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SUNMONTUEWEDTHUFRISAT
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Events for February
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AME Department Seminar
Wed, Feb 01, 2012 @ 03:30 PM - 04:30 PM
Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Sergio Pellegrino, Graduate Aerospace Laboratories. California Institute of Technology. Pasadena, CA
Talk Title: Multiple Equilibria of Inflatable Structures
Abstract: The shape of inflatable structures is determined by overall energy considerations coupled with the unilateral constraints imposed by their envelope (which is unable to carry compression) and by frictional self-contact. These ingredients lead to the existence of multiple equilibrium configurations, however our everyday experience with inflatable structures leads us to assume uniqueness. We tend to associate alternative equilibrium shapes with clearly anomalous deployment. Thus, the observation of large S-clefts during test flights of NASA superpressure balloons was initially attributed to some of kind of deployment anomaly, as these counterintuitive equilibrium shapes had not been seen before and could not be explained without first understanding the shape of clefted balloons. In this talk I will review some experiments that have confirmed the initial flight test observations and I will present an analysis that captures key aspects of the evolution of clefting during deployment and leads to S-clefts that closely resemble those seen in the experiments.
Host: Prof. Udwadia
More Info: http://ae-www.usc.edu/seminars/index.shtml#upcomingLocation: Seaver Science Library (SSL) - 150
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: April Mundy
Event Link: http://ae-www.usc.edu/seminars/index.shtml#upcoming
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William Spitzer Lecture
Thu, Feb 02, 2012 @ 12:30 PM - 02:30 PM
Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Mark A. Reed, Yale University, Depts. of Electrical Engineering and Applied Physics
Talk Title: Integrated Bioelectronic Systems
Series: William Spitzer Lecture
Abstract: High performance microelectronic systems and bioelectrochemical systems are both highly developed, complex systems capable of advanced signal processing and computing â yet are fundamentally different at nearly every level (mechanism, device, architecture, etc). A major step in understanding these differences will be the ability to effectively interface between these systems. This talk will review the recent progress, the outstanding scientific challenges, and some exciting potential applications in this rapidly growing new field.
Biography: Prof. Mark A. Reed received his Ph.D. in Physics from Syracuse University in 1983, after which he joined Texas Instruments. In 1990 Mark joined Yale University where he holds the Harold Hodgkinson Chair of Engineering and Applied Science. He was chairman of the Department of Electrical Engineering from 1995 to 2001. He is presently the Associate Director of the Yale
Institute for Nanoscience and Quantum Engineering.
Markâs research activities have included the investigation of electronic transport in nanoscale and mesoscopic systems, artificially structured materials and devices, molecular scale electronic transport, plasmonic transport in nanostructures, and chem/bio nanosensors. Mark is the author of more than 180 professional publications and 6 books, has given over 20 plenary and over 300 invited talks, and holds 25 U.S. and foreign patents on quantum effect, heterojunction, and molecular devices. He is the Editor in Chief of the journal Nanotechnology, an Editor for IEEE Transactions Electron Devices, and holds numerous other editorial and advisory board positions.
Mark has been elected to the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering and Who's Who in the World. His awards include; Fortune Magazine âMost Promising Young Scientistâ (1990),
the Kilby Young Innovator Award (1994), the Fujitsu ISCS Quantum Device Award (2001), the Yale Science and Engineering Association Award for Advancement of Basic and Applied Science (2002), Fellow of the American Physical Society (2003), the IEEE Pioneer Award in Nanotechnology (2007), and Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (2009).
Host: Rajiv Kalia
Location: Olin Hall of Engineering (OHE) - 122
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Petra Pearce
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Bio-Inspired Cognition, Adaptation, and Learning over Networks
Thu, Feb 02, 2012 @ 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Ali H. Sayed, UCLA Electrical Engineering
Talk Title: Bio-Inspired Cognition, Adaptation, and Learning Over Networks
Abstract: Complex patterns of behavior are common in many biological networks, where no single agent is in command and yet forms of decentralized intelligence are evident. Examples include fish joining together in schools, birds flying in formation, bees swarming towards a new hive, and bacteria diffusing towards a nutrient source. While each individual agent in these biological networks is not capable of complex behavior, it is the combined coordination among multiple agents that leads to the manifestation of sophisticated order at the network level. The study of these phenomena opens up opportunities for collaborative research across several domains including economics, life sciences, biology, and information processing, in order to address and clarify several relevant questions such as: (a) how and why organized and complex behavior arises at the group level from interactions among agents without central control? (b) What communication topologies enable the emergence of order at the higher level from interactions at the lower level? (c) How is information quantized during the diffusion of knowledge through the network? And (d) how does mobility influence the learning abilities of the agents and the network. Several disciplines are concerned in elucidating different aspects of these questions including evolutionary biology, animal behavior studies, physical biology, and even computer graphics. In the realm of signal processing, these questions motivate the need to study and develop decentralized strategies for information processing that are able to endow networks with real-time adaptation and learning abilities. This presentation examines several patterns of decentralized intelligence in biological networks, and describes powerful diffusion adaptation and online learning strategies that our research group has been developing in recent years to model and reproduce these kinds of behavior.
Biography: A. H. Sayed is Professor and former Chairman of Electrical Engineering at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is also the Principal Investigator of the UCLA Adaptive Systems Laboratory (www.ee.ucla.edu/asl). He has published widely in the areas of adaptation and learning with over 350 articles and 5 books. His research interests span several fields including adaptation and learning, adaptive and cognitive networks, biological networks, cooperative behavior, distributed processing, and statistical signal processing. His research contributions have been recognized with several awards and prizes.
Host: Prof. C.-C. Jay Kuo
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 248
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Talyia Veal
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Fundamental Limits of Passive and Active Learning: A New Look via Feedback Information Theory
Fri, Feb 03, 2012 @ 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Max Raginsky , UIUC
Talk Title: Fundamental Limits of Passive and Active Learning: A New Look via Feedback Information Theory
Abstract: Statistical learning theory is concerned with making accurate predictions on the basis of past observations. One of the main characteristics of any learning problem is its sample complexity: the minimum number of observations needed to ensure a given prediction accuracy at a given confidence level. For the most part, the focus has been on passive learning, in which the learning agent receives independent training samples. However, recently there has been increasing interest in active learning, in which past observations are used to control the process of gathering future observations. The main question is whether active learning is strictly more powerful than its passive counterpart. One way to answer this is to compare the sample complexities of passive and active learning for the same accuracy and confidence.
In this talk, based on joint work with Sasha Rakhlin (Department of Statistics, University of Pennsylvania), I will present a new unified approach to deriving tight lower bounds on the sample complexity of both passive and active learning in the setting of binary classification. This approach is fundamentally rooted in information theory, in particular, the simple but powerful data processing inequality for the f divergence. I will give a high-level overview of the proof technique and discuss the connections between active learning and hypothesis testing with feedback.
Biography: Maxim Raginsky received the B.S. and M.S. degrees in 2000 and the Ph.D. degree in 2002 from Northwestern University, all in electrical engineering. He has held research positions with Northwestern, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (where he was a Beckman Foundation Fellow from 2004 to 2007), and Duke University. In 2012, he has returned to the UIUC, where he is currently an Assistant Professor with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and a Research Assistant Professor in the Coordinated Science Laboratory. His research interests lie at the intersection of information theory, learning, and control.
Host: Urbashi Mitra
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 248
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Gerrielyn Ramos
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W.V.T. Rusch Engineering Honors Colloquium; Overview of the NASA Global Hawk Activities
Fri, Feb 03, 2012 @ 01:00 PM - 01:50 PM
USC Viterbi School of Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering Student Affairs
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Chris Naftel, NASA Global Hawk Project Manager
Talk Title: W.V.T. Rusch Engineering Honors Colloquium; Overview of the NASA Global Hawk Activities
Abstract: Chris Naftel, NASA Global Hawk Project Manager, will present "Overview of the NASA Global Hawk Activities" as part of the W.V.T. Rusch Engineering Honors Program.
Host: W.V.T. Rusch Engineering Honors Colloquium
More Info: http://viterbi.usc.edu/students/undergrad/honors/schedules/Location: Seeley G. Mudd Building (SGM) - 101
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Amanda Atkinson
Event Link: http://viterbi.usc.edu/students/undergrad/honors/schedules/
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Integrated Systems Seminar Series
Fri, Feb 03, 2012 @ 02:30 PM - 04:00 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Prof. Tomás Palacios, MIT
Talk Title: GaN and Graphene: Extreme Materials for Advanced Electronics
Host: Hossein Hashemi
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) -
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Hossein Hashemi
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BME 533 (Seminar in Biomedical Engineering)
Mon, Feb 06, 2012 @ 12:30 PM - 01:50 PM
Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Dr. Radha Kalluri, House Ear Institute
Talk Title: CANCELLED
Abstract: CANCELLED
Host: BME Department
Location: Olin Hall of Engineering (OHE) - 122
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Mischalgrace Diasanta
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Epstein Institute Seminar Series / ISE 651 Seminar
Tue, Feb 07, 2012 @ 03:30 PM - 04:50 PM
Daniel J. Epstein Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Dr. Gideon Weiss, Professor, Statistics, University of Haifa, Israel
Talk Title: "Skill Based Service Systems"
Series: Epstein Institute Seminar Series
Abstract: We consider systems with several types of customers and several types of servers, where compatibility of servers to customers is given by a bipartite graph. This is motivated by call centers with skill based routing, and by assigning kidney transplants to patients. A common approach is provided by infinite first come first served matching of two infinite multi-type random sequences. We obtain explicit results for this model, and show how to extend them to a host of queueing models, including loss systems, stable queues, overloaded queues, and overloaded queues with abandonments.
