works. \nSPEAKERS: \n\n\nCurtis Jones – Technology Analyst II at LPL Financial \n\n\nCurtis Jones is a cybersecurity professional with a strong background in information systems and a commitment to advancing enterprise security programs. He holds a bachelor’s degree in management information systems from San Diego State University (SDSU). \nCurtis began his career in Technology Governance\, helping mature the policy management process through annual reviews\, new policy development\, and alignment with the NIST Cybersecurity Framework. He later led the creation of the Process\, Risk\, and Controls (PRC) Program\, establishing its foundational structure and driving its evolution. \nHe is currently focused on expanding the PRC Program by integrating Key Risk Indicators (KRIs) and building an enterprise risk register to support proactive approaches to risk. Curtis continually strengthens his technical expertise and holds certifications including Security+\, CySA+\, AWS Cloud Practitioner\, and CRTO. \nDETAILS:\nDate: Thursday\, March 19\nTime: 12:00 – 1:15 p.m.\nLocation: In-Person and Online via Zoom\nCPE: 1 \nON PREMISES\nXiFin\, Inc.\n12225 El Camino Real\nSan Diego\, CA 92130\nAttendance capacity is limited to 50 \nONLINE\nOnline access is available via the chapter’s Zoom account (registration below).\nAttendance capacity is 500
URL:https://sdtechscene.org/event/risk-is-good-a-hackers-guide-to-managing-grc/
LOCATION:Hybrid
CATEGORIES:Cybersecurity,Hybrid,Professionals
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260310T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260310T203000
DTSTAMP:20260414T071043
CREATED:20260310T064359Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260310T064359Z
UID:10017181-1773169200-1773174600@sdtechscene.org
SUMMARY:San Diego IEEE Electronics Packaging Society (EPS) Meeting - Part 2
DESCRIPTION:We are organizing part2 of the IEEE San Diego Electronics Packaging Society (EPS) chapter meeting. \nAgenda: The following topics would be discussed as follow up from the first meeting in February 2026. \n\nList of IEEE EPS technical and non-technical events\nCollaboration with IMAPS\nAdditional officers beyond the 4 assigned\, especially webmaster\nBudget feedback from SD section\, plan for EPS subsidy
URL:https://sdtechscene.org/event/san-diego-ieee-electronics-packaging-society-eps-meeting-part-2/
LOCATION:Hybrid
CATEGORIES:Collaboration,Electronics,Engineering & Developers
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260226T093000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260226T103000
DTSTAMP:20260414T071043
CREATED:20260226T062642Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260226T062642Z
UID:10017074-1772098200-1772101800@sdtechscene.org
SUMMARY:Sanford Stem Cell Institute Seminar Series - Ophir Klein\, MD\, PhD
DESCRIPTION:Ophir Klein\, MD\, PhD\, will be at the Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine* on Thursday\, Feb. 26 in Duane Roth Auditorium from 9:30–10:30 a.m. PT to speak on Design Principles of Development and Renewal Across the Oral–Gut Axis. \nJoin us on the terrace for refreshments before the event. \n*Parking will be enforced \nLearning Objectives \nAt the conclusion of the activity\, the participants will be able to: \n\nTreat patients with stem cells more effectively as a result of multidisciplinary discussion\nDisseminate the latest research and clinical advances on stem cells and regenerative medicine to promote improved strategies and methodologies\nPromote further investigation into topics involving stem cells and regenerative medicine\nTranslate stem cell and regenerative medicine research from bench to bedside\n\nAccreditation Statement \nThe University of California San Diego School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians. The University of California San Diego School of Medicine designates this live activity for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should only claim the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
URL:https://sdtechscene.org/event/sanford-stem-cell-institute-seminar-series-ophir-klein-md-phd/
LOCATION:Hybrid
CATEGORIES:Seminar
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260225T174500
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260225T190000
DTSTAMP:20260414T071043
CREATED:20260225T080317Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260225T080317Z
UID:10017066-1772041500-1772046000@sdtechscene.org
SUMMARY:Cybersecurity-Supply Chain Risk Management (C-SCRM)
DESCRIPTION:RSVP Here \nPlease join us on Wednesday\, 25 Feb 2026 for a semi-remote presentation on Cybersecurity Supply Chain Risk Management (C-SCRM). This presentation will be made by Mr. Steve Granata of The MITRE Corporation and will cover how foreign adversaries exploit attack vectors into our systems by targeting ‘soft’ targets — our suppliers. \nThis evening’s presentation will be made Remotely from Arizona. Please JOIN your fellow systems engineers IN-PERSON for a fun group Watch Party and team discussion at G2-OPS Corporation’s large conference room in Kearny Mesa — Optional food and beverages included!
