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Events for February 26, 2015
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MFD - Chemical Engineering and Materials Science Graduate Seminar
Thu, Feb 26, 2015 @ 12:45 AM - 01:50 PM
Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Professor Masoud Soroush, Drexel University
Talk Title: Long-Term Academia-Industry Collaboration: The Drexel-DuPont Experience
Series: Graduate Seminar Series
Abstract: Long-term academia-industry research collaboration is rewarding but challenging.
Drexel and DuPont collaborated at different levels for more than a decade. What
began as a personal collaboration in multirate state estimation later evolved into a broad university-corporation collaboration in process systems engineering and
polymer engineering lasting more than a decade. In this talk, the evolution of this collaboration, in terms of the type of projects involved and the level of corporation participation, is described. The challenges and rewards of such a collaboration are described based on this collaboration experience. Results of collaborative projects involving multirate state estimation, instrument fault detection and identification, polymer reaction engineering, and quantum-chemical study of acrylate self-initiation reactions are presented.
Biography: Masoud Soroush is a Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA. He received his BS (Chemical Engineering) from Abadan Institute of Technology,Iran and his MS (Chemical Engineering), MS (Electrical Engineering: Systems), and PhD (Chemical Engineering) from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He was a Visiting Scientist at DuPont Marshall Lab 2002-03 and a Visiting Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Princeton University in 2008. His awards include the Faculty Early CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation in 1997, the O. Hugo Schuck Best Paper Award from theAmerican Automatic Control Council in 1999, and the Faculty Achievement Award for Excellence in Teaching from Drexel University in 1999. His research interests are in process systems engineering; mathematical modeling, analysis, and computational design and optimization of fuel cells, solar cells, and power storage systems; probabilistic modeling, risk assessment, and prediction of rare events; fault detection and identification; polymer engineering; and quantum chemical calculations. He was the AIChE Director on the American Automatic Control Council Board of Directors 2010-2013 and the AIChE CAST 10B Programming Coordinator in 2009.
Host: Prof. Sahimi
Location: James H. Zumberge Hall Of Science (ZHS) - 159
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Ryan Choi
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Epstein ISE Department Seminar
Thu, Feb 26, 2015 @ 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Daniel J. Epstein Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Yuekai Sun, Ph.D. Candidate, Institute for Computational and Mathematical Engineering, Stanford University
Talk Title: Distributed Estimation and Inference for Sparse Regression
Abstract: We address two outstanding challenges in sparse regression: (i) computationally efficient estimation in distributed settings (ii) valid inference for the selected coefficients. The main computational challenge in a distributed setting is harnessing the computational capabilities of all the machines while keeping communication costs low. We devise an approach that requires only a single round of communication among the machines. We show the approach recovers the convergence rate of the (centralized) lasso as long as each machine has access to an adequate number of samples. Turning to the second challenge, we devise an approach to post-selection inference by conditioning on the selected model. In a nutshell, our approach gives inferences with the same frequency interpretation as those given by data/sample splitting, but it is more broadly applicable and more powerful. The validity of our approach also does not depend on the correctness of the selected model; i.e. it gives valid inferences even when the selected model is incorrect.
Joint work with Jason Lee, Qiang Liu, Dennis Sun, Jonathan Taylor
Biography: Yuekai is a fifth year Ph.D. student at Stanford University, advised by Michael Saunders in the operations research group and Jonathan Taylor in the statistics department. His research interests span high-dimensional statistics, machine learning, and mathematical optimization. He received his B.A. in 2010 from Rice University. Outside of school, he is an avid cyclist with the Stanford cycling team.
Host: Daniel J. Epstein Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
More Information: SEMINAR-Sun.doc
Location: Ethel Percy Andrus Gerontology Center (GER) - 206
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Georgia Lum
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CS Colloquium: Lydia E. Kavraki (Rice University) - Reasoning for Complex Physical Systems
Thu, Feb 26, 2015 @ 10:00 AM - 10:50 AM
Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Lydia E. Kavraki, Rice University
Talk Title: Reasoning for Complex Physical Systems
Series: CS Colloquium
Abstract: Robots are rapidly evolving from simple instruments for repetitive tasks to increasingly sophisticated machines capable of performing challenging operations in our daily environment. As they make their way out of custom-made workspaces in factories, algorithms that integrate task and motion planning are needed to enable robots to autonomously execute high-level tasks. This talk will describe a novel framework for the synthesis of motion plans using specifications expressed in temporal logics and sampling-based motion planners. The power and extensibility of the framework has led to algorithmic advances for analyzing the motion and function of proteins, the worker molecules of all cells. The talk will conclude by discussing robotics-inspired methods for computing the flexibility of proteins and large macromolecular complexes with the ultimate goals of deciphering molecular function and aiding the discovery of new therapeutics.
The lecture will be available to stream HERE.