Biography: Professor Gideon Weiss, Department of Statistics, The University of Haifa, Israel
EDUCATION
Imperial College of Science and Technology, University of London, England, Ph.D., 1974.
Technion, Haifa, Israel, Master in Operations Research.
Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel, B.A. in Mathematics and Statistics.
Thesis: âFiltered Poisson Processes as Models for Daily Streamflow Data,â Supervised by Professor Sir David R. Cox and Professor Terrence OâDonnell
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Optimization of Stochastic Systems: Control of processing networks, optimal solutions of fluid approximations, tracking of fluid solutions, bandit problems and Gittins index, restless ban- dits, stochastic scheduling problems, PERT, Markov decision processes.
Mathematical Programming Simplex algorithm for continuous linear programming.
Manufacturing Systems: Fluid Heuristics for control of manufacturing systems. Fluid and dif- fusion approximations of manufacturing systems. Stochastic aggregate modeling of manufac- turing systems. Re-entrant lines.
Applied Probability and Stochastic Processes: Queues with virtual infinite buffers, queue- ing theory, fluid models, time reversibility, stochastic inequalities, reliability, stochastic mod- els for ion channels in cell membranes, processes derived from Poisson points in the plane, interacting particle systems.
Time Series Analysis: Applications to water resources problems, directionality in time series, shot noise processes as models for neuroelectrical data.
More Information: Seminar-Weiss.doc
Location: Ethel Percy Andrus Gerontology Center (GER) - Room 309
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Georgia Lum
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Decomposition Methods for Large Scale LP Decoding
Wed, Feb 08, 2012 @ 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Stark Draper, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Talk Title: Decomposition Methods for Large Scale LP Decoding
Abstract: Feldman et al. showed that linear programming (LP) can be used to decode linear error correcting codes. The bit-error-rate performance of LP decoding is comparable to state-of-the- art decoders based on message passing, but has significantly stronger theoretical guarantees. However, LP decoding when implemented with standard LP solvers does not easily scale to the block lengths of modern error correcting codes. In this talk we draw on decomposition methods from optimization theory to develop efficient distributed algorithms for LP decoding. The key enabling technical result is a nearly linear time algorithm for two-norm projection onto the parity polytope. This allows us to use LP decoding, with all its theoretical guarantees, to decode large-scale error correcting codes efficiently.
Joint work with Siddarth Barman, Xishuo Liu, and Benjamin Recht
Biography: Stark Draper is an Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Prior to joining UW he worked at the Misubishi Electric Research Labs (MERL) in Cambridge, MA. He did his graduate work at MIT and postdoctoral work at UC-Berkeley and the University of Toronto. His research interests include communications and information theory, statistical signal processing, optimization, security, and the application of these disciplines to computer architecture.
Host: Prof. Andreas Molisch, molisch@usc.edu, x04670
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 248
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Gerrielyn Ramos
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AME Seminar
Wed, Feb 08, 2012 @ 03:30 PM - 04:30 PM
Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Tamar Shinar, Amrik Singh Poonian Assistant Professor; Computer Science & Engineering Department, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA
Talk Title: A Computational Model of Microtubule-Based Motion in the Single-Celled C. elegans Embryo
Abstract: We develop a simple model of microtubule-based pronuclear motion in a single-celled C. elegans embryo. The model consists of a model for microtubule dynamic instability, a Newtonian, viscous fluid contained within an enclosing geometry for the cytoplasm, a rigid body for the pronucleus, and a motor protein load-velocity relationship. Motor proteins distributed throughout the cytoplasm interact with microtubule filaments by sliding along them with a velocity that depends on their load. They in turn pull on the filaments, resulting in translation of the microtubule-bound pronucleus. Our simulations show pronuclear migration, and moreover, a robust pronuclear centration and rotation very similar to that observed in vivo. I will also describe the numerical method for the coupled simulation of the Stokes fluid and rigid structures.
Host: Dr. Paul Newton
Location: Seaver Science Library (SSL) - 150
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: April Mundy
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Grodins Keynote Lecture
Thu, Feb 09, 2012 @ 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Dr. Savio L-Y. Woo, Distinguished University Professor, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Talk Title: Bioengineering: The Bridge Between Biology and Orthopaedic Surgery
Abstract: Bioengineering has made many significant contributions to clinical medicine, notably diagnostics, drug delivery and tissue repairs and replacement. Coupled with the explosive growth in biological sciences, new doors have been opened for bioengineers to introduce a new paradigm, termed Functional Tissue Engineering (FTE) for medical and surgical practices. As a result, it has become an even more attractive discipline.
In this lecture, we will discuss how bioengineering has served as the bridge between biology and clinical management of ligament and tendon injuries in orthopaedic sports medicine. Examples of how laboratory studies have contributed to both non-operative and operative management of complete tears of ligaments and tendons will be given. In recent years, FTE, especially bioscaffolds have been used to further improve the quality of healing tendons and ligaments. Through robotics technology, new knowledge on the multiple degree-of-freedom (DOF) knee kinematics was used to improve ligament reconstruction procedures. Further, in-vivo studies of joint kinematics using novel biplanar fluoroscopy have produced valuable data on in vivo ligament and tendon function to help to develop improved treatment procedures and injury prevention strategies.
The biological complexity will continue to introduce larger gaps between diagnostics and treatment. This will present challenges as well as opportunities for bioengineers to develop new analytical and experimental techniques at the molecular, cellular, tissue and organ levels. Working in concert with biologists, clinicians, and others, it is possible to come up with more creative and scientifically based procedures to provide better patient care.
Biography: Dr. Savio L-Y. Woo is a Distinguished University Professor of Bioengineering and the Founder and Director of the Musculoskeletal Research Center (MSRC), a diverse multidisciplinary research and educational center in the Department of Bioengineering, Swanson School of Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh. He arrived at the University of Pittsburgh in 1990 after spending 20 years at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) as a Professor of Surgery and Bioengineering.
Dr. Woo received his B.S. degree from Chico State College (1965), and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees (1966, 1971) from University of Washington. In 1999, Dr. Woo was bestowed a Doctor of Science Degree (Hon.) from the Trustees of the California State University System and in 2008, he earned a Doctor of Engineering Degree (Hon.) from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
Dr. Woo is a pioneer in bioengineering and is renowned for his 40 years of translational research in healing and repair of tissues. Together with his team, they have authored 315 original research papers in refereed journals as well as 141 book chapters and review articles. Their work has significantly impacted the management of ligament and tendon injuries including clinical paradigm shifts that have led to improved patient outcome.
More recently, Dr. Woo has focused on using novel functional tissue engineering to heal and to regenerate ligament and tendon at the molecular, cellular, tissue and organ levels. Also, he has pioneered the use of robotic technology to study the function of ACL and to improve ACL reconstruction procedures. When combining it with biplanar fluoroscopy, he and his team will be able to better characterize mechanisms of ACL injury and find better ways for its prevention.
Dr. Woo has educated over 465 orthopaedic surgeons, post-doctoral fellows and students from all around the globe including, Japan, Germany, Greece, Italy, Taiwan, Turkey, Korea, Canada, England, Norway, India, Thailand, Hong Kong SAR, and China. He has also mentored 37 junior faculty members.
Dr. Woo has been a leader in Bioengineering and Orthopaedics. He has served as Chair of ASMEâs Bioengineering Division, United States National Committee of Biomechanics, and the World Council for Biomechanics as well as President for The Orthopaedic Research Society, American Society of Biomechanics, and International Society for Fracture Repair. He has also founded the International Symposium on Ligaments and Tendons (ISL&T) and World Association for Chinese Biomedical Engineers (WACBE).
Dr. Woo has been inducted into the Institute of Medicine, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Academia Sinica, only one of four persons who have gained all three of these honors.
He has also received the highest honors from many professional societies, including the Kappa Delta Award, the Herbert R. Lissner Medal, the OâDonoghue Sports Injury Research Award, the Giovanni Borelli Award, and the Muybridge Medal, among others. Most recently, he was given the prestigious Diamond Award for Distinguish Achievement from the University of Washington. In 1998, Dr. Woo received the Olympic Prize for Sports Science from the International Olympic Committee and the first Olympic gold medal at the Nagano Games in Japan.
Host: Department of Biomedical Engineering
More Info: http://viterbi.usc.edu/news/events/keynote/grodins/Location: Board Room (2nd floor)
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Mischalgrace Diasanta
Event Link: http://viterbi.usc.edu/news/events/keynote/grodins/
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Lyman L. Handy Colloquium Series
Thu, Feb 09, 2012 @ 12:45 PM - 01:45 PM
Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Stacey Bent, Chemical Engineering, Stanford University
Talk Title: Engineering Interfaces for Energy Conversion and Nanoelectronics
Series: Lyman L. Handy Colloquium Series
Host: Malancha Gupta
Location: James H. Zumberge Hall Of Science (ZHS) - 159
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Petra Pearce
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EE Distinguished Lecturer Series
Thu, Feb 09, 2012 @ 03:00 PM - 04:00 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Dr. Mark D. Hill, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Talk Title: Amdahl's Law in the Multicore Era
Abstract: Over the last several decades computer architects have been phenomenally successful turning the transistor bounty provided by Moore's Law into chips with ever increasing single-threaded performance. During many of these successful years, however, many researchers paid scant attention to multiprocessor work. Now as vendors turn to multicore chips, researchers are reacting with more papers on multi-threaded systems. While this is good, we are concerned that further work on single-thread performance will be squashed.
