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Events for the 5th week of March
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EiS Communications Hub - Tutoring for Engineering Ph.D. StudentsMon, Mar 24, 2025 @ 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Viterbi School of Engineering Student Affairs
Workshops & Infosessions
Viterbi Ph.D. students are invited to drop by the Hub for instruction on their writing and speaking tasks! All tutoring is one-on-one and conducted by Viterbi faculty.
Location: Ronald Tutor Hall of Engineering (RTH) - 222A
Audiences: Viterbi Ph.D. Students
Contact: Helen Choi
Event Link: https://sites.google.com/usc.edu/eishub/home
This event is open to all eligible individuals. USC Viterbi operates all of its activities consistent with the University's Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor. -
CS Colloquium: Yingying (Samara) Ren (ISTA) - Computational Homogenization for Inverse Design of Surface-based Inflatables
Mon, Mar 24, 2025 @ 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Yingying (Samara) Ren, ISTA
Talk Title: Computational Homogenization for Inverse Design of Surface-based Inflatables
Abstract: Surface-based inflatables consist of two nearly inextensible sheets joined along carefully chosen fusing curves, restricting expansion and inducing in-plane contraction and metric frustration. When inflated, these structures settle into a 3D equilibrium that balances elastic and pressure potential energy. In this talk, I will present our computational framework for analyzing and designing such inflatables to approximate a wide range of freeform surfaces while maintaining structural stability. Using numerical homogenization, we characterize periodic inflatable patches with arbitrary fusing patterns and seamlessly combine them through custom nonlinear surface parametrization methods. I will also discuss exciting future research directions in this space.
This lecture satisfies requirements for CSCI 591: Research Colloquium
Biography: Yingying Ren (Samara) is an Assitant Professor at ISTA and leads the Geometric Computing and Digital Fabrication group. Her group focuses on research in physics-based simulation, digital fabrication, and computational inverse design. By developing geometric abstractions and efficient numerical methods, her group aims to create new structures and materials with applications in medical devices, architecture, soft robotics, and more.
Host: Oded Stein
Location: Olin Hall of Engineering (OHE) - 132
Audiences: Everyone (USC) is invited
Contact: CS Faculty Affairs
This event is open to all eligible individuals. USC Viterbi operates all of its activities consistent with the University's Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor. -
"Keys to Life" series at USC ORSL
Mon, Mar 24, 2025 @ 12:00 PM - 01:00 PM
USC Viterbi School of Engineering
University Calendar
"Keys to Life" with Prof. Weiss is a motivational discussion series designed to promote student success and well-being. This series is for students who want to develop their "keys" in a small group setting and a peaceful, reflective environment. Finding purpose is essential to living a meaningful life and key to personal fulfillment. This series will help students identify and articulate their purpose and provide group motivation to work towards it. A unique feature of the series will be its peripatetic "Purpose Walks" through campus.
More Information: Keys to Life with Prof. Weiss.jpg
Location: University Religious Center (URC) - courtyard
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Elisabeth Arnold Weiss
This event is open to all eligible individuals. USC Viterbi operates all of its activities consistent with the University's Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor. -
ECE Seminar: Speech-Based Biomarkers for Human Health
Mon, Mar 24, 2025 @ 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Dr. Sudarsana Reddy Kadiri, Research Scientist, Signal Analysis and Interpretation Lab (SAIL), Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Southern California
Talk Title: Speech-Based Biomarkers for Human Health
Abstract: Speech is the most natural form of communication between humans, and it carries a wealth of information, including the message, language, speaker's age, gender, emotion, and health status. This talk focuses on the intersection of machine learning and signal processing applied to the field of speech-based biomarkers for human health. Biomarking of human health is a relatively new and promising approach for screening, diagnosis, and monitoring. Speech-based health analytics can provide valuable insights into an individual's health, allowing for early detection of various conditions such as respiratory disorders, voice disorders, cardiovascular disorders, neurological disorders, and mental health disorders. This technology is also convenient, as it enables remote monitoring of health that can be conducted continuously over time, and it requires no physical intervention. In this talk, I will present my recent research on interpretable speech-based biomarkers for laryngeal disorders, Parkinson's disease and heart failure.