URL:https://sdtechscene.org/event/cybersecurity-supply-chain-risk-management-c-scrm/
LOCATION:Hybrid
CATEGORIES:Cybersecurity
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260220T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260220T110000
DTSTAMP:20260414T071043
CREATED:20260220T060150Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260220T060150Z
UID:10017041-1771581600-1771585200@sdtechscene.org
SUMMARY:TILOS-HDSI Seminar: Neuromorphic LLMs
DESCRIPTION:Abstract: This talk will show you what neuromorphic computing can do when an academic lab accidentally pulls $2-million of GPU-hours. We will showcase a series of frontier reasoning LLMs developed out of an academic lab\, from data curation and pre-training to post-training and alignment. These models surpass leading LLMs from Meta\, Google\, and other heavily-resourced labs in the ~10-billion parameter regime\, despite being 5x smaller. \nWe have deployed several models on neuromorphic hardware at just 2 watts\, bringing state-of-the-art reasoning from the datacenter to the edge. Along the way\, we dispel a series of widely-held assumptions about large-scale neuromorphic computation\, revealing how it fundamentally differs from conventional deep learning\, and why that difference matters. \n\nJason Eshraghian is an Assistant Professor and Fulbright Scholar in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of California\, Santa Cruz. He is the developer of snnTorch\, a Python library with over 500\,000 downloads for training spiking neural networks. He is a dual-appointed IEEE CAS and EMBS Distinguished Lecturer\, an Associate Editor of APL Machine Learning\, the Chair of the IEEE Neural Systems and Applications Technical Committee\, has been the recipient of seven IEEE Best Paper Awards\, a Scientific Advisory Board Member of BrainChip and leads the Neuromorphic Agents Team at Conscium. \nZoom: https://bit.ly/TILOS-Seminars
URL:https://sdtechscene.org/event/tilos-hdsi-seminar-neuromorphic-llms/
LOCATION:Hybrid
CATEGORIES:Seminar
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260220T093000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260220T110000
DTSTAMP:20260414T071043
CREATED:20260220T074223Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260220T074223Z
UID:10017046-1771579800-1771585200@sdtechscene.org
SUMMARY:A Tea Chat For Life Sciences + Teri Nagel\, Maximizing Life Science Partnerships
DESCRIPTION:Join us on Friday 2/20/2026 (9:30-11:00 am PST) for our February “Tea Chat”\, to meet with Teri Nagel and learn about her HealthTech supply chain & operations consulting firm Nagel Strategies.\n\nTeri Nagel\, is a consultant and facilitator combining communications\, procurement\, and government affairs expertise to help leaders in MedTech and Pharma make the most of their internal resources and third-party partnerships. She has advised a broad range of functional leaders to improve productivity\, reduce regulatory and supply risk\, and boost profits through targeted process improvements and robust program management. Teri draws from two decades of agency- and client-side experience in health care\, higher education\, and research industries to bring clarity and results to client engagements. Her professional experience (since 2003) was gained through Edelman\, Spaulding Communications\, Georgia Institute of Technology\, Johnson & Johnson\, and Carnegie Mellon University. She founded Nagel Strategies\, LLC in 2019 that offers program management consulting to life sciences companies with late stage/pre-commercial or on-market therapies\, by coordinating the “wrap-around” services—Communications\, Access & Affordability Services\, CRM and Data Governance\, Compliance Documentation\, Clinical and Pharmacy Services—that deliver products to doctors and patients\, and eliminating the “rework” that drains budgets and delays market entry. Teri holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Design\, and a Master of Business Administration (MBA)\, both from Georgia Institute of Technology.  \nPremium Discovery Group\, S.P.C. is a startup social purpose corporation of healthcare and life sciences\, dedicated to advancing and fostering forward-thinking leaders of their own organizations and the entire ecosystem. We welcome you to join our community and follow us on social media (LinkedIn | Instagram) too! \n“A Tea Chat For Life Sciences” is a monthly series that honors innovations of life sciences and health technologies\, with our participants having the opportunities to enjoy networking with some of the best inventors\, entrepreneurs\, and experts available in Southern California. Please be sure to save the dates for these unique experiences of inspiration and connectivity!\nPDG members who have complementary accesses please RSVP here (link).\n\nRefund policy\nYou can cancel your paid ticket and get a refund up to 48 hours before the event starts. Refunds exclude platform and processing fees.
URL:https://sdtechscene.org/event/a-tea-chat-for-life-sciences-teri-nagel-maximizing-life-science-partnerships/
LOCATION:Hybrid
CATEGORIES:Biotech & Life Sciences
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260211T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260211T120000
DTSTAMP:20260414T071043
CREATED:20260211T071454Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260211T071454Z
UID:10016851-1770807600-1770811200@sdtechscene.org
SUMMARY:TILOS-HDSI Seminar: Kinetic Theory Perspective of Foundation Models for Physics
DESCRIPTION:Maarten de Hoop\, Rice University \nAbstract: We present a kinetic theory perspective of foundation models for physics. We begin with providing a mathematical framework for analyzing transformers. To uniformly address their expressivity\, we consider the case that the mappings are conditioned on a context represented by a probability distribution of tokens. That is\, transformers become mappings between probability measures. The relevant notion of smoothness then corresponds to continuity in terms of the Wasserstein distance between such contexts. We demonstrate that deep transformers are universal and can approximate continuous in-context mappings to arbitrary precision\, uniformly over compact token domains. We then characterize the conditions on mappings between measures that enable these to be represented in terms of in-context mappings as transformers. The solution map of the Vlasov equation\, which is of nonlocal transport type\, for interacting particle systems in the mean-field regime for the Cauchy problem satisfies the conditions; conversely\, we prove that the measure-theoretic self-attention has the properties that ensure that the infinite depth\, mean-field transformer can be identified with a Vlasov flow. Extending this framework from interactions to collisions leads to a further development of structured architectures inspired by Lattice Boltzmann Models\, while flow motivates a design based on self-warping. \n\nProfessor Maarten V. de Hoop\, Simons Chair in Computational and Applied Mathematics and Earth Science at Rice University\, is internationally recognized for his contributions to the mathematical foundations of seismology\, wave propagation\, and inverse problems. His research bridges microlocal and harmonic analysis\, scattering theory\, and structured numerical methods with applications to seismic imaging\, geophysical inversion\, and large-scale computational modeling of acoustic\, elastic\, and electromagnetic phenomena. De Hoop has been a pioneer in developing techniques to extract subtle information from massive\, complex seismic datasets\, advancing our ability to probe the Earth’s interior with unprecedented resolution\, and more recently has integrated deep learning and data-driven discovery with rigorous mathematical frameworks to open new frontiers in the analysis of multiscale wave phenomena and inverse spectral problems. He is the recipient of the J. Clarence Karcher Award from the Society of Exploration Geophysicists and the Young Scientists Award from the International Society for Analysis\, its Applications and Computation\, has been elected a Fellow of the Institute of Physics and an External Member of the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters\, and has served as associate editor for Inverse Problems\, Inverse Problems and Imaging\, and the International Journal on Geomathematics. \nZoom: https://bit.ly/TILOS-Seminars