To help understand future high-level trade-offs, we develop a corollary to Amdahl's Law for multicore chips [Hill and Marty, IEEE Computer 2008]. It models fixed chip resources for alternative designs that use symmetric cores, asymmetric cores, or dynamic techniques that allow cores to work together on sequential execution. Our results encourage multicore designers to view performance of the entire chip rather than focus on core efficiencies. Moreover, we observe that obtaining optimal multicore performance requires further research BOTH in extracting more parallelism and making sequential cores faster.
Biography: Mark D. Hill is professor in both the Computer Sciences Department and the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he also co-leads the Wisconsin Multifacet project with David Wood. He earned a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley. He is an ACM Fellow and a Fellow of the IEEE. His past work ranges from refining multiprocessor memory consistency models to developing the 3C model of cache behavior (compulsory, capacity, and conflict misses).
Host: Prof. Murali Annavaram
More Info: http://ee.usc.edu/news/dls/2011-2012-lectures/mark-hill.htmLocation: Ethel Percy Andrus Gerontology Center (GER) - Auditorium
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Estela Lopez
Event Link: http://ee.usc.edu/news/dls/2011-2012-lectures/mark-hill.htm
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Lean Six Sigma White Belt
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 @ 09:00 AM - 05:00 PM
Executive Education
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Talk Title: Lean Six Sigma White Belt
Abstract: Course Overview
Lean Six Sigma White Belt (formerly: Introduction to Lean Six Sigma) class will introduce you to the tools and techniques for implementing lean principles. Participants will gain a broad understanding of the philosophy, methods and benefits of lean and value stream mapping as they apply to all types of enterprises. You will be introduced to lean concepts via hands-on exercises. This course is offered both on-campus and online.
A lean enterprise views itself as part of an extended value chain, focusing on the elimination of waste between you and your suppliers and you and your customers. This seminar is the first step in learning the principles of lean. The instructors for this course have extensive experience implementing lean principles worldwide. This seminar will teach you the history and basics of lean and demonstrate why these practices have such a significant impact on operations. The live course features an interactive simulation that illustrates lean principles.
Course Topics
* Cellular flow
* 5S
* Lean and Six Sigma
* SMED
* Value stream mapping
* Waste reduction
Benefits
Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:
* Identify and eliminate waste within operations
* Interpret a value stream map
* Manage a lean process transformation
Who Should Attend
* VPs, COOs, CEOs
* Employees new to a managerial position
* Employees preparing to make the transition to managerial roles
* Current managers wanting to hone leadership skills
* Anyone interested in implementing Lean or Six Sigma in their organization
Program Fees
On-Campus Participants: $545
Includes continental breakfasts, lunch and all course materials. The fee does not include hotel accommodations or transportation.
Online Participant with Live Session Interactivity: $445
Includes attendee access codes for live call-in or chat capabilities during class sessions. Also includes all course and lecture materials available for live stream or download.
Online Participant (Archive Access for 30 Days): $300
Includes course materials available for download and viewable archive of lecture for 30 days.
Reduced rates are available for USC alumni and Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE) members. Please contact professional@mapp.usc.edu for more information.
Location
Three course delivery options are available for participants, on-campus, online with interactivity, and online with archive access:
On-Campus Course is held in state-of-the-art facilities on the University of Southern California campus, located in downtown Los Angeles. Participants attending on-campus will have the option to commute to the course or stay at one of the many hotels located in the area. For travel information, please visit our Travel section.
Overview of on-campus option:
* The ability to interact with faculty and peers in-person.
* Access to hard copy course materials.
* Ability to logon and view archived course information - up to 7 days after the course has been offered. This includes course documents and streaming video of the lectures.
* If there is a conflict during any on-campus course dates, on-campus participants can elect to be an online/interactive student.
* Parking, refreshments and lunch are provided for on-campus participants â unless otherwise specified.
Online (Interactivity) Course delivery is completely online and real-time, enabling interaction with the instructor and fellow participants. Participants have the flexibility of completing the course from a distance utilizing USC's Distance Education Network technology. Students are required to be online for the entirety of each day's session.
Overview of online (interactive):
* Virtually participate in the course live â with the ability to either ask questions or chat questions to the entire class.
* WebEx technologies provide the option to call into the class and view the entire lecture/materials on a personal computer, or to participate on a computer without having to utilize a phone line.
* Ability to logon and view archived course information up to 7 days after the course has been offered. This includes course documents and streaming video of the lectures.
Online (Archive Access) Course is available for online viewing for a period of 30 days. Participants have the flexibility of watching the course at their own pace and convenience - there is no interaction with the instructor or fellow participants. CEUs and a Certificate of Completion are available. Registration must occur by first day of course and access to course and materials is for 30 days.
Overview of online (archive access):
* Online archive students view an archive of the course â which includes course documents and streaming video of the lecture.
* This option is for content only â participants are unable to interact with the faculty and class participants. If prospective participants have specific questions or need interaction with the faculty member, they should not register for this option.
Continuing Education Units
CEUs: 0.7 (CEUs provided by request only)
USC Viterbi School of Engineering Certificate of Participation is awarded to all participants upon successful completion of course.
Registration Information
To register for this upcoming course, please visit the Lean Six Sigma White Belt Registration Form.
Host: Professional Programs
Audiences: Registered Attendees
Contact: Viterbi Professional Programs
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W.V.T. Rusch Engineering Honors Colloquium; Airborne and Spaceborne Radar Observations of Hurricanes
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 @ 01:00 PM - 01:50 PM
USC Viterbi School of Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering Student Affairs
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Stephen L. Durden, Principal Engineer, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Talk Title: W.V.T. Rusch Engineering Honors Colloquium; Airborne and Spaceborne Radar Observations of Hurricanes
Abstract: Dr. Stephen Durden, Principal Engineer at Jet Propulsion Laboratory, will present "Airborne and Spaceborne Radar Observations of Hurricanes" as part of the W.V.T. Rusch Engineering Honors Program.
Host: W.V.T. Rusch Engineering Honors Colloquium
More Info: http://viterbi.usc.edu/students/undergrad/honors/schedules/Location: Seeley G. Mudd Building (SGM) - 101
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Amanda Atkinson
Event Link: http://viterbi.usc.edu/students/undergrad/honors/schedules/
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EE-EP Seminar
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 @ 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Irfan Bulu, Harvard University, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Talk Title: Nano-plasmonics and Nano-photonics: Applications to Enhanced Single Photon Sources, and Mid-Infrared Photonics
Abstract: Plasmonics and photonics at the nano-scale offer new possibilities for improving the performance of photonic devices such as lasers, creating new functionality, and building chip-scale integrated optical devices. In the first part of my talk, I will present our recent experimental and theoretical work on plasmonic nano-cavities for efficient, room temperature single photon sources based on nitrogen-vacancy (NV) color centers in diamond. NV center is a stable single photon source even at room temperature, and exhibits long coherence times for both electronic and nuclear spins. As a result, it is a robust quantum system for applications ranging from quantum information processing to nano-scale magnetometry. These applications benefit from large single photon rates, which can be improved by the use of nano-photonic devices. I will discuss various plasmonic cavity designs and show that the emission rate, excitation rate, and collection efficiency from single NV centers can be improved significantly in an extremely small footprint device. Furthermore, I show that our scalable, top-down nanofabrication technique maintains the crucial properties of embedded NV centers, and is therefore compatible with requirements needed for realization of quantum systems based on diamond. In the second part of the talk, I will discuss our work on mid-infrared photonics. The mid-infrared is an exciting wavelength range for on chip photonic devices, with important applications in spectroscopy and gas sensing. We recently developed record high-Q (45,000) photonic crystal cavities on a CMOS compatible platform for trace gas sensing applications. I will discuss some of the methods that we developed in order to improve the quality factors of photonic crystal cavities at mid-infrared (4.5 µm), and report the observation and origin of optical bi-stability at this wavelength range. Finally, I will discuss the prospects for future devices ranging from all-optical signal processing to on chip frequency combs at the mid-infrared.
Biography: Dr. Bulu received his Ph.D. from the department of physics at Bilkent University for his work on photonic crystals, surface plasmons, and metamaterials. He joined Professor Loncarâs lab at Harvard University as a postdoctoral fellow. Since joining Prof. Loncarâs lab, he developed efficient room temperature single photon sources based on single nitrogen vacany centers in diamond by using plasmonic nano-cavities, demonstrated optically reconfigurable photonic crystal filters, and worked on photonic crystal cavities at mid-infrared for sensing applications. He also collaborated with Schlumberger Limited and developed photonic platforms for oil and gas exploration. His current research interests include non-linear diamond nano-photonic devices for quantum information processing applications, silicon photonics at the mid-infrared wavelengths for applications in gas sensing and spectroscopy, development of new quantum emitters such as gallium nitride nanowires with embedded quantum dots/wells, and graphene plasmonics. His research resulted in more than 40 journal publications.
