All Events 

New Directions in Approximation Algorithms (2017)

Symposia

Mathematics & Physical Sciences

When

  • All Day

  • All Day

  • All Day

  • All Day

  • All Day

  • All Day

  • All Day

Where

Gerald D. Fischbach Auditorium

160 5th Ave

New York, NY 10010, United States

April 23-29, 2017

Note: Attendance is by invitation only.

Organizers:
Sanjeev Arora, Princeton University
Uriel Feige, Weizmann Institute of Science
Michele Goemans, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
David Shmoys, Cornell University

Previous years:

This is the third symposium organized by Sanjeev Arora (Princeton University), Uriel Feige (Weizmann Institute), Michel Goemans (MIT) and David Shmoys (Cornell University). The first, in January 2013, focused on core techniques and problems of this field. The second, in February 2015, highlighted how the notion of approximation has found uses in other areas, including mechanism design, combinatorial optimization, online algorithms, machine learning, differential privacy and discrepancy theory. The upcoming meeting is expected to address the above themes, as well as new themes such as proving hardness of approximation results under the exponential time hypothesis.

Agenda

Download agenda PDF here.

Sunday

7:30-9:30 PM Dinner at La Salle

Monday

8:30 – 10:00 AM Breakfast at La Salle
10:00 – 11:00 AM Program
11:00 – 11:30 AM Break
11:30 – 1:00 PM Program
1:00 – 2:00 PM Lunch at La Salle
2:00 – 4:30 PM Discussion & Recreation*
4:30 – 5:00 PM Tea
5:00 – 7:00 PM Program
7:30 – 9:30 PM Dinner at Wintergarden

Tuesday

8:30 – 10:00 AM Breakfast at La Salle
10:00 – 11:00 AM Program
11:00 – 11:30 AM Break
11:30 – 1:00 PM Program
1:00 – 2:00 PM Lunch at La Salle
2:00 – 4:30 PM Discussion & Recreation*
4:30 – 5:00 PM Tea
5:00 – 7:00 PM Program
7:30 – 9:30 PM Dinner at Wintergarden

Wednesday

7:30 – 9:30 AM Breakfast at La Salle
9:45 – 2:00 PM Guided Hike to Partnach Gorge
2:00 – 3:00 PM Lunch at Wintergarden
3:00 – 5:00 PM Discussion & Recreation*
5:00 – 5:30 PM Tea
5:30 – 7:30 PM Program
7:30 – 9:30 PM Dinner at La Salle

Thursday

8:00 – 9:30 AM Breakfast at La Salle
9:30 – 10:30 AM Program
10:30 – 11:00 AM Break
11:00 – 12:30 PM Program
12:30 – 1:30 PM Lunch at La Salle
1:30 – 4:30 PM Discussion & Recreation*
4:30 – 5:00 PM Tea
4:30 – 5:00 PM Program
7:30 – 9:30 PM Dinner at La Salle

Friday

8:00 – 9:30 AM Breakfast at La Salle
9:30 – 10:30 AM Program
10:30 – 11:00 AM Break
11:00 – 12:30 PM Program
12:30 – 1:30 PM Lunch at La Salle
1:30 – 4:30 PM Discussion & Recreation*
4:30 – 5:00 PM Tea
5:00 – 7:00 PM Program
7:30 – 9:30 PM Dinner at Kaminstüberl

Locations

SESSIONS Pavillion located at the Schloss Elmau Retreat
MEALS La Salle unless otherwise noted
TEA & DISCUSSION Pavillion located at the Schloss Elmau Retreat
EXCURSION Meet in Schloss Elmau Lobby
SATURDAY DEPARTURE Meet in Schloss Elmau Lobby

*Participants may explore the hotel property and its surrounding areas as well as engage in informal discussion with other participants.

Start Time

The meeting will begin on Monday morning at 10:00 am in the Pavillon meeting room located at the Schloss Elmau Retreat. Breakfast will start at 8:30 am in La Salle restaurant.

Meeting Location

All symposium activities will take place in the Pavillon meeting room located at the Schloss Elmau Retreat.

AV

Participants will have access to a projector and screen for computer based talks as well as blackboards for those who prefer to give board-based talks. High-speed Internet access is available as well.

Wednesday Excursion

On Wednesday symposia activities will be shortened so that anyone interested may attend a hiking excursion. Participants will embark on a fully guided hiking tour from Schloss-Elmau through the Partnach Gorge. The hike difficulty is moderate and will take approximately 3 hours.

Dress Code

Business casual clothing should be worn during the symposia. The weather can change very quickly so we also advise bringing warm-weather clothing appropriate for spring in the mountains.If you plan on taking part in the hike to Partnach Gorge we advise you to wear hiking boots, or even better, light mountain boots, warm clothing (e.g. a sweater), sun protection (e.g. light cap) and take waterproofs (e.g. raincoat or umbrella) with you. Bringing along a small backpack or satchel in which to carry your water, camera and other items may also be useful to you.

Participants

Download participant list PDF here.