URL:https://sdtechscene.org/event/tilos-hdsi-seminar-kinetic-theory-perspective-of-foundation-models-for-physics/
LOCATION:Hybrid
CATEGORIES:Hybrid,Seminar
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260206T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260206T120000
DTSTAMP:20260414T071043
CREATED:20260206T085001Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260206T085001Z
UID:10016766-1770375600-1770379200@sdtechscene.org
SUMMARY:Optimization for ML and AI Seminar: Extended Convex Lifting for Policy Optimization in Control
DESCRIPTION:Abstract: Direct policy search has achieved great empirical success in reinforcement learning. Many recent studies have revisited its theoretical foundation for continuous control\, which reveals elegant nonconvex geometry in various benchmark problems. In this talk\, we introduce an Extended Convex Lifting (ECL) framework\, which reveals hidden convexity in classical optimal and robust control problems from a modern optimization perspective. Our ECL offers a bridge between nonconvex policy optimization and convex reformulations. Despite non-convexity and non-smoothness\, the existence of an ECL not only reveals that minimizing the original function is equivalent to a convex problem\, but also certifies a class of first-order non-degenerate stationary points to be globally optimal. This ECL framework encompasses many benchmark control problems\, including LQR\, LQG\, state-feedback\, and output-feedback H-infinity robust control. We believe that the ECL framework may be of independent interest for analyzing nonconvex problems beyond control. \n\nYang Zheng is an Assistant Professor in the ECE Department at UC San Diego. His research focuses on control theory\, convex and nonconvex optimization\, and their applications to autonomous vehicles and traffic systems. He received his DPhil (Ph.D.) in Engineering Science from the University of Oxford in 2019\, and his B.E. and M.S. degrees from Tsinghua University in 2013 and 2015\, respectively. His work has been recognized with several awards\, including the 2019 European Ph.D. Award on Control for Complex and Heterogeneous Systems\, the 2022 Best Paper Award from IEEE Transactions on Control of Network Systems\, the 2023 Best Graduate Teacher Award from UC San Diego’s ECE Department\, the 2024 NSF CAREER Award\, and the 2025 Donald P. Eckman Award from the American Automatic Control Council. \nZoom: https://bit.ly/Opt-AI-ML
URL:https://sdtechscene.org/event/optimization-for-ml-and-ai-seminar-extended-convex-lifting-for-policy-optimization-in-control/
LOCATION:Hybrid
CATEGORIES:AI,Seminar
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260128T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260128T120000
DTSTAMP:20260414T071043
CREATED:20260128T061653Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260128T061653Z
UID:10016450-1769598000-1769601600@sdtechscene.org
SUMMARY:TILOS-HDSI Seminar: Safety\, Representations\, and Generative Learning in Dynamical Systems
DESCRIPTION:Abstract: This talk explores the interplay between model-based guarantees and learning-based flexibility in the control of dynamical systems. I begin with safety-critical control using control barrier functions (CBFs)\, highlighting that while CBFs enforce state constraints\, they may induce unstable internal dynamics. I introduce conditions under which CBF-based safety filters ensure boundedness of the full system state. I then transition to learning representations of hybrid dynamical systems. I present a framework that learns continuous neural representations by exploiting the geometric structure induced by guards and resets\, enabling accurate flow prediction without explicit mode switching. Finally\, I discuss generative learning approaches for control\, emphasizing guided diffusion models that jointly represent states and actions. Through applications to agile humanoid locomotion\, motion synthesis\, and dynamic manipulation\, I demonstrate how generative models can produce versatile\, long-horizon behaviors while respecting physical constraints. Together\, these results highlight how structure\, geometry\, and learning can bridge safety guarantees and expressive control in complex dynamical systems.
URL:https://sdtechscene.org/event/tilos-hdsi-seminar-safety-representations-and-generative-learning-in-dynamical-systems/
LOCATION:Hybrid
CATEGORIES:Seminar
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260124T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260124T133000
DTSTAMP:20260414T071043
CREATED:20260123T073947Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260123T073947Z
UID:10016433-1769256000-1769261400@sdtechscene.org
SUMMARY:Hands-on Machine Learning -- Sequences and NLP with RNNs and Attention -- Hybrid
DESCRIPTION:Hands-on Machine Learning\nSequences and NLP with RNNs and Attention \nWe are continuing our machine learning book club series for the book Hands-On Machine Learning with Scikit-Learn\, Keras\, and TensorFlow by Aurelien Geron. This session will combine concepts from chapters 15 and 16 to discuss the deep learning building blocks for natural language processing (NLP) and other sequential data. New people are welcome to join. \nCome join us in person or online. Please make sure to read the instructions for joining the event below. \nAgenda: \n\n12:00 – 1:15 pm — Presentation and discussion\nTime permitting — Additional Q&A\, networking\n\nLinks to notes/slides and videos of prior meetups are available on the SDML GitHub repo https://github.com/SanDiegoMachineLearning/bookclub/blob/master/hands-on-machine-learning-3.md \nLocation:\nWe are meeting at Aquillius in Rancho Bernardo. \nPlease Note: There are two steps required to join the online meetup: \n\nYou must go to our Slack community and ask for the password for the meeting. Link to join is below.\nYou must have a Zoom login in order to join the event. A free Zoom account will work. If you get an error message joining the Zoom\, please login to your account on the Zoom website then try again.\nUse this Zoom link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82891977558\n\nCommunity:\nJoin our slack channel for questions and discussion about what’s new in ML:\nhttps://join.slack.com/t/sdmachinelearning/shared_invite/zt-33z4811de-F_YKuCsQH1ev3TLSnQQfgQ
URL:https://sdtechscene.org/event/hands-on-machine-learning-sequences-and-nlp-with-rnns-and-attention-hybrid/
LOCATION:Hybrid
CATEGORIES:Discussions,Hybrid,Networking
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260116T093000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260116T110000
DTSTAMP:20260414T071043
