Select a calendar:
Filter January Events by Event Type:
SUNMONTUEWEDTHUFRISAT
Events for January 28, 2016
-
Communications, Networks & Systems (CommNetS) Seminar
Thu, Jan 28, 2016 @ 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Dr. Alireza Vahid, Duke University
Talk Title: Improving Wireless Networks and Data Storage Through Information Theory
Series: CommNetS
Abstract: In this talk, we describe two very different applications of Information and Coding Theory. The first is Wireless Packet Networks, where we turn collisions into opportunities by treating the received analog signal as a linear combination of the collided packets. These linear equations can then be used to greatly improve the network throughput in future phases of communications. We describe how the benefits of this approach depend on the delay in learning the channel state and on the spatial correlation of the communication links.
The second is Computer Memory Systems, where scaling down the feature size requires new coding strategies to prevent significant degradation to the lifetime of memory. We develop a new interface that acts as a bridge between theory and practice, making it possible to introduce coding schemes that extend the lifetime of Flash Memory. We derive a fundamental tradeoff between host-visible capacity and lifetime, and describe several operating points.
Biography: Alireza Vahid received his B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering from Sharif University of Technology, Iran. He obtained his M.Sc. and Ph.D. from the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Cornell University in 2012 and 2015 respectively, where he worked with Professor Salman Avestimehr. He is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow at Duke University, where he works with Professor Robert Calderbank. His research interests include Information and Coding Theory, Wireless Communications, Computer Architecture, and Memory Systems.
He received the Outstanding PhD Thesis Research Award in 2015, and the Director's Ph.D. Teaching Award in 2010 from Cornell University. He was the recipient of the Qualcomm Innovation Award in 2013, and the Jacobs Scholar Fellowship in 2009. He was ranked 2nd in the Iranian National Entrance Exam, and received the Silver Medal in the Iranian National Physics Olympiad.
Host: Dr. Ashutosh Nayyar
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 248
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Annie Yu
-
Creative Artists Agency IT Info Session & Lunch
Thu, Jan 28, 2016 @ 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Viterbi School of Engineering Career Connections
Workshops & Infosessions
The Information Technology department supports CAA by developing and managing custom applications, providing social intelligence, security, and program management which allow the agency to attract and retain the best talent in entertainment and sports. We are offering internships in programming, web design, security, compliance, program management and social analytics.
JOIN US TO LEARN MORE ABOUT TECHNOLOGY INTERNSHIPS AVAILABLE TO CURRENT STUDENTS AND RECENT GRADUATES.
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
THURSDAY, JANUARY 28
RONALD TUTOR HALL (RTH), ROOM 211
1:00 - 2:00 PM
LUNCH WILL BE PROVIDED - Please RSVP on Viterbi Career Gateway.
COMPUTER SCIENCE AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING STUDENTS WELCOME!
CREATIVE ARTISTS AGENCY (CAA) IS THE WORLD'S LEADING ENTERTAINMENT AND SPORTS AGENCY, WITH OFFICES IN LOS ANGELES, NEW YORK, NASHVILLE, LONDON, AND BEIJING. FOUNDED IN 1975, CAA REPRESENTS MANY OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL PROFESSIONALS WORKING IN FILM, TELEVISION, MUSIC, THEATRE, VIDEO GAMES, SPORTS, AND DIGITAL CONTENT, AND PROVIDES A RANGE OF STRATEGIC MARKETING AND CONSULTING SERVICES TO CORPORATE CLIENTS.Location: Ronald Tutor Hall of Engineering (RTH) - 211
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: RTH 218 Viterbi Career Connections
-
Special Seminar
Thu, Jan 28, 2016 @ 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Information Sciences Institute
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Natali Ruchansky, Postdoc - Boston University
Talk Title: Learn to query and query to learn.
Series: AI Seminar
Abstract: Working with data has never been easy: Netflix wishes to make movies recommendations to users, but their data is incomplete. Biologists have large interesting protein-protein interaction networks, but they don't know how to extract useful insight from them.
The above examples can be viewed as dealing with two components: the data and the inference process.
In the case of Netflix the latter is known and algorithms are needed to complete the missing data; I will call this Learning to Query. In the biology example the data is readily available and an algorithm is needed to query the graph for discoveries; I will call this Querying to Learn. In my work I addressed these two converse problems and proposed simple, but effective algorithms to solve them.
