#AcademicRunPlaylist - 5/20/25

It was chillier out today, but I still was able to get out for a bit and listen to talks for my #AcademicRunPlaylist!

First was an interesting talk by Yewei Huang on localization and mapping for distributed multi-robot teams at the Maryland Robotics Center (MRC) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRVs7VHCiow

Next was an excellent talk by Manish Raghavan on information sharing, competition, and collusion via algorithms at the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l40NiXDy7yE

Next was a fascinating talk by Heiko Kabutz on shape morphing insect robots (!) at the MRC https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7f2VJskRJLk

Next was a short talk by Aspen Hopkins on understanding and regulating AI supply chains at Schwarzman https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLFNvtuduVE

Next was a nice talk by Laura Zheng on modeling driver personas for behavior simulation at MRC https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86itHw58Z5M

Next was a great talk by Ignacio Cofone on the complex role of transparency in ethically disclosing AI decision system operations at the Saïd Business School https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZtHj8H0_GA

Next was a thought-provoking talk by Pablo Egana del Sol on AI and the future of work in developing countries at the Oxford Martin School https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyBMO2oxiJM

Next was a timely conversation with Michael Clemens on the role of immigration in the US economy and the likely impact of recent moves by the current administration at the Peterson Institute for International Economics https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnlNHa8fETI

Next was a compelling talk by Melanie Morten on the people/place impact of infrastructure investments at the CEPR - Centre for Economic Policy Research https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3GjM1NkvSg

Next was an important talk by Happe Francesca on changes in the concept of autism at the Blavatnik School of Government. Happé clearly articulates the historical arc of the definition and diagnosis of autism, problematic diagnostics and treatments, and the move towards valuing neurodiversity. Highly recommend https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBr2SzrtWlc

Last was "The Language Game" by Morten Christiansen and Nick Chater. If you want to get fired up about language and linguistics, this is the book for you. Covering the neurological underpinnings of language production and comprehension, linguistic theory, and the philosophy of language with scientific rigor and an engaging narrative, Christiansen and Chater methodically work through how language is a fundamental part of the human experience. There are also a variety of illuminating case studies sprinkled throughout, from languages that illustrate extremes to the incredible example of Laura Bridgman, who essentially learned how to spell before learning language. This book was also mercifully written before the rise of LLMs (although there's an unfortunate epilogue chapter that goes a bit over the rails). Highly recommend https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/morten-h-christiansen/the-language-game/9781541674981/