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Events for April 04, 2024
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CS Colloquium: Jason Wu - Computational Understanding of User Interfaces
Thu, Apr 04, 2024 @ 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Jason Wu, CMU
Talk Title: Computational Understanding of User Interfaces
Series: Computer Science Colloquium
Abstract: A grand challenge in human-computer interaction (HCI) is constructing user interfaces (UIs) that make computers useful for all users across all contexts. Today, most UIs are manually designed for a rigid set of assumptions and are unable to dynamically accommodate the diversity of user abilities, usage contexts, or computing technologies. The goal of my research is to build a machine that can understand and operate any UI then dynamically convert it into a new personalized, context-dependent representation. In this talk, I focus on three areas that define this approach for enhancing human-computer interaction. First, I describe approaches for understanding user ability and context embodied by a recommendation system that recommends device settings (e.g., accessibility features) based on sensed usage behaviors and user interaction logs. Next, I introduce several machine learning models that reliably understand the semantics (content and functionality) of any graphical UI from its visual appearance, unlocking new possibilities for many existing systems such as assistive technology, software testing, and UI automation. Finally, I present systems that incorporate both user and UI understanding to synthesize improved interfaces using a novel fine-tuned large language model (LLM) for UI generation. Improved machine understanding of UIs has the potential to redefine how we use computers in the future and drive advances in many fields such as HCI, machine learning and software engineering.
This lecture satisfies requirements for CSCI 591: Research Colloquium
Biography: Jason Wu is a PhD candidate in the HCI Institute at Carnegie Mellon University advised by Jeffrey Bigham. In his research, Jason builds data-driven and computational systems that understand, manipulate, and synthesize user interfaces to maximize the usability and accessibility of computers . His research has been published in top venues for human-computer interaction, user interface technology, accessibility, and machine learning, where he has received several best paper awards (CHI 2021, W4A 2021) and honorable mention awards (CHI 2020, CHI 2023). His work has also been recognized outside of academic conferences by a Fast Company Innovation by Design Student Finalist Award, press coverage in major outlets such as TechCrunch and AppleInsider, and by the FCC Chair Awards for Advancements in Accessibility. Jason is a recipient of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship and selected as a Heidelberg Laureate Forum Young Researcher.
Host: Souti Chattopadhyay
Location: Olin Hall of Engineering (OHE) - 136
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: CS Faculty Affairs
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PhD Defense - Jared Coleman
Thu, Apr 04, 2024 @ 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science
University Calendar
PhD Defense: Jared Coleman
Title: Dispersed Computing for Dynamic Environments Committee: Bhaskar Krishnamachari (Chair), Konstantinos Psounis, Jyotirmoy Deshmukh
Abstract: Scheduling a distributed application modeled as a directed acyclic task graph over a set of networked compute nodes is a fundamental problem in distributed computing and thus has received substantial scholarly attention. Most existing solutions, however, fall short of accommodating the dynamic and stochastic nature of modern dispersed computing systems (e.g., IoT, edge, and robotic systems) where applications and compute networks have stricter and less stable resource constraints. In this dissertation, we identify problems and propose solutions that address this gap and advance the current state-of-the-art in task scheduling.Location: Ronald Tutor Hall of Engineering (RTH) - 211
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Asiroh Cham
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NL Seminar - 30 Years of Perplexity
Thu, Apr 04, 2024 @ 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Information Sciences Institute
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Kevin Knight, Threeven Labs
Talk Title: 30 Years of Perplexity
Abstract: REMINDER: If you’re an outside visitor who wishes to attend in person, kindly send a message to nlg DASH seminar DASH host AT isi.edu at least 1 business day prior with your full name, job title and professional affiliation. Please arrive to ISI at least 15 minutes prior to the start of the seminar. If you do not have access to the 11th Floor, 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. For more information on the NL Seminar series and upcoming talks, please visit: https://nlg.isi.edu/nl-seminar/ NLP scientists have been trying for decades to accurately predict the next word in running text. Why were we so determined to succeed at this strange task? How did we track our successes (and failures)? Why was word prediction at the center of early statistical work in text compression, machine translation, and speech recognition? Will it lead to artificial general intelligence (AGI) in the 2020s? I’ll attempt to answer these questions with anecdotes drawn from three decades of research in NLP, text compression, and code-breaking.