In this talk I will first present my work on the Learning to Query problem through the lens of matrix completion. I will discuss the new problem of Active Matrix Completion which asks to first analyzes the quality of the available data, such as movie ratings on Netflix, then perform the completion and inference, or movie recommendation. I will then present a new algorithm called Order&Extend that tackles the Active Completion problem. By framing the problem in terms of linear systems, Order&Extend identifies which portions of the data do or do not have enough information, suggests how the data can be augmented, and finally produces a completion.
In the second half of my talk I will present my work on the Querying to Learn through the lens of graph mining. Here there is a data set available, and in particular there are some query-nodes of interest; the biologists have a protein-protein-interaction network and wish to study the interactions between three particular proteins. I will present the new notion of a Wiener-Connector that isolates interesting connections among the query-nodes by utilizing the simple relationship of shortest paths. I will then discuss the algorithm for finding the Wiener-Connector along with its applicability and utility, for example, in identifying possible protein-disease associations and providing outputs that are easy to interpret and visualize, making it useful across different domains.
Biography: I am a PhD student in the Computer Science Department at Boston University.
I am a member of the Data Managment Group, and I work with Professor Evimaria Terzi and Professor Mark Crovella.
While 'passionately curious' about (too) many things, my research focus is algorithmic data mining, mathematics, and networks. In particular I am currently working on problems in graph mining, and in matrix and tensor completion through the lense of linear algebra.
Host: Kristina Lerman
Webcast: http://webcasterms1.isi.edu/mediasite/SilverlightPlayer/Default.aspx?peid=0ac4e800c18744fcbac14781671b6d481dLocation: Information Science Institute (ISI) - 11th floor Large CR
WebCast Link: http://webcasterms1.isi.edu/mediasite/SilverlightPlayer/Default.aspx?peid=0ac4e800c18744fcbac14781671b6d481d
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Alma Nava / Information Sciences Institute
-
USC Stem Cell Seminar: Didier Stainier, Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research
Thu, Jan 28, 2016 @ 12:00 PM - 01:00 PM
Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Didier Stainier, Director, Department of Developmental Genetics/Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research
Talk Title: Imaging heart development and function in zebrafish
Series: Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at USC Distinguished Speakers Series
Abstract: My lab investigates questions related to organogenesis, including cell differentiation, tissue morphogenesis, organ homeostasis and function, as well as organ regeneration. We study these questions in the zebrafish as well as in the mouse and are currently looking at several mesodermal (heart, vasculature) and endodermal (pancreas, lung) organs. We utilize both forward and reverse genetic approaches, and aim to dissect cellular processes using high-resolution live imaging. One goal of our studies is to gain understanding of vertebrate organ development at the single-cell level, and beyond. This talk will focus on cardiac development and function.
Host: Gage Crump
More Info: http://stemcell.usc.edu/events/details/?event_id=917356
Webcast: http://keckmedia.usc.edu/stem-cell-seminarWebCast Link: http://keckmedia.usc.edu/stem-cell-seminar
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Cristy Lytal/USC Stem Cell
Event Link: http://stemcell.usc.edu/events/details/?event_id=917356
-
MFD - Chemical Engineering and Materials Science Distinguished Lecture: Linda Broadbelt
Thu, Jan 28, 2016 @ 12:45 PM - 02:00 PM
Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Linda Broadbelt, Northwestern Univ.