Biography: Sudarsana Reddy Kadiri is a Research Scientist at the Signal Analysis and Interpretation Lab (SAIL), University of Southern California, hosted by Prof. Shrikanth Narayanan. Previously, he was a Research Fellow and Postdoctoral Researcher in the Dept. of Information and Communications Engineering at Aalto University, Finland. He earned his Ph.D. in Electronics and Communication Engineering (ECE) from IIIT-Hyderabad, India, in 2018, and his B.Tech. in ECE from JNTU-Hyderabad in 2011. He has been actively involved in teaching and supervision, serving as a Teaching Assistant at IIIT-Hyderabad and a co-teacher at Aalto University. He has co-supervised one Ph.D. student and four master’s thesis students, and is currently co-supervising two Ph.D. students at Aalto University. His research interests include signal processing for biomedical signals, speech science, computational paralinguistics, speech- and multimodal-based health biomarkers, machine/deep learning, and auditory neuroscience. He has published over 80 peer-reviewed research papers and serves as a reviewer for leading journals and conferences, including IEEE, Elsevier, Springer, Frontiers, and PLOS. He was awarded the Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) Fellowship for his Ph.D. His achievements also include winning two sub-challenges (Vocalizations and Stuttering) in the ACM-MM ComParE Challenge 2022.
Host: Dr. Richard Leahy, leahy@usc.edu
Webcast: https://usc.zoom.us/j/96359120124?pwd=u5k7bHTJoWgp4lt1pLiXdbO0437Uyy.1Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 248
WebCast Link: https://usc.zoom.us/j/96359120124?pwd=u5k7bHTJoWgp4lt1pLiXdbO0437Uyy.1
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Mayumi Thrasher
This event is open to all eligible individuals. USC Viterbi operates all of its activities consistent with the University's Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor. -
ECE Seminar: Integrated Quantum Photonics: Engineering Entanglement for Quantum Computing, Networking, and Sensing
Tue, Mar 25, 2025 @ 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Dr. Galan Moody, Associate Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, University of California Santa Barbara
Talk Title: Integrated Quantum Photonics: Engineering Entanglement for Quantum Computing, Networking, and Sensing
Abstract: Integrated photonics is revolutionizing how we generate, manipulate, and transmit quantum information. While the scalability and manufacturability of silicon photonics has been a driver of many quantum photonic technologies over the past two decades, future progress will require hybrid and heterogeneous integration strategies that can take advantage of different materials. In this presentation, I’ll focus on AlGaAs and InGaP—two III-V semiconductor platforms that combine mature fabrication, a direct bandgap for electrical injection, low-loss operation, and large optical nonlinearities for efficient quantum light generation and conversion. After a brief introduction to the field, I’ll discuss how we fabricate III-V photonic devices at wafer-scale, which we have utilized for high-rate entangled-photon pair generation and squeezing with performance that rivals bulk optics but with orders-of-magnitude smaller footprint and power requirements. I’ll highlight some emerging applications, including: (1) multiplexing arrays of quantum sources for reconfigurable multi-user quantum networking, cryptography, and clock synchronization, (2) development and integration of tunable chip-scale lasers for turnkey and compact quantum modules, and (3) chip-scale squeezed microcombs for quantum-enhanced detectors and sensors. Throughout the talk, I’ll discuss exciting future directions envisioned for engineering quantum photonic systems in the next 5-10 years.
Biography: Galan Moody is an Associate Professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at the University of California Santa Barbara. Prior to this, he was a Research Scientist (2015-2019) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Boulder, Colorado, and a National Research Council postdoctoral fellow at NIST (2013-2015). He received a PhD in Physics (2013) and a BSc in Engineering Physics (2008) from the University of Colorado Boulder. He is a recipient of a US Air Force Young Investigator Program award (2020), an NSF CAREER award (2021), an ACS Rising Star in Photonics Award (2024), and the UCSB College of Engineering outstanding faculty award (2024). He serves as a thrust co-lead and on the executive committee for UCSB’s NSF Quantum Foundry, chairs program committees for several conferences including FiOLS and CLEO, and he is on the editorial board for PRX Quantum and IOP’s Journal of Physics: Photonics.
Host: Dr. Michelle Povinelli, povinell@usc.edu
Webcast: https://usc.zoom.us/j/99201515535?pwd=JMsy7VGL8V3MlksSlLid9h4ttXJlXi.1Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 132
WebCast Link: https://usc.zoom.us/j/99201515535?pwd=JMsy7VGL8V3MlksSlLid9h4ttXJlXi.1
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Mayumi Thrasher
This event is open to all eligible individuals. USC Viterbi operates all of its activities consistent with the University's Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor. -
Viterbi - Resume & Cover Letter 1.0: What Recruiters Look For (VIRTUAL)
Tue, Mar 25, 2025 @ 12:00 PM - 01:00 PM
Viterbi School of Engineering Career Connections
Workshops & Infosessions
Please register through Handshake. This event is for Viterbi engineering majors only. Non-Viterbi students will not be admitted.
Wondering how to write a strong resume? Join Viterbi Career Connections for "Resume & Cover Letter 1.0: What Recruiters Look For," an introductory workshop designed to help you get started on crafting an effective resume and cover letter to ensure you stand out by reflecting on your greatest strengths, skills, and accomplishments. Find out what employers look for, review tips and samples, and explore different resume formats. Have your resume draft ready to take notes and make modifications in real-time!