Biography: Lydia E. Kavraki is the Noah Harding Professor of Computer Science and Bioengineering at Rice University. Kavraki received her B.A. in Computer Science from the University of Crete in Greece and her Ph.D. in Computer Science from Stanford University. Her research contributions are in physical algorithms and their applications in robotics, as well as in computational structural biology and biomedicine. Kavraki has authored more than 200 peer-reviewed journal and conference publications and a co-author of the popular robotics textbook "Principles of Robot Motion" published by MIT Press. She is heavily involved in the development of The Open Motion Planning Library, which is used in industry and in academic research in robotics and medicine. Kavraki is a Fellow of the Association of Computing Machinery, a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, a Fellow of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence, a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. She was recently recognized with the Women in Science Award from BioHouston.
Host: Computer Science Department
Webcast: https://bluejeans.com/889544076Location: Olin Hall of Engineering (OHE) - 132
WebCast Link: https://bluejeans.com/889544076
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Assistant to CS chair
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Energy Informatics Distinguished Seminar
Thu, Feb 26, 2015 @ 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science, Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Dr. Yale Patt, University of Texas at Austin
Talk Title: Parallelism: A serious goal or a silly mantra (...and what about the End of the Von Neumann Architecture)
Series: Distinguished Lecture Series in Energy Informatics
Abstract: The microprocessor of 2025 will have two things going for it: more than 50 billion transistors on each chip and an opportunity to properly harness the transformation hierarchy. We hear a lot about the parallelism that one will get from those 50 billion transistors. In fact, almost everyone in the computer industry these days seems to be promoting parallelism, whether or not they have any clue whatsoever as to what they are talking about. And, many also are announcing the demise of the Von Neumann Architecture, whether or not they have any idea what the Von Neumann architecture is. Both pronouncements are due in large part to the highly visible and well advertised continuing (temporarily) benefits of Moore's Law, manifest by more and more cores on a chip, as well as more and more accelerators on the chip. More transistors means more cores, which translates into more opportunity for parallelism. More transistors also means more opportunity to build the wildest of accelerators, touted as non-Von Neumann architecture. By 2025, we will clearly have more than 1000 cores on a chip -- whether we can effectively utilize them or not does not seem to curb the enthusiasm. And by 2025, we will also have lots of powerful accelerators. But without Von Neumann, they won't be of much use. What I would like to do today is examine parallelism, note that it did not start with the multicore chip, observe some of the silliness it has recently generated, identify its fundamental pervasive element, and discuss some of the problems that have surfaced due to its major enabler, Moore's Law. I would also like to try to show how the transformation hierarchy, without any observable fanfare, can turn the bad news of Moore's Law into good news, both for all those cores and for all those non-Von Neumann accelerators, and play an important role in the microprocessor of 2025.
Biography: Yale N. Patt is Professor of ECE and the Ernest Cockrell, Jr. Centennial Chair in Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin. He continues to thrive on teaching both the large (400+ students) freshman introductory course in computing and advanced graduate courses in microarchitecture, directing the research of eight PhD students, and consulting in the microprocessor industry. Some of his research ideas (e.g., HPS, the two-level branch predictor, ACMP) have ended up in the cutting-edge chips of Intel, AMD, etc. and some of his teaching ideas have resulted in his motivated bottom-up approach for introducing computing to serious students. The textbook for his unconventional approach, "Introduction to Computing Systems: from bits and gates to C and beyond," co-authored with Prof. Sanjay Jeram Patel of Illinois (McGraw-Hill, 2nd ed. 2004), has been adopted by more than 100 universities world-wide. He has received the highest honors in his field for both his reasearch (the 1996 IEEE/ACM Eckert-Mauchly Award) and teaching (the 2000 ACM Karl V. Karlstrom Outstanding Educator Award). He was the inaugural recipient of the recently established IEEE Computer Society Bob Rau Award in 2011, and was named the 2013 recipient of the IEEE Harry Goode Award. He is a Fellow of both IEEE and ACM, and a member of the National Academy of Engineering. More detail can be found on his web page www.ece.utexas.edu/~patt.
Host: Prof. Viktor Prasanna and the Ming Hsieh Institute
Webcast: https://bluejeans.com/275381990Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 132
WebCast Link: https://bluejeans.com/275381990
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Annie Yu
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Seminar Series
Thu, Feb 26, 2015 @ 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Information Sciences Institute
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Dr. Anuradha Annaswamy , MIT Mechanical Engineering
Talk Title: Decision and Control in Energy Cyber Physical Systems
Abstract: Any physical system with a rudimentary level of complexity includes interaction with a cyber structure that helps, monitors, predicts, or manages its function. As the level of complexity increases, this interaction between the cyber and physical components needs to be specific, systematic, nuanced, and robust. The field of study that pertains to these interactions, collectively known as
Cyber Physical Systems (CPS), is an emerging topic of significant attention both nationally and
globally. Several areas in science and technology including transportation, healthcare, energy generation and distribution, and manufacturing automation are witnessing significant research activities related to CPS. Our laboratory has focused on a key area in CPS, pertaining to fundamental decision and control tools for Smart Grid, an ideal example of a physical world interacting with the
cyberworld of computations and communications through control. The challenges due to increased
penetration of renewables, combined presence of uncertainties in both the cyber and physical world,
complexities due to the simultaneous control of several applications, limited resources, and complex
platform architectures, and stringent performance specifications have led us to the development of
novel methodologies. In this talk, I will present the underpinnings of such methods in energy CPS,
examples, and recent results.