CREATED:20260116T065050Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260116T065050Z
UID:10015820-1768555800-1768561200@sdtechscene.org
SUMMARY:A Tea Chat For Life Sciences + Julia Schnider\, QMSphere For BioPharma & MedTech Compliances
DESCRIPTION:Join us on Friday 1/16/2026 (9:30-11:00 am PST) for our kick-off “Tea Chat” of 2026\, to hear the journey of Julia Schnider\, her insights into Quality and Sterility Assurance\, and what it takes to build inspection-ready systems that truly work.\nJulia Schnider\, is Founder & Principal Consultant of QMSphere\, a specialized consulting firm supporting Life Science companies in Quality Management & Sterility Assurance\, with the belief that high-quality products are not only a regulatory requirement\, but also a true competitive advantage in MedTech and BioTech. Originally from Switzerland\, Julia relocated to California in late 2025. She has nearly 8 years of experience in corporate quality and regulatory environments for pharmaceuticals and medical devices\, with her areas of expertise focusing on: (1) Sterilization validation\, (2) Quality Management Systems (ISO 13485\, ISO 9001\, QSR)\, (3) Internal and supplier audits\, and (4) MDR\, IVDR & MDSAP compliance. At QMSphere\, she aims to bridge regulatory requirements with practical strategy to create efficient\, inspection-ready Quality Management Systems that work for the teams of her clients internationally. Julia holds a Master of Science degree in Molecular Life Sciences\, with a specialization in Biochemistry and Chemical Biology.  \nPremium Discovery Group\, S.P.C. is a startup social purpose corporation of healthcare and life sciences\, dedicated to advancing and fostering forward-thinking leaders of their own organizations and the entire ecosystem. We welcome you to join our community and follow us on social media (LinkedIn | Instagram) too! \n“A Tea Chat For Life Sciences” is a monthly series that honors innovations of life sciences and health technologies\, with our participants having the opportunities to enjoy networking with some of the best inventors\, entrepreneurs\, and experts available in Southern California. Please be sure to save the dates for these unique experiences of inspiration and connectivity! \nPDG members who have complementary accesses please RSVP here (link). \n\n\nRefund policy\nYou can cancel your paid ticket and get a refund up to 48 hours before the event starts. Refunds exclude platform and processing fees.
URL:https://sdtechscene.org/event/a-tea-chat-for-life-sciences-julia-schnider-qmsphere-for-biopharma-medtech-compliances/
LOCATION:Hybrid
CATEGORIES:Biotech & Life Sciences,Innovation
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260109T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260109T120000
DTSTAMP:20260414T071043
CREATED:20260109T063330Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260109T063330Z
UID:10014748-1767956400-1767960000@sdtechscene.org
SUMMARY:Optimization for ML and AI Seminar: Randomized linear algebra with subspace injections
DESCRIPTION:Abstract: To achieve the greatest possible speed\, practitioners regularly implement randomized algorithms for low-rank approximation and least-squares regression with structured dimension reduction maps. This talk outlines a new perspective on structured dimension reduction\, based on the injectivity properties of the dimension reduction map. This approach provides sharper bounds for sparse dimension reduction maps\, and it leads to exponential improvements for tensor-product dimension reduction. Empirical evidence confirms that these types of structured random matrices offer exemplary performance for a range of synthetic problems and contemporary scientific applications. \nJoint work with Chris Camaño\, Ethan Epperly\, and Raphael Meyer; available at arXiv:2508.21189. \n\nJoel A. Tropp is Steele Family Professor of Applied & Computational Mathematics at the California Institute of Technology. His research centers on applied mathematics\, machine learning\, data science\, numerical algorithms\, and random matrix theory. Some of his best-known contributions include matching pursuit algorithms\, randomized SVD algorithms\, matrix concentration inequalities\, and statistical phase transitions. Prof. Tropp attained the Ph.D. degree in Computational Applied Mathematics at the University of Texas at Austin in 2004\, and he joined Caltech in 2007. He won the PECASE in 2008\, and he was recognized as a Highly Cited Researcher in Computer Science each year from 2014–2018. He is co-founder of the SIAM Journal on Mathematics of Data Science (SIMODS)\, and he was co-chair of the inaugural 2020 SIAM Conference on the Mathematics of Data Science. Prof. Tropp was elected SIAM Fellow in 2019\, IEEE Fellow in 2020\, and IMS Fellow in 2024. He received the 2025 Richard P. Feynman Prize for Excellence in Teaching at Caltech. He is an invited speaker at the 2026 International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM). \nZoom: https://bit.ly/Opt-AI-ML
URL:https://sdtechscene.org/event/optimization-for-ml-and-ai-seminar-randomized-linear-algebra-with-subspace-injections/
LOCATION:Hybrid
CATEGORIES:AI,Hybrid,Seminar
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251219T093000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251219T110000
DTSTAMP:20260414T071043
CREATED:20251219T060659Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251219T060659Z
UID:10014503-1766136600-1766142000@sdtechscene.org
SUMMARY:A Tea Chat For Life Sciences + ImproVRise\, An Immersive Learning Platform
DESCRIPTION:Join us on Friday 12/19 (9:30-11:00 am PST) for our last event of the monthly series in 2025! – It honors innovations of life sciences and health technologies\, with our participants having the opportunities to enjoy networking with some of the best inventors\, entrepreneurs\, and experts available in Southern California. Please be sure to save the date for this unique experience of inspiration and connectivity! \nOur special guest will be Adam Rudder\, Founder and CEO of ImproVRise\, an immersive learning and AI platform that helps neurodivergent youth\, including those with autism and ADHD\, strengthen executive functioning and social-emotional skills. ImproVRise blends neuroscience\, improvisation\, and adaptive technology to create personalized pathways for emotional regulation\, cognitive flexibility\, and real-world communication. The platform builds on the same improv based methods Adam used to retrain his own brain after a traumatic brain injury\, which later evolved into a full methodology used in schools\, therapy settings\, and research programs. Adam is also the creator of Improv4Companies and Improv Playground\, and was the founder of Moocha Pictures and PlaybookTV\, where he produced original content for global brands and sports audiences across comedy\, reality\, lifestyle\, animation\, and drama. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication with honors from the University of California at Santa Barbara. \nPDG members who have complementary accesses can RSVP here (link). \nPremium Discovery Group\, S.P.C. is a startup social purpose corporation of healthcare and life sciences\, dedicated to advancing and fostering forward-thinking leaders of their own organizations and the entire ecosystem. We welcome you to join our community and follow us on social media (LinkedIn | Instagram) too!\n\nRefund policy\nRefund requests are allowed up to 48 hours before the event starts. Platform and processing fees aren’t included\, and the host has the option to decline.
