Friday, November 20, 2009, Hoffman Hall 306, 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM

"Modeling Discretion, Knowledge and Coordination in Professional Service Systems"

ABSTRACT: The American economy has been shifting away from traditional manufacturing activities and toward service and professional functions. In the early 1900s, only three out of ten workers in the United States were working in the service sector. By 1950, this number was five out of ten. More than forty million new jobs have been created in the service sector in the last thirty years. Today, the service sector employs eight out of every ten workers in the United States, and accounts for approximately 70 percent of U.S. national income. While in some service operations tasks are routine and well-defined, in others, which we call professional service systems, tasks are not routine; they are knowledge-intensive, they depend on worker's discretion, and they require a high level of coordination. In this talk we focus on these three features of professional service systems. We show that introducing discretion in task completion adds a fourth variability buffer, i.e., quality, to the well-known variability buffers of capacity, inventory, and time. In the second part of the talk we develop a modeling framework that includes the knowledge of the worker into the decision process and introduce a new class of networks: knowledge-based decision-flow networks. These networks allow us to evaluate the simultaneous impact of decision-making and task processing on the performance of some professional service systems. Finally, we focus on the issue of coordination in large professional service systems. Specifically, we develop a new approach to characterizing the lack of coordination between product architecture and organizational interactions in the vehicle development process of a large U.S. auto manufacturer.

BIO: Seyed Iravani is an associate professor in the department of Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences at Northwestern University. He got his PhD from University of Toronto, and worked as postdoctoral fellow in the Industrial and Operations Engineering department at the University of Michigan. He has been working with GM, Ford, Cisco, Motorola, Feeding America, and Mobile CARE among others on several projects related to the design and control issues of manufacturing and service operation systems and non-profit supply chains. His research interests are in the applications of stochastic processes and queueing theory in production and service operations and supply chains. He has served as Associate Editor for Management Science, IIE Transactions, and Navel Research Logistics. Currently he is the Department Editor for Service Operations Engineering for IIE Transactions and Associate Editor for Operations Research.]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=SEM200911030000000000.000.021 http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=WOR200911030000000000.000.013 http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=OTH200911041900210000.000.017 http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=SEM200911041530165000.000.002 Short Bio:\NJingzhao Ou joined Xilinx in 2006 after obtaining his Ph.D. degree in Computer Engineer at the University of Southern California. He actively performs research and development in the area of hardware/software codesign and co-debugging. Recently, he is heavily involved in the design of Xilinx next generation hardware platforms and software development tools.

Host: Prof. Viktor K. Prasanna]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=WOR200911160000000000.000.017 Reservations are required for Meet USC. This program occurs twice, once at 9:00 a.m. and again at 1:00 p.m. Please visit http://www.usc.edu/admission/undergraduate/visit/meet_usc.html to check availability and make an appointment. Be sure to list an Engineering major as your "intended major" on the webform!]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=WOR200911041215133000.000.015 http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=WOR200911041830200000.000.005 http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=WOR200911041830200000.000.013 http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=WOR200911041830200001.000.005 nsbe@usc.edu]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=EVE200911051530165000.000.008 Title: "Network Models and Optimization: Multiobjective Hybrid GA Approach"

Guest Speaker: Mitsuo Gen, PhD, Fuzzy Logic Systems Institute, Iizuka, Japan, gen@flsi.or.jp

Date/Time/Place: Thursday, November 5, 2009, 3:30–4:50 PM, Andrus Gerontology Building (GER) Room 309

ABSTRACT: Network models provide a useful way for modeling various real world problems and are extensively used in many different types of systems: Mechanical, Electronic, Communications, Manufacturing and Logistics areas. Network design optimization is basically a fundamental issue in various fields, including Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, Engineering, Management, and Operations Research. Network models and design optimization for various Routing/Scheduling problems in Transportation, Communication, Manufacturing and Logistics systems also provide a useful way as one of case studies in real world problems and are extensively used in practice. \NGenetic and Evolutionary Algorithms in AI (Artificial Intelligence) technique have recently received a considerable attention because of its potential of being a very effective design optimization technique for solving various NP hard problems and complex Information Processing, Manufacturing and Logistics systems. \NThe Tutorial introduces a thorough treatment of Multiobjective Hybrid Genetic Algorithms (moh-GA) to treat the following network optimization problems based on the book, M. Gen, R. Cheng & L. Lin: "Network Models and Optimization: Multiobjective Genetic Algorithm Approach", 710pp, Springer, London, 2008:

