Boston Computation Club

Max von Hippel

Large Language Models

Cryptography

Zero-Knowledge Proofs

Formal Verification

Language Models

Artificial Intelligence

Program Synthesis

Mixnets

Causal Inference

Knowledge Graphs

Gut Microbiome

LERC

Smart Contracts

Generative AI

Machine Learning

Bioinformatics

Argument Computer Corporation

Biomedical Applications

Gene Expression

Statistical Methods

The Boston Computation Club is a small seminar group focused on mathematical computer science, and computational mathematics. Its name is plagiarized from the London Computation Club. Boston Computation Club meetings occur roughly every other week, on weekends, around 5pm EDT (modulo speaker availability). The usual format is a 20m presentation followed by 40m of discussion. Some, but not all, mee... more

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Publishes	Daily	Episodes	89	Founded	5 years ago
Number of Listeners		Categories	MathematicsScience

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Latest Episodes

Sum-check protocol: categorical view, Alex Sorokin

Alex is a friend of mine and a mathematician. He did his PhD in mathematics with other Alex (Martsinkovsky), who has presented at the seminar group previously. We're huge fans of both Alexes at the Boston Computation Club and we hope you enjoy this t... more

8 Sep 2026 • 46 min

P-stability for 3-uniform Hypergraphs, Daniel Yu

Today Daniel Yu gave a pure math talk on an extension he performed independently of work he had conducted during his math semester abroad in Budapest.

8 Sep 2026 • 1 hr 4 min

Understanding patterns of adoption and adaptation of open models on local systems, Woohyeuk (Kevin) Lee

Today Woohyeuk (Kevin) Lee joined us to discuss local AI (and the question of just how local it really is). This is exciting work at the intersection of computer science and social science! Enjoy.

8 Sep 2026 • 35 min

Cellular automata and artificial life in the deep learning era, Casey Martin

Casey Martin is a dirtbag intellectual, local savant, and recent PhD in the Boulder metro area. He's a party favorite and today he joined us to discuss cellular automata and their generalizations. Enjoy!

8 Sep 2026 • 1 hr 9 min

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Recent Guests

Alex Sorokin

Speaker on Sum-check protocol and category theory

Episode: Sum-check protocol: categorical view, Alex Sorokin

Casey Martin

Microbiologist turned computational enthusiast, presenting on cellular automata and artificial life

Episode: Cellular automata and artificial life in the deep learning era, Casey Martin

Zach Maas

Researcher presenting on introspection across model depth and interpretability

Independent researcher; Coefficient Giving (grantholder)

Episode: 06/26/26: Tracing Introspection Across Model Depth, Zach Maas

Peter McGrath

Mathematician presenting a conceptual proof of the Hairy Ball Theorem

Geometric Analysis researcher

Episode: An Extremely Short Proof of the Hairy Ball Theorem with Peter McGrath

Pascal Kesseli

Researcher likely affiliated with Arc AGI; guest on the session

Arc AGI

Episode: Logic.py: Bridging the Gap between LLMs and Constraint Solvers with Pascal Kesseli

Daniel Melcer

Presenter, researcher presenting on Approximately Aligned Decoding

Amazon (internship work) / Advisor's group focus on RL in FM & AI

Episode: 2/17/26: Approximately Aligned Decoding with Daniel Melcer

Chenfeng Wei

Presenter and researcher

Episode: VeriExploit: Automatic Bug Reproduction in Smart Contracts via LLMs and Formal Methods, Chenfeng Wei

Xiao Mao

PhD student at Stanford University

Stanford University

Episode: Breaking the Sorting Barrier for Directed Single-Source Shortest Paths - Xiao Mao

Michael Sammler

Researcher focused on foundational verification of low-level programs

Episode: 07/25/25: RefinedC: Automating the Foundational Verification of C Code with Refined Ownership Types with Michael Sammler

Chart Rankings

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Apple Podcasts	#79	United States/Science/Mathematics
Apple Podcasts	#54	Canada/Science/Mathematics
Apple Podcasts	#44	Germany/Science/Mathematics
Apple Podcasts	#48	Australia/Science/Mathematics
Apple Podcasts	#7	Argentina/Science/Mathematics
Apple Podcasts	#22	Norway/Science/Mathematics
Apple Podcasts	#31	Sweden/Science/Mathematics
Apple Podcasts	#41	Japan/Science/Mathematics
Apple Podcasts	#233	Argentina/Science

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Understanding patterns of adoption and adaptation of open models on local systems, Woohyeuk (Kevin) Lee

Q: Can you explain the Chinese open-source models' approach and why they are often hosted locally or in OSS ecosystems?

Chinese models tend to have more detailed training documentation, which supports transparent replication and local deployment; open weights allow external inference providers to operate within local premises, and government incentives historically promote open-source ecosystems as part of broader strategic aims.

Understanding patterns of adoption and adaptation of open models on local systems, Woohyeuk (Kevin) Lee

Q: What about the role of companies like Prime Intellect or Thinking Machines in the local AI scene—are they helping or hindering local adoption?

These companies have open-weight initiatives and can influence the ecosystem by providing large models and infrastructure; they contribute to a landscape where openness persists, but there is also a push to ensure domestic capability and competition with international players, especially in the US.

Understanding patterns of adoption and adaptation of open models on local systems, Woohyeuk (Kevin) Lee

Q: Where do you see quantization and model-size reductions heading in the near future?

Quantization is evolving, but the bigger shift may be the emergence of mixture-of-experts and clever data-management strategies that let a larger model run efficiently on modest hardware by streaming weights and loading expert components as needed, enabling near-dense performance with less VRAM.

Sum-check protocol: categorical view, Alex Sorokin

Q: Does each of these like zero-knowledge schemes basically have this shape where it's like you have this kind of elaborate commutative diagram and you play a game moving around the diagram?

Alex confirms that zero-knowledge constructions rely on the commutativity of the involved operations, and that the protocol's integrity comes from this diagrammatic structure rather than ad hoc steps.

06/26/26: Tracing Introspection Across Model Depth, Zach Maas

Q: If you remove a chunk of layers, is the observed yes/no shift due to a general mechanism or localized neurons, and can this be replicated across questions?

The observed effect is localized to the end of the model with a small subset of neurons driving the shift; interventions on these neurons can flip the output from no to yes across various binary formats, indicating a robust, mechanistic basis.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Boston Computation Club

What is Boston Computation Club about and what kind of topics does it cover?

This series centers on deep-dive explorations at the intersection of mathematics, computer science, and AI, featuring researchers who present rigorous ideas and open questions, followed by extensive audience discussion. Episodes commonly cover topics like formal methods, cryptography, algorithm design, mechanistic interpretability, cellular automata and artificial life, open-weight local AI, and theoretical computer science results, often paired with practical demonstrations and Q&A. A standout aspect is the blend of abstract theory with accessible explanations and tangible visuals, plus a consistent emphasis on the implications and applications of theoretical work to real systems. The format—short, focused talks followed by robust discussi... more

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How many episodes of Boston Computation Club are there?

Boston Computation Club launched 5 years ago and published 89 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on Boston Computation Club?

Recent guests on Boston Computation Club include:

1. Alex Sorokin
2. Casey Martin
3. Zach Maas
4. Peter McGrath
5. Pascal Kesseli
6. Daniel Melcer
7. Chenfeng Wei
8. Xiao Mao

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