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Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Events for September
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Finite-Field Multi-Carrier Modulation
Thu, Sep 01, 2011 @ 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Lin Luo, University of South Australia (UniSA), Australia
Talk Title: Finite-Field Multi-Carrier Modulation
Abstract: Multicarrier modulation, e.g. OFDM, has been endorsed by leading standards in both wireline and wireless high speed digital communications. However, the large dynamic range of an OFDM signal causes an inefficient transmit radio frequency circuitry and distorted signal modulation. We introduce the concept of processing signals in a finite field and replace the DFT by finite-field transforms, which reduce the OFDM Peak-to-Average Power Ratio (PAPR) significantly to the range of a finite alphabet set. Most importantly, the system model can be treated as a block code that is corrupted by the additive channel noise, which means the new system has inherent error control capability. Furthermore, processing signals in a finite field not only make modulation part of error correcting coding, but also design codes by exploiting the philosophy of modulation. We will study a framework for multi-carrier modulation with finite-field transforms.
Biography: Dr. Lin Luo received B.E. in Electronic Engineering from University of Electronic Science and Engineering in China (UESTC) in 2002, M.E. in Telecommunications Engineering from The University of Melbourne in 2004, and a Ph.D. in Telecommunications Engineering from The Australian National University (ANU) in 2009. Since June 2009, he has been a Research Fellow at the Institute for Telecommunications Research (ITR), University of South Australia (UniSA), Australia. His current research interests include multi-carrier and single-carrier systems, green communications, MIMO, and vehicle-to-vehicle communications.
Host: Andreas Molisch, 04670, EEB 530, molisch@usc.edu
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 248
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Gerrielyn Ramos
This event is open to all eligible individuals. USC Viterbi operates all of its activities consistent with the University's Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor. -
Integrated Systems Seminar Series
Fri, Sep 02, 2011 @ 03:00 PM - 04:30 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Prof. Ehsan Afshari, Cornell University
Talk Title: Pushing the Envelope: Oscillators beyond the Conventional Limits
Abstract: In this talk, after a brief introduction to our research at Cornell University, we present a novel dual-band oscillator
with low phase noise performance. This idea leads to a VCO with more than 100% tuning range (2.5 â 5.8 GHz)and extremely low phase noise that satisfies the phase noise requirement for all cellular bands while only taking the area of a fixed-frequency oscillator. Next, we show a novel multi-phase/quadrature oscillator based on lefthanded LC-ring. In contrast to traditional designs that couple multiple LC-tanks through MOSFETs, it uses an LC-ring as a single high-order resonator that generates multiphase resonant signal. The proposed oscillator can synthesize multiple phases while maintaining the same phase-noise figure-of-merit (FoM) as a single-stage LC
oscillator.
Next, we introduce a resonant parametric amplifier/oscillator with an enhanced noise performance by exploiting the noise-squeezing effect. Noise squeezing occurs through the phase-sensitive amplification process and suppresses one of the two quadrature components of the input noise. This structure leads to a noise figure around 0dB for a narrowband signal at around 10 GHz in standard 130 nm CMOS process. It can also be exploited to reduce the phase noise of an oscillator by increasing its amplitude noise.
Finally, we show a novel high power varactor-less VCO at sub-mm-wave and terahertz frequencies. This circuit works based on the theory of coupled oscillators in a ring structure and efficiently generates and combines harmonics from multiple core oscillators. Moreover by adjusting the coupling between oscillators, the frequency can be tuned. Using a standard 65 nm digital CMOS process, we show a 305 GHz VCO with ~10% tuning range and 0.7 mW of output power. The generated power is higher than any other CMOS or compound semiconductor source and at the same time shows the highest tuning range among terahertz CMOS sources.
Biography: Biography: Ehsan Afshari was born in 1979. He received the B.Sc. degree in Electronics Engineering from the Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran and the M.S. and Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, in 2003, and 2006, respectively. In August 2006, he joined the faculty in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Cornell University. His research interests are mm-wave and terahertz electronics and low-noise integrated circuits for applications in communication systems, sensing, and biomedical devices.