Part 1. Shortest Path Routing Models

Part 2. MST (Minimum Spanning Tree)-based Network Models

Part 3. AGV (Automatic Guided Vehicle) Network Model in FMS

BIO: Dr. Mitsuo Gen is a Visiting Scientist at Fuzzy Logic Systems Institute, Iizuka, Japan since Aug. 2009 and was a Visiting Prof. at Pohang University of Science & Technology (Sept. 2008 - Feb. 2009) and joined as a Professor at Graduate School of Information, Production and Systems, Waseda University, Japan since April 2003. He received a PhD in Engineering from Kogakuin University in 1974 and PhD in Informatics from Kyoto University in 2006. He was a Lecturer during 1974–1980, an Associate Professor during 1980–1987, a Professor during 1987–2003 at Ashikaga Institute of Technology. He was a Visiting Associate Professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USA in 1981–1982 and a Visiting Professor at University of California at Berkeley, USA from Aug. 1999 to March 2000.

His research interests include Genetic & Evolutionary Algorithms, Artificial Neural Network, Fuzzy Logic & Systems and their applications to scheduling, network design, system reliability design, etc. He has authored several books, such as Genetic Algorithms and Engineering Design, John Wiley & Sons, New York (1997), Genetic Algorithms and Engineering Optimization, John Wiley & Sons, New York (2000) with Dr. R. Cheng and Network Models and Optimization: Multiobjective Genetic Algorithm Approach, Springer, London (2008) with Dr. R. Cheng and Dr. L. Lin, edited Intelligent and Evolutionary Systems, 240pp, Studies in Computational Intelligence, vol. 187, Springer-Verlag, Heidelberg (2009) by Dr. M. Gen et al. and published many papers in network design and optimization area from international journals.]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=SEM200911050000000000.000.009 Presents

Yi Tang

University of California,Los Angeles

Abstract:TBA]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=SEM200911051400150000.000.006 Abstract:

Structural deterioration, excessive loading, impact damage, and corrosion have been identified as critical and long-term problems that constantly threaten the integrity and reliability of structural systems (e.g., civil infrastructures, aircrafts, and naval vessels). In particular, the field of structural health monitoring (SHM) and damage detection provides quantitative global- and component-scale structural response data for monitoring the performance of these structures; however, most sensors are subjected to performance limitations (e.g., sensitivity, dynamic range, bandwidth, and form factor) and only offer measurement of structural behavior at discrete locations. In this regard, nanotechnology offers a plethora of nanomaterial fabrication techniques for the design of next-generation multifunctional nanostructured systems to solve complex engineering problems. Multifunctional systems are defined to possess a diverse suite of engineering functionalities including self-sensing, actuation, self-healing, power harvesting, among many others. Here, carbon nanotubes are employed and encoded with a variety of electrochemical and electromechanical sensing transduction mechanisms for structural health monitoring and damage identification. First, using a layer-by-layer nanocomposite assembly technique, the films' electrical properties change linearly in response to applied external stimuli (e.g., tensile-compressive cyclic loading and pH). When coupled with radio frequency identification (RFID) technologies, a low cost and high performance passive wireless sensor is fabricated for densely-distributed SHM. Laboratory validation studies demonstrate that these sensors can measure strain and pH/corrosion at its instrumented locations, but damage localization requires interpolation between sensors. Alternatively, the proposed carbon nanotube-based films are paired with an electrical impedance tomographic conductivity image reconstruction algorithm. Specifically, the nanocomposite "sensing skins" are validated for spatial strain, pH, corrosion, and impact damage sensing and is shown to be capable of accurately identifying damage (i.e., strain, impact, and corrosion) location and magnitude. Biography Dr. Kenneth J. Loh is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering at the University of California, Davis. He received his B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from Johns Hopkins University in 2004. He continued his graduate studies at the University of Michigan where he completed his M.S. degree in Civil Engineering in 2005, a second M.S. degree in Materials Science & Engineering in 2008, and a Ph.D. degree in Civil Engineering in 2008. His research interests include the development of multifunctional nanocomposites, biologically-inspired materials for sensing, actuation, and power harvesting applications, and wireless sensing.\N]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=WOR200911051730193000.000.013 http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=WOR200911051800193000.000.015 For more detailed information please visit the Spotlight website at - http://viterbi.usc.edu/students/undergrad/fye/spotlight.htm\

Dinner is provided.

RSVP to viterbi.studentservices@usc.edu with subject line: "RSVP for Spotlight on 11/5".]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=OTH200911061900210000.000.017 http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=SEM200911061300135000.000.015 http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=SEM200911061400150000.000.002 Everything You Know About Wireless Is About to Change.\NEverything beyond and around us in old Wired World is undergoing a rapid\Nchange in terms of networks, devices/boxes and in terms of technologies.