In this informative session, you will:
Understand the fundamental components of a resume and cover letter, including formatting, structure, and content.
Identify key elements recruiters look for in resumes and cover letters.
Learn how to structure and write a cover letter that effectively introduces yourself and complements your resume.
Understand the best practices for formatting and structuring your documents to ensure they are Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) and AI-friendly.
Learn how AI comes into play and how to utilize it effectively.
Walk away with the next steps to make your resume application-ready.
Location: Ronald Tutor Hall of Engineering (RTH) - Virtual Event
Audiences: All Viterbi
Contact: RTH 218 Viterbi Career Connections
Event Link: https://usc.joinhandshake.com/
This event is open to all eligible individuals. USC Viterbi operates all of its activities consistent with the University's Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor. -
Viterbi - Resume 2.0: How to Turn Applications into Interviews (VIRTUAL)
Tue, Mar 25, 2025 @ 01:00 PM - 02:00 PM
Viterbi School of Engineering Career Connections
Workshops & Infosessions
Please register through Handshake. This event is for Viterbi engineering students only. Non-Viterbi students will not be admitted.
Wondering what resumes get picked for interviews? Join Viterbi Career Connections for "Resume 2.0: How to Turn Applications into Interviews," a workshop designed to provide you with strategies and techniques to make your resume stand out. By the end of the session, you should feel more confident in creating a resume that captures recruiters' attention and conveys your qualifications for the positions you are applying for.
In this informative and interactive session, you will:
Understand the importance of tailoring your resume and cover letter to specific job descriptions and how this directly impacts interview invitations.
Learn how to write a cover letter highlighting your suitability for the position.
Understand the importance of how to align your skills and experiences with the job description.
Learn how AI comes into play and how you can utilize it effectively.
Identify and incorporate industry-specific keywords that will help your resume get noticed.
Gain insights into what makes an application stand out versus what can detract from your candidacy.
Location: Virtual Event
Audiences: All Viterbi
Contact: RTH 218 Viterbi Career Connections
Event Link: https://usc.joinhandshake.com/
This event is open to all eligible individuals. USC Viterbi operates all of its activities consistent with the University's Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor. -
Epstein Institute, ISE 651 Seminar Class
Tue, Mar 25, 2025 @ 03:30 PM - 04:30 PM
Daniel J. Epstein Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: **CANCELLED**, **CANCELLED**
Abstract: CLASS IS CANCELLED TODAY 3.25.25
Biography: CLASS IS CANCELLED TODAY 3.25.25
Host: Dr. Qiang Huang
More Information: FLYER 651 Brandon Augustino 3.25.25.png
Location: Ethel Percy Andrus Gerontology Center (GER) - 206
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Casi Jones/ ISE
This event is open to all eligible individuals. USC Viterbi operates all of its activities consistent with the University's Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor. -
EiS Communications Hub - Tutoring for Engineering Ph.D. Students
Wed, Mar 26, 2025 @ 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Viterbi School of Engineering Student Affairs
Workshops & Infosessions
Viterbi Ph.D. students are invited to drop by the Hub for instruction on their writing and speaking tasks! All tutoring is one-on-one and conducted by Viterbi faculty.
Location: Ronald Tutor Hall of Engineering (RTH) - 222A
Audiences: Viterbi Ph.D. Students
Contact: Helen Choi
Event Link: https://sites.google.com/usc.edu/eishub/home
This event is open to all eligible individuals. USC Viterbi operates all of its activities consistent with the University's Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor. -
Computer Science General Faculty Meeting
Wed, Mar 26, 2025 @ 12:00 PM - 02:00 PM
Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science
Receptions & Special Events
Bi-Weekly regular faculty meeting for invited full-time Computer Science faculty and staff only. Event details emailed directly to attendees.
Location: Ginsburg Hall (GCS) - 107
Audiences: Invited Faculty Only
Contact: Julia Mittenberg-Beirao
This event is open to all eligible individuals. USC Viterbi operates all of its activities consistent with the University's Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor. -
AME Seminar
Wed, Mar 26, 2025 @ 03:30 PM - 04:30 PM
Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Manan Arya, Stanford University
Talk Title: Origami Wrapping Patterns: Out of the Plane and towards Spacecraft Applications
Abstract: Origami wrapping patterns take flat sheets of material and wrap them around a central hub. Structures based on such origami patterns have been advanced for deployable spacecraft elements, such as antennas and starshades. In this talk, we will explore two extensions of this idea to unfolded forms that are inherently non-planar: (1) corrugated polyhedral surfaces with non-zero angular defects at each vertex, and (2) smooth doubly-curved surfaces with curved creases. Structures based on these forms have applications as deployable spacecraft solar arrays and radio-frequency reflectors. We will discuss the design of algorithms to generate the forms and fold patterns, numerical models of structural performance, and physical realizations and testing. Finally, we will briefly assess their performance as spacecraft components.