He was awarded National Science Foundation CAREER award in 2010, Cornell College of Engineering Michael Tien excellence in teaching award in 2010, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Young Faculty Award in 2008, and Iran's Best Engineering Student award by the President of Iran in 2001. He is also the recipient of the best paper award in the Custom Integrated Circuits Conference (CICC), September 2003, the first place at Stanford- Berkeley-Caltech Inventors Challenge, March 2005, the best undergraduate paper award in Iranian Conference on
Electrical Engineering, 1999, the recipient of the Silver Medal in the Physics Olympiad in 1997, and the recipient of the Award of Excellence in Engineering Education from Association of Professors and Scholars of Iranian Heritage (APSIH), May 2004.
Host: EE-Electrophysics
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 248
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Marilyn Poplawski
This event is open to all eligible individuals. USC Viterbi operates all of its activities consistent with the University's Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor. -
METRANS SEMINAR SERIES
Wed, Sep 07, 2011 @ 12:00 PM - 01:30 PM
Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science, Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, USC Viterbi School of Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Cyrus Shahabi, Viterbi professor, IMSC director
Talk Title: TransDec: A Data-Driven Framework for Decision Making in Transportation Systems
Abstract: TransDec is a real-data driven system to support decision-making in transportation systems. The vast amounts of transportation datasets collected by federal and state agencies are extremely valuable for real-time decision making, planning and management of transportation systems, In this talk we will present our framework.
Lunch will be availabe for those who RSVP to tgong@usc.edu
Biography: Cyrus Shahabi is a professor and director the NSF's Integrated Media Systems Center (IMSC) at USC. He is alos CTO and co-founder of a USC spinoff, Geosemble Technologies
Host: METRANS
Location: Ralph And Goldy Lewis Hall (RGL) - 209
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Eric Mankin
This event is open to all eligible individuals. USC Viterbi operates all of its activities consistent with the University's Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor. -
Communications, Networks and Systems (CommNetS) Seminar
Wed, Sep 07, 2011 @ 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Daniel J. Epstein Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Dr. Sachin Adlakha, Center for the Mathematics of Information, Caltech
Talk Title: Energy Procurement Strategies in Presence of Intermittent Sources
Series: Communications, Networks & Systems (CommNetS) Seminar
Abstract: We study the impact of a high penetration of intermittent wind generation on electricity markets. Specifically, we analyze the effect of wind prediction accuracy, as well as the volume of wind farm installations, on the conventional generation that needs to be contracted for in long term, day ahead, and real time markets. This provides insight into how the markets for conventional generation might need to be restructured in order to make efficient use of high volumes of renewable generation. (Joint work with Jayakrishnan Nair and Adam Wierman)
Biography: Sachin Adlakha is postdoctoral fellow at Caltechâs Center for the Mathematics of Information. Prior to coming to Caltech, he obtained his PhD from the Department of Electrical Engineering at Stanford University. His research interests lie at the intersection of engineering and operations/management science. In particular he is interested in developing techniques, models and algorithms for economic analysis of engineering systems.
Host: Prof. Rahul Jain
More Info: http://csi.usc.edu/~dimakis/CommNetSLocation: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 248
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Rahul Jain
Event Link: http://csi.usc.edu/~dimakis/CommNetS
This event is open to all eligible individuals. USC Viterbi operates all of its activities consistent with the University's Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor. -
Integrated Systems Seminar Series
Fri, Sep 09, 2011 @ 03:00 PM - 04:30 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Firooz Aflatouni, University of Southern California
Talk Title: Electronic-Photonic Co-Design: RF Assisted
Abstract: The relative phase control of semiconductor lasers is the basis for many applications including RF assisted coherent power combining of semiconductor lasers and laser beamforming.
Also, absolute phase control of semiconductor laser (where the laser phase noise is reduced) is highly desired in many applications such as coherent optical communication (long-haul or chip-to-chip), interferometric sensing, LIDAR, and mmwave
and THz signal generations.
These are examples of Electronic-Photonic Co-Design which can be categorized into two main aspects: (a) RF Assisted Photonics where RF and mm-wave circuits and techniques are employed to improve the performance of photonic systems, and (b) Photonic Assisted Electronics where photonic systems and devices are used to improve the performance of the RF and mm-wave systems.
In this talk, I will present my work on RF assisted phase control of semiconductor lasers in both relative sense (coherent power combining) and absolute sense (laser phase noise reduction) and will discuss its advantages and limitations.
Biography: Biography: Firooz Aflatouni received the B.S. and M.S. degrees in electrical engineering from the K.N.T. University of Technology, Tehran, Iran, and the University of Southern California (USC), Los Angeles, in 1998 and 2005, respectively. He is currently working towards the Ph.D. degree at USC. In 1999, he co-founded Pardis Bargh Company, where he was involved in the designing of inclined- orbit satellite tracking systems.
From 2004 to 2006, he was a Design Engineer with MediaWorks Integrated Circuits Inc., Irvine, CA. He is currently a research assistant in the Electrical Engineering Department at USC. His research interests include RF-inspired photonics and low power mm-wave and RF integrated circuits.
He was the recipient of the 2011 USC department of electrical engineering best research presentation award, 2010 USC Ming Hsieh top 5 PhD student scholarship, 2010 NASA Tech Award for his work on development of a Ka-Band SiGe receiver front-end MMIC for space transponder applications, and the best B.S. thesis award for design and implementation of a non-geostationary satellite tracking system. He is the Silver medal winner of the nationwide Mathematics Olympiad in 1993.
Host: EE-Electrophysics
More Info: http://ee.usc.edu/calendarLocation: Kaprielian Hall (KAP) - 156
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Marilyn Poplawski
Event Link: http://ee.usc.edu/calendar
This event is open to all eligible individuals. USC Viterbi operates all of its activities consistent with the University's Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor. -
CommNetS Seminar: Toward a Computational Information Theory
Wed, Sep 14, 2011 @ 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Daniel J. Epstein Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Prof. Michelle Effros, Caltech
Talk Title: Toward a Computational Information Theory
Series: Communications, Networks & Systems (CommNetS) Seminar
Abstract: The field of Information Theory provides powerful and elegant mathematical tools for bounding the limits of communication networks. Application of these tools to real network systems requires new computational tools that enable the analysis of large networks. This talk proposes a strategy for building scalable computational tools for bounding network capacities.
Biography:
Michelle Effros received the B.S. degree with distinction in 1989, the M.S. degree in 1990, and the Ph.D. degree in 1994, all in electrical engineering from Stanford University. During the summers of 1988 and 1989 she worked at Hughes Aircraft Company, researching modulation schemes, real-time implementations of fast data rate error-correction schemes, and future applications for fiber optics in space technology.
She is currently Professor of Electrical Engineering at the California Institute of Technology; from 1994 - 2000 she was Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering; and from 2000 - 2005, Associate Professor. Her research interests include information theory, data compression, communications, pattern recognition, speech recognition, and image processing.
Professor Effros received Stanford's Frederick Emmons Terman Engineering Scholastic Award (for excellence in engineering) in 1989, the Hughes Masters Full-Study Fellowship in 1989, the National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship in 1990, the AT&T Ph.D. Scholarship in 1993, the NSF CAREER Award in 1995, the Charles Lee Powell Foundation Award in 1997, and the Richard Feynman-Hughes Fellowship in 1997. She is a member of Tau Beta Pi, Phi Beta Kappa, Sigma Xi, and IEEE Information Theory, Signal Processing, and Communications societies. She served as the Editor of the IEEE Information Theory Society Newsletter from 1995-1998, as Co-Chair of the NSF Sponsored Workshop on Joint Source-Channel Coding in 1999, and has been a Member of the Board of Governors of the IEEE Information Theory Society since 1998.
Host: Ubli Mitra
More Info: http://csi.usc.edu/~dimakis/CommNetSLocation: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 248
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Rahul Jain
Event Link: http://csi.usc.edu/~dimakis/CommNetS
This event is open to all eligible individuals. USC Viterbi operates all of its activities consistent with the University's Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor. -
Research Activities on Speech Signal Processing in Yonsei DSP Labs
Wed, Sep 14, 2011 @ 02:15 PM - 03:15 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Prof. Hong-Goo Kang , Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering Yonsei University
Talk Title: Research Activities on Speech Signal Processing in Yonsei DSP Labs
Abstract: Speech signal processing technology, the most natural form of human communication channel, has made remarkable progress over the last 40 years. Although it is very impressive that many speech signal processing systems work very well, there still remain some challenges to be solved. For example, the accuracy of automatic speech recognition systems in adverse conditions needs to be improved to have comparable performance to human beings, and the synthesized speech generated by text-to-speech (TTS) systems needs to be more natural. This talk introduces research activities on speech signal processing group in DSP laboratory at Yonsei university. After briefly introducing the organization of research subgroups, recent research activities and their outcomes are presented. This talk emphasizes the importance of collaboration between different research subgroups having various expertises. For example, enhancement techniques are needed to improve voice communication quality for coding applications as well as to decrease the error rate of recognition systems in adverse conditions. Since hidden Markov model (HMM) and language modeling are core technologies for both speech recognition and text-to-speech (TTS), collaboration between two research subgroups is beneficial. This talk demonstrates research outcomes that our research team has achieved for last two years through tight collaboration.
Biography: Hong-Goo Kang received the B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees from Yonsei University, Korea in 1989, 1991, and 1995, respectively. From 1996 to 2002, he was a senior technical staff member at AT&T Labs-Research, Florham Park, New Jersey. He is currently a Professor at Yonsei University. His research interests include speech/audio signal processing, adaptive digital filter, and human computer interface. He actively participated in international collaboration activities on making new speech/audio coding standard algorithms hosted by ITU-T and MPEG. He was an associate editor of the IEEE Transactions on Audio, Speech, and Language processing from 2005 to 2008. He served numerous conferences and program committees. He was a vice chair of technical program committee in INTERSPEECH2004 held in Jeju island, Korea. He is a technical reviewing committee member of the ICASSP and INTERSPEECH conferences. He is working on single-/multi-channel speech enhancement, universal speech/audio codec, speech/speaker recognition, and text-to-speech systems with fifteen graduate students.
Host: Prof. Shrikanth Narayanan
Location: Ronald Tutor Hall of Engineering (RTH) - 320
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Talyia Veal
This event is open to all eligible individuals. USC Viterbi operates all of its activities consistent with the University's Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor. -
The 21st Century Energy Ecosystem
Wed, Sep 14, 2011 @ 03:30 PM - 04:30 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Dr. Dan Reed, Corporate Vice President, Microsoft
Talk Title: The 21st Century Energy Ecosystem
Series: CEI Distinguished Lecture Series in Energy Informatics
Abstract: Weâre poised at the transition to an exciting new world of more nimble energy management, enabled by a rich and diverse world of sensors and actuators, hybrid and electric vehicles, renewable energy sources and data-driven cloud services. Intelligent transportation systems that combine traffic data and personal schedules to manage electric vehicle charge and mobility are now possible. Houses, apartments and buildings that adapt to occupant behaviors and energy costs are beginning to appear. Computing systems whose loads follow the sun and wind, based on availability and computation demand are now realizable. Despite all this promise, we face daunting challenges in standards and adoption, in privacy and security, in economics and culture. This talk will survey some of our opportunities and challenges, with some thoughts on the shared way forward.
Refreshments will be served
Biography: As corporate vice president of the Technology Policy Group, Dr. Dan Reed helps shape Microsoft's long-term vision for technology innovations and the company's associated policy engagement with governments and institutions around the world. The Technology Policy Group engages in strategic technical projects on security and privacy, energy and environment, science and technology, and STEM education, and the unlimited potential for cloud computing. Dr. Reed joined Microsoft in 2007 and has directed its Cloud Computing Futures initiative and led the formation of the eXtreme Computing Group (XCG) within Microsoft Research.
Before coming to Microsoft, Dr. Reed held a number of strategic positions, including head of the Computer Science Department and director of the National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois, Chancellor's Eminent Professor at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and director of UNC's Renaissance Computing Institute. In addition, Dr. Reed currently serves as a member of the US FCC's Technical Advisory Committee and has served as a member of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) and chair of the computational science subcommittee of the President's Information Technology Advisory Committee (PITAC).
Host: Prof. Viktor K. Prasanna
More Info: http://cei.usc.edu/newsMore Information: Dan Reed Flyer - PRINT.pdf
Location: John Stauffer Science Lecture Hall (SLH) - 100
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Yogesh Simmhan
Event Link: http://cei.usc.edu/news
This event is open to all eligible individuals. USC Viterbi operates all of its activities consistent with the University's Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor. -
Wireless Network for FPGA-based Cluster System
Thu, Sep 15, 2011 @ 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Wayne Luk, Professor of Computer Engineering, Imperial College London
Talk Title: Wireless Network for FPGA-based Cluster System
Abstract: This talk describes a wireless network coupled with an FPGA-based cluster system. The proposed system enables a lightweight approach for FPGA devices to exchange information directly. Customizable monitoring facilities are developed to support reconfiguring a distributed application dynamically at run time, to reduce packet latency and to enhance power consumption. An N-Body simulation application is used to demonstrate the effectiveness and potential of the proposed system.
Biography: Wayne Luk is a Professor of Computer Engineering at Imperial College London. His research interests include reconfigurable computing, field-programmable technology, and design automation. He is a fellow of IEEE and a fellow of BCS.
Host: Professor Viktor K. Prasanna
Location: Hedco Petroleum and Chemical Engineering Building (HED) - 116
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Janice Thompson
This event is open to all eligible individuals. USC Viterbi operates all of its activities consistent with the University's Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor. -
Developing Innovative Technologies to Enhance & Accelerate Research & Learning in Autism Spectrum Disorders
Thu, Sep 15, 2011 @ 11:30 AM - 01:30 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Dr. Matthew S. Goodwin , Northeastern University
Talk Title: Developing Innovative Technologies to Enhance & Accelerate Research & Learning in Autism Spectrum Disorders
Abstract: This presentation will demonstrate several innovative technologies developed through the MIT Media Labâs Autism & Communication Technology Initiative, including wireless sensors for longterm monitoring of physiological arousal in natural settings; wireless 3-axis accelerometers and pattern recognition algorithms that can automate the detection of stereotypical hand flapping and body rocking; and unobtrusive audio and video capture systems able to capture ultradense longitudinal records of behavior in home environments. Applications of these technologies and resulting data will also be discussed.
Biography: Dr. Matthew S. Goodwin recently joined Northeastern University as an Assistant Professor with joint appointments in the Bouve College of Health Sciences and College of Computer & Information Science. He is the former Director of Clinical Research at the MIT Media Lab where he maintains a Visiting Assistant Professor position and continues to co-direct the Media Lab Autism & Communication Technology Initiative. Matthew serves on the Executive Board of the International Society for Autism Research, is Co-Chair of the Autism Speaks-Innovative Technology for Autism Initiative, and has Adjunct Associate Research Scientist appointments in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior and Human Development at Brown University. He has over 15 years of research and clinical experience working with children and adults on the autism spectrum; is well acquainted with a variety of experimental methods and statistical approaches used in the behavior sciences; and has extensive experience developing and evaluating innovative technologies for behavioral assessment and intervention, including telemetric physiological monitors, accelerometry sensors, and digital video/facial recognition systems. Matthew received his B.A. in Psychology from Wheaton College in 1998 and his M.A. in 2005 and Ph.D. in 2008, both in Experimental Psychology, from the University of Rhode Island. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Affective Computing in the Media Lab in 2010.
Host: Prof. Shrikanth Narayanan
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 248
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Talyia Veal
This event is open to all eligible individuals. USC Viterbi operates all of its activities consistent with the University's Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor. -
EXPONENTIAL IMPROVEMENT IN QUBIT COMPLEXITY
Fri, Sep 16, 2011 @ 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Joseph F. Traub, Columbia University and Santa Fe Institute
Talk Title: EXPONENTIAL IMPROVEMENT IN QUBIT COMPLEXITY
Abstract: For the foreseeable future the number of qubits will be a crucial computational resource on a quantum computer. We show how to lower bound the qubit complexity using the classical query complexity.
We use this result to present a simple problem which cannot be solved on a quantum computer in the standard quantum setting with deterministic queries but can be solved on a classical computer using randomized queries (Monte Carlo). This suggests introducing a quantum setting with randomized queries.We apply this setting to a number of problems and show we can obtain exponential improvement in qubit complexity. We end by discussing very recent progress,future directions, and where to learn more.
Biography: Joseph F. Traub is the Edwin Howard Armstrong Professor at Columbia University and External Professor at the Santa Fe Institute. In 1959 he started his pioneering research on what is now called information-based complexity. He is the author of ten books and some one hundred and twenty research papers in which he has applied complexity theory to fields as diverse as physics, economics, and finance. A major focus of his current work is quantum computing.
From 1971 to 1979 Traub was Head of the Computer Science Department at Carnegie Mellon University and led it from a difficult period to excellence. He served as founding chairman of the Computer Science Department at Columbia University from 1979 to 1989. He started the Journal of Complexity in 1985 and has been Editor-in-Chief since. He was founding Chair of the Computer Science and Telecommunications Board of the National Academies from 1986 to 1992 and served again 2005-2009. He serves on the Division Committee for Engineering and Physical Science (DEPSCOM), National Academies.
Traub has received numerous honors including election to the National Academy of Engineering in 1985, the 1991 Emanuel R. Piore Gold Medal from IEEE, and the 1992 Distinguished Service Award, Computer Research Association. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Association of Computing Machinery, the New York Academy of Sciences and SIAM. He has been Sherman Fairchild Distinguished Scholar at the California Institute of Technology and received a Distinguished Senior Scientist Award from the Alexander Von Humboldt Foundation. He was selected by the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei in Rome to present the 1993 Lezione Lincei. Traub received the 1999 Mayor's Award for Excellence in Science and Technology. The Award was presented by Mayor Rudy Giuliani at a ceremony in New York City. In 2001 he received an honorary Doctorate of Science from the University of Central Florida.
Host: Daniel Lidar
Location: Seaver Science Library (SSL) - 150
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Gerrielyn Ramos
This event is open to all eligible individuals. USC Viterbi operates all of its activities consistent with the University's Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor. -
Challenges for Asia Pacific Universities in the 21st Century
Tue, Sep 20, 2011 @ 03:30 PM - 04:30 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Professor D. H. Feng, Vice President, National Tsing Hua University
Talk Title: Challenges for Asia Pacific Universities in the 21st Century
Series: Distinguished Lecture Series
Abstract: Asia Pacific in the past several decades has undergone incredible economic and political transformation. Today, in the 21st century, in this scenario, universities in the region, which until a few decades were not blinking on the global radar screen, are faced with new challenges. In this talk, I will describe some of these challenges I believe universities in the region need to overcome, and what underlying principle universities must adhere to in order not to go astray.
Biography: Da Hsuan Feng is the Vice President of Global Strategy, Development and Evaluation at National Tsing Hua University. He obtained a B.A. in physics from Drew University in 1968, and a Ph.D. in theoretical physics from the University of Minnesota in 1972. From 2001â2007, he served as Vice President for Research and Economic Development of the University of Texas at Dallas, where he initiated a consortium of seven universities in Texas known as Strategic Partnership for Research in Nanotechnology (SPRING). From 1990â2000, he held the M. Russell Wehr Chair Professor of Physics at Drexel University. Other notable positions include technical advisor to the Vice Chairperson of the United States Congressional Armed Services Committee (1995â1998) and Vice President of Science Applications International Corporation (1998â2000).
Host: Yannis Yortsos
Location: Ronald Tutor Hall of Engineering (RTH) - 526
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Annie Yu
This event is open to all eligible individuals. USC Viterbi operates all of its activities consistent with the University's Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor. -
CommNetS Seminar: Compressed Representations for Subsurface Imaging
Wed, Sep 21, 2011 @ 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Daniel J. Epstein Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Behnam Jafarpour, University of Southern California
Talk Title: Compressed Representations for Subsurface Imaging
Series: Communications, Networks & Systems (CommNetS) Seminar
Host: Rahul Jain
More Info: http://csi.usc.edu/~dimakis/CommNetS/Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 248
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Rahul Jain
Event Link: http://csi.usc.edu/~dimakis/CommNetS/
This event is open to all eligible individuals. USC Viterbi operates all of its activities consistent with the University's Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor. -
Adaptation by Evolutionary Algorithms in Unfalsified Control
Mon, Sep 26, 2011 @ 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Dr. Tanet Wonghong, University of Bangkok
Talk Title: Adaptation by Evolutionary Algorithms in Unfalsified Control
Abstract: Unfalsified control theory is a variant of adaptive control techniques. The main attractive point
of this approach is that no plant model is required to design an adaptive controller. Following
this concept, an adaptive controller is implemented by means of switching among many
candidate controllers in a predefined set. The plant input signal and the plant output signal are
observed while one candidate controller is active in the feedback loop, and they are used for the
unfalsification algorithm to decide on which candidate controller in the set should be switched on
as the next active controller. In the original work of Safonov et al, the adaptation of controllers
can only be performed using the switching of an active controller in a predefined set of
controllers. This is a major limitation to apply this approach to a nonlinear system. Usually, a
fixed set of controllers that performs well for one operating point cannot guarantee to achieve a
good performance under other operating conditions.
To solve the above problem, when a new operating condition occurs, a new set of controllers is
computed using a modified cost function via a new fictitious error signal and an evolutionary
algorithm is used in order to search for an optimal controller over a space of arbitrary candidate
controllers. A combination of the switching of controllers in the current set and the adaptation of
the set of controllers leads to an automatic controller tuning method for a controller structure,
e.g. PI and PID, in order to handle changes of set-points occurring in a highly nonlinear chemical
process, e.g. a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR). Such a combination is the so-called a new
unfalsified adaptive control algorithm.
Biography: Tanet Wonghong received the Dr.-Ing. degree from TU Dortmund, Germany (2010). He is a
lecturer of Electrical Engineering at Bangkok University. His research area are Adaptive Control,
Unfalsified Control, Nonlinear Control, Robustness, Optimization Theory, Artificial Intelligence
(EA), Automatic (PI & PID) Controller Tuning.
Host: Michael Safonov
More Information: TenetWonghong.pdf
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 248
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Shane Goodoff
This event is open to all eligible individuals. USC Viterbi operates all of its activities consistent with the University's Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor. -
Game Theory and Human Behavior seminar
Tue, Sep 27, 2011 @ 12:00 PM - 01:15 PM
Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science, Information Sciences Institute, Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, USC Viterbi School of Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Robb Willer, UC Berkeley
Talk Title: Groups Reward Individual Sacrifice: The Status Solution to the Collective Action Problem
Abstract: One of the social sciences' classic puzzles is how
groups motivate their members to set aside self-interest and
contribute to collective action. This lecture presents a solution
to the problem based on status as a selective incentive motivating
contribution. Contributors to collective action signal their
group-oriented motivation and consequently earn diverse benefits
from group members - in particular, higher status - and these
rewards encourage greater giving to the group in the future. In
Study 1, high contributors to collective action were granted
higher status, exercised more interpersonal influence, were
cooperated with more, and received gifts of greater value. Studies
2 and 3 replicated these findings while discounting alternative
explanations. All three studies showed that giving to the group
mattered because it signaled the individual's motivation to help
the group. Study 4 found that participants who received status for
their contributions subsequently contributed more and viewed the
group more positively. These results demonstrate how the
allocation of respect to contributors shapes group productivity
and solidarity, offering a solution to the collective action problem.
Biography: Robb Willer is an Assistant Professor of Sociology and (by
courtesy) Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley.
His teaching and research focus on the bases of social order. http://willer.berkeley.edu/
One line of his research investigates the factors driving the
emergence of collective action, social norms, group solidarity,
altruistic behavior, and status hierarchies. In other research, he
explores the social psychology of political attitudes, especially
the role of fear, prejudice, and gender identity in contemporary
U.S. politics. Willer's research involves multiple empirical and
theoretical methods, including laboratory and field experiments,
surveys, direct observation, physiological measurement,
agent-based modeling, and social network analysis. He has
published in such journals as American Sociological Review,
American Journal of Sociology, Annual Review of Sociology, Journal
of Personality and Social Psychology, Psychological Science,
Social Psychology Quarterly, Proceedings of the Royal Society B:
Biological Sciences, and Social Networks. His work has received
awards from the American Sociological Association's Mathematical
Sociology, Rationality and Society, and Peace, War, and Social
Conflict sections. Professor Willer's research has received
widespread media coverage including CNN, NBC Nightly News, The
Today Show, MSNBC, New York Times, USA Today, Washington Post,
Chicago Tribune, Science, Nature, Time, Scientific American,
Slate, Psychology Today, and National Public Radio.
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 248
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Eric Mankin
This event is open to all eligible individuals. USC Viterbi operates all of its activities consistent with the University's Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor. -
Munushian Seminar
Wed, Sep 28, 2011 @ 03:00 PM - 04:00 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Dr. Julie Brown, Senior Vice President, Universal Display Corporation
Talk Title: âLighting the Way with Organic Light Emitting Devicesâ
Abstract: Graphic lighting emitting diodes or OLEDs are now catching the attention of the consumer. OLED smart phones can be found in every store, and are offered by all the major carriers. Fabulous early entry small area OLED TVs are now available and offer truly spectacular visual experiences with large area prototypes being exhibited at leading tradeshows. While the early focus of OLED development was for flat panel display applications, through the use of phosphorescent OLEDs, energy efficient solid state lighting is now also being realized. Lighting is now at a cross roads. Incandescent lamps are being banned world wide because of their environmental impact, while compact flourescent lamps have limited visual appeal, as well as safety concerns for residential lighting due to their mercury content. Both inorganic LEDs and OLEDs provide safe and efficient replacements for these older lighting technologies, and can complement each other in how they are used. Here we will focus on the global interest in solid state lighting and recent rapid progress in OLED lighting panel prototypes and discuss the next set of research, development and commercialization challenges to ensure future impact.
Biography: Dr. Brown is Senior Vice President and Chief Technical Officer at Universal Display Corporation (UDC). UDC is an entrepreneurial company pursuing the research, development and commercialization of organic light emitting device (OLEDs) technology into two key growth markets, namely flat panel displays and solid state lighting. UDCâs key position in the industry, along with their academic research teams at USC and U of M, is as pioneers of phosphorescent OLEDs to enable âgreenâ energy efficient OLED solutions for these markets. Under her leadership, UDC is also pursuing the creation of new product concepts based on flexible OLED displays and light sources.
Prior to joining UDC in 1998, she was a Research Manager at Hughes Research Laboratories where she was involved in the pilot line production of high speed Indium Phosphide-based integrated circuits for insertion into advanced airborne radar and satellite communication systems. Dr. Brown received her B. S. in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University (1983) and then worked at Raytheon Company (1983-1984) and AT&T Bell Laboratories (1984-1986) before returning to graduate school. Dr. Brown received an M.S. (1988) and Ph.D. (1991) in Electrical Eng./Electrophysics at the University of Southern California under the advisement of Professor Stephen R. Forrest.
Dr. Brown was nominated to IEEE Fellow in 2007 and inducted into the New Jersey High Tech Hall of Fame in 2007.She is actively involved in the Society of Information Display and over the past years been involved in a number of other professional societies. She has authored or co-authored numerous publications and patents in the fields of high speed compound semiconductor devices, microelectro-mechanical systems (MEMs) and organic light emitting devices (OLEDs).
Host: EE-Electrophysics
More Info: ee.usc.edu/news/munushianLocation: Hedco Neurosciences Building (HNB) - 100
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Marilyn Poplawski
Event Link: ee.usc.edu/news/munushian
This event is open to all eligible individuals. USC Viterbi operates all of its activities consistent with the University's Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor.
