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Aircraft Accident Investigation AAI 24-3
Fri, Mar 01, 2024 @ 08:00 AM - 04:00 PM
Aviation Safety and Security Program
University Calendar
The course is designed for individuals who have limited investigation experience. All aspects of the investigation process are addressed, starting with preparation for the investigation through writing the final report. It covers National Transportation Safety Board and International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) procedures. Investigative techniques are examined with an emphasis on fixed-wing investigation. Data collection, wreckage reconstruction, and cause analysis are discussed in the classroom and applied in the lab. The USC Aircraft Accident Investigation lab serves as the location for practical exercises. Thirteen aircraft wreckages form the basis of these investigative exercises. The crash laboratory gives the student an opportunity to learn the observation and documentation skills required of accident investigators. The wreckage is examined and reviewed with investigators who have extensive actual real-world investigation experience. Examination techniques and methods are demonstrated along with participative group discussions of actual wreckage examination, reviews of witness interview information, and investigation group personal dynamics discussions.
Location: WESTMINSTER AVENUE BUILDING (WAB) - Unit E
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Daniel Scalese
Event Link: https://avsafe.usc.edu/wconnect/CourseStatus.awp?&course=24AAAI3
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EiS Communications Hub Drop-In Hours
Fri, Mar 01, 2024 @ 10:00 AM - 01:00 PM
Viterbi School of Engineering Student Affairs
Workshops & Infosessions
Viterbi Ph.D. students are invited to stop by the EiS Communications Hub for one-on-one instruction for their academic and professional communications tasks. All instruction is provided by Viterbi faculty at the Engineering in Society Program.
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?authuser=0
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EiS Communications Hub Drop-In Hours
Fri, Mar 01, 2024 @ 10:00 AM - 01:00 PM
Engineering in Society Program
Student Activity
Drop-in hours for writing and speaking support for Viterbi Ph.D. students
Location: Ronald Tutor Hall of Engineering (RTH) - 222
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Helen Choi
Event Link: https://sites.google.com/usc.edu/eishub/home
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Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering
Fri, Mar 01, 2024 @ 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Michelle Khine- Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education, Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education UC Irvine
Talk Title: Soft Electronics for Ubiquitous Physiological Monitoring
Abstract: While great advances in medicine has been made in the past century, the overall infrastructure of the healthcare system has not progressed. Patients are still expected to travel to a centralized location for discrete, reactionary based care where the healthcare provider only has a brief window to assess the patient’s health. Unless the symptoms are overt at the time of examination, the subjective evaluation relies heavily on the self-reporting of symptoms from the patient. This often results in delayed or improper diagnoses. In contrast, we know that physiological signals precede clinical deterioration. We have developed a suite of soft, low-cost, unobtrusive, Band-Aid © like physiological sensors to continuously monitor patients cardiovascular and pulmonary functions. We seek to continuously quantify subtle physiological changes to predict – and eventually prevent -- the onset of acute clinical events.
Biography: Michelle Khine, Ph.D. is a Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education at UC Irvine. She was the founding Director of Faculty Innovation at the Samueli School of Engineering and founding Director of BioENGINE (BioEngineering Innovation and Entrepreneurship) at UC Irvine. Prior to joining UC Irvine, she was an Assistant & Founding Professor at UC Merced. Michelle received her BS and MS from UC Berkeley in Mechanical Engineering and her PhD in Bioengineering from UC Berkeley and UCSF. She is the Scientific Founder of 6 start-up companies. Michelle was the recipient of the TR35 Award and named one of Forbes 10 Revolutionaries’ and by Fast Company Magazine as one of the 100 Most Creative People in Business. She was awarded the NIH New Innovator s Award and was named by Marie Claire magazine as Women on Top: Top Scientist. Michelle is a Fellow of AIMBE (American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering) and a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors.
Host: Maral Mousavi
Location: Olin Hall of Engineering (OHE) - 100 B
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Carla Stanard
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Semiconductors & Microelectronics Seminar - Yiyang Li, Friday, March 1st at 2pm in EEB 248
Fri, Mar 01, 2024 @ 02:00 PM - 03:30 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Yiyang Li, University of Michigan
Talk Title: How to Store Information Indefinitely using Ions
Series: Semiconductors & Microelectronics Technology
Abstract: Ion-based memory devices including resistive memory and electrochemical memory present promising opportunities for embedded nonvolatile memory, in-memory computing, and neuromorphic computing. Such devices switch resistance states through the electrochemical migration of oxygen vacancies in transition metal oxides. In this talk, we present our recent research on the materials thermodynamics principles that govern ion motion in oxygen-based resistive memory. Using a combination of device measurements, materials characterization, and multiscale physical modeling, we find that oxygen vacancies do not obey Fick's First Law of diffusion as conventionally believed, but instead undergo composition phase separation, which enables diffusion against the concentration gradient. This phase separation is critical to the ability of resistive memory to retain information for long, and potentially indefinite, periods of time. Finally, we utilize this understanding of phase separation in transition metal oxides to engineer exceptionally long retention times in three-terminal electrochemical memory.
Biography: Yiyang Li is an Assistant Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Michigan, where he conducts research on ionic memory and energy storage. Trained as an electrochemist, he received his PhD at Stanford University in 2016, and was appointed a Harry Truman Fellow at Sandia National Labs. Yiyang received the Intel Rising Star Faculty Award in 2022.
