SUNMONTUEWEDTHUFRISAT
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Events for January
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William Spitzer Lecture
Thu, Jan 20, 2011 @ 04:00 PM - 05:45 PM
Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Dr. Harry Atwater, California Institute of Technology
Talk Title: New Photonic Material Designs for Solar Energy Conversion
Series: William Spitzer Lecture
Abstract: Solar energy is currently enjoying substantial growth and investment, owing to worldwide sensitivity to energy security and climate change, and this has spurred basic research on light-matter interactions relevant to solar energy. Dr. Atwater will describe approaches to control of light-matter interactions leading to enhanced light-trapping and absorption, as well as increased open circuit voltage and enhanced quantum efficiency in solar photovoltaic structures. Conventionally, photovoltaic cells have a physical thickness comparable to their âoptical thicknessâ for full light absorption and photocarrier current collection. Solar cell design and material synthesis considerations are strongly dictated by this simple optical thickness requirement. Dramatically reducing the absorber layer thickness or volume confers several fundamental and practical benefits, including increased open circuit voltage and conversion efficiency, and also expansion of the scope and quality of absorber materials that are suitable for photovoltaics. He will describe light absorption in thin film and wire array solar cells that demonstrate enhanced absorption compared with conventional photovoltaic cells, and limits to enhanced absorption will be explored. Plasmonics and metamaterials design can also be exploited advantageously in photovoltaics. He will describe design approaches using metallic nanostructures to enhance the radiative emission rate and hence also the photovoltaic material quantum efficiency relative to conventional light-trapping structures. Finally, future design metamaterials for broadband resonant absorption and spectrum-splitting will be discussed.
Biography: Harry Atwater is currently Howard Hughes Professor and Professor of Applied Physics and Materials Science at the California Institute of Technology. His research interests center around two interwoven research themes: photovoltaics and solar energy; and plasmonics and optical metamaterials. Atwater and his group have been active in photovoltaics research for more than 20 years. Recently they have created new photovoltaic devices, including the silicon wire array solar cell, and layer-transferred fabrication approaches to III-V semiconductor III-V and multijunction cells, as well as making advances in plasmonic light absorber structures for III-V compound and silicon thin films. He is an early pioneer in surface plasmon photonics; he gave the name to the field of plasmonics in 2001.
Host: Mork Family Dept of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science
More Info: http://chems.usc.edu/academics/10-11/w-01-20-11.htmLocation: Henry Salvatori Computer Science Center (SAL) - 101
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Petra Pearce
Event Link: http://chems.usc.edu/academics/10-11/w-01-20-11.htm
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. -
CiSoft Seminar Series 2011
Fri, Jan 21, 2011 @ 12:00 PM - 01:30 PM
Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: SPE Distinguished Lecturer, Jim Crompton, Chevron, Global Upstream IT
Talk Title: âPutting the Focus on Dataâ
Abstract: Data is a critical business asset which drives decisions on where to invest, when to divest and how to operate more efficiently. The business wants to focus on using data and expects IT to manage data. However, IT often focuses on the technology to capture, store data and even to visualize data but the ownership of the lifecycle of data is often ill defined.
This is not a new problem. Many studies point out the productivity loss felt when a lot of time is spent looking for data and making sure what is found is correct, complete and in the right format. While some of the issues are mitigated by our current experienced workforce, what will happen when the experience leaves? The new workforce is digitally literate with high expectations but can they perform at a high level with a poor understanding of data? Can the new engineer recognize when critical data is missing or wrong? Will they be able to recognize when a logical conclusion is not the right one?
The importance of data should be a business priority. Managing data in silos (structured data, documents, transactions, models) increases the resistance to efficient data flow. As many different people are involved in new workflows, a solution design for one specific discipline becomes a barrier for others. In some applications, the need to see the bigger picture becomes more important than reaching specific answers.
Data silos continue to survive waves of new technology development. The data explosion and the availability of powerful desktop tools create hundreds more data silos for the organization to manage. There is not a simple answer or technology to fix the current situation but there are practical recommendations to help us get back on the road to ââtrusted data, easily found.â
The approach starts through a better understanding of business process and how information flow leads to decisions. Other practical steps include: data governance, common reference and master data, data quality management, and looking at the data lifecycle by managing data from its capture/creation, storage, access, use, archive and disposal.