Host: EE-EP/USC Quantum Information and Condensed Matter Physics
Location: Seaver Science Library (SSL) - 150
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Marilyn Poplawski
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Integrated Systems Seminar Series
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 @ 02:30 PM - 04:00 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Dr. Arun Natarajan, IBM T. J. Watson Research Center
Talk Title: Millimeter-Wave Integrated Phased Arrays for Wireless Communication and Imaging
Host: Hossein Hashemi
More Information: Seminar_Speaker_Arun_2012_2_10.pdf
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 248
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Hossein Hashemi
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BME 533 (Seminar in Biomedical Engineering)
Mon, Feb 13, 2012 @ 12:30 PM - 01:50 PM
Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Daniel Kamei, Ph.D., UCLA
Talk Title: Cell traffic control: Applications in cancer drug delivery
Host: BME Department
Location: Olin Hall of Engineering (OHE) - 122
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Mischalgrace Diasanta
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EE-Electrophysics Seminar
Mon, Feb 13, 2012 @ 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: John Teufel, NIST Boulder
Talk Title: Quantum Microwave Optomechanical Circuits
Abstract: While mechanical oscillators are the basis for ultrasensitive detection of force, mass and displacement, only recently are these systems poised to encounter the limits and possibilities afforded by quantum mechanics. Accessing the full quantum nature of a macroscopic mechanical oscillator first requires elimination of its classical, thermal motion. The flourishing field of cavity optomechanics provides a nearly ideal architecture for both preparation and detection of mechanical motion at the quantum level. We realize a microwave cavity optomechanical system by coupling the motion of an aluminum membrane to the resonance frequency of a superconducting circuit [1]. By exciting the microwave circuit below its resonance frequency, we damp and cool the membrane motion with radiation pressure forces, analogous to laser cooling of the motion of trapped ions. The microwave excitation serves not only to cool, but also to monitor the displacement of the membrane. A nearly quantum-limited, Josephson parametric amplifier is used to detect the mechanical sidebands of this microwave excitation and quantify the thermal motion as it is cooled with radiation pressure forces to its quantum ground state [2].
[1] Teufel, J. D. et al. ìCircuit cavity electromechanics in the strong-coupling regime,î Nature 471, 204ñ208 (2011).
[2] Teufel, J. D. et al. ìSideband cooling micromechanical motion to the quantum ground state,î Nature 475, 359ñ363 (2011).
Biography: Dr. John Teufel completed his Ph.D. in physics at Yale University in the group of Robert Schoelkopf while developing superconducting photon detectors.
Host: EE-Electrophysics
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 248
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Marilyn Poplawski
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Reshaping the Mind: The Benefits of Bilingualism
Tue, Feb 14, 2012 @ 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Professor Ellen Bialystok, York University
Talk Title: Reshaping the Mind: The Benefits of Bilingualism
Abstract: A growing body of research using both behavioral and neuroimaging data points to a significant effect of bilingualism on cognitive outcomes across the lifespan. The main finding is evidence for the enhancement of executive control at all stages in the lifespan, with the most dramatic results being maintained cognitive performance in elderly adults, and protection against the onset of dementia. A more complex picture emerges when the cognitive advantages of bilingualism are considered together with the costs to linguistic processing. I will review evidence for both these outcomes and propose a framework for understanding the mechanism that could lead to these positive and negative consequences of bilingualism, including protection against dementia in older age.
Biography: Ellen Bialystok is a Distinguished Research Professor of Psychology at York University and Associate Scientist at the Rotman Research Institute of the Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Toronto in 1976 studying the relation between childrenâs conceptual and linguistic development, especially as it applied to spatial cognition. Her subsequent research investigated issues in second language acquisition, metalinguistic awareness, and literacy acquisition in young children. Much of her research in the past 20 years has focused on the effect of bilingualism on childrenâs language and cognitive development, showing accelerated mastery of specific cognitive processes for bilingual children. This research was then extended to investigations of adult processing and cognitive aging, showing the continuity of these bilingual advantages into adulthood and the protection against cognitive decline in healthy aging for bilingual older adults. She is the author or editor of 7 books and over 100 scientific papers in journals and books. She is a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and among her awards are a Killam Research Fellowship, Walter Gordon Research Fellowship, Deanâs Award for Outstanding Research, the Donald T. Stuss Award for Research Excellence at the Baycrest Geriatric Centre, the Presidentâs Research Award of Merit at York University, the Donald Hebb Award for Outstanding Contribution to Psychology, and the Killam Prize for the Social Sciences.
Host: Professor Shrikanth Narayanan
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 248
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Mary Francis
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Epstein Institute Seminar Series / ISE 651 Seminar
Tue, Feb 14, 2012 @ 03:30 PM - 04:50 PM
Daniel J. Epstein Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Dr. Robert C. Leachman, Professor, Industrial Engineering and Operations Research, University of California at Berkeley
Talk Title: "Asia â USA Import Supply Chains: Current Practices, Trends and Recommendations"
Series: Epstein Institute Seminar Series
Abstract: Imports from Asia to the United States amount to more than 7 million forty-foot containers per year. Increasingly sophisticated systems are applied by importers to manage their supply chains for such imports, integrating ocean carriers, port terminals, dray and truck companies, railroads, third party logistics operators, and in-house distribution centers. The most cost-effective supply chain varies widely depending on the inventory costs of the products imported and the scale and scope of the importer. In this talk I will provide a âbig-pictureâ view of the mix of supply chain strategies employed by large and small importers of various types of goods, and the consequent import volumes by port and landside channel. I will highlight the trends we can expect in the mix of preferred supply chain strategies. Next I will describe the large-scale optimization and queuing models used to predict the overall flows of imports by ports and landside channels. I will discuss the results of my analysis of the impacts of changing rates through the Panama Canal and increasing shares of imports accounted for by large, âbig-boxâ retailers. Considering the current challenges impeding supply chain efficiency in Southern California, I will conclude with specific recommendations for local ports, transportation and logistics service providers and for public policy.
Biography: Rob Leachman is a Professor of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research at the University of California at Berkeley. Dr. Leachman is the author of more than 80 technical publications concerning operations management and transportation planning. He received the AB degree in Mathematics and Physics, the MS degree in Operations Research and the PhD degree in Operations Research, all from U. C. Berkeley, and has been a member of the U C Berkeley faculty since 1979. Selected academic publications and consulting reports are provided at
http://www.ieor.berkeley.edu/People/Faculty/leachman.htm.
Dr. Leachman is a two-time Finalist and one-time Winner of the Franz Edelman Award Competition sponsored by the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS). The Edelman Award is the highest accolade from INFORMS, recognizing outstanding industrial practice of the management sciences.
In addition to his academic career, Rob is President and CEO of Leachman and Associates LLC, a consulting and software firm providing systems for supply chain and factory management to international corporations and providing engineering and economic analyses for governmental agencies. Prior to academic employment, during the period 1970 â 1975 Rob worked in the Operating and Marketing Departments of Union Pacific Railroad.
Host: Daniel J. Epstein Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
More Information: Seminar-Leachman.doc
Location: Ethel Percy Andrus Gerontology Center (GER) - Room 309
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Georgia Lum
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AME Department Seminar
Wed, Feb 15, 2012 @ 03:30 PM - 04:30 PM
Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: L. Lamberson, Postdoctoral Research Scholar at the Center for Advanced Metallic and Ceramic Systems. Johns Hopkins University.
Talk Title: Cracks, Dynamics & the Piezoelectric Effect
Abstract: While a large amount of data is available on the properties and behavior of piezoelectric ceramics subjected to small strains and electric fields as used in conventional sensor and actuator applications, little data exists which contributes to a basic understanding of the behavior of piezoelectric ceramics subjected to high-rate impulsive loading. This particular loading regime plays a critical role in defense applications, specifically for blast mitigation and ballistic protection since numerous armor ceramics such as silicon carbide and aluminum nitride exhibit piezoelectric properties. In addition, piezoelectric materials are also valued for their ability to be utilized as a single-shot, high-energy power supply (or switch) when pulverized, as well as in energy resource recovery applications. In order to utilize these materials âsmartâ ability, the frequency-time response plays a crucial role in failure, and depends on both the mechanism of polarization, as well as the effect of damage on polarization.
This talk focuses on high strain rate dynamic electromechanical experiments (103 s-1) conducted on single crystal α-quartz, single crystal silicon carbide and aluminum nitride. The results exhibit unexpected trends stress-charge behavior during damage evolution. Specifically, when quartz is undergoing extensive and irreversible dynamic brittle fracture under a compressive stress impulse of up to 2 GPa, the effective piezoelectric stress coefficient increases from loading to unloading. The experimental results are examined in the framework of the theory of linear piezoelectricity and compared to traditional continuum damage models, in order to understand the role of increasing crack density on electroelastic properties.
Biography: Dr. Leslie Lamberson has an appointment as an Assistant Professor in the Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics Department at Drexel University, and is presently a Postdoctoral Research Scholar at the Center for Advanced Metallic and Ceramic Systems at the Johns Hopkins University. Her research encompasses high strain rate material system behavior. Leslie received her BS in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Michigan, and MS in the same discipline from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Working with Professor Ares Rosakis, she completed her Ph.D. in Aeronautics from the California Institute of Technology examining hypervelocity impact induced dynamic fracture behavior of brittle polymers.
Host: Professor Veronica Eliasson
More Info: http://ae-www.usc.edu/seminars/index.shtml#upcomingLocation: Seaver Science Library (SSL) - 150
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: April Mundy
Event Link: http://ae-www.usc.edu/seminars/index.shtml#upcoming
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W.V.T. Rusch Engineering Honors Colloquium; The Federal Budget Impasse: Is There a Way Out?
Fri, Feb 17, 2012 @ 01:00 PM - 01:50 PM
USC Viterbi School of Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering Student Affairs
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Dr. Richard O'Toole, Manager Office of Legislative Affairs, JPL
Talk Title: W.V.T. Rusch Engineering Honors Colloquium; The Federal Budget Impasse: Is There a Way Out?
Abstract: Dr. Richard O'Toole, Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Manager Office of Legislative Affairs, will present "The Federal Budget Impasse: Is There a Way Out?" as part of the W.V.T. Rusch Engineering Honors Colloquium.
