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Algorithms & Randomness Center (ARC)
Philip N. Klein (Brown)
Monday, March 27, 2017
Klaus 1116 East - 11:00 am
Title: Approximation Schemes for Planar Graphs: A Survey of Methods
Abstract:
In addressing an NP-hard problem in combinatorial optimization, one way to cope is to use an approximation scheme, an algorithm that, for any given ϵ>0, produces a solution whose value is within a 1+ϵ factor of optimal. For many problems on graphs, obtaining such accurate approximations is NP-hard if the input is allowed to be any graph but is tractable if the input graph is required to be planar.
Research on polynomial-time approximation schemes for optimization problems in planar graphs goes back to the pioneering work of Lipton and Tarjan (1977) and Baker (1983). Since then, however, the scope of problems amenable to approximation has broadened considerably. In this talk I will outline some of the approaches used, especially those that have led to recent results.
Speaker's Bio:
Phil Klein is Professor of Computer Science at Brown University. He received an A.B. in Applied Mathematics from Harvard and a Ph.D. in Computer Science from MIT. His research area is algorithms for finding optimal and approximately optimal solutions to optimization problems in graphs and networks.
He is an ACM Fellow, a recipient of the Presidential Young Investigator Award, and a recipient of Brown University's Philip J. Bray Award for Excellence in Teaching in the Sciences. He was the SODA Program Committee Chair in 2017, and a Radcliffe Institute
Fellow in 2016-2017.
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