The Talk covers the following topics relating to the evolution of our Wired\Nand Wireless World:

• Quick Introduction into exiting Radio Uses\N – Quick update of our Radios & Cellular Wireless - 4G\N• Overview of Consumer World - Wireless Electronics Evolution\N – 7 New Worlds of RF-Wireless with the Internet & the Screen\N• Overview of Wireless Connected Power Networks\N – IEEE, NIST, DoE and Other Groups\N• Overview of Wireless Health Connected Devices\N – IEEE, Alliance Groups and NIST\N• Overview of Broadband Wireless Stimulus Plan – DoE, NIST, IEEE\N• A Brief look beyond to the Cognitive Radio World uses as being\Nenvisioned by ITU - 5G]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=SEM200911061430153000.000.002 Abstract: A brief overview of different MIMO radar concepts is provided. The performance of statistical MIMO (multiple-input multiple-output) radar configurations that use distributed antennas is analyzed in detail. Statistical MIMO radars exploit angular diversity to mitigate the impact of radar cross section (RCS) fluctuations. The fluctuations can be modeled with the Swerling scattering model consisting of four different cases with either fast or slow target RCS fluctuations. In this paper, the performance of different statistical MIMO radar configurations is compared in the different Swerling cases. Both target detection and direction of arrival estimation tasks are considered.

We derive the optimal test statistics for target detection for non-orthogonal waveforms in all the Swerling cases in single-pulse as well as multi-pulse scenarios. In the direction finding task, confidence bounds of the squared estimation error of the different configurations are compared. The comparison is done in terms of the confidence bounds as the Cramer-Rao bounds are not defined for all the cases and configurations. The pros and cons of the angular diversity and each radar configuration are pointed out in different fluctuation scenarios.

If time allows, beampattern optimization in MIMO radar will be considered as well.

This is joint work with my student Tuomas Aittomäki

Biography: Visa Koivunen (Senior Member, IEEE) received his D.Sc. (Tech) degree with honors from the University of Oulu, Dept. of Electrical Engineering. He received the primus doctor (best graduate) award among the doctoral graduates in years 1989-1994. From 1992 to 1995 he was a visiting researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA. Since 1999 he has been a Professor of Signal Processing at Helsinki University of Technology (HUT), Finland. He is one of the Principal Investigators in SMARAD (Smart Radios and Wireless Systems) Center of Excellence in Radio and Communications Engineering nominated by the Academy of Finland. Years 2003-2007 he was also adjunct full professor at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA. During his sabbatical leave in 2006-2007 he was Visiting Fellow at Nokia Research Center as well as visiting fellow at Princeton University. Year 2009 he was appointed to Academy of Finland distinguished professor position until year 2014.

Dr. Koivunen's research interest include statistical, communications and sensor array signal processing. He has published about 300 papers in international scientific conferences and journals. He co-authored the several papers receiving the best papers in conferences. He has been awarded the IEEE Signal Processing Society best paper award for the year 2007 (co-authored with J. Eriksson). He is member of the IEEE SAM and SPCOM technical committees.

Host: Andreas Molisch, 04670, EEB 530, molisch@usc.edu\N]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=STU200911060900140000.000.015 http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=STU200911061600180000.000.005 Come join us in learning the intricacies involved in designing an environmentally friendly and innovative commercial transport aircraft. It's not too late to be a part of the team!

If you have any questions, contact AIAA at aiaa@usc.edu]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=WOR200911060000000000.000.017 Reservations are required for Meet USC. This program occurs twice, once at 9:00 a.m. and again at 12:00 p.m. Please visit http://www.usc.edu/admission/undergraduate/visit/meet_usc.html to check availability and make an appointment. Be sure to list an Engineering major as your "intended major" on the webform!]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=STU200911071100160001.000.005 asbme@usc.edu NOW! \NWhen - 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM, Saturday, 11/7. \NDon't worry, we'll be back in time for the Arizona St. game (5 PM PT at Arizona St.) =]

]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=OTH200911091900210000.000.017 http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=SEM200911090000000000.000.021 http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=SEM200911091230133000.000.004 http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=STU200911091900200000.000.005 Abstract: As device technology continues to scale into the nanometer regime enabling an exponential growth in the number of transistors integrated on a chip, the ability of computer systems to exploit potential processing parallelism hinges on sound interconnection network design. Interconnection networks provide connectivity between multiple computer system components to support communication of growing amounts of data reliably in minimal time, energy, and cost. Advancements in this aspect of computer system architecture and design is critically important for continued progress to be made in multicore computing—the new wave of parallel processing. In this talk, recent trends and developments in this area will be discussed against the backdrop of how computing is pervading our lives.