Host: W.V.T. Rusch Engineering Honors Colloquium
Location: Seeley G. Mudd Building (SGM) - 101
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Amanda Atkinson
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Integrated Systems Seminar Series
Fri, Feb 17, 2012 @ 02:30 PM - 04:00 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Dr. Hamid Rategh, Inphi
Talk Title: Next Generation 100 Gigabit Ethernet, Low Power CMOS SerDes, and Signal Integrity Challenges
Host: Hossein Hashemi
More Information: Seminar_Speaker_Rategh_2012_2_17.pdf
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 248
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Hossein Hashemi
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BME 533 (Seminar in Biomedical Engineering)
Mon, Feb 20, 2012 @ 12:30 PM - 01:50 PM
Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: NO CLASS-PRESIDENT'S DAY, NO CLASS-PRESIDENT'S DAY
Talk Title: NO CLASS-PRESIDENT'S DAY
Host: BME Department
Location: Olin Hall of Engineering (OHE) - 122
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Mischalgrace Diasanta
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Technology-Aware Circuit Design of Low Power Robust Memories for Future Processors
Tue, Feb 21, 2012 @ 10:30 AM - 11:30 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Sumeet Kumar Gupta,
Talk Title: Technology-Aware Circuit Design of Low Power Robust Memories for Future Processors
Abstract: The past few decades have seen the evolution of the semiconductor industry driven by technology scaling. However, as conventional MOSFETs are scaled further, exponential increase in leakage and higher sensitivity to process variations are expected to pose severe challenges. This has led to the exploration of alternate technologies and computing paradigms. In order to harness the full potential of the emerging technologies, there is a strong need for design methodologies which utilize the unique technology features to achieve lower power, higher performance and increased robustness of VLSI circuits and systems. In my talk, I will discuss our work on device-circuit co-design techniques for low power robust memories in emerging technologies, with a focus on FinFET-based SRAMs. We have developed a mixed mode simulation framework for device-circuit analysis of FinFET-based circuits and I will share some key features of this simulator. I will highlight the importance of exploring device-circuit interactions and show how technology-circuit co-optimization leads to expansion of the design space of 6T SRAMs. We have proposed asymmetric FinFET devices and tri-mode independent gate FinFETs, which achieve mitigation of design conflicts in 6T SRAMs. A detailed discussion on low power robust SRAM design using these devices will be presented. I will also discuss the possibilities of using emerging memory technologies like spin-transfer torque (STT) MRAM in on-chip caches, based on our âdevices to systemsâ simulation framework. I will end my talk by highlighting my future research directions and possibilities in modeling and device-circuit co-design of emerging technologies.
Biography: Sumeet Kumar Gupta received B. Tech degree in Electrical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, India in 2006 and M.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN in 2008. He is currently pursuing Ph.D. degree at the school of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN.
He was an intern at National Semiconductor, Advanced Micro Devices Inc. and Intel Corporation in
2005, 2007 and 2010, respectively. His research interests include low power variation aware VLSI circuit
design, nano-electronics and spintronics, device-circuit co-design and nano-scale device modeling and
simulations. He has published over 20 articles in refereed journals and conferences.
Mr. Gupta was the recipient of the Magoon Award and the Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award
from Purdue University in 2007 and Intel PhD Fellowship Award in 2009. He has also received a
certificate of recognition for an outstanding job during the summer internship by Intel Labs and
certificates of merit for excellent academic performance at IIT Delhi.
Host: Professor Viktor K. Prasanna
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) -
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Janice Thompson
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Epstein Institute Seminar Series / ISE 651 Seminar
Tue, Feb 21, 2012 @ 03:30 PM - 04:50 PM
Daniel J. Epstein Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Dr. Shreyes N. Melkote, Morris M. Bryan, Jr., Professor for Advanced Manufacturing Systems, The George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology
Talk Title: "Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Manufacturing: Issues, Solutions and Challenges"
Series: Epstein Institute Seminar Series
Abstract: There is a great deal of interest today in developing renewable energy sources at a scale large enough to reduce our dependence on fossil fuel based energy while also positively impacting the environment. Of the various renewable energy sources, photovoltaic (PV) or solar energy based technologies are at the forefront of the recent renewable energy boom. Among the PV technologies, crystalline silicon (c-Si) solar cells and modules, although the most established, continue to be an important technology for addressing our energy problems because of their high energy conversion efficiency relative to other PV technologies available in the market today. This talk will present an overview of c-Si PV manufacturing with an emphasis on ongoing research in the Georgia Tech Manufacturing Research Center on mechanical yield related issues and challenges. Specifically, the talk will focus on thin wafer stresses and breakage during handling operations, and investigation of crack-free wafering processes. The talk will conclude with comments on other open issues and challenges facing the scale up of c-Si PV manufacturing.
Biography: Dr. Shreyes N. Melkote is the Morris M. Bryan, Jr., Professor for Advanced Manufacturing Systems in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech. He served as the Interim Director of the Manufacturing Research Center (MaRC) from August 2010-December 2011 and is presently an Associate Director of MaRC. Dr. Melkoteâs current research activities are in photovoltaic manufacturing, hybrid micromanufacturing processes, surface integrity, and thin film sensors for manufacturing. He received his B.Tech. (Hons.) degree from I.I.T. Kharagpur in India and his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan Technological University in 1993. He did post-doctoral work at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign prior to joining the Georgia Tech faculty in 1995. Dr. Melkote is a recipient of several honors including the ASME Blackall Machine Tool and Gage Award, the SME Dell K. Allen Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer Award and several Best Paper Awards at leading ASME and SME conferences. He is an ASME Fellow and is the Scientific Committee Chair of the North American Manufacturing Research Institution of the SME (NAMRI/SME).
Host: Daniel J. Epstein Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
More Information: Seminar-Melkote.doc
Location: Ethel Percy Andrus Gerontology Center (GER) - Room 309
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Georgia Lum
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Imaging-driven Translational Research: Engineering Solutions for Applications in Neurology
Wed, Feb 22, 2012 @ 10:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Mehul P. Sampat, Ph.D., Department of Neurology, Yale School of Medicine
Talk Title: Imaging-driven Translational Research: Engineering Solutions for Applications in Neurology
Abstract: The World Health Organization estimates that neurological diseases affect millions of people around the world. Many neurological diseases are difficult to detect in the early stages when molecular and physiological changes are generally subtle. With disease progression, the treatment and care of patients with advanced neurological conditions puts a greater burden on the patient, their families and society.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has evolved as a core tool for the diagnosis, longitudinal monitoring and scientific investigation of a number of neurological disorders. MRI provides a noninvasive assessment of brain structures and a more objective and quantitative measure as compared to clinical scores. However, given the complexity of neurological disorders and the huge volume of imaging data, analyzing this data is very challenging. My research focuses on the development of new engineering solutions to address challenging clinically motivated research questions. Specifically, I aim to: (a) Discover imaging based biomarkers of important disease mechanisms implicated in neurological disorders (b) Apply these biomarkers for longitudinal monitoring and prediction of disease progression and (c) Develop new quantitative imaging-based metrics of drug response and treatment efficacy.
In this talk, I will describe my past, current and future work towards these goals. First, I will describe a project, in which I have shown that regional MRI-based variables can be used to classify patients into the different subtypes of Multiple Sclerosis. A key aspect of this work is that the results from a cross-sectional dataset were tested in an independent longitudinal data set. Then I will describe my investigations on the effects of Multiple Sclerosis on cortical gray matter. The major aims of this work were to compare cortical thickness of patients against healthy controls and to estimate the predictive value of cortical thickness on physical impairment over time. This will be followed by a discussion on the reliability of MRI-derived measurements. I will summarize the results from a new model for assessing and quantifying the sources of variability in MRI derived measurements. A key feature of this work is its flexibility and adaptability, which makes it applicable to study the effect of various factors on any imaging-based quantitative measurement. Finally, I will conclude my talk by presenting my future research directions in (a) extracting biomarkers from Diffusion Tensor Imaging and Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy and (b) developing quantitative imaging based metrics for the evaluation of treatment response and efficacy.
Biography: Dr. Mehul Sampat received his Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin in 2006. Following this, he was a postdoctoral research fellow at the Center for Neurological Imaging at Brigham and Womenâs Hospital and Harvard Medical School. From 2009 to 2010, he was a staff researcher in the Department of Neurology at UCSF. Since January 2011, he has been appointed as a junior faculty member in the Dept. of Neurology at Yale School of Medicine. His research interests include neuro-informatics and biomedical image analysis & pattern recognition. He has published 15 peer-reviewed journal articles and more than 30 conference papers and abstracts. Since 2005, his work has been cited 350 times.
Dr. Sampat received a pre-doctoral fellowship from the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program from 2004 to 2006. In 2011, he was awarded approximately 1 million computing hours from the NSF sponsored TeraGrid initiative for performing computational neuro-imaging research.
Host: Prof. Richard Leahy
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) -
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Talyia Veal
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AME Department Seminar
Wed, Feb 22, 2012 @ 03:30 PM - 04:30 PM
Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Mukul Kumar , Staff Scientist. Physical & Life Sciences Directorate. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Livermore, CA 94550.
Talk Title: Grain Boundary Networks: From Consideration of the Individual Constituents to the Collective Response
Abstract: It has been demonstrated that mechanical response, particularly environmental degradation, of FCC metals and alloys can be improved by exercising control over the population of grain boundary types in the microstructure. The studies also suggest that such properties tend to have percolative mechanisms that depend on the topology of the grain boundary network. Grain boundary engineering investigations have been facilitated by the emergence of SEM-based automated electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) that enables the characterization of statistically significant datasets of interface crystallography. The EBSD datasets have been analyzed to quantify microstructures in terms of grain boundary character and triple junction distributions. Perhaps more significantly, these large datasets also enable us to visualize crystallographically correlated domains of multiple grains that have been shown to strongly influence crack propagation through the microstructure. Examples from studies on hydrogen and weld embrittlement, stress corrosion cracking, and fatigue will be presented to demonstrate these points along with the constitutive response of such microstructures.