Biography: Manan Arya is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Stanford University. There, he directs the Morphing Space Structures Lab, which develops and matures novel high-performance lightweight shape-changing spacecraft structures. Prior to joining Stanford, Manan was a Technologist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology. He received his PhD from the California Institute of Technology.
Host: AME Department
More Info: https://ame.usc.edu/seminars/
Location: James H. Zumberge Hall Of Science (ZHS) - 252
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Tessa Yao
Event Link: https://ame.usc.edu/seminars/
This event is open to all eligible individuals. USC Viterbi operates all of its activities consistent with the University's Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor. -
Alumni Career Panel & Mixer
Wed, Mar 26, 2025 @ 04:00 PM - 05:00 PM
Viterbi School of Engineering Career Connections
Workshops & Infosessions
Alumni Career Panel & Mixer connects students with Viterbi Alumni and industry professionals who will share their career journey & advice on how they landed their internships & full-time jobs.
Location: Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience (MCB) - 101
Audiences: All Viterbi
Contact: RTH 218 Viterbi Career Connections
Event Link: https://usc.joinhandshake.com/
This event is open to all eligible individuals. USC Viterbi operates all of its activities consistent with the University's Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor. -
USC CAIS Seminar
Wed, Mar 26, 2025 @ 04:00 PM - 05:00 PM
Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science, USC School of Advanced Computing
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Dr. Lily Xu, Oxford and Columbia University
Talk Title: Sequential planning with messy data: RL and restless bandits for planetary health
Abstract: Our planet faces growing crises including biodiversity loss, with animal population sizes declining by 70% since 1970, and maternal mortality, with 1 in 49 girls in low-income countries dying from complications in pregnancy or birth. Underlying these global challenges is the urgent need to effectively allocate scarce resources, often in dynamic environments with limited data. Many of these challenges can be modeled as restless bandits, which traditionally require a perfect model of the environment and relatively small problem sizes. We’ll explore how online learning, deep reinforcement learning, and mixed-integer programming can help overcome these challenges of missing data and complexity.
This lecture satisfies requirements for CSCI 591: Research Colloquium
Biography: Lily Xu develops methods across machine learning, optimization, and causal inference for planetary health challenges, with a focus on biodiversity conservation. She aims to enable practitioners to make effective decisions in the face of limited data, taking actions that are robust to uncertainty, effective at scale, and future-looking. In her work, Lily partners closely with NGOs to bridge research and practice, serving as AI Lead for the SMART Partnership. Since 2020, she has co-organized the EAAMO research initiative, committed to advancing Equity and Access in Algorithms, Mechanisms, and Optimization. Lily is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Oxford, with the Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery, and will join Columbia IEOR as an Assistant Professor in July 2025. Her research has been recognized with best paper runner-up at AAAI, the INFORMS Doing Good with Good OR award, a Google PhD Fellowship, a Siebel Scholarship, and AAMAS dissertation award runner-up.
Host: Bistra Dilkina
More Info: https://cais.usc.edu/events/sequential-planning-with-messy-data-rl-and-restless-bandits-for-planetary-health/
Location: Ginsburg Hall (GCS) - 107
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Hailey Nadel/USC CAIS
This event is open to all eligible individuals. USC Viterbi operates all of its activities consistent with the University's Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor. -
AME Special Seminar
Thu, Mar 27, 2025 @ 10:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Vickie Webster-Wood, Carnegie Mellon University
Talk Title: Biomimetic, Biohybrid, and Biodegradable: Robots for a sustainable future
Abstract: In the last century it was common to envision robots of the future as shining metal structures with rigid and halting motion. This imagery is in sharp contrast to the fluid and organic motion of living organisms that inhabit our natural world. As robotics has advanced, animals are often turned to for inspiration. However, the adaptability, complex control, and advanced learning capabilities observed in animals are not yet fully understood, and therefore have not been fully captured by current robotic systems. Furthermore, many of the mechanical properties and physical capabilities seen in animals have yet to be achieved in robotic platforms. In this talk, I will share efforts from my group in Biomimetic, Biohybrid, and Biodegradable robotics. By using neuromechanical models and bioinspired robots as tools for basic research we are developing new models of how animals achieve multifunctional, adaptable behaviors. Building on our understanding of animal systems and living tissues, our research in biohybrid robotics is enabling new approaches toward the creation of autonomous biodegradable living robots. Finally, by using farmable plant-based materials, we can now create robotic components that are fully degradable in natural environments. These robotic systems have future applications as sustainable platforms for medicine, search and rescue, and environmental monitoring of sensitive environments.