FREE FOOD will be provided!]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=STU200911092015203000.000.005 http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=WOR200911160000000000.000.017 Reservations are required for Meet USC. This program occurs twice, once at 9:00 a.m. and again at 1:00 p.m. Please visit http://www.usc.edu/admission/undergraduate/visit/meet_usc.html to check availability and make an appointment. Be sure to list an Engineering major as your "intended major" on the webform!]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=WOR200911090000000001.000.017 http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=WOR200911091800190000.000.013 ]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=OTH200911101900210000.000.017 http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=SEM200911100000000000.000.021 http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=SEM200911101600175000.000.007 Abstract:

Motion planning for rough-terrain legged robots is a difficult task, not only due to the high dimensionality of robot configuration spaces, but also due to the variety of kinematic, dynamic, and collision constraints which need to be met at all times. While producing optimal walking behavior is desirable, searching the space of all posible robot motions remains intractible for non-trival robotic systems. In this talk, I describe a hierarchy of planning and optimization algorithms that decomposes the planning problem into a sequence of decisions which can be efficiently solved in order to produce real-time locomotion over rough terrain. My software architecture has been successfully used over the past year to guide the LittleDog quadruped robot over a variety of terrain types. Beyond this specific software architecture, I will also discuss the ways in which machine learning and optimization techniques can increase the speed and quality of motion planning algorithms, and highlight lessons learned on how to decompose a high-level planning task into a tractable set of sub-problems.

Bio:

Matt Zucker is a Ph.D. candidate at the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University, where he works on motion planning for high degree-of-freedom robotic platforms. His research focuses on leveraging numerical optimization and machine learning techniques in order to improve planning speed and quality. Before graduate school, Matt worked from 2000-2005 writing software for autonomous underwater vehicles at Bluefin Robotics Corporation in Cambridge, MA. He expects to graduate from the Robotics Institute in the summer of 2010.

Host: Prof. Stefan Schaal]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=STU200911101830193000.000.005 http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=168321568469]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=WOR200911101800193000.000.013 http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=SEM200911111400150000.000.006 Speaker: Dr. Michelle L. Povinelli, Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Southern California

Abstract:

In the first part of the talk, I will discuss how light can be used to move and reposition microscale objects. Our work has demonstrated novel applications of optical forces within integrated microphotonic devices-a type of "optical circuits" that use light rather than electrons to carry information. I will present designs for devices that rotate the polarization of light by taking advantage of light forces. In the second part of the talk, I will discuss how computational electromagnetic modeling can be used to design higher-efficiency solar cells. We calculate the optical absorption of vertically aligned silicon nanowire arrays. We optimize the ultimate efficiency of the solar cell with respect to filling ratio and lattice constant. We identify two enhancement mechanisms, an increase in field concentration within the nanowire and the excitation of guided resonance modes. Our results show that an optimized silicon nanowire array can have higher efficiency that a solid thin film. Michelle Povinelli is an Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering and holder of the WiSE Jr. Gabilan Chair at the University of Southern California. She is a recipient of a NSF CAREER Award and an Army Young Investigator Award. She received a BA from the University of Chicago, an MPhil from the University of Cambridge, where she studied as a Churchill Scholar, and a PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, all in Physics. She completed postdoctoral research in the Electrical Engineering Department at Stanford University and was selected as one of five national recipients of a L'Oreal For Women in Science Postdoctoral Fellowship. She has co-authored over twenty-five refereed journal articles and holds two US Patents.]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=SEM200911111530163000.000.003 Associate Professor

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

IIHR-Hydroscience and Engineering

University of Iowa

Iowa City, IA 52242

Highly resolved 3-D Large Eddy Simulation (LES) is used to study the interaction between a lock-exchange gravity current with a large volume of release and an array of bottom-mounted large-scale obstacles in the form of 2-D dunes or square ribs. The study of the interaction between a gravity current and an array of obstacles is important for many practical applications. For example, arrays of obstacles are often used as protective measures on the hilly terrains and on the skirts of the mountains to stop or slow down gravity currents in the form of powder-snow avalanches. Even if they do not arrest the flow, the retarding obstacles reduce the impact of the avalanche with the buildings situated downstream of the obstacles. The temporal variation of the impact forces on the obstacles is analyzed. This information is needed for the design of the retarding obstacles. Additionally, simulation results are used to understanding how this variation is related to the passage of the backward propagating hydraulic jumps and the different flow structures that develop within the flow. The loose bed surface over which the gravity current propagates in the environment is often not flat. Bed forms, typically in the form of ripples, dunes or anti-dunes are present at the seafloor or river bed. The presence of large-scale bedforms provides an additional mechanism for energy dissipation and can substantially modify the capacity of a compositional gravity current to entrain sediment with respect to the case of a flat bed. LES is used to understand how the shape and the relative size of the large-scale obstacles (roughness elements) affect the front velocity, the structure of the current, the energy balance, the bed shear distributions and sediment entrainment capacity of the current as it propagates over a loose bed. Finally, scale effects are investigated between Reynolds numbers at which most of the laboratory studies are conducted (Re~104)]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=STU200911111830193000.000.005 nsbe@usc.edu\N]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=WOR200911160000000000.000.017 Reservations are required for Meet USC. This program occurs twice, once at 9:00 a.m. and again at 1:00 p.m. Please visit http://www.usc.edu/admission/undergraduate/visit/meet_usc.html to check availability and make an appointment. Be sure to list an Engineering major as your "intended major" on the webform!]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=SEM200911121400150000.000.006 Speaker: Pavel Bochev, Distinguished Member of the Technical Staff,\NApplied Mathematics and Applications Department, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM

Abstract:

We develop and analyze an optimization-based approach for robust solution of PDE problems comprised of multiple physics operators with fundamentally different mathematical properties. Our approach relies on three essential steps: additive decomposition of the original problem into subproblems for which robust solution algorithms are available; integration of the subproblems into an equivalent PDE-constrained optimization problem using distributed controls; and solution of the resulting optimization problem. This strategy gives rise to a general approach for synthesizing robust solvers for complex coupled problems from solvers for their simpler physics components.\NWe prove existence and uniqueness of solutions to the reformulated problem and establish regularization error estimate. An application to a scalar advection-diffusion PDE illustrates the new approach. In particular, we derive a robust iterative solver for advection-dominated problems using standard multilevel solvers for the Poisson equation.

This is joint work with D. Ridzal.

]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=SEM200911131300135000.000.015 http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=SEM200911131400000000.000.001 "There is increasing talk about the disappearance of technical knowledge from the public domain, both because it is a security danger and because it is economically valuable. I argue that this development is not anomalous at all but a great historic trend tied to our transition to the information age. We are in the process of losing a human right that all of us thought we had but actually didn't - the right to learn things as we can and better ourselves economically from what we learn. Increasingly, figuring out important things (as opposed to unimportant ones) for yourself will become theft and terrorism. Increasingly, reason itself will become a crime."

Prof. Laughlin earned an AB in mathematics from UC Berkeley in 1972 and a\NPhD in Physics from MIT in 1981. He served two years in the US Army.\NAfter MIT he went to the Bell Labs theory group and from there to the\NLawrence Livermore National Laboratory, where he still consults. He joined\Nthe physics faculty of Stanford in 1984. He is a member of the National\NAcademy of Sciences and has won many prestigious awards, including the\NOliver E. Buckley Prize, and Earnest O. Lawrence Award, the Benjamin\NFranklin Medal for Physics and the Onsager Medal. He shared the 1998 Nobel\NPrize in Physics for his theory of the Fractional Quantum Hall Effect.\N]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=WOR200911130900160000.000.017 http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=SEM200911160000000000.000.021 http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=SEM200911160000000001.000.021 http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=SEM200911161230133000.000.004 http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=WOR200911160000000000.000.017 Reservations are required for Meet USC. This program occurs twice, once at 9:00 a.m. and again at 1:00 p.m. Please visit http://www.usc.edu/admission/undergraduate/visit/meet_usc.html to check availability and make an appointment. Be sure to list an Engineering major as your "intended major" on the webform!]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=WOR200911171800193000.000.015 For more detailed information please visit the Spotlight website at - http://viterbi.usc.edu/students/undergrad/fye/spotlight.htm\

Dinner is provided.

RSVP to viterbi.studentservices@usc.edu with subject line: "RSVP for Spotlight on 11/17".]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=SEM200911181730190000.000.015 Featured Speaker: Dr. Christina Smolke

Dr. Smolke is a winner of the 2009 World Technology Award for Biotechnology. She conducts research at Stanford University, integrating concepts from bioengineering, molecular biology, and biochemistry to study complex gene regulatory networks and develop gene expression technologies. She is a Trojan alum of the Chemical Engineering department!]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=SEM200911190000000000.000.009 Presents