This work performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.
Biography: Mukul Kumar is a Staff Scientist in the Physical & Life Sciences Directorate at LLNL. Prior to joining LLNL, he received his PhD from the University of Cincinnati and had a stint as a postdoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins University. His research activities have revolved around correlating microstructures with the macroscopic response of the material. This has involved diverse conditions such as travelling strong shock waves to challenging environments seen in jet engines and nuclear reactors. There is growing involvement in taking the next step of formulating predictive models for materials behavior, particularly damage and fracture, and translating them into processing routes for optimized microstructures.
Host: Prof. Andrea Hodge
More Info: http://ae-www.usc.edu/seminars/index.shtml#upcomingLocation: Seaver Science Library (SSL) - 150
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: April Mundy
Event Link: http://ae-www.usc.edu/seminars/index.shtml#upcoming
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Astani CEE / Epstein ISE Seminar
Thu, Feb 23, 2012 @ 03:30 AM - 04:30 PM
Daniel J. Epstein Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Mitchell Small, H. John Heinz III Professor,, Civil and Environmental Engineering & Engineering and Public Policy
Talk Title: "Predicting Performance of CO2 Leak Detection at Sequestration Sites"
Abstract: As a near-term approach to reduce GHG emissions a number of nations are pursuing the implementation of carbon capture and sequestration (CCS). CCS involves the capture of CO2 and its subsequent injection into geologic formations. However, leakage of the injected CO2 is possible. High leakage rates could pose a threat to health, safety, or environmental quality at a site, while undetected chronic leakage back to the atmosphere could nullify the greenhouse gas mitigation benefits of the project. To detect and respond to CO2 leakage, effective monitoring technologies and networks are required. A methodology is developed to predict the probability of detecting a leak of a given size based on modeled signals from possible leakage events and statistical tests intended to distinguish these signals from natural variations in monitored concentrations and fluxes. The methodology is demonstrated for an idealized site with leak detection implemented using CO2 surface flux and injected tracer measurements. Further applications are planned using additional methods, including measurements of groundwater chemistry, isotopic ratios, and formation pressure profiles.
Host: Astani CEE & Epstein ISE
More Information: Small_Mitchell Seminar.pdf
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - Room 248
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Georgia Lum
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CENG Seminar
Thu, Feb 23, 2012 @ 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Dr. Omer Khan, University of Massachusetts, Lowell & Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Talk Title: Mechanisms for Scalable Multicores
Abstract: Todayâs microprocessor is the system, where not only cores and interconnects with varying computational and communication capabilities are being integrated and connected on the same die, but traditional off-chip devices, such as memory controllers, DMA engines and video/graphic accelerators are being integrated on-chip. Spanning embedded, personal, supercomputing, cloud computing, and cyber-physical systems, single-chip multicores are expected to utilize integration and specialization to offer an opportunity for improvement in energy efficiency and processing performance. This talk introduces new architectural mechanisms which enable applications to utilize scalable multicore processors by addressing the question of what models for inter-core communication will result in highest performance, lowest energy consumption, and lowest programmer effort.
I will introduce the Execution Migration Machine (EM²); a thread migration based shared memory architecture that provides speedy access to on-chip distributed cache data by either migrating execution context or via round-trip remote cache accesses. Since only one copy of data is stored on-chip in a Non Uniform Cache Access (NUCA)-style organization, cache coherence and sequential consistency are trivially ensured without the need for complex directory coherence logic and large directories. I will present a one-step, hardware-level migration protocol that is deadlock-free, based on the concept of cores native to a thread. Finally, I will present hardware implementable migration prediction heuristics under this protocol that decide when to migrate or otherwise perform a remote access, and decide what part of the context to carry during a migration. EM² performs better than conventional remote access in a NUCA organization, because it better exploits locality.
Biography: Omer Khan is a Research Affiliate at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and an Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. During 2009-11, he was a Postdoctoral Research Scientist in the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) at MIT. He received the Ph.D. degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst in 2009. His teaching and research interests can be generalized to the field of computer architecture, digital system design and VLSI, and he has authored numerous papers in these areas. He also has more than seven years of industry experience at leading computer and semiconductor companies, Motorola (now Freescale) and Intel. He is a member of the IEEE.
Host: Prof. Sandeep Gupta
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 248
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Estela Lopez
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Distinguished Lectures Series
Thu, Feb 23, 2012 @ 12:45 PM - 01:45 PM
Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Rama Venkatasubramanian, Research Triangle Institute
Talk Title: Thin Film Superlattice Thermoelectric Materials and Devices
Series: Distinguished Lectures Series
Host: Jongseung Yoon
Location: James H. Zumberge Hall Of Science (ZHS) - 159
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Petra Pearce
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Astani CEE Department Seminar: Co-Hosted by Daniel J. Esptein Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
Thu, Feb 23, 2012 @ 03:30 PM - 04:30 PM
Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Mitchell Small. H. John Heinz III Professor, Environmental Engineering & Engineering and Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University
Talk Title: Predicting Performance of CO2 Leak Detection at Sequestration Sites
Abstract: As a near-term approach to reduce GHG emissions a number of nations are pursuing the implementation of carbon capture and sequestration (CCS). CCS involves the capture of CO2 and its subsequent injection into geologic formations. However, leakage of the injected CO2 is possible. High leakage rates could pose a threat to health, safety, or environmental quality at a site, while undetected chronic leakage back to the atmosphere could nullify the greenhouse gas mitigation benefits of the project.
To detect and respond to CO2 leakage, effective monitoring technologies and networks are required. A methodology is developed to predict the probability of detecting a leak of a given size based on modeled signals from possible leakage events and statistical tests intended to distinguish these signals
from natural variations in monitored concentrations and fluxes.
The methodology is demonstrated for an idealized site with leak detection implemented using CO2 surface flux and injected tracer measurements. Further applications are planned using additional methods, including measurements of groundwater chemistry, isotopic ratios, and formation pressure profiles.
Biography: Mitchell Small is the H. John Heinz III Professor of Environmental Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). He joined the Departments of Civil & Environmental Engineering and Engineering & Public Policy (EPP) at CMU in 1982, following completion of his Ph.D. in Environmental & Water Resources Engineering at the University of Michigan. He serves as the associate department head for graduate education in EPP.
Professor Smallâs research involves mathematical modeling of environmental systems, risk assessment, statistical methods, and decision support. Current projects include the design and evaluation of monitoring networks for leak detection at geologic CO2 sequestration sites; risk assessment and trend evaluation for tropical cyclones; and the development of decision support tools for ecosystem management (current focus on coral reefs) for multiple stakeholders with conflicting beliefs and objectives.
Dr. Small has served as a member of the US EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB) and has been a member of a number of US National Research Council committees addressing issues of environmental risk assessment and management. He is a Fellow and former Secretary of the Society for Risk Analysis, and a feature columnist for the Journal of Industrial Ecology. He recently completed a 16-year appointment as an associate editor for the journal Environmental Science & Technology, with particular responsibility for the environmental modeling and policy analysis sections of the publication.
Host: Prof. Lucio Soibelman
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 248
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Evangeline Reyes
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Unique Word Prefix OFDM: An Overview
Fri, Feb 24, 2012 @ 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Johannes Huber, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg
Talk Title: Unique Word Prefix OFDM: An Overview
Abstract: In unique word OFDM (UW-OFDM), cyclic prefixes (CP) of usual OFDM are replaced by a deterministic sequence, the unique word (UW), for conversion of linear convolution due to a dispersive channel into cyclic convolution. This fixed UW may be employed for synchronization and/or channel estimation purposes etc. at the receiver side. In order to generate space for the UW, a block of zeros is created in time domain by means of appropriately loading of redundant subcarriers. By this, a systematic complex number Reed Solomon (RS) code construction is inherently introduced along the subcarriers which additionally can be exploited at the receiver by means of Bayesian linear data estimation (LMMSE) or decision-directed methods (SIC, Noise Prediction). A remaining problem in the UW-OFDM concept is the fact that the energy on the redundant subcarrier symbols contributes disproportionately to average symbol energy. Two methods for a reduction of this redundant energy are proposed, i.e. allowing some small systematic noise in the guard interval and spreading of redundant energy over all subcarrier symbols by which a nonsystematic complex number RS code construction is introduced. Numerical results and comparisons to usual CP-OFDM are presented for the example 802.11a WLAN standard which illustrate benefits of UW-OFDM.
Biography: Johannes Huber received the Dipl.-Ing. degree in electrical engineering from the Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany in 1977. From 1977 to 1982 he was research assistant at the Lehrstuhl für Nachrichtentechnik of the Universität der Bundeswehr München, Munich, from which he received the Dr.-Ing. degree with a thesis on coding for channels with memory. From 1982 to 1990, he was an Akademischer Oberrat at the Universität der Bundeswehr München, Munich and received the Dr.-Ing. habil. degree with a thesis on trellis coded modulation. In 1991 he joined the IBM Research Laboratory, Zurich, Switzerland. He is currently a Professor at the Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany. He is a former: dean for student affairs, chairman of the department of electrical, electronic, and communication engineering and dean of the Technical Faculty. Dr. Huber is a Fellow of the IEEE, has served two terms on the Board of Governors for the IEEE Information Theory Society (1999-2001,2004-2006. In 2008, he was appointed a corresponding fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Since 2009, Dr. Huber is an ordinary fellow of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities. Dr. Huber has held editorial positions for the IEEE Transactions on Communications and the International Journal on Electronics and Communications for which he has also served as editor-in-chief. Johannes Huber is author and co-author of textbooks on trellis coding and information combining. He has published more than 220 papers in international journals or conference records. Papers authored or co-authored by Johannes Huber were awarded the best paper award of the German Society of Information Technology (ITG) in 1988, 2000, and 2006. He received the Vodafone award for innovations in mobile communications 2004.
