CICS Students and Regional Researchers Connect at CS Theory and Computer Vision Events
The two events reflect CICS’ role in supporting regional research activity and student participation while facilitating collaboration across institutions.
Content
Researchers from across New England met at the University of Massachusetts Amherst this fall for two regional events organized by faculty from the Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences (CICS). Focused on theoretical computer science and computer vision, the events served as forums for researchers, students, and industry professionals to share research, exchange ideas, and strengthen regional research networks.
In mid-October, the UMass Amherst Theory Group hosted the inaugural 2025 New England Theory Day, a CICS-funded event that featured researchers and community members for research talks, poster sessions, and opportunities for discussion.
The following month, Assistant Professor Grant Van Horn and Professor Subhransu Maji organized the New England Computer Vision (NECV) Workshop 2025 at UMass Amherst. Held annually at rotating institutions, the workshop highlights graduate research in computer vision and related fields.
Together, the two events reflect CICS’ role in supporting regional research activity and student participation while facilitating collaboration across institutions.
2025 New England Theory Day
On October 17, approximately 120 participants from 15 institutions attended New England Theory Day at the Lederle Graduate Research Center. The program included research presentations, lightning talks, and a poster session covering a range of topics in theoretical computer science.
“The main goal was to bring together researchers working on theoretical computer science from around the New England region and help build a stronger community in the area,” said Associate Professor Cameron Musco, a member of the UMass Amherst Theory Group who helped organize the event.
CICS undergraduate and graduate students played a central role in the event. Nearly 50 students participated as presenters, volunteers, or attendees, engaging with visiting researchers and peers from other institutions.
“By building a stronger theory community in New England, we give our students more opportunities to meet collaborators or connect with future job prospects,” Musco said.
Invited talks highlighted theoretical research with connections across computer science and related fields, reflecting the range of academic interests among CICS students, from machine learning to quantum computing.
Researchers from Harvard University, Yale University, Boston University, and other institutions presented work on topics including diffusion models for text generation, mathematical frameworks related to gerrymandering, and theoretical models of human-AI collaboration. CICS students also presented their own research during lightning talks and the poster session, with projects spanning machine learning, quantum computing, sustainable computing, and related areas.
Musco said the inaugural New England Theory Day met its objectives, citing strong participation from students and faculty, and coordination support from the CICS Events Team.
New England Computer Vision Workshop 2025
On November 21, more than 150 researchers, students, and industry participants gathered in the Marriott Room on the 11th floor of the Campus Center for the New England Computer Vision Workshop 2025. The program featured oral presentations and poster sessions focused on recent developments in computer vision research.
The 2025 workshop marked the 10th anniversary of the event, which was first held at UMass in 2015. Since then, it has rotated among host institutions across New England.
“Hosting at UMass is a good way to bring those relationships directly to CICS,” said Maji. “It provides students with direct access to nearby experts, and it often leads to follow-up conversations that turn into mentorship, shared datasets, internships, and joint projects.”
A total of 64 research works were presented, covering topics such as 3D and 4D reconstruction, vision-language models, large language models, and novel sensing and imaging techniques. CICS students participated as presenters and attendees, contributing research posters and engaging in technical discussions with peers and faculty from across the region.
“For us, research isn’t just about publishing papers,” Maji said. “It’s about creating a community of like-minded experts who want to advance knowledge.”