Biography: Vickie Webster-Wood is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University with courtesy appointments in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, the McGowan Institute of Regenerative Medicine, and the Robotics Institute. She is the director of the C.M.U. Biohybrid and Organic Robotics Group and has a long-term research goal to develop completely organic, biodegradable, autonomous robots. Research in the C.M.U. B.O.R.G. brings together bio-inspired robotics, tissue engineering, and computational neuroscience to study and model neuromuscular control and translate findings to the creation of renewable robotic devices. Dr. Webster-Wood completed her postdoc at Case Western Reserve University in the Tissue Fabrication and Mechanobiology Lab under the direction of Dr. Ozan Akkus. During her postdoc, Dr. Webster-Wood was supported by the T32 Training Grant in Musculoskeletal Research. She received her Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the same institution as an N.S.F. Graduate Research Fellow in the Biologically Inspired Robotics Lab, during which time she was co-advised by Drs. Roger Quinn, Ozan Akkus, and Hillel Chiel. She received the NSF CAREER Award in 2021 and leads the SSymBioTIC MURI on Integrated Biohybrid Actuators team. She is also a co-PI of the N.S.F. NeuroNex Network on Communication, Coordination, and Control in Neuromechanical Systems (C3NS), and has received additional funding from the NSF Foundational Research in Robotics Program, a PITA grant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Community and Economic Development, as well as funding from the PA Manufacturing Initiative, and the Manufacturing Futures Initiative.
Host: AME Department
More Info: https://ame.usc.edu/seminars/
Location: Olin Hall of Engineering (OHE) - 406
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Tessa Yao
Event Link: https://ame.usc.edu/seminars/
This event is open to all eligible individuals. USC Viterbi operates all of its activities consistent with the University's Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor. -
NL Seminar-MrT5: Dynamic Token Merging for Efficient Byte-level Language Models
Thu, Mar 27, 2025 @ 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Information Sciences Institute
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Julie Kallini, Stanford University
Talk Title: MrT5: Dynamic Token Merging for Efficient Byte-level Language Models
Abstract: Meeting hosts only admit on-line guests that they know to the Zoom meeting. Hence, you’re highly encouraged to use your USC account to sign into Zoom. If you’re an outside visitor, please inform us at (nlg-seminar-host(at)isi.edu) to make us aware of your attendance so we can admit you. Specify if you will attend remotely or in person at least one business day prior to the event. Provide your: full name, job title and professional affiliation and arrive at least 10 minutes before the seminar begins. If you do not have access to the 6th Floor for in-person attendance, please check in at the 10th floor main reception desk to register as a visitor and someone will escort you to the conference room location. Join via ZOOM: https://usc.zoom.us/j/92986255795?pwd=mbJqNRr6isZBQ9mn643fgalO5gksDs.1 Meeting ID: 929 8625 5795 Passcode: 804448. Models that rely on subword tokenization have significant drawbacks, such as sensitivity to character-level noise like spelling errors and inconsistent compression rates across different languages and scripts. While character- or byte-level models like ByT5 attempt to address these concerns, they have not gained widespread adoption—processing raw byte streams without tokenization results in significantly longer sequence lengths, making training and inference inefficient. This work introduces MrT5 (MergeT5), a more efficient variant of ByT5 that integrates a token deletion mechanism in its encoder to dynamically shorten the input sequence length. After processing through a fixed number of encoder layers, a learned delete gate determines which tokens are to be removed and which are to be retained for subsequent layers. MrT5 effectively "merges" critical information from deleted tokens into a more compact sequence, leveraging contextual information from the remaining tokens. In continued pre-training experiments, we find that MrT5 can achieve significant gains in inference runtime with minimal effect on performance, as measured by bits-per-byte. Additionally, with multilingual training, MrT5 adapts to the orthographic characteristics of each language, learning language-specific compression rates. Furthermore, MrT5 shows comparable accuracy to ByT5 on downstream evaluations such as XNLI, TyDi QA, and character-level tasks while reducing sequence lengths by up to 75%. Our approach presents a solution to the practical limitations of existing byte-level models.
Biography: Julie Kallini is a second-year Ph.D. student in Computer Science at Stanford University, advised by Christopher Potts and Dan Jurafsky. Her research focuses on natural language processing (NLP), with an emphasis on computational linguistics/cognitive science, tokenization, and model architecture. Her paper, "Mission: Impossible Language Models," won Best Paper Award at ACL 2024. Her work is supported by the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, the Stanford School of Engineering Graduate Fellowship, and the Stanford EDGE Fellowship.Before starting her Ph.D., Julie was a software engineer at Meta, where she worked on machine learning for advertisements. Julie graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University with a B.S.E. in Computer Science and a minor in Linguistics.
