USC - Viterbi School of Engineering

Nov
07

PhD Thesis Proposal - Mozhdeh Gheini
Tue, Nov 07, 2023 @ 09:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science
University Calendar

PhD Thesis Proposal - Mozhdeh Gheini

Committee Members: Jonathan May (Chair), Xiang Ren, Xuezhe Ma, Swabha Swayamdipta, Khalil Iskarous

Title: Inductive Biases for Data- and Parameter-Efficient Transfer Learning

Abstract: The widespread success of natural language processing (NLP) models, such as Large Language Models, and the subsequent attention from the public often conceal and distract from the sheer amount of data and computational resources they have relied on to reach this point. The very same models often fail to perform as well in the absence of sufficient data and computational resources. However, how to adjust methods under such constraints remains under-discussed. In this talk, I present work incorporating inductive biases during both pretraining and downstream transfer learning and showcase the boosted performance for machine translation and named entity recognition under resource limitations. Following that, I discuss our work on creating a pretrained model using MEGA, a novel architecture with extensions to Transformers, and our ongoing efforts to investigate MEGA's inductive biases that significantly set it apart from Transformer in low-resource scenarios
Location: Ronald Tutor Hall of Engineering (RTH) - 306
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

Contact: Melissa Ochoa

Event Link: https://usc.zoom.us/j/6564802162
Nov
07

Agilent Cell Analysis Workshop
Tue, Nov 07, 2023 @ 10:00 AM - 02:00 PM
Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science
Workshops & Infosessions

EVENT DETAILS:Host: Prof. Richard Roberts, USCLocation: MCB 101Time: 10:00 AM- 2:00 PMThis seminar is free. Lunch will be provided. Please click below link to submit your registration before Nov. 3rd (Friday by 5:00 PM) to ensure your lunch order
More Information: AgilentCellAnalysisWorkshop_7Nov2023.pdf
Location: Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience (MCB) - 101
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

Contact: Monique Garcia
Nov
07

Agilent Cell Analysis Workshop
Tue, Nov 07, 2023 @ 10:00 AM - 02:00 PM
Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science
Workshops & Infosessions

EVENT DETAILS:Host: Prof. Richard Roberts, USCLocation: MCB 101Time: 10:00 AM- 2:00 PMThis seminar is free. Lunch will be provided. Please click below link to submit your registration before Nov. 3rd (Friday by 5:00 PM) to ensure your lunch order
More Information: AgilentCellAnalysisWorkshop_7Nov2023.pdf
Location: 101
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

Contact: Monique Garcia
Nov
07

PhD Thesis Proposal - Paul Chiou
Tue, Nov 07, 2023 @ 01:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science
University Calendar

PhD Thesis Proposal - Paul Chiou

Committee Members: William G.J. Halfond (chair), Nenad Medvidovic, Mukund Raghothaman, Gisele Ragusa, and Chao Wang

Title: Automated Detection of Keyboard Accessibility Issues in Web Applications

Abstract: The internet has become an important part of our daily lives, enabling us to complete everyday and essential tasks online. For the 15% of the global population with disabilities, accessing the internet is critical and can provide access to resources that would otherwise be unavailable. Many people with different disabilities rely on the keyboard interface to access the internet; however, studies found that web applications today largely remain inaccessible to keyboard users. Testing keyboard accessibility is a labor-intensive task currently done manually by skilled practitioners. In this thesis proposal, I propose to use program analysis techniques to automate the keyboard accessibility testing process to alleviate the manual effort involved. I developed a novel approach to automatically detect keyboard accessibility issues that negatively affect disabled users' ability to navigate web pages' user interface. The approach implements a dynamic crawler to build a model that captures a web page's interactivity from a keyboard person's perspective. The approach then analyzes the model to identify the inaccessible behaviors per accessibility guidelines. Finally, I propose to conduct an evaluation to show the approach’s ability to accurately detect these keyboard accessibility issues in real-world web applications
Location: Social Sciences Building (SOS) - B43
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

Contact: Melissa Ochoa
Nov
07

ECE Seminar: QMC of everything: A universal algorithm for simulating arbitrary quantum many-body systems
Tue, Nov 07, 2023 @ 01:00 PM - 02:00 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars

Speaker: Dr. Itay Hen, Principal Scientist, USC Viterbi Information Sciences Institute