Rina Tannenbaum

Georgia Institute of Technology

Abstract:TBA]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=SEM200911191600170000.000.007 Speaker: Dr. Marco Papa (Intersect World LLC)
Host: Prof. Ellis Horowitz
Abstract:\NWith over 75,000 apps, 50,000 independent developers and two billion downloads, iPhone App development is one of the few job descriptions that have withstood the economy downturn. Many of the iPhone Apps make use of a number of Web Technologies: HTTP, HTML, XML, XSLT, JSON, CGI Perl, PHP, and Java. Using the Radio App for the iPhone as an example, this talk will provide a behind the scenes look at the role that these Web Technologies have had in helping develop, deliver, market, maintain and monitor one such application.
Bio:\NMarco Papa is currently Chief Technologist and Manager of Training and Research at the Los Angeles Superior Court, the largest Court system in the world. He is also a lecturer in Web Technologies at USC and the owner of Intersect World LLC, an IP consulting and iPhone development company. He received a BS in Electronic Engineering from the University of Bologna, Italy, and a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Southern California. From 1994 to 2002 Dr. Papa held the positions of CTO at Luckman Interactive and CareerPath, and Vice President of Engineering at US Interactive and Xceed.\N]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=EVE200911201000113000.000.008 Seyed M. R. Iravani, Associate Professor, Department of Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences, Northwestern University

Friday, November 20, 2009, Hoffman Hall 306, 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM

"Modeling Discretion, Knowledge and Coordination in Professional Service Systems"

ABSTRACT: The American economy has been shifting away from traditional manufacturing activities and toward service and professional functions. In the early 1900s, only three out of ten workers in the United States were working in the service sector. By 1950, this number was five out of ten. More than forty million new jobs have been created in the service sector in the last thirty years. Today, the service sector employs eight out of every ten workers in the United States, and accounts for approximately 70 percent of U.S. national income. While in some service operations tasks are routine and well-defined, in others, which we call professional service systems, tasks are not routine; they are knowledge-intensive, they depend on worker's discretion, and they require a high level of coordination. In this talk we focus on these three features of professional service systems. We show that introducing discretion in task completion adds a fourth variability buffer, i.e., quality, to the well-known variability buffers of capacity, inventory, and time. In the second part of the talk we develop a modeling framework that includes the knowledge of the worker into the decision process and introduce a new class of networks: knowledge-based decision-flow networks. These networks allow us to evaluate the simultaneous impact of decision-making and task processing on the performance of some professional service systems. Finally, we focus on the issue of coordination in large professional service systems. Specifically, we develop a new approach to characterizing the lack of coordination between product architecture and organizational interactions in the vehicle development process of a large U.S. auto manufacturer.

BIO: Seyed Iravani is an associate professor in the department of Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences at Northwestern University. He got his PhD from University of Toronto, and worked as postdoctoral fellow in the Industrial and Operations Engineering department at the University of Michigan. He has been working with GM, Ford, Cisco, Motorola, Feeding America, and Mobile CARE among others on several projects related to the design and control issues of manufacturing and service operation systems and non-profit supply chains. His research interests are in the applications of stochastic processes and queueing theory in production and service operations and supply chains. He has served as Associate Editor for Management Science, IIE Transactions, and Navel Research Logistics. Currently he is the Department Editor for Service Operations Engineering for IIE Transactions and Associate Editor for Operations Research.]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=OTH200911201030130000.000.015 Compete in the Engineering Kidz Design Challenge! Team with inner-city 5th grade students and participate in unique challenges where you design working heart models, flapping birds or light weight vehicles. You will get a chance to mentor and work with children and inspire them to pursue a career in engineering or science.

Register online: www.IridescentLearning.org, under Engineering Kidz Design Challenge.\NRegister by November 10th to get a free t-shirt.

Contact: Tara Chklovski at 310.309.0766 / tchklovs@usc.edu\N]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=SEM200911220000000000.000.005 http://www.wix.com/RegionVIevents/FRC-Events-Page

Email us at nsbe@usc.edu]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=SEM200911201300135000.000.015 http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=WOR200911200000000000.000.017 Reservations are required for Meet USC. This program occurs twice, once at 9:00 a.m. and again at 12:00 p.m. Please visit http://www.usc.edu/admission/undergraduate/visit/meet_usc.html to check availability and make an appointment. Be sure to list an Engineering major as your "intended major" on the webform!]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=SEM200911220000000000.000.005 http://www.wix.com/RegionVIevents/FRC-Events-Page

Email us at nsbe@usc.edu]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=OTH200911220900160000.000.017 To RSVP for this program, visit http://www.usc.edu/admevents]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=SEM200911220000000000.000.005 http://www.wix.com/RegionVIevents/FRC-Events-Page