Host: Jonathan May and Katy Felkner
More Info: https://usc.zoom.us/j/92986255795?pwd=mbJqNRr6isZBQ9mn643fgalO5gksDs.1
Webcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWyi1_DXvqALocation: Information Science Institute (ISI) - Conf Rm#689
WebCast Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWyi1_DXvqA
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Pete Zamar
Event Link: https://usc.zoom.us/j/92986255795?pwd=mbJqNRr6isZBQ9mn643fgalO5gksDs.1
This event is open to all eligible individuals. USC Viterbi operates all of its activities consistent with the University's Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor. -
EiS Communications Hub - Tutoring for Engineering Ph.D. Students
Fri, Mar 28, 2025 @ 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Viterbi School of Engineering Student Affairs
Workshops & Infosessions
Viterbi Ph.D. students are invited to drop by the Hub for instruction on their writing and speaking tasks! All tutoring is one-on-one and conducted by Viterbi faculty.
Location: Ronald Tutor Hall of Engineering (RTH) - 222A
Audiences: Viterbi Ph.D. Students
Contact: Helen Choi
Event Link: https://sites.google.com/usc.edu/eishub/home
This event is open to all eligible individuals. USC Viterbi operates all of its activities consistent with the University's Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor. -
Alfred E.Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering - Seminar series
Fri, Mar 28, 2025 @ 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Ning Wang, Ph.D., Founding Director of Institute for Mechanobiology at Northeastern University, Professor of Bioengineering in Department of Bioengineering in the College of Engineering, affiliate professor at Bouve College of Health Sciences , Northeastern University,
Talk Title: Cytoskeletal Prestress Homeostasis Is A Biological Principle of Living Cells
Abstract: What are the biological principles of living cells is a fundamental question in biology and life sciences. A biological principle is a governing rule that guides structures, functions, and behaviors of living cells. Biological principles are built upon laws of physics and chemistry but go beyond these laws and are unique for living matter. Here we discuss what differentiates a biological principle from a physical principle and discuss candidates for biological principles. We propose the idea of limiting maximum strain on the cell by regulating cytoskeletal prestress (pre-existing tensile stress) and cell modulus (i.e., stiffness). We provide experimental evidence that cytoskeletal prestress homeostasis is a fundamental biological principle of bacteria, single-celled protists, plant cells, and animal cells. We provide strong experimental evidence that regulation of myosin II-mediated cytoskeletal prestress homeostasis is essential for biological structures, functions, and behaviors of animal cells. We reveal that mechanomemory (a biological response long after mechanical perturbations are released) in the cell nucleus is a key in chromatin-stretching dependent rapid gene upregulation. We show evidence that cell softness (the inverse of stiffness) plays a key role in malignant tumor-repopulating cell progression. Leveraging biological principles of the cells (the fire of life-metabolism and the force of life-cytoskeletal prestress homeostasis) may have far-reaching implications in understanding the essence of cell life and designing effective interventions for therapeutics to enhance human health and medicine.
Biography: Professor Ning Wang is the Founding Director of Institute for Mechanobiology at Northeastern University, Professor of Bioengineering in Department of Bioengineering in the College of Engineering, affiliate professor at Bouve College of Health Sciences, Northeastern University. Dr. Wang was the Leonard C and Mary Lou Hoeft Endowed Professor in Engineering from 2014 to 2023 and Professor of Mechanical Science and Engineering from 2006 to 2023 at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Prior to that, Dr. Wang was on the faculty at Harvard-Chan School of Public Health (HCSPH) from 1994 to 2006 and a research fellow and then a research associate at HCSPH and Harvard Medical School/Children’s Hospital from 1990 to 1994. Dr. Wang received American Physiological Society Scholander Award in 1991 for his contribution to comparative physiology. Wang received Doctor of Science degree in Physiology from Harvard University in 1990 and M.S. in biomedical engineering in 1984 and B.S. in biomechanics in 1982 from Huazhong University of Science and Technology in China.Wang and colleagues invented the Magnetic Twisting Cytometry (MTC) technology for probing a single cell’s mechanical properties and discovered in 1993 that the cell-matrix adhesion molecules-integrins are mechanosensors, spurring the emergence of cellular mechanobiology. Wang and colleagues revealed that E-selectins are mechanosensors in 1996 and E-cadherins are mechanosensors in 2010. Wang lab developed the 3D-MTC that applies mechanical stresses in any direction with varying frequencies in early 2000’s and perfected the technology for anisotropic mechanostimulation, quantification of rheological properties of the cells, and mechanotransduction. He provided first experimental evidence that endogenous cytoskeletal prestress regulates cell shear stiffness and controls gene expression in early 2000’s. Wang’s laboratory discovered stress focusing and the long-distance force propagation in live cells and demonstrated fundamental differences between mechanical force-based signaling and soluble growth factor-based signaling. Professor Wang discovered that an embryonic stem cell differentiates in response to applied forces of physiological magnitudes. Wang’s lab has developed a novel mechanical method that selects and isolates from the general population a small subpopulation of malignant tumor cells (called tumor-repopulating cells) that are highly efficient in metastasis. In recent years Wang’s lab discovered that gene expression can be directly upregulated by stretching the chromatin via applying forces to integrins in a living cell and revealed that the force-induced gene activation depends on histone modifications of the chromatin. Wang lab, working with collaborators, provided experimental evidence that malignant tumor cell softness is critical in cancer malignancy and dormancy. Wang and colleagues developed a rigidified small molecule of synthetic retinoid (a US patent was issued) that efficiently inhibits malignant tumor-repopulating cell metastasis to the lungs in mice models with little toxicity. Wang and colleagues developed a magnetic microrobot probe that can quantify 3D tractions and stiffness in the same location of an embryo or the tumor tissue. Most recently Wang lab revealed chromatin-stretching dependent nuclear basis of mechanomemory (long-term effects after force cessation) in the chromatin and in the nucleoplasm in living cells.
