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SUNMONTUEWEDTHUFRISAT
Events for October 02, 2008
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Visions & Voices
Thu, Oct 02, 2008
Viterbi School of Engineering Student Affairs
University Calendar
Eye for Eye: A Dramatic Investigation of Incarceration and Justice in American SocietyThe Cornerstone Theater Company, a collaborative and community-based ensemble, will present an open rehearsal and performance of For All Time, a work in progress and the newest play in their five-part Justice Cycle, which explores incarceration and justice in the United States.
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Viterbi Admission & Student Affairs
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Orange Coast CollegeTransfer Fair
Thu, Oct 02, 2008 @ 10:00 AM - 01:00 PM
Viterbi School of Engineering Undergraduate Admission
Receptions & Special Events
Students interested in transferring to USC's Viterbi School of Engineering can explore Viterbi's programs and majors, learn about the application process, and speak directly with a Viterbi transfer advisor.
Location: Orange Coast College
Audiences: Prospective Transfer Students
Contact: Viterbi Admission & Student Affairs Division
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Simulation-based Algorithms for Multi-stage Decision Systems: An Empirical Process Theory Approach
Thu, Oct 02, 2008 @ 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Daniel J. Epstein Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
University Calendar
DANIEL J. EPSTEIN DEPARTMENT OF INDUSTRIAL AND SYSTEMS ENGINEERING SEMINAR"Simulation-based Algorithms for Multi-stage Decision Systems: An Empirical Process Theory Approach"Dr. Rahul JainAssistant Professor, USC Electrical Engineering-SystemsABSTRACT: I will start by discussing the state of art in Statistical Learning. We will then focus on a particular area called reinforcement learning. Reinforcement learning models are relevant for many multi-stage decision systems and multi-agent systems including autonomous robotic systems, communication networks, medical decision support systems, distributed databases and information retrieval systems, etc. Such systems are typically modeled as a Markov decision process (MDP).We will first look at some classical results related to MDPs. We will then see the computational challenges in such methods. I will then introduce a simulation-based framework for their design and analysis that yields computationally tractable algorithms. The framework depends on new extensions to the empirical process theory to MDPs that I developed. The theory depends on ideas introduced by Kolmogorov and Tihomirov.THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2008, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM, ANDRUS GERONTOLOGY BLDG ROOM 309
Location: Ethel Percy Andrus Gerontology Center (GER) - 309
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Georgia Lum
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The Upcoming Revolution in Construction
Thu, Oct 02, 2008 @ 12:00 PM - 01:20 PM
Daniel J. Epstein Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
University Calendar
ISE 650 SEMINAR IN INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING: "The Upcoming Revolution in Construction" Guest Speaker: Dr. Behrokh KhoshnevisProfessor, USC Daniel J. Epstein Department of Industrial and Systems EngineeringABSTRACT: The nature of construction has remained intensely manual throughout recorded history. Unlike in manufacturing, the growth of automation in construction has been slow. A promising new automation approach is Contour Crafting (CC). Invented by Behrokh Khoshnevis, Contour Crafting is a mega-scale fabrication process aiming at automated construction of whole structures as well as subcomponents. The potential of CC became evident from investigations and experiments with materials and geometries. Using this process, a single house or a colony of houses may be constructed automatically in a single run with all plumbing and electrical utilities imbedded in each house; yet each could be a different design. The implication is especially profound for emergency shelter construction and low income housing. NASA is exploring possible application of CC in building on other planets. This new mode of construction will be one of the very few feasible approaches for building on planets such as Moon and Mars, which are being targeted for human colonization before the end of the century. CC has received international attention and could soon revolutionize the construction industry. For more information please visit www.ContourCrafting.orgTHURSDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2008, 12:00-1:00 PM, GER 309 BIO: Behrokh Khoshnevis is a professor of Industrial & Systems Engineering and is the Director of the Center for Rapid Automated Fabrication Technologies (CRAFT) and the Director of Manufacturing Engineering Program. He is active in CAD/CAM, robotics, and mechatronics related research and development projects that include the development of three novel Solid Free Form (Rapid Prototyping) processes called Contour Crafting, SIS and MPM, a technology for automated construction of housing structures, development of mechatronics systems for biomedical applications (e.g., restorative dentistry, rehabilitation engineering, and tactile sensing devices), autonomous mobile and modular robots for fabrication and assembly applications on earth and in space, and automated equipment for oil (petroleum) and gas industries. He has several major inventions which have been either commercialized or are in the commercialization process. He has also been closely involved in several product development processes. His educational activities at USC include the teaching of a graduate course on Invention and Technology Development. He routinely conducts lectures and seminars on the subject of invention. He is a Fellow member of the Society for Computer Simulation, a Fellow member of the Institute of Industrial Engineers and and a senior member of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers. Dr. Khoshnevis' inventions have received extensive worldwide publicity in acclaimed media such as New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Business Week, Der Spiegel, New Scientist, and national and international television and radio networks such as ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, Discovery channels of US, Canada, Germany and BBC World News. Contour Crafting was recently selected as one of top 25 out of more than 4000 candidate inventions by the History Channel Modern Marvels program and the National Inventor's Hall of Fame.
