SUNMONTUEWEDTHUFRISAT
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Events for September
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Center for Cyber-Physical Systems and Internet of Things and Ming Hsieh Institute Seminar
Wed, Sep 02, 2020 @ 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Mingxi Cheng, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Southern California
Talk Title: There Is Hope After All: Quantifying Trustworthiness in Neural Networks
Series: Center for Cyber-Physical Systems and Internet of Things
Abstract: Artificial Intelligence (AI) plays a fundamental role in the modern world, especially when used as an autonomous decision maker. One common concern nowadays is "how trustworthy the AIs are." Human operators follow a strict educational curriculum and performance assessment that could be exploited to quantify how much we entrust them. To quantify the trust of AI decision makers, we must go beyond task accuracy especially when facing limited, incomplete, misleading, controversial or noisy datasets. Toward addressing these challenges, we describe DeepTrust, a Subjective Logic (SL) inspired framework that constructs a probabilistic logic description of an AI algorithm and takes into account the trustworthiness of both dataset and inner algorithmic workings. DeepTrust identifies proper multi-layered neural network (NN) topologies that have high projected trust probabilities, even when trained with untrusted data. We show that uncertain opinion of data is not always malicious while evaluating NN's opinion and trustworthiness, whereas the disbelief opinion hurts trust the most. Also trust probability does not necessarily correlate with accuracy. DeepTrust also provides a projected trust probability of NN's prediction, which is useful when the NN generates an over-confident output under problematic datasets. These findings open new analytical avenues for designing and improving the NN topology by optimizing opinion and trustworthiness, along with accuracy, in a multi-objective optimization formulation, subject to space and time constraints.
Biography: Mingxi Cheng is currently a 3rd year Ph.D. student at the University of Southern California (USC) under the supervision of Prof. Paul Bogdan and Prof. Shahin Nazarian. She received her B.S. degree from Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications (BUPT), China in 2016 and M.S. degree from Duke University in 2018. Her research interests include deep learning, natural language processing, and artificial intelligence.
Host: Pierluigi Nuzzo, nuzzo@usc.edu
Webcast: https://usc.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_YSl0DRVOQJetWGNAACPOYQLocation: Online
WebCast Link: https://usc.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_YSl0DRVOQJetWGNAACPOYQ
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Talyia White
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. -
Professional Enhancement Seminar
Tue, Sep 08, 2020 @ 04:00 PM - 05:00 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Dr. Milan L. Mashanovitch, CEO of Freedom Photonics LLC
Talk Title: Starting Your Own Technology Company - A Photonics Perspective
Abstract: In this presentation, followed by a Q&A session, we will discuss what is needed when starting up your own technology company in the United States. The presentation will review the startup ecosystem, societal economics, government support, small business programs, funding models, exit strategies, and more, through examples from the field of photonics.
Biography: Dr. Milan Mashanovitch is the Chief Executive Officer of Freedom Photonics, a photonics company based in Santa Barbara, California.
Dr. Mashanovitch co-founded Freedom Photonics in 2005, and has served as Director of Business Development from 2005-2010, General Manager from 2010-2016, and as CEO since 2016. In these different roles, he has helped grow the company to become a leader in innovative photonic components, with >50 employees, and >10 products, manufactured in Santa Barbara.
Dr. Mashanovitch has 20 years of experience working in the field of photonics, spanning over design, fabrication, testing and packaging of photonic integrated circuits, combined with 10 years of management and business development experience.
Prior to Freedom Photonics, Dr. Mashanovitch has worked at the University of California Santa Barbara as a Scientist, on photonic integrated circuits in Indium Phosphide, as well as an Adjunct Professor teaching graduate level classes on semiconductor lasers and photonic ICs.
Dr. Mashanovitch has co-authored 160 papers, many invited, on photonic integrated circuits, semiconductor lasers and various photonic devices. He holds 9 patents, and has co-authored the second edition of the "Diode Lasers and Photonic Integrated Circuits" textbook. He is very active in the photonics technical community, participating on technical committees of many conferences. He is a Senior Member of IEEE, and currently serves on the Board of Governors for the IEEE Photonics Society.