Host: Peter Wang
Location: Ronald Tutor Hall of Engineering (RTH) - 109
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Carla Stanard
This event is open to all eligible individuals. USC Viterbi operates all of its activities consistent with the University's Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor. -
AI Seminar- Designing Priors for Bayesian Neural Networks to Enhance Probabilistic Predictive Modeling in Engineering Applications
Fri, Mar 28, 2025 @ 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Information Sciences Institute
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Audrey Olivier, USC
Talk Title: Designing Priors for Bayesian Neural Networks to Enhance Probabilistic Predictive Modeling in Engineering Applications
Series: AI Seminar
Abstract: The conjuncton of data mining and physics-based modeling holds great potential to help design, monitor and optimize engineering systems. Efficient ML algorithms can uncover patterns from data to learn missing physics, detect abnormal behaviors and identify damaged systems, or serve as surrogates of complex mechanistic models, enabling real-time analysis or integration within optimization frameworks. However, the use of ML for engineering applications and high-consequence decision-making presents unique challenges. Engineering datasets are often noisy, sparse and imbalanced, due to the inherent randomness of the underlying physical processes and constraints on data collection. Whenever possible, ML predictors must assimilate physics-based knowledge and intuitions to improve accuracy and generalization away from training data. Most importantly, ML models must embed robust and reliable prediction of uncertainties to improve trustworthiness for high-consequence decision-making. Framing ML training within a Bayesian inference framework allows for a robust quantification of both aleatory and epistemic uncertainties that arise from data inadequacies, integration of physics intuitions through prior design, and assessment of the model’s confidence in its predictions. However, due to the high-dimensionality and non-physicality of parameters that characterize typical ML models such as neural networks, application of Bayesian methods in this context raises several technical challenges, from prior and likelihood design to posterior inference. This talk will introduce enhanced algorithms based on ensembling with anchoring for approximate Bayesian learning of neural networks. We will demonstrate the importance of carefully designing the prior, integrating knowledge from low-fidelity models via ensemble pre-training and designing parameter-space prior densities that account for low-rank correlations between neural network weights. The talk will illustrate the benefits of these methods through a variety of example applications in civil engineering, from surrogate training to accelerate materials and structural modeling, contingency analysis in power grid systems, or ambulance travel time prediction in a dense urban network to help optimize emergency medical services.
Biography: Dr. Olivier holds a Diplôme d’Ingénieur from École Centrale de Nantes, France, and a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics from Columbia University, USA. She held a postdoctoral appointment at Johns Hopkins University before joining the Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Southern California as an Assistant Professor in Fall 2021. Dr. Olivier’s research aims to predict and monitor civil infrastructure systems behavior under uncertainty, by combining innovations in probabilistic data analytics and mechanistic modeling. Applications span various scales, from systems to structures to materials, and include development of adaptive Bayesian filters for identification of dynamical structural systems, probabilistic surrogate models to accelerate multi-scale materials simulations or Bayesian graph neural networks for contingency analysis of power grids.
Host: Eric Boxer and Justina Gilleland
More Info: https://www.isi.edu/events/5453/designing-priors-for-bayesian-neural-networks-to-enhance-probabilistic-predictive-modeling-in-engineering-applications/
Webcast: https://usc.zoom.us/j/94409584905?pwd=Sm5LVkd0bndUdEluM3piK0NWTUQrUT09Location: Information Science Institute (ISI) - Conf Rm#1135 and Virtual
WebCast Link: https://usc.zoom.us/j/94409584905?pwd=Sm5LVkd0bndUdEluM3piK0NWTUQrUT09
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Pete Zamar
This event is open to all eligible individuals. USC Viterbi operates all of its activities consistent with the University's Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor. -
CA DREAMS - Technical Seminar Series
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Fri, Mar 28, 2025 @ 12:00 PM - 01:00 PM
Information Sciences Institute
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Mark Rodwell, Professor, University of California at Santa Barbara
Talk Title: The Role of InP Technologies in Next-Generation 50-300 GHz Systems
Abstract: Present InP bipolar transistors attain 1.1 THz fmax; InP field-effect transistors attain 1.5 THz. These can support emerging applications in 100-300 GHz wireless communications and imaging radar, 400-1000 Gb/s wireline and optical communications, and high-frequency instruments. After summarizing the applications and the required circuit and transistor performance, I will review transistor design, present transistor performance, and the design of next-generation THz bipolar and field-effect transistors.
