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Events for March 07, 2018

  • EE-EP Faculty Candidate - Sihong Wang, Wednesday, March 7th at 12pm in EEB 248

    Wed, Mar 07, 2018 @ 12:00 PM - 01:30 PM

    Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

    Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars


    Speaker: Sihong Wang, Stanford University

    Talk Title: Merging Electronics with Living Systems: Intrinsically Stretchable and Self-Powered Electronics

    Abstract: The vast amount of biological mysteries and biomedical challenges faced by human provide a prominent drive for seamlessly merging electronics with biological living systems (e.g. human bodies) to achieve long-term stable functions. Towards this trend, the main bottlenecks are the huge mechanical mismatch between the current form of rigid electronics and the soft biological tissues, as well as the limited lifetimes of the battery-based power supplies.
    In this talk, I will first describe a new form of electronics with skin-like softness and stretchability, which is built upon a new class of intrinsically stretchable polymer materials and a new set of fabrication technology. As the core material basis, intrinsically stretchable polymer semiconductors have been developed through the physical engineering of polymer chain dynamics and crystallization based on the nanoconfinement effect. This fundamentally-new and universally-applicable methodology enables conjugated polymers to possess both high electrical-performance and extraordinary stretchability. Then, proceeding towards building electronics with this new class of polymer materials, the first polymer-applicable fabrication platform has been designed for large-scale intrinsically stretchable transistor arrays. As a whole, these renovations in the material basis and technology foundation have led to the realization of circuit-level functionalities for the processing of biological signals, with unprecedented mechanical deformability and skin conformability. In the second part of the talk, I will introduce the invention and development of triboelectric nanogenerators as a new technology for mechanical energy harvesting, which provides a solution for sustainably powering electronics. The discussion will span from the establishment of basic operation mechanisms, the design strategies of material and device structure towards high energy conversion efficiency, to the hybridization with Li-ion batteries for effective energy storage. Equipping electronics with human-compatible form-factors and biomechanically-driven power supplies has opened a new paradigm for wearable and implantable bio-electronic tools for biological studies, personal healthcare, medical diagnosis and therapeutics.

    Biography: Sihong Wang is a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University, working with Prof. Zhenan Bao. He received his PhD degree in Materials Science and Engineering (with Minor in Electrical Engineering) from the Georgia Institute of Technology under the supervision of Prof. Zhong Lin (Z.L.) Wang, and his Bachelor's degree from Tsinghua University. Currently, he is working on intrinsically stretchable polymer semiconductors and transistors for wearable and biomedical electronics. His PhD research had focused on nanogenerators for mechanical energy harvesting and their integrated energy storage systems. He was awarded MRS Graduate Student Award, Chinese Government Award for Outstanding Students Abroad, Top 10 Breakthroughs of 2012 by Physics World, etc.

    Host: EE_Electrophysics

    Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 248

    Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

    Contact: Marilyn Poplawski

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  • Koopman Operator Theory in Dynamical Systems and Applications

    Wed, Mar 07, 2018 @ 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM

    Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

    Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars


    Speaker: Igor Mezic, University of California Santa Barbara

    Talk Title: Koopman Operator Theory in Dynamical Systems and Applications

    Series: Joint Seminar Series on Cyber-Physical Systems and CommNetS-MHI

    Abstract: There is long history of use of mathematical decompositions to describe complex phenomena using simpler ingredients. One example is the decomposition of string vibrations into its primary, secondary, and higher modes. Recently, a spectral decomposition relying on Koopman operator theory has attracted interest in science and engineering communities. The spectral decomposition is based on an extension of the Koopman-von Neumann formalism to dissipative, possibly infinite-dimensional systems, including those describing flow of viscous fluids at the fundamental level, but also thermal flows in buildings, and power grid dynamics, at a more applied level. At its mathematical foundations, it is a spectral theory of composition operators. We will present the foundations of the theory, the numerical analysis approach, and its applications in the variety of applied contexts.


    Biography: Igor Mezic is currently a Professor and Director at the Center for Energy-Efficient Design and Head of Buildings and Design Solutions Group of the Institute for Energy Efficiency at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He received an M.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Rijeka, Croatia in 1990 and a Ph.D. in Applied Mechanics from the California Institute of Technology in 1994. Before coming to UC Santa Barbara in 1995, he was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Mathematics Institute at the University of Warwick, UK. From 2000-2001, he also served as an Associate Professor in the Division of Engineering and Applied Science at Harvard University. Igor Mezic's current research interests include dynamical systems theory of complex systems, including large-scale social systems. He was awarded the National Science Foundation CAREER Award for research on Nonlinear Dynamics and Control from Microscale to Macroscale (1999), as well as a Sloan Foundation Fellowship in Mathematics (1999) and the Axelby Outstanding Paper Award (2000). For his technology contributions, he was awarded the United Technologies Senior Vice Presidents Special Award (2007), and gave a number of plenary lectures. In addition to contributing his time and expertise to a significant number journals, panels, workshops, and conferences, Mezic has over 150 journal publications, has edited or co-written three books and has received numerous grants and industrial contracts. Mezic is a Fellow of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) and the American Physical Society.

    Host: Prof. Paul Bogdan

    Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 248

    Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

    Contact: Talyia White

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  • CAIS Seminar: Andrew Perrault (University of Toronto) – Developing and Coordinating Autonomous Agents for Efficient Electricity Markets

    Wed, Mar 07, 2018 @ 04:00 PM - 05:00 PM

    Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science

    Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars


    Speaker: Andrew Perrault, University of Toronto

    Talk Title: Developing and Coordinating Autonomous Agents for Efficient Electricity Markets

    Series: USC Center for Artificial Intelligence in Society (CAIS) Seminar Series

    Abstract: Aggressive greenhouse gas reduction targets will necessitate a transformation of energy use systems, with increasing emphasis on electricity, which can be decarbonized more efficiently than other energy sources. Mr. Perrault argues that deploying consumer-representing autonomous agents can make this transformation less expensive by allowing attention-limited consumers to respond to changes in market conditions. The talk has two parts: in Part I, he develops a cooperative game theoretic model that illustrates the value of such agents in electricity markets. In Part II, he focuses on the problem of training such an agent using a new variant of preference elicitation called experiential elicitation.

    This lecture satisfies requirements for CSCI 591: Research Colloquium


    Biography: Andrew Perrault is a PhD student at University of Toronto, supervised by Craig Boutilier. His research focuses on the application of AI to electricity markets and electricity use. He is the co-founder and co-lead developer at theschoolfund.org, a non-profit that crowdfunds scholarships for secondary school students in developing countries.


    Host: Milind Tambe

    Location: Seeley Wintersmith Mudd Memorial Hall (of Philosophy) (MHP) - 101

    Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

    Contact: Computer Science Department

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  • ASBME GM 7: TPR+SWE joint MCAT prep

    Wed, Mar 07, 2018 @ 07:00 PM - 08:00 PM

    Viterbi School of Engineering Student Organizations

    Student Activity


    Are you BME+premed and anxious about the MCAT? Join us for a joint MCAT strategy session with SWE, sponsored by our new partner, The Princeton Review! Get test taking tips, studying strategies, and insightful information about the MCAT from one of the premier test-prep agencies in the industry. Best of all, pizza will be provided!

    Location: Ronald Tutor Campus Center (TCC) - 227

    Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

    Contact: Associated Students of Biomedical Engineering

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