Host: Prof. Urbashi Mitra, ubli@usc.edu, x04667
Location: Henry Salvatori Computer Science Center (SAL) - 222
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Gerrielyn Ramos
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Advances in Clouds and Their Application to Data Intensive Problems
Fri, Feb 24, 2012 @ 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Geoffrey Fox, Distinguished Chair Professor, School of Informatics and Computing Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
Talk Title: Advances in Clouds and Their Application to Data Intensive Problems
Abstract: We introduce clouds and discuss the characteristics of problems that run well on them. We try to answer when you need your own cluster; when you need a Grid; when a national supercomputer; and when a cloud. We compare "academic" and commercial clouds and the experience on FutureGrid with Nimbus, Eucalyptus, OpenStack and OpenNebula. We look at programming models especially MapReduce and Iterative Mapreduce and their use on data analytics. We compare with an Internet of Things application with a Sensor Grid controlled by a cloud infrastructure.
Biography: Fox received a Ph.D. in Theoretical Physics from Cambridge University and is now distinguished professor of Informatics and Computing, and Physics at Indiana University where he is director of the Digital Science Center and Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies at the School of Informatics and Computing. He previously held positions at Caltech, Syracuse University and Florida State University. He has supervised the PhD of 62 students and published over 600 papers in physics and computer science with a hindex of 61 and over 18700 citations. He currently works in applying computer science to Bioinformatics, Defense, Earthquake and Ice-sheet Science, Particle Physics and Chemical Informatics. He is principal investigator of FutureGrid â a facility to enable development of new approaches to computing. He is involved in several projects to enhance the capabilities of Minority Serving Institutions.
Host: Professor Kai Hwang
Location: Hedco Pertroleum and Chemical Engineering Building (HED) - 116
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Janice Thompson
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USC PSOC Monthly Seminar Series
Fri, Feb 24, 2012 @ 11:45 AM - 01:00 PM
Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Andreas Matouschek, Ph.D., Northwestern University
Talk Title: How the Proteasome Picks its Substrates for Degradation
Abstract: The proteasome controls the concentrations of most proteins in the cytosol and nucleus of eukaryotic cells. The degradation signal or degron that targets proteins for proteolysis has two components, a proteasome binding tag, usually a poly-ubiquitin chain, and an initiation site in the form of an unstructured region in the substrate. The two degron components can function in trans when separated onto two different polypeptide chains so that a ubiquitinated adaptor can target a binding partner for proteolysis. Surprisingly, the initiation region contributes significantly to the specificity of Ubiquitin-Proteasome System. The length, location and amino acid sequence of initiation sites all affect whether a protein can be degraded or not. We define these rules in model systems and show how they apply to natural proteins. Once degradation has initiated, the proteasome normally digests its substrates processively to avoid the formation of fragments with undesirable activities. Interestingly, there are a few instances where this processivity breaks down and the proteasome generates partially degraded proteins. The partial degradation is caused by stop signals in the substrate proteins and we propose that this mechanism can explain steps in some signaling pathways and may involved in some neurodegenerative diseases.
Biography: Andreas Matouschek is a biologist at Northwestern University, where he is professor of biochemistry, molecular biology, and cell biology in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. His graduate work with Alan Fersht resulted in the seminal application of phi-value analysis to the study of barnase, a bacterial RNAse used in many protein folding studies.Development of phi value analysis in combination with extensive protein engineering enabled an understanding of the kinetic intermediates during protein folding of barnase. In subsequent postdoctoral work at the University of Basel, he applied the protein engineering approach to studying unfolding of proteins as they pass through mitochondrial translocons.
Matouschek currently studies the proteasome, the degradation machinery of eukaryotic cells, and the mechanisms by which the proteasome is able to unfold and translocate proteins.
Host: USC Physical Sciences in Oncology Center
Location: CSC Harkness Auditorium #250
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Yvonne Suarez
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W.V.T. Rusch Engineering Honors Colloquium; An Overview of Advanced Concepts for Rocket Launches
Fri, Feb 24, 2012 @ 01:00 PM - 01:50 PM
USC Viterbi School of Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering Student Affairs
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Dr. Marcus Young, Director of Advanced Concepts, Edwards Air Force Research Laboratory
Talk Title: W.V.T. Rusch Engineering Honors Colloquium; An Overview of Advanced Concepts for Rocket Launches
Abstract: Dr. Marcus Young, Director of Advanced Concepts at Edwards Air Force Research Laboratory, will present "An Overview of Advanced Concepts for Rocket Launches" as part of the W.V.T. Rusch Engineering Honors Colloquium.
Host: W.V.T. Rusch Engineering Honors Colloquium
More Info: http://viterbi.usc.edu/students/undergrad/honors/schedules/Location: Seeley G. Mudd Building (SGM) - 101
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Amanda Atkinson
Event Link: http://viterbi.usc.edu/students/undergrad/honors/schedules/
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Astani CEE Department Seminar
Fri, Feb 24, 2012 @ 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Wing Kam Liu, Walter P. Murphy Professor, Director of NSF Summer Institute of Nano Mechanics and Materials Northwestern University, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Talk Title: Multiresolution Mechanics for Materials Design
Abstract: Nanomechanics and nanomaterials have an overall potential for the betterment of our society, for example in national defense, homeland security and private industry. These fields can make our manufacturing technologies and infrastructure more sustainable in terms of reduced energy usage and environmental pollution.
Optimized material performance and lower material design cycle times can be achieved by establishing a clear link between a materialâs underlying microstructure and the resulting material properties such as strength and toughness. Material properties are inherently a function of the microscale interactions at each distinct scale of deformation. We are developing the next generation of computer-aided design (CAE) simulation software that integrates nano and micro mechanisms into CAE capabilities for life-cycle design and manufacturing of products.
The multiscale method starts at the most fundamental level of material behavior, the strength of the bonds between atoms which is used to determine sub micro-scale behavior in important regions. Progressively coarser and larger domains are concurrently solved by performing in-situ atomic scale homogenization or by using a preformulated homogenized constitutive relation. In this manner, the deformation and constitutive behavior become more highly resolved as more scales of analysis are included. This facilities a smooth transition between a purely continuum treatment at coarser scales and an atomic scale resolution at finer scales. Hence, the estimation of the overall strength and toughness of the material is performed in terms of the important microstructural features and mechanisms.
Biography: Dr. Wing Kam Liu, Walter P. Murphy Professor at Northwestern University and Director of NSF Summer Institute on Nano Mechanics and Materials, received his Ph.D. from Caltech. His research activities include bridging scale computational mechanics and materials, multi-scale analysis, and computational biology. Selected Liu's honors include the Gustus L. Larson Memorial Award, the Pi Tau Sigma Gold Medal and the Melville Medal, all from ASME; the Thomas J. Jaeger Prize by the International Association for Structural Mechanics in Reactor Technology; the SAE Ralph R. Teetor Educational Award; the Computational Structural Mechanics Award and Computational Mechanics Award from USACM and IACM, respectively; and the JSME Computational Mechanics Award. Liu serves on both the executive committee of the ASME applied mechanics division (Chair 2005-2006) and the International Association for Computational Mechanics. He was the past president of USACM. Liu is cited by Institute for Scientific Information as one of the most highly cited, influential researchers in Engineering, and an original member, highly cited researchers database. He is the editor and honorary editors of many Journals. Dr. Liu has acted as a consultant to many organizations.
Host: Prof. Roger Ghanem
Location: Kaprielian Hall (KAP) - 209 Conference Room
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Evangeline Reyes
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Integrated Systems Seminar Series
Fri, Feb 24, 2012 @ 02:00 PM - 03:50 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Ramesh Harjani, University of Minnesota
Talk Title: Analog Circuits for Digital Systems
Host: Hossein Hashemi
Location: Mark Taper Hall Of Humanities (THH) - 112
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Hossein Hashemi
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BME 533 (Seminar in Biomedical Engineering)
Mon, Feb 27, 2012 @ 12:30 PM - 01:50 PM
Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Cheng-Ming Chuong, M.D., Ph.D., USC Keck School of Medicine, Dept. of Pathology
Talk Title: Opportunities for bio-engineering analyses of feathers
Host: BME Department
Location: Olin Hall of Engineering (OHE) - 122
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Mischalgrace Diasanta
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Theoretical Foundations of Multi-Core Systems Design: A Dynamical Systems Perspective
Tue, Feb 28, 2012 @ 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Paul Bogdan, Carnegie Mellon University
Talk Title: Theoretical Foundations of Multi-Core Systems Design: A Dynamical Systems Perspective
Abstract: Recent advances in CMOS technology enable the integration of tens and soon thousands of heterogeneous processing cores communicating via the Networks-on-Chip (NoC) paradigm. Many of the modeling and optimization approaches based on queuing theory have ignored important traffic characteristics (e.g., non-stationarity, fractality) that can pose serious challenges such as buffer overflows or deadline missing. Under these circumstances, it is crucial to take into account traffic characterization for both dynamic and static NoC optimization.
In this presentation, I will show that a statistical physics inspired approach designed to capture NoC traffic characteristics via a dynamical master equation can provide a viable solution for solving the above-mentioned problems. Compared to existing Markovian models, this radically new approach facilitates a more accurate evaluation of various performance metrics and reshapes the space models used for the online optimization of communication infrastructures. Starting from fractal state-space models of NoC traffic, I formulate the power and peak temperature management of heterogeneous NoCs as a constrained finite horizon fractal optimal control problem. Towards this end, I show that fractal characteristics can be accounted for via fractional state space models and that the online controller can be efficiently synthesized via linear programming. This approach not only contributes to significant power savings, but it also opens new avenues for the dynamic optimization of large-scale systems exhibiting fractal dynamics.