Email us at nsbe@usc.edu]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=SEM200911231230133000.000.004 http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=WOR200911230000000000.000.017 Reservations are required for Meet USC. This program occurs twice, once at 9:00 a.m. and again at 1:00 p.m. Please visit http://www.usc.edu/admission/undergraduate/visit/meet_usc.html to check availability and make an appointment. Be sure to list an Engineering major as your "intended major" on the webform!]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=STU200911251830193001.000.005 nsbe@usc.edu\N]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=WOR200911250000000000.000.017 Reservations are required for Meet USC. This program occurs once at 9:00 a.m. Please visit http://www.usc.edu/admission/undergraduate/visit/meet_usc.html to check availability and make an appointment. Be sure to list an Engineering major as your "intended major" on the webform!]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=SEM200911300000000000.000.021 http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=SEM200911301230133000.000.004 http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=WOR200912090000000000.000.017 Reservations are required for Meet USC. This program occurs twice, once at 9:00 a.m. and again at 1:00 p.m. Please visit http://www.usc.edu/admission/undergraduate/visit/meet_usc.html to check availability and make an appointment. Be sure to list an Engineering major as your "intended major" on the webform!]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=SEM200912011600175000.000.007 Abstract:\N"It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker, that we expect our dinner, but from their regard for their own interest."\NEach participant in a competitive economy is "led by an invisible hand to promote an end which was no part of his intention." Adam Smith, 1776.

With his treatise, The Wealth of Nations, 1776, Adam Smith initiated the field of economics, and his famous quote provided this field with its central guiding principle. The pioneering work of Walras (1874) gave a mathematical formulation for this statement, using his notion of market equilibrium, and opened up the possibility of a formal ratification.

Partial ratification came with the celebrated Arrow-Debreu Theorem (1954), which established existence of equilibrium in a very general model of the economy; however, an efficient mechanism for finding an equilibrium has remained elusive.

The latter question was taken up in the earnest within theoretical computer science a decade ago, and attention soon gravitated on markets under piecewise-linear, concave utility functions.\NAs it turned out, the recent resolution of this open problem did not yield the hoped-for mechanism; however, it did mark the end of the road for the current approach. It is now time to step back and plan a fresh attack, using the powerful tools of modern complexity theory and algorithms.

After providing a summary of key developments through the ages and a gist of the recent results, we will discuss some ways of moving forward.

(Based in part on recent work with Mihalis Yannakakis.)

Speaker Bio: \NVijay Vazirani got his Bachelor's degree from MIT in 1979, his Ph.D. from U.C. Berkeley in 1983, and is currently Professor of Computer Science at Georgia Tech.\NHis research career has been centered around the design of algorithms, together with work on complexity theory, cryptography, coding theory, and game theory.

He is best known for his work on efficient algorithms for the classical maximum matching problem (1980's), fundamental complexity-theoretic results obtained using randomization (1980's), approximation algorithms for basic NP-hard optimization problems (1990's), and efficient algorithms for computing market equilibria (current).

In 2001 he published what is widely viewed as the definitive book on approximation algorithms.\NThis book has been translated into Japanese, French and Polish, and Persian and Chinese translations are forthcoming. In 2005 he initiated work on a comprehensive volume on algorithmic game theory; the co-edited volume appeared in 2007.\N]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=SEM200912021400150000.000.006 http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=WOR200912090000000000.000.017 Reservations are required for Meet USC. This program occurs twice, once at 9:00 a.m. and again at 1:00 p.m. Please visit http://www.usc.edu/admission/undergraduate/visit/meet_usc.html to check availability and make an appointment. Be sure to list an Engineering major as your "intended major" on the webform!]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=WOR200912021215133000.000.015 http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=WOR200912021245134500.000.013 http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=SEM200912030000000000.000.009 University of Delaware

Abstract:TBA]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=SEM200912031800193000.000.005 http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=WOR200912180000000000.000.017 Reservations are required for Meet USC. This program occurs twice, once at 9:00 a.m. and again at 12:00 p.m. Please visit http://www.usc.edu/admission/undergraduate/visit/meet_usc.html to check availability and make an appointment. Be sure to list an Engineering major as your "intended major" on the webform!]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=SEM200912070000000000.000.021 http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=WOR200912090000000000.000.017 Reservations are required for Meet USC. This program occurs twice, once at 9:00 a.m. and again at 1:00 p.m. Please visit http://www.usc.edu/admission/undergraduate/visit/meet_usc.html to check availability and make an appointment. Be sure to list an Engineering major as your "intended major" on the webform!]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=WOR200912090000000000.000.017 Reservations are required for Meet USC. This program occurs twice, once at 9:00 a.m. and again at 1:00 p.m. Please visit http://www.usc.edu/admission/undergraduate/visit/meet_usc.html to check availability and make an appointment. Be sure to list an Engineering major as your "intended major" on the webform!]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=SEM200912101400150000.000.006 Speaker: Dr. Geraldine Knatz, Executive Director, The Port of Los Angeles.