Biography: Jim Crompton holds the position of Manager of Upstream Architecture in the Chevron Global Upstream IT organization. He earned a BS in Geophysical Eng., MS in Geophysics from the Colorado School of Mines and an MBA from Our Lady of the Lake University. In 1993, as IT Manager for the Gulf of Mexico Business Unit, Crompton led one of the first desktop PC standardization projects in Chevron. In 1997, Jim was names the Principal Technical Advisor for IT, where he was responsible assessment of emerging technology and strategic planning for the IT function. He served as chair of the API general committee for electronic commerce ( PIDX) and was able to influence the direction of the standards setting activities towards emerging technologies, such as XML, and new electronic business models in the industry. Jim participated in the IT merger integration study team in 2001 as part of the Chevron & Texaco merger which developed the IT organization structure and IT strategic direction for the corporation, where he received a President's Award for this activity. In 2002, Jim was selected to be a Chevron Fellow. Jim also works on Chevronâs i-field program in the area of emerging solutions.
This CiSoft Seminar will also be webcast.
Please register at:
http://usccisoft.omnovia.com/register/68421291748863
Host: CiSoft & SPE Student Chapter
More Info: http://cisoft.usc.edu/Location: Ronald Tutor Hall of Engineering (RTH) -
Audiences: Please RSVP: legat@usc.edu
Contact: Juli Legat
Event Link: http://cisoft.usc.edu/
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. -
Distinguished Lecture Series
Thu, Jan 27, 2011 @ 12:45 PM - 01:50 PM
Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Professor Thomas O. Mason, Northwestern University, Department of Materials Science & Engineering
Talk Title: High Performance Oxide Conductors and Semiconductors
Series: Distinguished Lectures Series
Abstract: Highly conductive ceramics (e.g., superconductors, semi-metallic oxides, ionic conductors) are well known, as are highly resistive ceramics (e.g., dielectrics, insulators, ferroelectrics). Since the advent of oxide-based chemical sensors (e.g., SnO2-based) and voltage-dependent resistors or âvaristorsâ (e.g., ZnO-based) circa 1970, there has been a steady rise of interest in oxide semiconductors. The renaissance of oxide semiconductors over the past two decades has been particularly dramatic. For example, publications dealing with ZnO have doubled each half-decade since 1990 to more than 25,000 papers (2006-2010). This talk will focus on âmedium band gapâ (~3 eV) post-transition metal oxides, the basis set of which include CdO, ZnO, In2O3, and SnO2. (Ga2O3 is also of interest, although its band gap is significantly larger.) These compounds and their numerous binary, ternary and multinary compounds and solid solutions are known for their rare combination of high electronic conductivity (when degenerately doped) and optical transparency, and are collectively referred to as transparent conducting oxides or TCOs. TCOs find application as transparent electrodes in display technologies and photovoltaics. When non-degenerately doped, many of the same compounds/solid solutions can serve as thermoelectric oxides or TEOs for direct conversion of heat (solar, commercial, vehicular) to electricity. When very lightly doped, these same materials are excellent âtransparent oxide semiconductorâ (TOS) candidates for channel materials in oxide-based transparent thin film transistors (TTFTs), especially in the amorphous state (so-called âamorphous oxide semiconductorsâ). These can be deposited at low temperatures on flexible (polymer) substrates, thereby enabling oxide-based âtransparentâ and âflexible electronics.â This talk âdusts offâ two long-standing (but under-utilized) semiconductor analysis proceduresâso-called âJonkerâ and âIoffeâ analysesâand applies them to the characterization/optimization of high-performance oxides for advanced applications in display, information technology, and energy conversion technologies.
Host: Professor Thompson
More Info: http://chems.usc.edu/academics/10-11/d-01-27-11.htmLocation: James H. Zumberge Hall Of Science (ZHS) - 159
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Petra Pearce
Event Link: http://chems.usc.edu/academics/10-11/d-01-27-11.htm
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.