This statistical physics approach to dynamic processes taking place on networked architectures has many practical applications ranging from multi-core systems power management, to bacteria propelled micro-robotic swarms, green transportation via vehicular traffic optimization, and regenerative medicine.
Biography: Paul Bogdan received his BSc degree in Automatic Control and Computer Science from the âPolitehnicaâ University of Bucharest and his Ph.D. degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh. He is a Post-Doctoral Fellow in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at Carnegie Mellon University. He was awarded the Roberto Rocca PhD Fellowship. His research interests include performance analysis and design methodologies for multicore systems, the theoretical foundations of cyber-physical systems, the modeling and analysis of bio-inspired computing, and the applications of statistical physics to biological systems and regenerative medicine.
Host: Massoud Pedram
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 248
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Annie Yu
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Low-Complexity Equalization for Multi-scale Multi-lag OFDM Channels
Tue, Feb 28, 2012 @ 03:00 PM - 04:00 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Zijian Tang, Research Scientist of TNO the Hague, the Netherlands
Talk Title: Low-Complexity Equalization for Multi-scale Multi-lag OFDM Channels
Abstract: We consider an orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) transmission scheme over wideband underwater acoustic channels, where the propagation paths can experience distinct Doppler effects (manifested in signal scales) and time of arrivals (manifested in delays). We capture such an effect in this paper with a multi-scale multi-lag (MSML) model, and show that the resulting frequency-domain MSML-OFDM channel is subject to inter-carrier interference (ICI), whose amount differs per subcarrier. The corresponding channel matrix can still be approximated as highly sparse, but lacks a specific structure that can optimally be exploited by those low-complexity equalizers proposed for narrowband channels. In this paper, we propose to use the conjugate gradient (CG) algorithm to equalize the channel iteratively. The suitability of the preconditioning technique, that often accompanies the CG to accelerate the convergence, is discussed for the MSML-OFDM channel. We show that in order for the preconditioner to function properly, optimal resampling is indispensable.
Biography: Zijian Tang received the MSc in electrical engineering and the PhD degree from the Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) in 2003 and 2007, respectively. After working with Mathworks for one year, he joined the Sonar Group at Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) in 2008 as a research scientist, where the research area covers underwater acoustic communications, anti-submarine warfare, marine mammal detection etc. Since 2010, he has also been holding a (part-time) research fellow position at the Network & Circuits Group of TU Delft. Zijian Tang is the recipient of the best student paper award (honourable mention) at ICASSP 2007, and was nominated to the Simon Stevin Gezel prize in 2008.
Host: Prof. Urbashi Mitra, ubli@usc.edu, x04667
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 539
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Gerrielyn Ramos
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Geometry as a Prior in Signal Processing
Wed, Feb 29, 2012 @ 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Yuejie Chi, Ph.D., Department of Electrical Engineering, Princeton University
Talk Title: Geometry as a Prior in Signal Processing
Abstract: My theme is that geometry provides a compressive representation of the worlds that surround us. I will present examples of waveform design in radar and communications where geometric structure is used to probe the physical world more precisely. I will present applications to mobile healthcare where the focus is preserving diagnostic content in wireless Electrocardiogram monitoring using body area networks. When signals of interest live in a low dimensional subspace that evolves over time I will derive a new algorithm (PETRELS) that is able to track the subspace from incomplete data and then demonstrate improvements to Direction of Arrival Estimation in array processing. Finally I will address mismatch between the actual and the assumed geometry which limits the opportunity to simplify signal representation and reduce the complexity of signal processing.
Biography: Yuejie Chi is a Ph.D. candidate in Electrical Engineering at Princeton University, advised by Professor Robert Calderbank. She received her B.Eng. in Electrical Engineering from Tsinghua University 2007 and her M.A. from Princeton University in 2009. She has interned with the Machine Learning Group at Mitsubishi Electric Research Lab in Cambridge, MA in 2011 and with the Mobile Health Group at Qualcomm Inc. in San Diego, CA in 2010, where she won a Roberto Padovani Scholarship. Her research interests include statistical signal processing, high-dimensional data analysis, machine learning and her work is inspired by applications to communications, networks, wireless healthcare, sensing and image processing.
Host: Professor C.C. Jay Kuo
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - EEB
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Talyia Veal
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Astani CEE Department Seminar
Wed, Feb 29, 2012 @ 01:00 PM - 02:00 PM
Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Brian Phillips, Ph. D. Candidate, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Talk Title: Real-Time Hybrid Simulation for Structural Performance Evaluation
Abstract: Engineers have a number of experimental testing frameworks with which to assess the behavior of structural systems under dynamic loads including quasi-static testing, shake table testing, and hybrid simulation. The tradeoffs in loading protocol make each framework attractive in different situations. Hybrid simulation, a relatively new experimental framework, combines experimental testing and numerical simulation to provide an efficient and cost-effective framework to test large, complex structures. Advances in supplemental energy dissipation devices, such as base isolation, fluid dampers, and friction devices, provide promising solutions for mitigating damage resulting from dynamic loads. The responses of these devices are rate-dependent, requiring real-time execution to obtain accurate and stable results (i.e., real-time hybrid simulation (RTHS)). In RTHS, the dynamic behavior of the loading system (i.e., actuators, controller, and computers) is directly introduced into the hybrid simulation loop. At the same time, the phenomenon of control-structure interaction (CSI) leads to a coupling of the dynamic behavior of the actuators and the structure. Both actuator dynamics and actuator coupling lead to a complex control problem. An overview of RTHS is presented along with the challenges and proposed model-based actuator control methods to assure accurate and stable experiments.
Location: Kaprielian Hall (KAP) - 209 Conference Room
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Evangeline Reyes
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Signal Processing for Next-Generation Sequencing and Biosensing
Wed, Feb 29, 2012 @ 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Haris Vikalo, University of Texas at Austin
Talk Title: Signal Processing for Next-Generation Sequencing and Biosensing
Abstract: Next-generation DNA sequencing technology will help determine an individual's susceptibility to a broad range of chronic and acute diseases or disorders, enable the discovery and clinical testing of new pharmaceutical products, and generally personalize and improve the delivery of health care. In this talk, I will discuss the use of concepts from signal processing in the acquisition and analysis of next-generation sequencing data. Following a brief overview of state-of-the-art sequencing technology, I will present some recent results on modeling, optimal base calling, error correction, and analytical characterization of the achievable performance of sequencing-by-synthesis. The results demonstrate beneficial effects of the developed base calling and error correction techniques on downstream applications. In the second part of the talk, I will discuss signal processing aspects of real-time affinity biosensors which are capable of temporally sampling the process of binding between molecular targets and their probes. The results on modeling, inference, and limits of performance demonstrate significant performance improvements over conventional affinity biosensors.
Biography: Haris Vikalo received the B.S. degree from the University of Zagreb, Croatia, in 1995, the M.S. degree from Lehigh University in 1997, and the Ph.D. degree from Stanford University in 2003, all in electrical engineering. He held a short-term appointment at Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, NJ, in the summer of 1999. From January 2003 to July 2003 he was a Postdoctoral Researcher, and from July 2003 to August 2007 he was an Associate Scientist at the California Institute of Technology. Since September 2007, he has been with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, the University of Texas at Austin, where he is currently an Assistant Professor. He is a recipient of the 2009 National Science Foundation Career Award. His research interests include genomic signal processing, stochastic signal processing, and communications.
Host: Prof. Urbashi Mitra, ubli@usc.edu, x04667
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 248
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Gerrielyn Ramos
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AME Department Seminar
Wed, Feb 29, 2012 @ 03:30 PM - 04:30 PM
Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Anders Petersson, Center for Applied Scientific Computing. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Livermore, CA.
Talk Title: Source Estimation by Full Wave Form Inversion
Abstract: We discuss the inverse problem of determining the source parameters of a small seismic event (location, mechanism, start time, frequency), such that the wave form misfit between seismographic recordings and simulated ground motions is minimized. Our approach is based on direct numerical simulations of the elastic wave equation, allowing for complex heterogeneous material models and realistic topography. A non-linear conjugated gradient approach is applied to solve the inverse problem, where the gradient of the misfit (with respect to the source parameters) is calculated from the numerical solution of an adjoint wave equation. Numerical experiments on simple 2-D models illustrate the importance of scaling the source parameters before applying the conjugated gradient iteration, preferably using the Hessian. A procedure based on arrival times is used to generate an initial guess for the source parameters. For the cases considered here, the conjugate gradient iteration often converges in 20-50 iterations.
Solving the inverse problem requires of the order O(100) numerical solutions of the elastic wave equation. For 3-D models, such problems can only be solved on large parallel machines. We will present the capabilities of our parallel open source code WPP, which was designed to solve seismic wave propagation problems on the regional scale. A higher order accurate scheme is currently being implemented to improve the the frequency resolution and efficiency of the method. These enhancements will be important for solving the three-dimensional inverse problem, for example in geothermal applications where there is interest in using micro seismicity for imaging the geometry of a fractured network.
This work performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344. This is contribution LLNL-ABS-523199.
Host: Prof. Veronica Eliasson
More Info: http://ae-www.usc.edu/seminars/index.shtml#upcomingLocation: Seaver Science Library (SSL) - 150
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: April Mundy
Event Link: http://ae-www.usc.edu/seminars/index.shtml#upcoming