Dr. Mashanovitch holds a Degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Belgrade in Serbia, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of California in Santa Barbara.
Host: Mihailo Jovanovic
More Info: https://usc.zoom.us/j/95238378289?pwd=ZU1Ga2xqRk16anlmOENKU2ZjWmNLQT09
More Information: b73465f7-1382-4657-b48d-8f573e9d4c88.png
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Cathy Huang
Event Link: https://usc.zoom.us/j/95238378289?pwd=ZU1Ga2xqRk16anlmOENKU2ZjWmNLQT09
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. -
Center for Cyber-Physical Systems and Internet of Things and Ming Hsieh Institute Seminar
Wed, Sep 09, 2020 @ 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Alan Mishchenko, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, University of California, Berkeley
Talk Title: Circuit-Based Intrinsic Methods to Detect Overfitting
Series: Center for Cyber-Physical Systems and Internet of Things
Abstract: The focus of this talk is on intrinsic methods to detect overfitting. By intrinsic methods, we mean methods that rely only on the model and the training data, as opposed to traditional methods that rely on performance on a test set or on bounds from model complexity. We propose a family of intrinsic methods, called Counterfactual Simulation (CFS), which analyze the flow of training examples through the model by identifying and perturbing rare patterns. By applying CFS to logic circuits we get a method that has no hyper-parameters and works uniformly across different types of models such as neural networks, random forests and lookup tables. Experimentally, CFS can separate models with different levels of overfit using only their logic circuit representations without any access to the high level structure. By comparing lookup tables, neural networks, and random forests using CFS, we get insight into why neural networks generalize. The paper appeared at ICML 2020: https://people.eecs.berkeley.edu/~alanmi/publications/2020/icml20_cfs.pdf
Biography: Alan graduated with M.S. from Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (Moscow, Russia) in 1993 and received his Ph.D. from Glushkov Institute of Cybernetics (Kiev, Ukraine) in 1997. In 2002, Alan joined the EECS Department at the University of California, Berkeley, where he is currently a full researcher. His research is in computationally efficient logic synthesis and formal verification.
Host: Pierluigi Nuzzo, nuzzo@usc.edu
Webcast: https://usc.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_YSl0DRVOQJetWGNAACPOYQLocation: Online
WebCast Link: https://usc.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_YSl0DRVOQJetWGNAACPOYQ
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Talyia White
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. -
Center for Cyber-Physical Systems and Internet of Things and Ming Hsieh Institute Seminar
Wed, Sep 16, 2020 @ 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Feifei Qian, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Southern California
Talk Title: Generating Desired Robot Movements from Complex Environments
Series: Center for Cyber-Physical Systems and Internet of Things
Abstract: Robots nowadays are expected to take on increasingly important roles in human society. However, state-of-the-art robots still struggle to move on natural terrains such as soft sand and rubble field, due to the lack of understanding of the interactions between robots and non-flat, non-rigid surfaces. In this talk, I will use a few examples from my recent work to illustrate how I use a "robophysics" approach -“ an integration of robotics, terradynamics, and locomotion biomechanics -- to create interaction models and frameworks that can guide design and control of bio-inspired robots to enable effective movements on challenging terrains.
First, I will briefly review my previous work of modelling animal and robot locomotion on granular terrains such as sand, debris, and gravel, and discuss how legged locomotors could manipulate sand responses through adjustments in morphological parameters or contact strategy. These robot-sand interacting mechanisms have recently enabled development of desert-exploring robot assistants that can use their leg as soil strength sensors, and help human scientists generate erodibility maps by walking around the desert. I will then discuss my recent and on-going work on creating simplified representations for robot locomotion on perturbation-rich environments such as cluttered rubble field or fallen tree trunks, and demonstrate how a multi-legged robot could use different gait patterns to take advantage of obstacle collisions and generate desired motion under repeated disturbances. I will conclude with a vision of how these models and representations are leading to innovative strategies for environment-aided robot locomotion, better understandings of animal gait transition behaviors, and new cognitive workflows of human-robot collaborative explorations.
