Reproducible Research and the Common Task Method
Presidential Lectures are free public colloquia centered on four main themes: Biology, Physics, Mathematics and Computer Science, and Neuroscience and Autism Science. These curated, high-level scientific talks feature leading scientists and mathematicians and are intended to foster discourse and drive discovery among the broader NYC-area research community. We invite those interested in the topic to join us for this weekly lecture series.
The ‘Reproducible Research’ idea posits that publishing data and code, not just statistical summaries, makes for better and faster science. In particular, shared datasets and shared evaluation metrics lower barriers to entry, and allow meaningful comparison of scientific hypotheses with engineering algorithms.
In this lecture, Mark Liberman will describe the origins and development of the ‘Common Task’ method in DARPA’s human language technology program, its broader influence on recent research and development practices, and its lessons for the future. Large, shared datasets and well-defined evaluation metrics allow the steady improvement of technologies a decade or more in advance of commercial viability. There are important opportunities to apply similar ideas in a wide variety of areas, from autism research to STEM education and writing instruction.
Registration information coming soon.
If this lecture is videotaped, it will be posted here after production.