Biography: Dr. Anuradha Annaswamy received the Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from Yale
University in 1985. She has been a member of the faculty at Yale, Boston University, and MIT where
currently she is the director of the Active Adaptive Control Laboratory and a Senior Research Scientist
in the Department of Mechanical
Engineering. Her research interests pertain to adaptive control theory and applications to aerospace
and automotive control, active control of noise in thermofluid systems, control of autonomous
systems, decision and control in smart grids, smart cities, and critical infrastructures, and codesign of
control and platform architectures in cyber physical systems.
Dr. Annaswamy has received several awards including the George Axelby and Control Systems
Magazine best paper awards from the IEEE Control Systems Society, the Presidential Young
Investigator award from the National Science Foundation, the Hans Fisher Senior Fellowship from the
Institute for Advanced Study at the Technische Universität München in 2008, and the Donald Groen
Julius Prize for 2008 from the Institute of Mechanical Engineers. Dr. Annaswamy is a Fellow of the
IEEE and a member of AIAA.
Dr. Annaswamy is an active member of the IEEE Control Systems Society (CSS) and the American
Automatic Control Council. She was a nominated and elected member of the CSS Board of Governors
for 1993 and 2010 to 2012, respectively. She was a Program Chair of the American Control
Conference (ACC) during 2003, General Chair of the 2008 ACC, and Program Chair for the 2nd
Virtual Control Conference on Smart Grid Technology. Currently she is the Vice President for
Conference Activities in the IEEE CSS Executive Committee.
Dr. Annaswamy is a co-editor of the IEEE CSS report on Impact of Control Technology: Overview,
Success Stories, and Research Challenges, 2011 (1st Edition) and 2014 (2nd Edition) along with Tariq
Samad. She is the project lead on the publication, âVision for Smart Grid Controls: 2030 and Beyond,â
(Eds: A.M. Annaswamy, M. Amin, C. DeMarco and T. Samad), 2013.
Host: Alefiya Hussain and Petros Ioannou
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 248
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Alefiya Hussain
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CS Colloquium: Sam Malek (George Mason University) - Automated Analysis and Testing of Mobile Software
Thu, Feb 26, 2015 @ 04:00 PM - 05:15 PM
Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Sam Malek , George Mason University
Talk Title: Automated Analysis and Testing of Mobile Software
Series: CS Colloquium
Abstract: App markets have fundamentally changed the way software is delivered to consumers, especially in the mobile domain. By providing a medium for reaching a large consumer base at a nominal cost, app markets have made it possible for small entrepreneurs to compete against prominent software companies. At the same time, since many of the entrepreneurs do not have the resources to employ proper software engineering practices, many apps provisioned on the markets are riddled with defects that not only inconvenience the users, but also easily exploited by attackers for nefarious purposes. In this talk, I first outline the architectural root cause of some of the security vulnerabilities found in Android. Afterwards, I describe a combination of static and dynamic program analysis techniques aimed at detecting such issues. Experimental evaluation of the tools realizing these techniques using real-world apps has been promising, resulting in their adoption for use by government and industrial collaborators. Finally, I conclude the talk with an outline of future research directions.
Biography: Sam Malek is an Associate Professor in the Computer Science Department at George Mason University. His general research interests are in the field of software engineering, and to date his focus has spanned the areas of software architecture, autonomic computing, software security, and software analysis and testing. He received his Ph.D. and M.S. degrees from the Computer Science Department at the University of Southern California and his B.S. degree in Information and Computer Science from the University of California Irvine. He is a recipient of the National Science Foundation CAREER award, GMU Emerging Researcher/Scholar/Creator award, and GMU Computer Science Department Outstanding Faculty Research Award. Malek is also a member of the DARPAâs Computer Science Study Group. He is currently serving on the editorial board of the IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering and the Springer Journal of Computing.
Host: Neno Medvidovic
Location: Henry Salvatori Computer Science Center (SAL) - 101
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Assistant to CS chair
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E-Week Featured Speaker: Facebook
Thu, Feb 26, 2015 @ 04:00 PM - 05:00 PM
Viterbi School of Engineering Student Affairs
Workshops & Infosessions
Come here from USC alum Jonathan Mooser about his journey from USC to Facebook!
RSVP online at bit.ly/eweekfb2015Location: Waite Phillips Hall Of Education (WPH) - B28
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Christine D'Arcy
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Tesla Information Session
Thu, Feb 26, 2015 @ 06:00 PM - 08:00 PM
Viterbi School of Engineering Career Connections
Workshops & Infosessions
Tesla Motors offers compelling opportunities for students seeking internships and co-ops. To be eligible, you must be actively pursuing a technical BS, MS, or advanced degree. Your application will be considered for all applicable opportunities in Palo Alto, CA and Fremont, CA.
Location: Seeley G. Mudd Building (SGM) - 101
Audiences: All Viterbi
Contact: RTH 218 Viterbi Career Services
