Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Pierre Alquier

Samuel Vaiter @samuelvaiter.com · 4h

Les journées SMAI-MODE 2026 auront lieu à Nice du 18 au 20 mars 2026, précédées par un mini-cours les 16/17.

Vous pouvez déposer votre proposition de contrib sur mode2026.sciencesconf.org

Inscription à partir du 1er décembre pour finir le 1 mars (avec un tarif majoré à compter du 1 février).

Journées SMAI-MODE 2026 - Sciencesconf.org

Du 18 au 20 mars 2025, l'Université Côte d'Azur accueille les journées SMAI-MODE, la conférence biennale du groupe MODE de la Société de Mathématiques Appliquées et Industrielles (SMAI).

mode2026.sciencesconf.org

1 4 4

Pierre Alquier @pierrealquier.bsky.social · 14h

A beautiful animal, and a reminder that we can share our space with other animals, even big, safely. As long as you don't threaten them, these monitors are not aggressive.

3

Pierre Alquier @pierrealquier.bsky.social · 14h

You can also see on the video how clumsy they look whey walk on concrete. Because of their big claws?

In sharp contrast with how good they are at climbing trees, swimming, and walking on soft ground (grass etc).

This one was almost an adult (1.5m) and enjoying a good swim in Windsor nature park.

1

Pierre Alquier @pierrealquier.bsky.social · 14h

Asian water monitor.

The grown ups are huge, but also shy. If they see you around, they run away, and the path is free.

Babies, however, are surprisingly less easily scared. I was wondering how to make this one leave the road. I certainly didn't want to walk over nor get too close (they can bite).

1 8

Pierre Alquier @pierrealquier.bsky.social · 1d

Oh... I missed the news last month. John Searle passed away. Sad news.

search.app/gNYbx

John Searle obituary

American philosopher whose Chinese Room thought experiment rebuts the idea that computers can think as humans do

search.app

1

Reposted by Pierre Alquier

Anna Nagurney @annanagurney.bsky.social · 1d

Nice to see Howitt from my alma mater Brown receive the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics! Congrats to all!

The New York Times @nytimes.com · 1d

Breaking News: The Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics was awarded to Joel Mokyr, Philippe Aghion and Peter Howitt for their work on how technology drives growth.

Three Share Nobel in Economics for Work on How Technology Drives Growth

Joel Mokyr was awarded half of the prize, and Philippe Aghion and Peter Howitt shared the other half.

nyti.ms

1 1 2

Reposted by Pierre Alquier

Science X / Phys.org @sciencex.bsky.social · 1d

The Nobel economics prize recognizes advances in understanding how innovation and creative destruction drive sustained economic growth and improve living standards over time.

Nobel economics prize goes to 3 researchers for explaining innovation-driven economic growth

Joel Mokyr, Philippe Aghion and Peter Howitt won the Nobel memorial prize in economics Monday for "having explained innovation-driven economic growth."

phys.org

1 3

Reposted by Pierre Alquier

Anna Nagurney @annanagurney.bsky.social · 1d

A very moving tribute to Professor Hani Mahmassani, who passed away on July 15, 2025, at Northwestern University, now posted on youtube www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xk6... Karen Smilowitz and I are organizing a panel in honor of Hani for the @informs.bsky.social Annual Meeting. He is so deeply missed.

Memorial Service in Celebration of Hani S. Mahmassani

YouTube video by Northwestern Engineering

www.youtube.com

1 1 3

Reposted by Pierre Alquier

David Picard @davidpicard.bsky.social · 1d

I love how some of the packing square solutions look like a student who had to finish an assignment in a rush and couldn't care less about the beauty of the result 😆

kingbird.myphotos.cc/packing/squa...

5 18

Pierre Alquier @pierrealquier.bsky.social · 1d

More of the Crimson sunbird.

8

Pierre Alquier @pierrealquier.bsky.social · 1d

Here is a bird I saw a few times since I moved in Singapore, but I could not get a decent shot... Until yesterday!

Crimson sunbird @ Windsor nature park #birds

The Nature Society Singapore proposed this bird as the national bird. It certainly represents nicely the beauty of wildlife in Singapore!

2 1 30

Reposted by Pierre Alquier

Clément Canonne @ccanonne.github.io · 2d

Truly a fantastic line-up of speakers! Also: poster session (most likely involving gelato), reception, networking, Q&A: sites.google.com/view/celebra...