Location: Ethel Percy Andrus Gerontology Center (GER) - 309
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Georgia Lum
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FYE: Minors Workshop - Cinema, Fine Arts, Music and Theater
Thu, Oct 02, 2008 @ 12:00 PM - 01:00 PM
Viterbi School of Engineering Student Affairs
Workshops & Infosessions
Thinking about adding a minor in the Arts? Join representatives from these areas as they discuss admission and program requirements. Programs are geared specifically for Viterbi first year students, new transfers and sophomores.Lunch will be served. Please RSVP to viterbi.studentservices@usc.edu
Location: Ronald Tutor Hall of Engineering (RTH) - 211
Audiences: Undergrad
Contact: Viterbi Admission & Student Affairs
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Walking Your Dog in the Woods in Polynomial Time
Thu, Oct 02, 2008 @ 04:00 PM
Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Shripad Thite, CalTech
Host: Prof. David KempeAbstract:
The Frechet distance between two curves in the plane is the minimum length of a leash that allows a dog and its owner to walk along their respective curves, from one end to the other, without backtracking. We propose a natural extension of Frechet distance to more general metric spaces, which requires the leash itself to move continuously over time. For example, for curves in the punctured plane, the leash cannot pass through or jump over obstacles (``trees''). Thus, we introduce the homotopic Frechet distance between two curves embedded in a general metric space. We describe a polynomial-time algorithm to compute the homotopic Frechet distance between two given polygonal curves in the plane minus a given set of polygonal obstacles. Our algorithm produces a walk that minimizes the maximum leash length.This is joint work with Erin Wolf Chambers, Eric Colin de Verdiere, Jeff Erickson, Sylvain Lazard, and Francis Lazarus, which appeared at SoCG'08 in June and was invited to a CGTA special issue.Biography:
Shripad is a postdoctoral fellow in the Center for the Mathematics of Information (CMI) at Caltech. His research is in algorithms, specifically in computational geometry and topology. He designs algorithms for fundamental problems in computational geometry as well as algorithms for geometric problems in applied areas, including scientific computing, graphics and visualization, wireless networking, robotics, and even computational economics. Shripad earned his Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with Jeff Erickson, and then spent two years at the Technische Universiteit Eindhoven in the Netherlands working with Mark de Berg, before joining Caltech last year.Location: Seaver Science Library (SSL) - 150
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: CS Colloquia
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Precision Castparts Corp. (PCC)
Thu, Oct 02, 2008 @ 05:00 PM - 07:30 PM
Viterbi School of Engineering Career Connections
Workshops & Infosessions
Join representatives of this company as they share general company information and available opportunities.
Location: Grace Ford Salvatori (GFS) 106
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: RTH 218 Viterbi Career Services
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Visions & Voices
Thu, Oct 02, 2008 @ 06:00 PM
Viterbi School of Engineering Student Affairs
University Calendar
Vote Film 2008: Recount + the VP DebateVote Film 2008 will kick off with a screening of the Emmy Award-winning film Recount and a live viewing of the Vice Presidential Debate. Recount is an illuminating and entertaining film exploring the controversial Florida recount and one of the most controversial presidential elections in U.S. history.
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Viterbi Admission & Student Affairs
