Scheduling, Percolation, and the Worm Order

When can you schedule a multi-step process without having to take backward steps? Critical are an old concept called "submodularity", a new structure called the "worm order", and a variation of what physicists call "percolation". With these tools we will attempt to update the computer system
at UW, find a lost child in the Cascades, and minimize water usage in Seattle, all without backward steps.

Joint work in part with Graham Brightwell (LSE) and in part with Lizz Moseman (Dartmouth). (This talk is designed to be accessible to undergraduates interested in mathematics.)