蜜桃视频

The Irrational Decision: How We Gave Computers the Power to Choose for Us

Monday, Sept. 21, 4 to 5:30 p.m., Posner 151

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’t 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.?

This 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.?

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).

Study Abroad Fair

Tuesday, Sept. 22, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Rangos Auditorium, CUC

Curious how studying abroad can enrich your academic journey? Join us at the Study Abroad Fair. Explore semester, summer, research and internship opportunities around the world. All students are welcome!?

Humanities Club Fair

Tuesday, Sept. 22, 5:30 to 7 p.m., Danforth Lounge, CUC

Interested in finding a club that aligns with your humanities interests? Join our Humanities Ambassadors as they host a club fair tailored just for you! Featured clubs include The Tartan, Tisbert, and Arts Greenhouse!

CMIST Graduate Program Virtual Open House

Wednesday, Sept. 23, 10 to 11 a.m., Virtual

Join us for a virtual information session to learn more about the graduate programs that CMIST offers.?

CMIST Graduate Program Manager Mark Gardner will cover the Master of Information Technology Strategy (MITS) program as well as the Master of Science in Security, Technology, and International Relations (MS STAIR).?

Additional sessions are scheduled for October 15 @ 11:00am, November 19 @ 2:00pm, December 16 @ 11:00am, and January 12 at 2:00pm. There will also be a session on January 26th @ 10:00am for MS STAIR prospective students only.

Fuel that Fits: Mindful Nutrition for Busy Minds

Wednesday, Sept. 23, 4 to 5 p.m., Well-Being Lab (Room 104), Highmark Center

No rigid rules, just realistic tools that fit your body, schedule, and goals. Join us for a practical four-part nutrition series designed for busy students. Each session offers approachable strategies you can use in everyday life:?

• 9/23: Food Planning & Shopping?
• 10/28: Food Preparation?
• 11/18: Building a Balanced Diet?
• 12/2: Mindful Eating?

Attend one session or join us for the full series. All are welcome!

Early Modern Folk Horror with Kristen Gragg

Wednesday, Sept. 23, 4 to 6 p.m., Posner Center Seminar Room

The Center for Print, Networks, and Performance will host Gragg’s mock job talk on campus; audience members are invited to offer feedback and interview-style questions.

Kristen Gragg is a Ph.D. student in English Literature. She earned her B.A. in English, with highest distinction, from the University of Georgia and her M.A. in English from West Virginia University. Her primary research interests include magic, witchcraft, and the occult; interdisciplinary pedagogies; modern and early modern genealogies of horror; rural psychogeographies; and exploring how horror can empower (rather than simply monsterize) the “Other.”

Kristen currently has one publication, “‘To kill a wife with Kindness’: Contextualizing Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew,” in which she offers historical context for the Shrew Taming tradition in European art and, in doing so, argues that Petruchio’s treatment of Katherine is not as cruel as it may cursorily appear. She also recently earned a book grant for a video project, “Such Duty as the Subject Owes,” that explores the synergies between erasure poetry, collage filmmaking, and Shakespeare in adaptation.

Computational Humanities Research Talk: Quantifying Cultural Change Through Musical Scores

Thursday, Sept. 24, 11 a.m. to 12:20 p.m., Posner Center, Room 110

Alfredo González-Espinoza presents a quantitative approach to studying cultural change through musical scores. Using four centuries of Western music, the talk examines measurable patterns of harmonic diversity, uncertainty, and novelty.

Can cultural change be measured rather than only described? Music offers an unusually good test case: digital scores are accessible, precisely notated, datable, and can be represented mathematically.

Focusing on harmony, Alfredo González-Espinoza uses a geometric model of tonality to measure how widely a piece roams across keys (diversity), how ambiguous its tonal centers are (uncertainty), and how far it departs from earlier music (novelty). Applied across four centuries of Western musical scores, these measures recover recognized temporal trends and documented lines of influence, providing a quantitative vocabulary for testing claims about stylistic change.

Lunch will be provided for attendees who request one during registration by Wed. 9/23 at 11 a.m.

Humanities Lunch & Learn with Professor Chris Warren

Thursday, Sept. 24, noon to 1:15 p.m., Baker 254Q

Join us for a Humanities Faculty Lunch & Learn with Dr. Chris Warren, Department Head & Professor in the English Department. We will discuss what the humanities and people who study them can contribute to the world!

Lunch will be provided!

Active in humanities advocacy through the National Humanities Alliance, Professor Warren is inspired by real-world humanities problems, such as funding for humanities research and access to books and archives. His research spans digital humanities, law and literature, political theory, early modern literature, print culture, and the history of political thought. His current research project focuses on “Freedom and the Press before Freedom of the Press,” using machine learning and artificial intelligence to discover and center the anonymous craftsmen and -women responsible for printing controversial clandestine materials.