URL:https://sdtechscene.org/event/a-tea-chat-for-life-sciences-improvrise-an-immersive-learning-platform/
LOCATION:Hybrid
CATEGORIES:Entrepreneurs,Inventor,Networking
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251211T093000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251211T103000
DTSTAMP:20260414T071043
CREATED:20251211T062808Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251211T062808Z
UID:10014192-1765445400-1765449000@sdtechscene.org
SUMMARY:Sanford Stem Cell Institute Seminar Series - Mariella Filbin\, MD\, PhD
DESCRIPTION:Mark your calendars for the next Sanford Stem Cell Institute Seminar Series speaker! \nMariella FIlbin\, MD\, PhD\, will be here Thursday\, December 11\, in Duane Roth Auditorium from 9:30-10:30am to speak on Form Follows Function: Cellular and Developmental Architecture of Pediatric Brain Tumors. \nMorning refreshments for onsite attendees.
URL:https://sdtechscene.org/event/sanford-stem-cell-institute-seminar-series-mariella-filbin-md-phd/
LOCATION:Hybrid
CATEGORIES:Hybrid,Seminar
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251208T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251208T110000
DTSTAMP:20260414T071043
CREATED:20251208T045944Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251208T045944Z
UID:10013900-1765188000-1765191600@sdtechscene.org
SUMMARY:TILOS-HDSI Seminar: Incentivizing Emergent Behaviors for LLMs via Reinforcement Learning
DESCRIPTION:Abstract: Reinforcement Learning (RL) has become a powerful post-training method for eliciting advanced behaviors in large language models (LLMs). This talk presents recent results showing how RL can incentivize the emergence of LLM capabilities across three domains: (1) multi-player deduction game\, Werewolf\, where RL-trained LLM agents develop strategic behaviors and outperform strong human players; (2) agentic search\, where large-scale RL enables a 32B model to run multi-step search to answer non-trivial questions beyond commercial baselines; and (3) efficient reasoning\, where RL mitigates over-thinking and improves both reliability and compute efficiency. \nThe papers can be found at \n\nWerewolf: https://arxiv.org/abs/2310.18940 (ICML24)\, https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.04686 (ICML25)\nASearcher: https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.07976\nThinking Efficiency: https://www.arxiv.org/abs/2506.07104 (NeurIPS25)\n\nAll the projects are trained using our large-scale agentic RL system\, AReaL\, which is open-source at https://github.com/inclusionAI/AReaL with its paper at https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.24298 (NeurIPS25). \n\nYi Wu is an assistant professor at the Institute for Interdisciplinary Information Sciences (IIIS)\, Tsinghua University. He obtained his Ph.D. from UC Berkeley and was a researcher at OpenAI from 2019 to 2020. His research focuses on reinforcement learning\, multi-agent learning\, and LLM agents. His representative works include the value iteration network\, the MADDPG/MAPPO algorithm\, OpenAI’s hide-and-seek project\, and the AReaL project. He received the best paper award at NIPS 2016\, the best demo award finalist at ICRA 2024\, and MIT TR35 Asia Pacific 2025 award. \nZoom: https://bit.ly/TILOS-Seminars
URL:https://sdtechscene.org/event/tilos-hdsi-seminar-incentivizing-emergent-behaviors-for-llms-via-reinforcement-learning/
LOCATION:Hybrid
CATEGORIES:Seminar
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251205T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251205T120000
DTSTAMP:20260414T071043
CREATED:20251205T060255Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251205T060255Z
UID:10013885-1764932400-1764936000@sdtechscene.org
SUMMARY:Optimization for ML and AI Seminar: Stochastic-Gradient and Diagonal-Scaling Algorithms for Constrained Optimization and Learning
DESCRIPTION:Abstract: I will motivate and provide an overview of recent efforts in my research group on the design and analysis of stochastic-gradient-based algorithms for solving constrained optimization problems. I will focus in particular on our motivation for informed supervised learning\, where constraints in the training problem can be used to impose prior knowledge on the properties that should be possessed by a trained prediction model. In addition\, I will provide a detailed look at our newest extensions of heavy-ball and Adam schemes from the unconstrained to the equality-constrained setting\, for which we have shown state-of-the-art convergence guarantees. I will demonstrate the impressive practical performance of our methods using a few informed supervised learning problems.