Talk Title: QMC of everything: A universal algorithm for simulating arbitrary quantum many-body systems

Abstract: Gaining insight into the equilibrium properties of quantum many-body systems is essential for advancing our understanding of fundamental physics, materials science, and a wide range of scientific and technological applications. Quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) techniques are, in the majority of cases, the only viable approach to developing a systematic understanding of large-scale quantum systems. However, current QMC schemes have limitations, with a major one being the need to tailor distinct, specific updates to each model to ensure the ergodicity of the stochastic process. In this talk, I will discuss a novel, universal, parameter-free QMC algorithm capable of simulating arbitrarily conceived physical models, including models containing mixtures of particle types and interactions in arbitrary geometries. This work is a collaboration with Lev Barash (ISI) and Arman Babakhani (Physics Dept. and ISI).

Biography: Itay Hen is a Principal Scientist at Viterbi's Information Sciences Institute, where he leads the computational physics group. He also holds an adjunct appointment as a research associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. Dr. Hen's main areas of research are quantum computing, specifically quantum simulation algorithms, and computational physics, particularly quantum many-body simulations and optimization. He currently serves as the PI for several quantum computing-related projects sponsored by DARPA, the Department of Energy, and the NSF. Dr. Hen earned his Ph.D. in particle physics from Tel-Aviv University in 2009. He then held a postdoctoral fellowship in theoretical condensed matter at Georgetown University and later completed another postdoctoral fellowship in theoretical condensed matter and quantum computing at UC Santa Cruz in 2012. Before joining USC in 2013, Dr. Hen spent a year as a senior scientist in the Intelligent Systems Division at NASA Ames Research Center as a member of the Quantum Artificial Intelligence Laboratory.

Host: Dr. Richard M. Leahy, leahy@usc.edu

Webcast: https://usc.zoom.us/j/99781295519?pwd=RVFOelJUbVhJS0pPek5RcERpc3RvQT09
More Information: ECE-Seminar-Hen-110723.pdf
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 248
WebCast Link: https://usc.zoom.us/j/99781295519?pwd=RVFOelJUbVhJS0pPek5RcERpc3RvQT09
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

Contact: Mayumi Thrasher
Nov
07

Epstein Institute, ISE 651 Seminar Class
Tue, Nov 07, 2023 @ 03:30 PM - 04:50 PM
Daniel J. Epstein Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars

Speaker: Dr. Esteban Moro , Researcher, Data Scientist -“ MIT Connection Science at IDSS and Associate Professor -“ Universidad Carlos III (UC3M), Spain

Talk Title: Understanding Urban Social Resilience Through Behavioral Mobility Data

Host: Dr. Abigail Horn

More Information: November 7, 2023.pdf
Location: SOS Building, B2
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

Contact: Grace Owh
Nov
07

SERC Seminar
Tue, Nov 07, 2023 @ 05:00 PM - 06:20 PM
Astronautical Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars

Speaker: Justin Walsh , Chapman University

Talk Title: Human Heritage in Outer Space: Problems and Opportunities

Abstract: Humans have been sending all kinds of objects -“ from crewed spacecraft to nanosatellites to robotic rovers (and more) - into space for 66 years. Some of those objects have been imbued with significant meaning due to technological developments, historical events, and/or cultural associations, making it possible to include them among the items we consider to be HERITAGE. This lecture will consider the range of items in space that might be called heritage, their legal status (including the possibility of protecting them), and challenges and opportunities for documenting them. Can Tranquility Base be a National Park? How do we balance the preservation of satellites like the Hubble Space Telescope with the need to clean up space debris?

Biography: Justin Walsh is a professor of art, history, archaeology, and space studies at Chapman University and an Ad Astra Fellow in Space Habitats and Space Anthropology at SERC.

Host: ASTE Department

Location: Grace Ford Salvatori Hall Of Letters, Arts & Sciences (GFS) - 116
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

Contact: Dell Cuason
Nov
07

Tea and Totes
Tue, Nov 07, 2023 @ 06:00 PM - 07:00 PM
USC Viterbi School of Engineering
Student Activity

Join us in our second mentorship social! Come meet new people and mingle with our mentorship team. Come get a free tote bag and some boba!!
Location: Sign into EngageSC to View Location
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

Contact: Thelma Federico Zaragoza

Event Link: https://engage.usc.edu/WIE/rsvp?id=393344

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