2026 蜜桃视频 Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival

Friday, Sept. 25, 7 to 9 p.m., McConomy Auditorium, CUC

Let’s celebrate the Chinese Moon Festival together!?

The Mid-Autumn Festival — Zhongqiu Jie (中秋节) in Chinese — is also called the Mooncake Festival or the Moon Festival, and is the second most important festival in China after Chinese New Year.?

In Chinese culture, the Mid-Autumn Festival is a reunion time for families, celebrated by gathering for dinners, worshiping the moon, lighting paper lanterns, eating moon cakes, etc.?

Join LCAL and the Chinese studies program as we celebrate this special holiday with food and drink, arts and performances, and being together as a community!?

Special thanks to the Organization of Chinese Americans, Pittsburgh.?

Choose Your Own Adventure! Introduction to Nonlinear Storytelling Games with Twine

Monday, Sept. 28, noon to 1 p.m., IDeATe Studio B, Hunt Library

This workshop will introduce students to Twine — a free and open source tool for designing and making interactive stories. Through visual mapping and a text-based editor, users can craft stories that respond to user input as well as randomized and timing-based behavior for memorable, customized story experiences. Useful both for creating full interactive experiences as well as for preliminary design stages — such as storyboarding more complex stories or as proof of concept for larger games — Twine is an essential tool for those interested in interactive games and stories.

In this workshop, students will learn the basics of using Harlowe, Twine’s default story format and the most beginner-friendly. Students will learn how to form interactive fiction through features like dynamic hypertext and conditional syntax (if/else…then…) to shape their unique interactive storytelling experience.

No coding experience required; all skill levels are welcome!

The Stories Behind the Game: A Conversation 蜜桃视频 Baseball History

Monday, Sept. 28, 4 to 5 p.m., Virtual

Baseball is a game of numbers, records and unforgettable moments — but how do those moments become history?

Join Los Angeles Dodgers team historian Mark Langill and head of 蜜桃视频’s Department of History Christopher Phillips for an engaging conversation about the people, stories and evidence that shape our understanding of the game. From one of baseball’s most storied franchises to the broader questions of how history is recorded and remembered, this webinar offers a unique look at the game through the eyes of two historians who know how to uncover the stories behind the game. Come for the baseball. Stay for the history.

CommuniTEA

Monday, Sept. 28, 6 to 7 p.m., Wellbeing Lab (Room 104), Highmark Center

Stop by for the tea. Stay for genuine connections. Join us for a relaxed, welcoming gathering that moves beyond routine work or school talk and makes room for deeper conversations. Each gathering features a different theme and new ways to connect. Tea provided. All are welcome!

Start Here: Study Abroad Info Session

Tuesday, Sept. 29, noon to 1 p.m., Danforth Conference Room, CUC

Come learn more about Study Abroad at 蜜桃视频! Get all the details about where you can go, what you can do (study, research, internships and more), how to pay for study abroad (and use your scholarships) and get your questions answered by the Study Abroad Team and returned students.

You Matter: A Community Conversation on LGBTQIA+ Health Equity

Tuesday, Sept. 29, 5 to 6:30 p.m., Simmons B, Tepper Building

Join Admiral Rachel Levine, M.D. for a discussion about how healthcare practices, public attitudes and laws shape whether people can get affirming care, mental health support and preventive services. She will also address how these pressures show up outside of healthcare settings, including on college campuses.

Sponsored by the Office for Institutional Equity & Title IX

Iran War: Past, Present, and Future of U.S.-Iran Relations

Tuesday, Sept. 29, 5:30 to 7 p.m., Posner A35

Join us for a moderated discussion on one of today’s most pressing international crises.

Moderated by Dr. Joshua Schwartz, experts Michael Singh and Dr. Andrew Stravers will share insights on the current state of the war with Iran, its causes, and the potential future of relations between the U.S., Iran, and the Middle East region.

Hosted by the 蜜桃视频 Alexander Hamilton Society

M.A. in Global Communication & Applied Translation Open House

Tuesday, Sept. 29, 8 to 9 p.m., Virtual

Join the Department of Languages, Cultures & Applied Linguistics for a virtual information session about the M.A. in Global Communication & Applied Translation (GCAT) program.

The GCAT master’s program prepares students for careers at the intersection of language, technology and global collaboration. This three-semester, interdisciplinary program combines coursework in professional translation and localization with hands-on training in emerging tools and practices.

Join us at our upcoming open house and have your questions answered by Kenya Dworkin, program director, and Christopher Lowy, associate program director, both of whom are GCAT faculty members.

Are you a current undergraduate student at 蜜桃视频 who speaks more than one language? Learn more about our 4+1 program option.

M.A. in Applied Linguistics & Second Language Acquisition Open House

Tuesday, Sept. 29, 8 to 9 p.m., Virutual

Join the Department of Languages, Cultures & Applied Linguistics for a virtual information session about the one- and two-year M.A. in Applied Linguistics & Second Language Acquisition (ALSLA) programs.