URL:https://sdtechscene.org/event/optimization-for-ml-and-ai-seminar-stochastic-gradient-and-diagonal-scaling-algorithms-for-constrained-optimization-and-learning/
LOCATION:Hybrid
CATEGORIES:AI,Hybrid,Seminar
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251203T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251203T140000
DTSTAMP:20260414T071043
CREATED:20251128T050844Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251128T050844Z
UID:10013836-1764766800-1764770400@sdtechscene.org
SUMMARY:Optimization for AI and ML Seminar: Training Neural Networks at Any Scale
DESCRIPTION:Abstract: At the heart of deep learning’s transformative impact lies the concept of scale–encompassing both data and computational resources\, as well as their interaction with neural network architectures. Scale\, however\, presents critical challenges\, such as increased instability during training and prohibitively expensive model-specific tuning. Given the substantial resources required to train such models\, formulating high-confidence scaling hypotheses backed by rigorous theoretical research has become paramount. \nTo bridge theory and practice\, the talk explores a key mathematical ingredient of scaling in tandem with scaling theory: the numerical solution algorithms commonly employed in deep learning\, spanning domains from vision to language models. We unify these algorithms under a common master template\, making their foundational principles transparent. In doing so\, we reveal the interplay between adaptation to smoothness structures via online learning and the exploitation of optimization geometry through non-Euclidean norms. Our exposition moves beyond simply building larger models–it emphasizes strategic scaling\, offering insights that promise to advance the field while economizing on resources. \n\nVolkan Cevher received the B.Sc. (valedictorian) in electrical engineering from Bilkent University in Ankara\, Turkey\, in 1999 and the Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta\, GA in 2005. He was a Research Scientist with the University of Maryland\, College Park from 2006-2007 and also with Rice University in Houston\, TX\, from 2008-2009. Currently\, he is an Associate Professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne and a Faculty Fellow in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at Rice University. His research interests include machine learning\, signal processing theory\, optimization theory and methods\, and information theory. Dr. Cevher is an ELLIS fellow and was the recipient of the Google Faculty Research award in 2018\, the IEEE Signal Processing Society Best Paper Award in 2016\, a Best Paper Award at CAMSAP in 2015\, a Best Paper Award at SPARS in 2009\, and an ERC CG in 2016 as well as an ERC StG in 2011. \nZoom: https://bit.ly/Opt-AI-ML
URL:https://sdtechscene.org/event/optimization-for-ai-and-ml-seminar-training-neural-networks-at-any-scale/
LOCATION:Hybrid
CATEGORIES:AI,Hybrid,Training
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251203T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251203T120000
DTSTAMP:20260414T071043
CREATED:20251128T041614Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251128T050959Z
UID:10013835-1764759600-1764763200@sdtechscene.org
SUMMARY:TILOS-SDSU Seminar: 95 Percent: Bridging the Gap Between Prototype and Product
DESCRIPTION:Abstract: When transitioning from the academic world to the professional world of engineering\, one of the most common pitfalls is failing to understand the difference between a compelling prototype and a successful product. This talk will focus on that distinction. We will discuss the differences between them\, and the work required to evolve a good prototype into a real product. We will also discuss some common pitfalls encountered in product development\, and some of the practical software design considerations to keep in mind for development of robust\, mature code. The talk will include examples from my background developing robotic systems for air\, space\, and ground. \n\nJeremy Schwartz is a robotics engineer at Zoox with expertise in a wide variety of areas of mechanical and electrical engineering and computer science. His primary professional expertise is in autonomy and behavioral algorithms\, and he has worked in the aerospace industry as well as ground robotics\, specializing in autonomous systems of all kinds. \nZoom: https://SDSU.zoom.us/j/82711917109
URL:https://sdtechscene.org/event/tilos-sdsu-seminar-95-percent-bridging-the-gap-between-prototype-and-product/
LOCATION:Hybrid
CATEGORIES:Engineering & Developers,Hybrid,Seminar
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251119T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251119T120000
DTSTAMP:20260414T071043
CREATED:20251119T064441Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251119T064441Z
UID:10013753-1763550000-1763553600@sdtechscene.org
SUMMARY:TILOS-SDSU Seminar: Certifiably Correct Machine Perception
DESCRIPTION:Abstract: Many fundamental machine perception and state estimation tasks require the solution of a high-dimensional nonconvex estimation problem; this class includes (for example) the fundamental problems of simultaneous localization and mapping (in robotics)\, 3D reconstruction (in computer vision)\, and sensor network localization (in distributed sensing). Such problems are known to be computationally hard in general\, with many local minima that can entrap the smooth local optimization methods commonly applied to solve them. The result is that standard machine perception algorithms (based upon local optimization) can be surprisingly brittle\, often returning egregiously wrong answers even when the problem to which they are applied is well-posed. \nIn this talk\, we present a novel class of certifiably correct estimation algorithms that are capable of efficiently recovering provably good (often globally optimal) solutions of generally-intractable machine perception problems in many practical settings. Our approach directly tackles the problem of nonconvexity by employing convex relaxations whose minimizers provide provably good approximate solutions to the original estimation problem under moderate measurement noise. We illustrate the design of this class of methods using the fundamental problem of pose-graph optimization (a mathematical abstraction of robotic mapping) as a running example. We conclude with a brief discussion of open questions and future research directions.
