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MDS20 Virtual Talks

Register for MDS20 Virtual Talks

SIAM and the Conference on Mathematics of Data Science (MDS20) Co-chairs are pleased to be able to offer many of the invited plenary talks, minitutorials, and minisymposia scheduled for MDS20 in virtual format. You can find the schedule of these talks here. Invited plenaries and minitutorials will be coordinated directly by the MDS20 co-chairs and SIAM staff. Due to the number and variability of arrangements necessary for minisymposia sessions, we are asking the minisymposia session organizers who have indicated their interest in running virtual sessions to schedule their own sessions and enter the information via a separate spreadsheet which automatically feeds the virtual program.

Viewing the Talks

Planning to tune into MDS20 talks? Remember to check out the schedule; some talks require registration. All talks will happen live online and then be available afterwards on SIAM’s Conference YouTube channel. Additionally, all invited plenaries will be livestreamed on SIAM’s YouTube in order to avoid exceeding registration caps.

Navigating the Virtual Program

The MDS20 Virtual Program – found here – contains the following fields. When opening the document, you might be asked whether to allow updates – please select yes to receive the latest session information.

  • Hyperlink to Session in Original Program links back to session information contained in the original MDS20 program.
  • Session Type identifies whether the session is an invited plenary, minitutorial, or minisymposium. Invited plenaries and minitutorials will be delivered live via Zoom and will collect registrations in advance. Additional viewers will be able to watch live (and later on demand) via SIAM’s YouTube channel, due to Zoom’s participant capacity. Minisymposium organizers are being asked to offer their sessions via Zoom or other webconferencing platforms. Some of these will collect registrations in advance on a first-come first-served basis.
  • Titles Linked to Original Program gives the title of the session. Talk titles within each session can be seen by clicking through to the session in the original MDS20 program.
  • Organizers/Speakers identifies the speakers for plenaries (IPs) and minitutorials (MTs) and the organizers listed for each MS session in the original MDS20 program.
  • Hyperlink to Virtual Session is a link to participate in the session. In some cases, this will contain links to a registration page; in others it will link directly to the Zoom webinar.
  • Virtual Session Date indicates the date on which the live virtual session is to take place.
  • Virtual Session Start Time indicates the start time of the live session in the Eastern Daylight Time zone.
  • Virtual Session End Time indicates the end time of the live session in the Eastern Daylight Time zone.
  • Hyperlink to Speaker Files and Recordings links to a folder containing files (e.g., slides in PDF format or talks recorded in MP4 format) that the speakers in a session have provided for attendees to review in advance of the live virtual session. These directories may or may not contain files depending on the format (e.g., synchronous talks vs. asynchronous talks with live Q&A) decided upon by the minisymposium organizer. All organizers are being asked to store recordings of their live sessions in this folder. Recordings in this folder will ultimately be uploaded to SIAM’s YouTube channel.

Virtual Program FAQ

Q: Do all sessions require registration in advance?

A: All plenary (IP) and minitutorial (MT) sessions will be provided via Zoom links that require registration in advance. It is up to minisymposium (MS) organizers to decide whether they wish to collect registrations or simply offer a direct link to the session platform. The column labeled “Hyperlink to Virtual Session” provides links either to the registration page or to the session platform.

Q: How do I view the sessions in chronological order? 

A: Each column header (in Row 3) has a small white-colored filter/sort box. Click on that box and select “Sort Ascending” first in the column labeled “Virtual Session Start Time” and then in the column labeled “Virtual Session Date.”

Q: How do I view only plenary talks (IPs)/minitutorials (MTs)/minisymposia (MSs)?

A: Click on the filter/sort box mentioned above in the column labeled “Session Type.” Select “Filter…” and choose the session types you would like to view.

Q: Why does the “Hyperlink to Speaker Files and Recordings” link not work (or why is the directory empty)? 

A: SIAM has provided these directories for speakers to upload any recordings they would like to make available to session participants in advance of their session. Not all speakers have chosen to do this. Minisymposium organizers are also encouraged to upload a recording of the virtual MS session to this directory.

Q: Why is there no session information for many of the minisymposia (MS)? 

A: Due to the compressed time frame in which MDS20 has pivoted to virtual format, SIAM is providing this platform for MS organizers to publicize information for sessions they organize. Not all organizers will choose to hold virtual sessions. Those who do will populate this virtual program with their session information on an ongoing basis. You are encouraged to check regularly for new session information.

Q: I am having trouble manipulating the Excel spreadsheet on my smartphone. Why? 

A: Unfortunately, some features of Excel appear to be disabled when accessing the sheet through Sharepoint on a smartphone.

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