The one-year ALSLA and two-year ALSLA – Advanced Study master’s programs prepare U.S. and international students for a range of careers in language education and research, with opportunities to specialize in language learning research and teaching in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Spanish and English as a Second Language (ESL). In addition to traditional course-based education in applied linguistics, these programs offer opportunities to develop research skills, to engage in mentored language teaching and to learn effective professional communication strategies.

This open house is a great opportunity to have your questions answered by Bonnie Youngs, director of both programs and ALSLA faculty member.

Noon Reboot: Pause Your Work, Reclaim Your Energy

Wednesday, Sept. 30, 12:15 to 12:45 p.m., Wellbeing Lab (Room 104), Highmark Center

Join us in person at the Wellbeing Lab or for a 30-minute session designed to help you step away from work, recharge your energy, and return with greater focus and clarity. Each session includes a mix of guided reset practices, brief reflections, and optional community connection in a low-pressure, drop-in environment.?

Tea and light refreshments provided. All are welcome!

Research Abroad Information Session

Wednesday, Sept. 30, 5 to 6:30 p.m., Danforth Conference Room, CUC

Come learn about research opportunities abroad for summer 2026! This event is co-sponsored by the Study Abroad Office and 蜜桃视频’s Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholar Development (OURSD). Over 20+ opportunities will be featured!

Scientists & Strategists – Lethal Autonomy: The Future of Warfare, Whether We Like It or Not

Thursday, Oct. 1, 5 to 6:30 p.m., Rangos 1, CUC

The Carnegie Mellon Institute for Strategy & Technology invites you to a conversation on the state of modern conflict with former Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall, Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress.

Drawing from his book, "Lethal Autonomy: The Future of Warfare Whether We Like It or Not" (Knox Press), Kendall will discuss the changing character of war across all military domains and the role that lethal autonomous platforms will play in its transformation. He will examine how artificial intelligence and autonomous weapons are fundamentally reshaping modern combat strategy and explore the critical technical and operational attributes that govern technological shifts in defense across air, land, sea, space, and cyberspace.

This dialogue will be moderated by CMIST Director Audrey Kurth Cronin.

Doors open at 4:30 p.m.; refreshments served

No Country for Mothers Documentary Screening

Thursday, Oct. 1, 5:30 p.m., Porter 100

"No Country for Mothers" explores the culture wars surrounding American motherhood and why both the “girl boss” and “trad wife” labels ultimately distract us from the real issue: the lack of support for American families.

Following activist Reshma Saujani, the film charts a growing national movement to reunite moms across divisions and win the kind of historic support families actually need.

Managing Grief: Mala-Making Workshop

Thursday, Oct. 1, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., Wellbeing Lab (Room 104), Highmark Center

Join us for a hands-on mala-making workshop exploring grief, mindfulness, and Buddhist tradition.

Participants will create their own mala bracelet while learning how malas can be used to focus awareness and gently hold experiences of grief. The workshop will be led by guest Buddhist hospice chaplain Sarah Hooper.

No prior experience is needed. All are welcome.

Recurring Events

Heartfulness Sunday Meditation: Guided Meditation Masterclass

Sundays, 9 to 11 a.m., Well-Being Lab (Room 104), Highmark Center

Gather every Sunday (meditation begins at 9:15 a.m.) for a practical session on Heartfulness Meditation with Yogic Transmission. Experience simple yet effective guided relaxation and meditation techniques. Reduce stress, calm your mind and improve the quality of life. Free and open to all!

Soft Tech Quilting Bee

Wednesdays, 5 to 7 p.m., IDeATe Studio A (Room 106B), Hunt Library

Soft Tech Quilting Bee is a casual weekly gathering. All skill levels are welcome. Not necessary to come each week; come as often or as little as you like.?

You have options for how to participate: We have a communal quilt project going that all are welcome to join, you can bring your own quilting/piecing project to work on, or come to hang out. When we finish our communal quilt, let’s raffle it off to raise money for a cause that we want to support.?

You are welcome to also invite your friends who may be interested in Soft Technologies or quilting.

Paws to Relax: Pet Therapy Program

Wednesdays, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., Well-Being Lab (Room 104), Highmark Center

Your weekly opportunity to pause, pet some dogs, and recharge! Friendly therapy dogs and volunteers from Animal Friends’ Therapets program will join us every Wednesday from 6:30–7:30 p.m. in the Well-Being Lab. All are welcome. Drop in any time.

Humanities Hang

Fridays, 2 to 4 p.m., Voices Lounge (Baker 126D)

Humanities Hangs will be occurring weekly on Fridays from 2 to 4 p.m.! Come work with other humanities students on coursework, improve your study skills, relax with your fellow humanities students, and chat with your Humanities Ambassadors. There will be snacks!