All that on the (beautiful) #USyd campus, in summery December, just before FOCS! #TCSSky

Confirmed Speakers
(Inspirational and Rising Stars)
Prof. Shafi Goldwasser (MIT)
Prof. Meena Mahajan (Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Chennai)
Ioana-Oriana Bercea (KTH)
Lorenzo Ciardo (Oxford University)
Jane Lange (MIT)
Yihui Quek (EPFL)
Santhoshini Velusamy (TTIC to University of Waterloo)
Hanzhi Wang (BARC to U Melbourne)

1 1 7

Reposted by Pierre Alquier

Clément Canonne @ccanonne.github.io · 2d

Attending #FOCS2025, or Theoretical CS (or adjacent) student in Australasia 🌏? On Dec 11-13, at #USyd, we will have a "Celebration of Theoretical CS" mentoring+research workshop. Amazing speakers, poster session, hike!

Free to attend (but registration is necessary): sites.google.com/view/celebra...

FOCS 2025 Satellite Event: Celebration of TCS

sites.google.com

1 3 13

Pierre Alquier @pierrealquier.bsky.social · 2d

Common flameback (girl) @ Punggol park #birds

26

Reposted by Pierre Alquier

arxiv math.ST @arxiv-math-st.bsky.social · 8d

Terje Mildner, Paris Giampouras, Theodoros Damoulas
Rates of Convergence of Generalised Variational Inference Posteriors under Prior Misspecification
https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.03109

1 5

Reposted by Pierre Alquier

EURO @euroonline.bsky.social · 3d

IPCO 2026 – 27th Conference on Integer Programming & Combinatorial Optimization, Jun 17–19, 2026, Padova, Italy.

The conference is a premier forum for researchers & practitioners working on various aspects of IP & combinatorial optimization.

events.math.unipd.it/ipco2026/

Deadline: Oct 31, 2025

IPCO 2026 - The 27th Conference on Integer Programming and Combinatorial Optimization | IPCO 2026

events.math.unipd.it

4 5

Reposted by Pierre Alquier

humphreyshi.bsky.social @humphreyshi.bsky.social · 5d

CVPR 2026 Workshop Call is officially open! 🎉

📅 Deadline: Nov 3, 2025
cvpr.thecvf.com/Conferences/...

We expect to host over 100 workshops this year — and this is where the next breakthroughs begin. 🚀

With Mei Chen,Erik Blasch,Brian Clipp,Sharon Huang,Andreas Savakis @cvprconference.bsky.social

8 15

Reposted by Pierre Alquier

Grand Labo @grandlabo.com · 3d

« Of the 202 Nobel laureates in physics, chemistry and medicine this century, less than 70% hail from the country in which they were awarded their prize. »

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

More than 30% of this century’s science Nobel prizewinners immigrated: see their journeys

The most common destination for eventual Nobel laureates in physics, chemistry and medicine since 2000 is the United States, Nature has found.

www.nature.com

2 8

Pierre Alquier @pierrealquier.bsky.social · 3d

You too!

1 1

Reposted by Pierre Alquier

EURO @euroonline.bsky.social · 3d

CALL FOR PARTICIPATION XXI Summer School in Discrete Mathematics, Viña del Mar, Chile. January 5-9, 2026. Application deadline: October 17, 2025.
eventos.cmm.uchile.cl/discretas2026/

XXI Escuela de Verano en Matemáticas Discretas | 5 al 9 de enero, 2026

eventos.cmm.uchile.cl

1 1

Reposted by Pierre Alquier

Gaël Varoquaux @gaelvaroquaux.bsky.social · 4d

A speech about what drives me, how science and open source are bitter victories, unable to make improve the world if society does not embrace them for the better:
gael-varoquaux.info/personnal/a-...

A national recognition; but science and open source are bitter victories

I have recently been awarded France’s national order of merit, for my career, in science, in open source, and around AI. The speech that I gave carries messages important to me (French below;...

gael-varoquaux.info

5 35 110

Reposted by Pierre Alquier

𝕍alérie ℝ. 🔆🌋🪄🐿️ @valrobert974.bsky.social · 4d

Webinaire de présentation organisé par l'Insee à propos de la compétition européenne de statistique !

www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAgq...

REPLAY - Webinaire Compétition européenne de statistiques - édition 2026

YouTube video by Insee Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

www.youtube.com

1 2

Pierre Alquier @pierrealquier.bsky.social · 3d

Thanks, but unfortunately, I already registered for a workshop in Marseille at that time. At @cirm-math.bsky.social

I won't miss the bouillabaisse.

But hopefully in 2026!

2

Pierre Alquier @pierrealquier.bsky.social · 3d

🤣

1

Pierre Alquier @pierrealquier.bsky.social · 3d

Oh wow, white-faced heron. It is so beautiful.

...

I should attend more conferences in Australia 😅

1 1