Sanjeev Arora Princeton University
Nikhil Bansal Eindhoven University of Technology
Sebastian Bubeck Microsoft
Julia Chuzoy TTI Chicago
Uriel Feige Weizmann Institute of Science
Michel Goemans MIT
Anupam Gupta Carnegie Mellon University
Elad Hazan Princeton University
Ravi Kannan Microsoft
Sanjeev Khanna University of Pennsylvania
Aleksander Madry MIT
Elchanan Mossel MIT
Seffi Naor Technion – Israel Institute of Technology
Shayan Oveis Gharan University of Washington
Thomas Rothvoss University of Washington
Aviad Rubinstein University of California, Berkeley
David Shmoys Cornell University
Ola Svensson EPFL
Vasilis Syrgkanis Microsoft Research
Greg Valiant Stanford University
Virginia Vassilevska Williams Stanford University
Nisheeth Vishnoi École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
Ryan Williams Stanford University
Travel

 

Air

The foundation will coordinate and purchase your air travel to the symposium. Please provide your travel specifications by clicking the registration link above.Participants arriving via plane will arrive via Munich International Airport (MUC).

Train

The closet train station to Schloss Elmau is Klais. Those traveling by train are advised to book their tickets directly and request reimbursement from the foundation at the conclusion of the meeting.All participants are required to arrive on Sunday prior to the meeting’s start and attend the entire week. No accommodations will be made for partial participation.

Additional Night at Elmau

The official departure date for all participants is Saturday (meeting activities conclude Friday evening). As a special bonus participants may depart on Sunday at no additional cost. Please note your desired departure date when registering.

Passports

Passports are required.

Local Ground Transportation

Arrival at Munich International Airport

The foundation will arrange for your transfer from MUC airport to Schloss Elmau via a private car. After claiming your luggage at baggage claim you will proceed to the exit where a uniformed driver holding a Schloss Elmau sign will greet you.Upon arrival at MUC, if you are unable to locate your driver please call Taxi Mathe directly.Taxi Mathe, Mr. Mathe
[email protected]
phone 08821 9663691
mobile 0170 8399 933Travel time from Munich to Schloss Elmau is 90 minutes.

Arrival at Klais Train Station

The foundation will arrange for your transfer from Klais train station to Schloss Elmau via a hotel shuttle.Travel time from Kalis to Elmau is approximately 15 minutes.

Departure from Schloss Elmau

The day prior to your departure you will receive a departure letter advising on your departure time to the airport or train station via private car. Please meet your driver in the hotel lobby ten minutes prior to your noted departure time. If for any reason your flight departure time changes, please visit the front desk to update hotel staff.
Hotel

Schloss Elmau Luxury Spa & Cultural Hideaway
In Elmau 2, 82493 Krün
Germany
Tel: +49 (0) 8823 18-0
www.schloss-elmau.de

Check-in time is at 4:30 PM
Check-out time is 11:30 AM

Meals

 

While Traveling

On days when participants are traveling to or from Germany the foundation will reimburse up to US $50 per day for meals.

Day of Arrival (Sunday)

Participants may dine on their own at any one of Schloss Elmau’s onsite restaurants, the cost of which will be covered by the foundation.

Monday through Friday

All meals occurring during the meeting week will be covered directly by the Simons Foundation. Participants are expected to be present for all foundation-hosted meals.Breakfast will be served daily starting at 7:30 AM at La Salle restaurant. Food at La Salle is served buffet-style and is open to all hotel guests and a table has been set aside so that symposia participants may dine together.

Lunch will be served daily at La Salle.

Dinner will be hosted around the hotel property at one of the restaurants. Locations are noted on the agenda.

Day of Departure (Saturday)

If departing on Saturday, your breakfast will be covered by the foundation. If you choose to depart on Sunday, you are responsible for all your meals from Saturday lunch onward.
Contacts

 

Registration and Travel Assistance

Christophe Vergnol
[email protected]
(646) 747-9767

Registration, Hotel and General Meeting Assistance

Meghan Fazzi
Senior Executive Assistant, Simons Foundation
[email protected]
(212) 524-6080
Reimbursement and Travel Policy

Any expenses not directly paid for by the Simons Foundation are subject to reimbursement based on the travel policy. An email will be sent within a week following the conclusion of the symposium with further instructions on submitting your expenses via the foundation’s web-based expense reimbursement platform.

Receipts are required for any expenses over $50 USD and are due within THIRTY DAYS (30) after the conclusion of the symposium. Should you have any questions, please contact Meghan Fazzi.

Guest Policy

It is the foundation’s policy to discourage spouses, families or others from joining participants during the meeting. Participants who choose to invite guests to come before or stay on after the meeting do so at their own expense. The Simons Foundation will not cover expenses associated with such extensions.

Additional Nights

Should you decide to extend your stay, Schloss Elmau will honor the conference rate of €337.50/night for up to two nights. Any nights beyond those associated with the conference will not be reimbursed by the foundation. Please note on your registration form if you wish to extend your stay.


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