Biography: Dr. Kevin Knight served on the faculty of the University of Southern California (26 years), as Chief Scientist at Language Weaver, Inc. (9 years), and as Chief Scientist for Natural Language Processing at Didi Global (4 years). He received a PhD in computer science from Carnegie Mellon University and a bachelor's degree from Harvard University. Dr. Knight's research interests include machine translation, natural language generation, automata theory, decipherment of historical documents, and number theory. He has co-authored over 150 research papers on natural language processing, as well as the widely adopted textbook "Artificial Intelligence" (McGraw-Hill). Dr. Knight served as President of the Association for Computational Linguistics (ACL) in 2011, as General Chair for ACL in 2005, as General Chair for the North American ACL (NAACL) in 2016, and as co-program chair for the inaugural Asia-Pacific ACL (2020). He received an Outstanding Paper Award at NAACL 2018, and Test-of-Time awards at ACL 2022 and ACL 2023. He is a Fellow of the ACL, the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI), and the USC Information Sciences Institute (ISI). Subscribe here to learn more about upcoming seminars: https://www.isi.edu/events/
Host: Jonathan May and Justin Cho
More Info: https://nlg.isi.edu/nl-seminar/
Location: Information Science Institute (ISI) - Live Only at ISI-Conf Rms #1135-37
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Pete Zamar
Event Link: https://nlg.isi.edu/nl-seminar/
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DEN@Viterbi - Online Graduate Engineering Virtual Information Session
Thu, Apr 04, 2024 @ 12:00 PM - 01:00 PM
DEN@Viterbi, Viterbi School of Engineering Graduate Admission
Workshops & Infosessions
Join USC Viterbi School of Engineering for a virtual information session via WebEx, providing an introduction to DEN@Viterbi, our top-ranked online delivery system. Discover the 40+ graduate engineering and computer science programs available entirely online. Attendees will have the opportunity to connect directly with USC Viterbi representatives during the session to discuss the admission process, program details, and the benefits of online delivery.
WebCast Link: https://uscviterbi.webex.com/weblink/register/r481684fe5df8fc8033cfaf3f6d498dd0
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Corporate & Professional Programs
Event Link: https://uscviterbi.webex.com/weblink/register/r481684fe5df8fc8033cfaf3f6d498dd0
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ECE-EP Faculty Candidate - Liran Zheng, Thursday, April 4th at 3pm in EEB 248
Thu, Apr 04, 2024 @ 03:00 PM - 04:30 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Liran Zheng, Tesla
Talk Title: Power Electronics for a Net-Zero Energy Future
Series: ECE-EP Seminar
Abstract: One of the most significant challenges that human society faces is producing and distributing clean and affordable energy. Electricity and transportation sectors are dominant sectors for US greenhouse gas emissions and account for 25% and 28% of total emissions in 2021, respectively. To enable a net-zero energy future, renewable energy and energy storage need to be integrated into smart power grids. A paradigm shift from fossil fuel to clean electricity as the energy source of land, sea, and air transportation is also necessary. Power electronics serve as the electronic interfaces between the smart power grids and resources including but not limited to renewable energy, energy storage, and electrified transportation. Recently, the advancement in wide-bandgap semiconductors ignited significant interests in emerging medium-voltage (MV) power electronics, especially solid-state transformers (SSTs). I will discuss my Ph.D. work on new current-source single-stage SST circuits and model-predictive priority-shifting control methods for new stacked low-inertia SSTs. The advantages include significantly reduced size, improved efficiency and reliability, and universality for different net-zero applications. Based on the proposed concepts and customized 3.3 kV silicon carbide reverse-blocking MOSFET modules, a 5 kV DC SST and a 7.2 kV AC SST have been built and tested for MV DC renewable-energy collector and MV AC electric vehicle fast-charging applications, respectively. It is the first time that current-source MV SSTs have been demonstrated and reported, which led to an IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics First Prize Paper Award. My patents from this work have been licensed under the GridBlock startup company for grid-connected transportation electrification and renewable energy products. Finally, I will discuss future research directions for a net-zero energy future.
Biography: Liran Zheng received the B.S. degree in control engineering from Tsinghua University in 2016, and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees with the Center for Distributed Energy in electrical and computer engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology in 2018 and 2022, respectively.Liran is currently a Senior Engineer with Tesla. He previously held visiting positions with The University of Texas at Austin, the NSF ERC Center for Power Electronics Systems at Virginia Tech, the General Electric Global Research Center, and the Electric Power Research Institute. His research interests include power electronics and energy systems. Liran is the recipient of 4 IEEE Prize Paper Awards including an IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics First Prize Paper Award and Georgia Tech Best Ph.D. Thesis Award. He holds patents commercialized by GridBlock, a startup company out of Georgia Tech, for grid-connected transportation electrification and renewable energy products. He serves as an Associate Editor for the IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications.
Host: ECE-EP
More Information: Liran Zheng Flyer.pdf
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 248
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Marilyn Poplawski
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Lockheed Martin Trojan Talk
Thu, Apr 04, 2024 @ 05:00 PM - 06:30 PM
Viterbi School of Engineering Career Connections
Workshops & Infosessions
Connect with Lockheed Martin: Engineer Panel
Thursday, April 4th
RTH 211
5-6:30 pm
Go to Viterbi Career Gateway > Events for event details and to signup
Meet LM Engineers! Two early career engineers will talk about their career path, how to connect with employers, and answer your questions.
Food and drinks will be served!
This event is for 1st and 2nd year Viterbi students to better acquaint you with Lockheed Martin and prepare you for fall recruitment.
Target Audience: 1st and 2nd-year students, all engineering majors
Location: Ronald Tutor Hall of Engineering (RTH) - 211
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: RTH 218 Viterbi Career Connections
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WIE Diamond Social
Thu, Apr 04, 2024 @ 06:00 PM - 07:00 PM
USC Viterbi School of Engineering
Student Activity
Join WIE for a fun social evening. We will be be having some social games and conversations! We will also be providing some diamond painting supplies! Boba will be provided! All student are all welcome!
Location: Sign into EngageSC to View Location
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Thelma Federico Zaragoza
Event Link: https://engage.usc.edu/WIE/rsvp?id=396434