URL:https://sdtechscene.org/event/tilos-sdsu-seminar-certifiably-correct-machine-perception/
LOCATION:Hybrid
CATEGORIES:Seminar
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251115T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251115T133000
DTSTAMP:20260414T071043
CREATED:20251114T080953Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251114T080953Z
UID:10013722-1763208000-1763213400@sdtechscene.org
SUMMARY:Hands-on Machine Learning -- Training Deep Neural Networks -- Hybrid
DESCRIPTION:Hands-on Machine Learning\nTraining Deep Neural Networks \nWe are launching a new introduction to machine learning book club series! We will use the book Hands-On Machine Learning with Scikit-Learn\, Keras\, and TensorFlow by Aurelien Geron. For learners willing to read and engage with the material each week\, you will walk away knowing all of the basics of data science. \nThis session will deepen our discussion about deep learning. This chapter will cover practical issues such as reusing pretrained layers and selecting learning rate schedules. New people are welcome to join. \nCome join us in person or online. Please make sure to read the instructions for joining the event below. \nAgenda: \n\n12:00 – 1:15 pm — Presentation and discussion\nTime permitting — Additional Q&A\, networking\n\nLinks to notes/slides and videos of prior meetups are available on the SDML GitHub repo https://github.com/SanDiegoMachineLearning/bookclub/blob/master/hands-on-machine-learning-3.md \nLocation:\nWe are meeting at Aquillius in Rancho Bernardo. \nPlease Note: There are two steps required to join the online meetup: \n\nYou must go to our Slack community and ask for the password for the meeting. Link to join is below.\nYou must have a Zoom login in order to join the event. A free Zoom account will work. If you get an error message joining the Zoom\, please login to your account on the Zoom website then try again.\nUse this Zoom link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82891977558\n\nCommunity:\nJoin our slack channel for questions and discussion about what’s new in ML:\nhttps://join.slack.com/t/sdmachinelearning/shared_invite/zt-33z4811de-F_YKuCsQH1ev3TLSnQQfgQ
URL:https://sdtechscene.org/event/hands-on-machine-learning-training-deep-neural-networks-hybrid/
LOCATION:Hybrid
CATEGORIES:Discussions,Hybrid,Networking
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251112T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251112T120000
DTSTAMP:20260414T071043
CREATED:20251111T032223Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251111T032223Z
UID:10013616-1762945200-1762948800@sdtechscene.org
SUMMARY:TILOS-HDSI Seminar: AI safety theory: the missing middle ground
DESCRIPTION:Abstract: Over the past few years\, the capabilities of generative artificial intelligence (AI) systems have advanced rapidly. Along with the benefits of AI\, there is also a risk of harm. In order to benefit from AI while mitigating the risks\, we need a grounded theoretical framework. \nThe current AI safety theory\, which predates generative AI\, is insufficient. Most theoretical AI safety results tend to reason absolutely: a system is a system is “aligned” or “mis-aligned”\, “honest” or “dishonest”. But in practice safety is probabilistic\, not absolute. The missing middle ground is a quantitative or relative theory of safety — a way to reason formally about degrees of safety. Such a theory is required for defining safety and harms\, and is essential for technical solutions as well as for making good policy decisions. \nIn this talk I will: \n\nReview current AI risks (from misuse\, from lack of reliability\, and systemic risks to the economy) as well as important future risks (lack of control).\nReview theoretical predictions of bad AI behavior and discuss experiments which demonstrate that they can occur in current LLMs.\nExplain why technical and theoretical safety solutions are valuable\, even by contributors outside of the major labs.\nDiscuss some gaps in the theory and present some open problems which could address the gaps.\n\n\nAdam Oberman is a Full Professor of Mathematics and Statistics at McGill University\, a Canada CIFAR AI Chair\, and an Associate Member of Mila. He is a research collaborator at LawZero\, Yoshua Bengio’s AI Safety Institute. He has been researching AI safety since 2024. His research spans generative models\, reinforcement learning\, optimization\, calibration\, and robustness. Earlier in his career\, he made significant contributions to optimal transport and nonlinear partial differential equations. He earned degrees from the University of Toronto and the University of Chicago\, and previously held faculty and postdoctoral positions at Simon Fraser University and the University of Texas at Austin. \nZoom: https://bit.ly/TILOS-Seminars
URL:https://sdtechscene.org/event/tilos-hdsi-seminar-ai-safety-theory-the-missing-middle-ground/
LOCATION:Hybrid
CATEGORIES:AI,Hybrid,Seminar
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251105T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251105T130000
DTSTAMP:20260414T071043
CREATED:20251105T063412Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251105T063412Z
UID:10013379-1762344000-1762347600@sdtechscene.org
SUMMARY:Scaling Connection: Turning Networking Into a Parallel Sport
DESCRIPTION:It’s one thing to know a lot of people. It’s another to know when\, why\, and how to connect them. \nAfter Jonah Peake 🐺 tagged me in his recent post about San Diego’s community connectors\, we started talking about how we can help more people become great connectors – not just a few of us doing it manually. \nSo next week\, we’re hosting a live session:\n🎯 Scaling Connection: Turning Networking Into a Parallel Sport\n🗓 Wednesday Nov 5 at 12 PM PT\n📍 LinkedIn Live \nThis will be an open playbook on: \nHow to connect with context\, not just contact lists\nTurning 1:1 intros into patterns and parallelism\nWhen not to connect people (equally important!)\nTools and frameworks that make connecting easier and more scalable \nOur goal is simple:\n✅ Give the community tools to make higher-quality connections\n✅ Help event organizers and ecosystem builders make gatherings more impactful\n✅ Turn connecting into a parallel sport – not something that depends on one or two people doing all the work \nIf you’ve ever left an event thinking\, “I met some cool people but I wish I’d connected with the right ones\,” – this is for you. \n👉 Join us at online link here: https://www.linkedin.com/events/7390538519900983296/\nRSVP online too \nLet’s build a community where connecting isn’t a bottleneck — it’s everyone’s superpower. 💥
URL:https://sdtechscene.org/event/scaling-connection-turning-networking-into-a-parallel-sport/
LOCATION:Hybrid
CATEGORIES:Community Building,Networking
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251104T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251104T120000
DTSTAMP:20260414T071043
CREATED:20251104T052726Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251104T052726Z
UID:10013370-1762246800-1762257600@sdtechscene.org
SUMMARY:Privacy 101 Seminar - HYBRID
DESCRIPTION:Back by popular demand! UC San Diego’s engaging and informative Privacy 101 Seminar is back in person! Please join Chief Privacy Officer Pegah Parsi for a HYBRID session on privacy. In this lively and interactive session\, we’ll cover: \n\nWhy privacy matters to our personhood\, rights\, and society\,\nHow today’s data practices and the landscape of privacy laws are shaping our world\, and\nSimple ways to begin addressing privacy issues in your work and daily life.\n\nThis session is ideal for anyone who works with personal data\, IT professionals\, managers\, researchers\, and any students\, faculty\, or staff – or anyone with an interest in privacy! \nCome for the pastries\, stay for the understanding of one of today’s most important topics! \nAll UC San Diego learners must attend in person. Please register through the UC Learning Center to receive credit for completing the course. \nThis session is open to the general public and a Zoom link will be provided prior to the class. \nRegistration will close on 11/2/25 at 5pm. \nFor more information visit https://privacy.ucsd.edu/trainings/index.html
URL:https://sdtechscene.org/event/privacy-101-seminar-hybrid/
LOCATION:Hybrid
CATEGORIES:Hybrid,Professionals,Research,Seminar
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251028T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251028T110000
DTSTAMP:20260414T071043
CREATED:20251027T063139Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251027T063139Z
UID:10013135-1761645600-1761649200@sdtechscene.org
SUMMARY:The Wealth Game Series Part VII: The Future Is Funded by Women
DESCRIPTION:💵The Wealth Game Series Part VII\n\nJoin us on a topic “Investing with Power\, Purpose\, and a Plan” \n🔥Only 2 percent of venture capital goes to women-led businesses. That number doesn’t reflect talent. It reflects access. This session is a rallying point for women ready to step into their role as investors\, leaders\, and wealth creators. Learn how capital can become a tool for change and a legacy you design with intention. \n📌“The Wealth Game” is a 12-part investor education series for professionals who are ready to stop playing small with their finances. Whether you’re new to investing or ready to level up\, this series will challenge what you’ve been taught\, demystify complex financial tools\, and give you a step-by-step roadmap to build your portfolio with clarity and confidence. \nThis is more than information. It’s your invitation to shift from income-driven to investment-driven — and start building the life and legacy you deserve.