Biography: Feifei Qian is an Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at USC. She received her PhD in Electrical Engineering and M.S. in Physics from Georgia Institute of Technology, in 2015 and 2011, respectively. Prior to her appointment at USC, she worked in the GRASP lab at University of Pennsylvania as a postdoctoral fellow. Her expertise is in analyzing and modeling the complex interactions between robots and environments, and developing innovative control and sensing strategies to improve robot mobility on challenging terrains. Her work has been featured in BBC News and R&D Magazine, and was awarded the best student paper of Robotics: Science & Systems.
Host: Pierluigi Nuzzo, nuzzo@usc.edu
Webcast: https://usc.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_YSl0DRVOQJetWGNAACPOYQLocation: Online
WebCast Link: https://usc.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_YSl0DRVOQJetWGNAACPOYQ
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Talyia White
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. -
Center for Cyber-Physical Systems and Internet of Things and Ming Hsieh Institute Seminar
Wed, Sep 23, 2020 @ 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Mohammad Al Faruque, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of California, Irvine
Talk Title: Cross-Layer Security of Embedded and Cyber-Physical Systems
Series: Center for Cyber-Physical Systems and Internet of Things
Abstract: Cyber-physical systems (CPS) are engineered systems that are built from, and depend upon, the seamless integration of computation and physical components [NSF]. Embedded systems comprising of hardware and software systems are the major enabling technology for these cyber-physical systems. Today, CPSs can be found in security-sensitive areas such as aerospace, automotive, energy, healthcare, manufacturing transportation, entertainment, and consumer appliances. Compared to the traditional information processing systems, due to the tight interactions between cyber and physical components in CPSs and closed-loop control from sensing to actuation, new vulnerabilities are emerging from the boundaries between various layers and domains. In this talk, Prof. Al Faruque will discuss how new vulnerabilities are emerging at the intersection of various components and subsystems and their various hardware, software, and physical layers. Several recent examples from various cyber-physical systems will be presented in this talk. To understand these new vulnerabilities a very different set of methodologies and tools are needed. Defenses against these vulnerabilities demand also new hardware/software co-design approaches. The talk will highlight recent developments in this regard. The major goal of this talk will be to highlight various research challenges and the need for novel scientific solutions from the CPS community as well as the EDA, embedded systems, and integrated circuits and systems design communities.
Biography: Mohammad Al Faruque received his B.Sc. degree in Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) in 2002, and M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Computer Science from Aachen Technical University and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany in 2004 and 2009, respectively. He is currently with the University of California Irvine (UCI) as an Associate Professor and Directing the Embedded and Cyber-Physical Systems Lab. He served as an Emulex Career Development Chair from October 2012 till July 2015. Before, he was with Siemens Corporate Research and Technology in Princeton, NJ as a Research Scientist. His current research is focused on the system-level design of embedded and Cyber-Physical-Systems (CPS) with special interest in low-power design, CPS security, data-driven CPS design, etc. He is the author of 2 published books. Besides many other awards, he is the recipient of the School of Engineering Mid-Career Faculty Award for Research 2019, the IEEE Technical Committee on Cyber-Physical Systems Early-Career Award 2018, the IEEE CEDA Ernest S. Kuh Early Career Award 2016, Thomas Alva Edison Patent Award 2016 from the Edison foundation, the 2016 DATE Best Paper Award, the 2015 DAC Best Paper Award, and the 2009 IEEE/ACM William J. McCalla ICCAD Best Paper Award. He is also the recipient of the UCI Academic Senate Distinguished Early-Career Faculty Award for Research 2017 and the School of Engineering Early-Career Faculty Award for Research 2017. Besides 120+ IEEE/ACM publications in the premier journals and conferences, he holds 8 US patents.
Host: Pierluigi Nuzzo, nuzzo@usc.edu
Webcast: https://usc.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_YSl0DRVOQJetWGNAACPOYQLocation: Online
WebCast Link: https://usc.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_YSl0DRVOQJetWGNAACPOYQ
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Talyia White
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. -
Medical Imaging Seminar
Fri, Sep 25, 2020 @ 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Yongwan Lim, Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Southern California
Talk Title: Improved Real-Time MRI of Speech Production
Series: Medical Imaging Seminar Series
Abstract: Human speech is a unique capability that involves complex and rapid movement of vocal tract articulators. Real-time (RT) MRI has provided powerful insight into speech production because of its ability to non-invasively and safely capture the essential dynamic features of the vocal tract during speech. My dissertation is motivated by unmet needs in the field of speech RT-MRI, specifically blurring artifacts and volumetric coverage. In this talk, I will describe two new deblurring methods and a new 3D RT-MRI technique.
Biography: Yongwan Lim is a PhD candidate in the Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Southern California, co-advised by Prof. Krishna S. Nayak and Prof. Shrikanth Narayanan. His research interest includes real-time magnetic resonance imaging, computer vision, and deep learning for medical imaging. He received his B.S. in Electronic Engineering from Sogang University in 2012 and M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) in 2014.
Host: Krishna Nayak, knayak@usc.edu
Webcast: https://usc.zoom.us/j/96737534449?pwd=NXR5QjNUMWRwSGhwOU1SRUVla3VrQT09WebCast Link: https://usc.zoom.us/j/96737534449?pwd=NXR5QjNUMWRwSGhwOU1SRUVla3VrQT09
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Talyia White
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. -
Center for Cyber-Physical Systems and Internet of Things and Ming Hsieh Institute Seminar
Wed, Sep 30, 2020 @ 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Douglas Densmore, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Boston University
Talk Title: Genetic Circuits, Cloud Labs, and COVID-19: CPS as Applied to Synthetic Biology
Series: Center for Cyber-Physical Systems and Internet of Things
Abstract: Synthetic biology is the process of forward engineering living systems. These systems can be used to produce bio-based materials, agriculture, medicine, and energy. One approach to designing these systems is to employ techniques from the design of embedded electronics. These techniques include abstraction, standards, and formal models. Together these form the foundation of "bio-design automation", where software, robotics, and microfluidic devices combine to create exciting biological systems of the future. In this talk, I will discuss three general topics. The first is how software tools can be created to act as "genetic compilers" that transform high-level specifications into engineered "genetic circuits". The second topic is how these genetic circuits can be automatically communicated to both local and community "cloud labs" where robotics, assembly-line style automation, and formalized protocol descriptions can be employed to safely and efficiently manufacture these systems. Finally, I will conclude with how these two elements have combined in to power the BU Clinical Testing Laboratory where over 5000 COVID-19 tests are performed daily.
Biography: Douglas Densmore is a Kern Faculty Fellow, a Hariri Institute for Computing and Computational Science and Engineering Faculty Fellow, and Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Boston University. His research focuses on the development of tools for the specification, design, assembly, and test of synthetic biological systems. His approaches draw upon his experience with embedded system-level design and electronic design automation (EDA). Extracting concepts and methodologies from these fields, he aims to raise the level of abstraction in synthetic biology by employing standardized biological part-based designs which leverage domain-specific languages, constraint-based genetic circuit composition, visual editing environments, microfluidics, and automated DNA assembly. This leads to a new research area he calls "Hardware, Software, Wetware Co-design".
Host: Pierluigi Nuzzo, nuzzo@usc.edu
Webcast: https://usc.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_YSl0DRVOQJetWGNAACPOYQLocation: Online
WebCast Link: https://usc.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_YSl0DRVOQJetWGNAACPOYQ
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Talyia White
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.