Women in Science & Engineering Seminar Speaker in Celebration of the WISE 10th Anniversary

Abstract:

From its early beginning as a merchant port serving the needs of Spanish traders, to what it is now – America's premier gateway for goods and services – the Port of Los Angeles has changed in many ways. Certainly, one of the major challenges is the precarious balancing act between expansion and environment. As the Port grew over the decades, so did its pollution. Lawsuits ensued, regulations changed and -- coupled with California's every-stringent criteria regarding coastal development of any kind -- the Port of Los Angeles was at an impasse between profits and pollution.

Which would ultimately win? Under the leadership of Executive Director Dr. Geraldine Knatz, the answer is both. With her background in biology and environmental studies, coupled with a pragmatic view of how the world works financially, Dr. Knatz is leading the way to create a new era in major port operations where the needs of commerce go hand-in-hand with the needs of the environment. The result is a series of operational breakthroughs that are not only improving the regional environment, but are setting new standards for port operators the world over.

Dr. Knatz will discuss these "green growth" challenges first hand and detail the specific initiatives that are making the Port of Los Angeles a true success story.

]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=WOR200912180000000000.000.017 Reservations are required for Meet USC. This program occurs twice, once at 9:00 a.m. and again at 12:00 p.m. Please visit http://www.usc.edu/admission/undergraduate/visit/meet_usc.html to check availability and make an appointment. Be sure to list an Engineering major as your "intended major" on the webform!]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=WOR200912140000000000.000.017 Reservations are required for Meet USC. This program occurs twice, once at 9:00 a.m. and again at 1:00 p.m. Please visit http://www.usc.edu/admission/undergraduate/visit/meet_usc.html to check availability and make an appointment. Be sure to list an Engineering major as your "intended major" on the webform!]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=WOR200912180000000000.000.017 Reservations are required for Meet USC. This program occurs twice, once at 9:00 a.m. and again at 12:00 p.m. Please visit http://www.usc.edu/admission/undergraduate/visit/meet_usc.html to check availability and make an appointment. Be sure to list an Engineering major as your "intended major" on the webform!]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=WOR200912230000000000.000.017 Reservations are required for Meet USC. This program occurs twice, once at 9:00 a.m. and again at 1:00 p.m. Please visit http://www.usc.edu/admission/undergraduate/visit/meet_usc.html to check availability and make an appointment. Be sure to list an Engineering major as your "intended major" on the webform!]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=WOR200912230000000000.000.017 Reservations are required for Meet USC. This program occurs twice, once at 9:00 a.m. and again at 1:00 p.m. Please visit http://www.usc.edu/admission/undergraduate/visit/meet_usc.html to check availability and make an appointment. Be sure to list an Engineering major as your "intended major" on the webform!]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=OTH201001090700100000.000.025 http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=SEM201001140000000000.000.009 Presents

Gary Pope

Abstract:TBA]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=SEM201001210000000000.000.007 Title: Quantitative System Design

Speaker: Prof. Mary Vernon (University of Wisconsin)

Host: Prof. Leana Golubchik]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=WOR201001220900160000.000.017 http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=SEM201001280000000000.000.009 Presents

Christina D. Smolke

Caltech

Abstract:TBA]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=SEM201002110000000000.000.009 Presents

Benny D. Freeman

University of Texas at Austin

Abstract:TBA]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=SEM201002111600175000.000.007 Talk title: Design and Algorithms for Modern Kidney Exchanges

Speaker: Prof. Tuomas Sandholm (Carnegie Mellon University)

Host: Prof. Milind Tambe]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=SEM201002250000000000.000.009 Presents

Z. L. Wang

Georgia Institute of Technology

Abstract:TBA]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=SEM201003021600175000.000.007 http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=SEM201003110000000000.000.009 Presents

Sally Benson

Stanford University

Abstract:TBA]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=SEM201003250000000000.000.009 Presents

Matthew DeLisa

University of Cornell

Abstract:TBA]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=SEM201004061600175000.000.007 Talk Title: "Computer science theory to support research in the information age"

Speaker: Prof. John Hopcroft - Cornell University

Hosts: Prof. Shang-Hua Teng / Prof. Michael Arbib \N]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=SEM201004080000000000.000.009 Presents

Mike Harold

University of Houston

Abstract:TBA]]> http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=SEM201005200800120000.000.024 http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=SEM201005200800120000.000.024 http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=SEM201005200800120000.000.024 http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=SEM201005200800120000.000.024 http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=SEM201006080800170000.000.024 http://viterbi.usc.edu/cgi-bin/cal_make.pl?p1=SEM201006080800170000.000.024