URL:https://sdtechscene.org/event/the-wealth-game-series-part-vii-the-future-is-funded-by-women/
LOCATION:Hybrid
CATEGORIES:Hybrid,Investors & Funding,Leaders
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251024T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251024T120000
DTSTAMP:20260414T071043
CREATED:20251024T094152Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251024T094152Z
UID:10013124-1761303600-1761307200@sdtechscene.org
SUMMARY:UCSD-TILOS: Optimization for ML and AI Seminar with Courtney Paquette (McGill University)
DESCRIPTION:Abstract: Given the massive scale of modern ML models\, we now only get a single shot to train them effectively. This restricts our ability to test multiple architectures and hyper-parameter configurations. Instead\, we need to understand how these models scale\, allowing us to experiment with smaller problems and then apply those insights to larger-scale models. In this talk\, I will present a framework for analyzing scaling laws in stochastic learning algorithms using a power-law random features model (PLRF)\, leveraging high-dimensional probability and random matrix theory. I will then use this scaling law to address the compute-optimal question: How should we choose model size and hyper-parameters to achieve the best possible performance in the most compute-efficient manner? Then using this PLRF model\, I will devise a new momentum-based algorithm that (provably) improves the scaling law exponent. Finally\, I will present some numerical experiments on LSTMs that show how this new stochastic algorithm can be applied to real data to improve the compute-optimal exponent. \nCourtney Paquette is an assistant professor at McGill University in the Mathematics and Statistics department\, a CIFAR AI Chair (MILA)\, and an active member of the Montreal Machine Learning Optimization Group (MTL MLOpt) at MILA. Her research broadly focuses on designing and analyzing algorithms for large-scale optimization problems\, motivated by applications in data science\, and using techniques that draw from a variety of fields\, including probability\, complexity theory\, and convex and nonsmooth analysis. Dr. Paquette is a lead organizer of the OPT-ML Workshop at NeurIPS since 2020\, and a lead organizer (and original creator) of the High-dimensional Learning Dynamics (HiLD) Workshop at ICML. \nZoom: https://bit.ly/Opt-AI-ML
URL:https://sdtechscene.org/event/ucsd-tilos-optimization-for-ml-and-ai-seminar-with-courtney-paquette-mcgill-university/
LOCATION:Hybrid
CATEGORIES:AI,Hybrid,Seminar
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251020T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251020T170000
DTSTAMP:20260414T071043
CREATED:20251020T070614Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251020T070614Z
UID:10013094-1760972400-1760979600@sdtechscene.org
SUMMARY:How to do Business with the Port
DESCRIPTION:Join us on Monday\, October 20\, for our How to do Business with the Port Workshop\, where you’ll attend a panel with Port staff\, meet our project managers who buy products and facilitate agreements for professional services\, and learn how to become a registered vendor with the Port. \nAll trades and industries are welcome.
URL:https://sdtechscene.org/event/how-to-do-business-with-the-port/
LOCATION:Hybrid
CATEGORIES:Business & Professionals,Hybrid,Workshop
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251007T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251007T150000
DTSTAMP:20260414T071043
CREATED:20251007T062036Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251007T062036Z
UID:10012737-1759838400-1759849200@sdtechscene.org
SUMMARY:Seamless Connections: AI-Powered Matchmaking Between Startups and Experts
DESCRIPTION:✨Startups thrive when the right ideas meet the right expertise at the right time. This session introduces a new way to make that happen. Powered by Simbiosyx\, an AI-driven platform from Aquillius\, this event creates seamless\, targeted matches between startup companies and expert advisors in real time.\n📜Participants will experience how AI can go beyond networking by intelligently aligning needs with expertise—whether it’s fundraising\, product development\, scientific or technical know-how\, legal guidance\, regulatory strategy\, go-to-market\, or scaling. For Startup San Diego and the broader community\, this event strengthens the ecosystem by fostering meaningful connections that accelerate company growth and community impact. \nWhy Attend? \n\nFor Startup Companies: Get the expert help you need at every budget level—through flexible options ranging from affordable direct payments to shared equity models designed to fit early-stage realities.\nFor Experts: Share your knowledge while being rewarded. Experts may receive direct payment for services or participation in a shared equity pool that spans multiple startups—so your upside grows with the ecosystem\, not just the companies you directly support.\nFor the Community: The San Diego ecosystem grows faster because startups can find and remove bottlenecks faster—making our region one of the fastest places in the world to launch and scale.\n\n🚨Join us at Aquillius for an interactive\, high-energy session setting the stage for AI to make powerful connections possible—and walk away with the relationships and opportunities you need to move your startup or expertise to the next level.
URL:https://sdtechscene.org/event/seamless-connections-ai-powered-matchmaking-between-startups-and-experts/
LOCATION:Hybrid
CATEGORIES:AI,Hybrid,Startups & Founders
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR