Omar Montasser, Assistant Professor in the Department of Statistics and Data Science at Yale revisits online binary classification by shifting the focus from competing with the best-in-class binary loss to competing against relaxed benchmarks that capture smoothed notions of optimality. Instead of measuring regret relative to the exact minimal binary error — a standard approach that leads to worst-case bounds tied to the Littlestone dimension — this work considers comparing with predictors that are robust to small input perturbations, perform well under Gaussian smoothing, or maintain a prescribed output margin. The algorithms achieve regret guarantees that depend only on the VC dimension and the complexity of the instance space (e.g., metric entropy), and notably, they incur only an O(log(1/γ)) dependence on the generalized margin γ. This stands in contrast to most existing regret bounds, which typically exhibit a polynomial dependence on 1/γ. We complement this with matching lower bounds. This work is based on joint work with Abhishek Shetty and Nikita Zhivotovskiy.Montasser's research broadly explores theory and foundations of machine learning. Prior to joining Yale, Montasser was a FODSI-Simons postdoctoral fellow at UC Berkeley. He earned his Ph.D. from the Toyota Technological Institute at Chicago in 2023.

The BES Colloquium Series is the research seminar series for the College of Environmental Sciences at the University of Rhode Island. BES students nominate speakers from across several disciplines including: Cell and Molecular Biology (CMB), Ecology and Ecosystem Science (EES), Environmental and Earth Sciences (EVES), Evolution and Marine Biology (EMB), and Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems (SAFS). Invited speakers spend the day at URI visiting with faculty and graduate students.The full and complete schedule can be found here: https://marineevoecolab.github.io/BES-Colloquium/

Come join us to learn about study abroad opportunities for Chinese students and enjoy some delicious ice cream! Returning students who have studied abroad this summer or last year will present posters about their experience. The event will take place on Friday, 9/19 in the Language Center (Swan 301) from 3:00 to 4:30 pm. We look forward to seeing you there! Register here https://forms.gle/9CCoVcEEgxjj3C7cA by noon on Thursday, 9/18.

URI's Forensic Science Partnership lecture series is one of the more unique lecture series in Rhode Island. The Sept. 19 topic is “Pulling off the world’s biggest heist,” with Anthony Amore ’89, director of security, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston. Amore is charged with the museum’s ongoing efforts to recover 13 works of art stolen in 1990. He is also the author of The Rembrandt Heist, new this fall. All lectures are open to the public at no cost and are held on Fridays at 3:30 p.m. in the Richard E. Beaupre Center for Chemical and Forensic Sciences (Room 100), 140 Flagg Rd., Kingston. Schedule subject to change; join email list for updates. Those who cannot attend in person may view the lectures live online. Details: https://www.uri.edu/news/2025/09/crime-fridays-return-to-uri/

President Parlange will present his annual State of the University Address, followed by a barbecue on the lawn of the President’s House.Date: Friday, September 19, 2025 Time: • 4:00–5:00 p.m. – State of the University Address at Edwards Hall • 5:30–7:30 p.m. – Barbecue on the President’s LawnThe event is open to all URI Students, faculty and staff members. RSVP by September 16 as space is limited.For those unable to attend in person, a livestream of the event will be available.For more information, please contact the Office of University Events at 401.874.2864.

President Marc B. Parlange invites you to attend the annualSTATE OF THE UNIVERSITY ADDRESSFriday, September 19, 2025 from 4:00 to 5:00pm Edwards Hall, University of Rhode Island 64 Upper College Road, Kingston, Rhode IslandFollowing the address, faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends are invited to a casual and fun barbecue featuring lawn games and cookout fare5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the President's House, 56 Upper College Road, Kingston. RSVP Here Please respond by September 16. Space is limited | For those unable to attend in person, a livestream of the event will be available.For more information, please contact the Office of University Events at 401.874.2864.The University of Rhode Island strives to provide inclusive access to events. If you need a reasonable accommodation or have a question about accessing this event, please call 401.874.2864 at least five business days in advance. For TTY assistance, please call the R.I. Relay Service at 711.Visit URInvolved for complete event details.