Talk Title: Designing Chemicals and Materials through Detailed Kinetic Modeling
Series: MFD Distinguished Lecture
Host: Prof. Theo Tsotsis
Location: James H. Zumberge Hall Of Science (ZHS) - 159
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Jason Ordonez
-
Mechanistic Modeling of the (Bio)Conversion of (Bio)Macromolecules
Thu, Jan 28, 2016 @ 12:45 PM - 02:00 PM
Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Professor Linda Broadbelt, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
Talk Title: Mechanistic Modeling of the (Bio)Conversion of (Bio)Macromolecules
Series: Distinguished Lecture Series
Abstract: Fast pyrolysis, a potential strategy for the production of transportation fuels from biomass, involves a complex network of competing reactions, which result in the formation of bio-oil,
non-condensable gaseous species, and solid char. Bio-oil is a mixture of anhydro sugars, furan derivatives, and oxygenated aromatic and low molecular weight (LMW) compounds. Previously,
the successful modeling of fast pyrolysis reactors for biomass conversion was hampered by lumped kinetic models, which fail to predict the bio-oil composition. Hence, a fundamental understanding of the chemistry and kinetics of biomass pyrolysis is important to evaluate the effects of process parameters like temperature, residence time and pressure on the composition of
bio-oil. In this talk, a mechanistic model that was recently developed to characterize the primary products of fast pyrolysis of cellulose is described. The kinetic model of pyrolysis of pure
cellulose was then extended to describe cellulose decomposition in the presence of sodium salts. To quantify the effect of sodium, a density functional theory study of glucose dehydration, an important class of decomposition reactions of a cellulose-derived intermediate, was carried out. The theoretical results reveal alterations in the reaction rate coefficients when sodium is present and a change in the relative rates of different reactions. These kinetic parameters were used in
the kinetic model to describe Na-mediated pathways, capturing trends in the experimental product distributions as the salt loading was increased based on classic catalytic cycles. In
contrast to pyrolysis, conversion of macromolecules such as cellulose in Nature takes place at ambient temperature, aided by enzymes. Mechanistic details of the action of these enzymes will
also be discussed and contrasted to high-temperature pyrolysis pathways.
We have also developed a computational discovery platform for identifying and analyzing novel biochemical pathways to target chemicals. Automated network generation that defines and
implements the chemistry of what we have coined "generalized enzyme functions" based on knowledge compiled in existing biochemical databases is employed. The output is a set of
compounds and the pathways connecting them, both known and novel. To identify the most promising of the thousands of different pathways generated, we link the automated network
generation algorithms with pathway evaluation tools. The simplest screening metrics to rank pathways are pathway length and number of known reactions. More sophisticated screening tools
include thermodynamic feasibility and potential of known enzymes for carrying out novel reactions. Our method for automated generation of pathways creates novel compounds and
pathways that have not been reported in biochemical or chemical databases. Thus, our method goes beyond a survey of existing compounds and reactions and provides an alternative to the
conventional approaches practiced to develop novel biochemical processes that harness the power of enzymes as catalysts.
Host: Professor Theodore Tsotsis
Location: James H. Zumberge Hall Of Science (ZHS) - 159
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Martin Olekszyk
-
Faculty Candidate Seminar
Thu, Jan 28, 2016 @ 01:00 PM - 02:00 PM
Daniel J. Epstein Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Private, Private
Talk Title: Robust Optimal Contgrol for Medical Treatment Decisions - An Application to Type 2 Diabetes
Host: Epstein Department of ISE
Location: Ethel Percy Andrus Gerontology Center (GER) - 206
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Michele ISE
-
Get Connected for Maximum Job Search Success Workshop
Thu, Jan 28, 2016 @ 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Viterbi School of Engineering Career Connections
Workshops & Infosessions
Viterbi Students, join us to get tips on how to make successful connections. Attend this workshop and learn how to build relationships & connections to assist you in your academic career & in your job search. Develop the 30 Second Commercial you need to interact with employers. Discover how much networking you already do!
GRADUATE STUDENTS, if you are attending VINE on February 10th, this workshop will also provide tips on networking at this event.Location: Ronald Tutor Hall of Engineering (RTH) - 211
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: RTH 218 Viterbi Career Connections
-
USC IEEE and ASCEND: Accenture Case Workshop
Thu, Jan 28, 2016 @ 06:30 PM - 09:30 PM
Student Activity
You're invited to participate in Accenture's Case Workshop! This is an amazing and unique opportunity for you to network with professionals and learn how to work a case. Free food will be provided. See you there!
No previous experience necessary. Open to all classes.This will be especially helpful for anyone interested in tech and/or consulting.
Schedule:
6:30 -“ 6:50: Opening
6:50 -“ 7:00: Case Distribution
7:00 -“ 8:00: Case Workshop
8:00 -“ 9:00: Presentations (5 minutes per group)
9:00 -“ 9:30: Networking
RSVP Here: http://goo.gl/forms/66GjssqJuMLocation: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 132
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
