Three professors in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Texas A&M University presented aspects of their research at Texas Optimization Day, held recently at the Annenberg Presidential Conference Center.
Dr. Jianer Chen, presented his talk, “Dealing with 4-Variables by Resolution: Improved MAX-SAT Problem.” During his presentation he discussed the obstacles that are presented when trying to solve the MAX-SAT problem. The major contribution of Chen’s research in this area is to identify situations in which the resolution principle can be effectively used in processing MAX-SAT instances.
Dr. J. Maurice Rojas, joint professor in math and computer science, discussed polynomial optimization. He stated that fast optimization is impossible without fast polynomial system solving. One of Rojas' research areas is fewnomial theory – the art of finding faster algorithms for large equations that have special structure, such as sparsity or hidden symmetries. He then went over recent progress in fewnomial theory that points the way to dramatically faster algorithms, useful in applications such as robotics and chemical reaction dynamics.
Dr. Tiffani Williams, presented her talk,” Combinatorial Optimization and the Tree of Life.” Williams examined phylogenetics and the importance of understanding the relationships between specific genes that are shared by many types of organisms.
“Texas Optimization Day provided an excellent forum on current trends of research in optimization and its applications, and brought together experts at the research frontiers in the area to exchange ideas and to present recent progresses in their research,” Chen said.