Biography: Mark J. W. Rodwell (Fellow, IEEE) received the Ph.D. degree from Stanford University 1988. He holds the Doluca Family Endowed Chair in Electrical and Computer Engineering with the University of California at Santa Barbara. During 2017-2023, he directed the SRC/DARPA ComSenTer Wireless Research Center. His research group develops high-frequency transistors, ICs, and communication systems. Dr. Rodwell was a recipient of the 1997 IEEE Microwave Prize, the 1998 European Microwave Conference Microwave Prize, the 2009 IEEE IPRM Conference Award, the 2010 IEEE Sarnoff Award, the 2012 Marconi Prize Paper Award, and the 2022 SIA/SRC University Research Award. For 2024-2025, he is serving as an IEEE-MTT-S Distinguished Microwave Lecturer.
Host: Dr. Steve Crago
More Info: https://www.isi.edu/events/5442/the-role-of-inp-technologies-in-next-generation-50-300-ghz-systems/
Webcast: https://usc.zoom.us/j/97017422125?pwd=Dbrt8MNMrmBV3xalKQJcAiNsggFJjJ.1&from=addonWebCast Link: https://usc.zoom.us/j/97017422125?pwd=Dbrt8MNMrmBV3xalKQJcAiNsggFJjJ.1&from=addon
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Amy Kasmir
Event Link: https://www.isi.edu/events/5442/the-role-of-inp-technologies-in-next-generation-50-300-ghz-systems/
This event is open to all eligible individuals. USC Viterbi operates all of its activities consistent with the University's Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor. -
ECE Seminar - Tingyi Gu, Friday, March 28th at 2pm in EEB 132 and Zoom
Fri, Mar 28, 2025 @ 02:00 PM - 03:30 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Tingyi Gu, Associate Professor, Electrical Engineering University of Delaware
Talk Title: Active meta-components for future dense integration of photonic ICs
Series: ECE Seminar
Abstract: Photonic integrated circuits have found applications across disciplines of quantum computing, point-of-care diagnosis and optical interconnects. However, the efficacy of integrated photonics' system-level functionalities, such as optical interconnect I/O density and energy consumption, hinges on individual components' photon efficiency, performance, and scalability. On the foundry-compatible platform, we re-invent the photonic integrated circuits with sub-wavelength topology tailoring, new material integration and system-specific component designs. These advancements have facilitated control over multi-mode conversion, non-Hermicity, nonreciprocity, mathematical convolution, and hyperspectral image classification. Furthermore, I aim to broaden the horizons of 'heterogeneous integration' by exploring the utilization of layered/2D materials for interfacing with silicon photonics. The combination of versatile semiconductor materials and advanced electromagnetic engineering promises to fundamentally reshape the design concepts of system-on-chip/system-on-panel technology, especially high throughput space communication and active imaging.
Biography: Tingyi Gu is an associate professor in electrical engineering at the University of Delaware. She received Ph.D. degree from Columbia University in EE. She was a PRISM postdoc fellow at Princeton Material Institute. She held positions at Bell Labs and Hewlett Packard Labs. Her group works on foundry-compatible silicon photonic components for optical communication and sensing, with a focus on optoelectronic reconfigurability and high-speed operation. She had served on committees for CLEO, FiO, OFC and IPC. Gu published over 50 peer-reviewed journal articles, leading efforts published on Light: Science & Applications, eLight, Science Advances, Nature Comm., Advanced Materials, Nature Photon., etc. She has received Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the National Science Foundation's Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER), the Air Force Office of Scientific Research Young Investigator Program (AFOSR YIP), the Army Research Office Young Investigator Program (ARO YIP), the Young Faculty Award from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA YFA) and an Early Career Faculty Award from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ECF).
Host: Wei Wu
More Info: Meeting ID: 984 1254 0017 Passcode: 239623
More Information: Tingyi Gu Flyer.pdf
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 132
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Marilyn Poplawski
Event Link: Meeting ID: 984 1254 0017 Passcode: 239623
This event is open to all eligible individuals. USC Viterbi operates all of its activities consistent with the University's Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor.
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