Host: J Yang, H Wang, C Zhou, S Cronin, W Wu
More Information: Yiyang Li_2024-03-01.pdf
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 248
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Marilyn Poplawski
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Aircraft Accident Investigation AAI 24-3
Mon, Mar 04, 2024 @ 08:00 AM - 04:00 PM
Aviation Safety and Security Program
University Calendar
The course is designed for individuals who have limited investigation experience. All aspects of the investigation process are addressed, starting with preparation for the investigation through writing the final report. It covers National Transportation Safety Board and International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) procedures. Investigative techniques are examined with an emphasis on fixed-wing investigation. Data collection, wreckage reconstruction, and cause analysis are discussed in the classroom and applied in the lab. The USC Aircraft Accident Investigation lab serves as the location for practical exercises. Thirteen aircraft wreckages form the basis of these investigative exercises. The crash laboratory gives the student an opportunity to learn the observation and documentation skills required of accident investigators. The wreckage is examined and reviewed with investigators who have extensive actual real-world investigation experience. Examination techniques and methods are demonstrated along with participative group discussions of actual wreckage examination, reviews of witness interview information, and investigation group personal dynamics discussions.
Location: WESTMINSTER AVENUE BUILDING (WAB) - Unit E
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Daniel Scalese
Event Link: https://avsafe.usc.edu/wconnect/CourseStatus.awp?&course=24AAAI3
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EiS Communications Hub Drop-In Hours
Mon, Mar 04, 2024 @ 10:00 AM - 01:00 PM
Viterbi School of Engineering Student Affairs
Workshops & Infosessions
Viterbi Ph.D. students are invited to stop by the EiS Communications Hub for one-on-one instruction for their academic and professional communications tasks. All instruction is provided by Viterbi faculty at the Engineering in Society Program.
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?authuser=0
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EiS Communications Hub Drop-In Hours
Mon, Mar 04, 2024 @ 10:00 AM - 01:00 PM
Engineering in Society Program
Student Activity
Drop-in hours for writing and speaking support for Viterbi Ph.D. students
Location: Ronald Tutor Hall of Engineering (RTH) - 222
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Helen Choi
Event Link: https://sites.google.com/usc.edu/eishub/home
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CS Colloquium: Emily Tseng (Cornell University) - Digital Safety and Security for Survivors of Technology-Mediated Harms
Mon, Mar 04, 2024 @ 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Emily Tseng, Cornell University
Talk Title: Digital Safety and Security for Survivors of Technology-Mediated Harms
Series: Computer Science Colloquium
Abstract: Platforms, devices, and algorithms are increasingly weaponized to control and harass the most vulnerable among us. Some of these harms occur at the individual and interpersonal level: for example, abusers in intimate partner violence (IPV) use smartphones and social media to surveil and stalk their victims. Others are more subtle, at the level of social structure: for example, in organizations, workplace technologies can inadvertently scaffold exploitative labor practices. This talk will discuss my research (1) investigating these harms via online measurement studies, (2) building interventions to directly assist survivors with their security and privacy; and (3) instrumenting these interventions as observatories, to enable scientific research into new types of harms as attackers and technologies evolve. I will close by sharing my vision for centering inclusion and equity in digital safety, security and privacy, towards brighter technological futures for us all.
This lecture satisfies requirements for CSCI 591: Research Colloquium
Biography: Emily Tseng is a PhD candidate in Information Science at Cornell University. Her research develops the systems, interventions, and design principles we need to make digital technology safe and affirming for everyone. Emily’s work has been published at top-tier venues in human-computer interaction (ACM CHI, CSCW) and computer security and privacy (USENIX Security, IEEE Oakland). For 5 years, she has worked as a researcher-practitioner with the Clinic to End Tech Abuse, where her work has enabled specialized security services for over 500 survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV). Emily is the recipient of a Microsoft Research PhD Fellowship, Rising Stars in EECS, Best Paper Awards at CHI, CSCW, and USENIX Security, and third place in the Internet Defense Prize. She has interned at Google and with the Social Media Collective at Microsoft Research. She holds a B.A. from Princeton University.
Host: Jesse Thomason
Location: Olin Hall of Engineering (OHE) - 132
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: CS Faculty Affairs
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VLP Spring Study Sesh
Mon, Mar 04, 2024 @ 10:00 AM - 05:00 PM
Viterbi School of Engineering Student Affairs
Student Activity
Spring into midterm season with the VLP! Join us in RTH 222 for quiet study spaces, plenty of FREE snacks, and spring vibes to keep you going strong! All Viterbi students are invited to attend.
Location: Ronald Tutor Hall of Engineering (RTH) - 222
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Alex Bronz
Event Link: https://cglink.me/2nB/r396006
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ventureSPARK Program
Mon, Mar 04, 2024 @ 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Viterbi Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship
University Calendar
ventureSPARK Who: All students (graduate and undergraduate) who have an idea or technology. What: ventureSPARK is a program to help you along your innovation journey. Whether you are just starting out with an idea or have been working on an idea for a while, this program is designed to help you identify your customers and develop initial market validation. When: The program will consist of three two hour workshops. Thursday March 21, March 28, and April 4 from 4pm-6pm. APPLY by MARCH 4 at 11:59PM
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Viterbi TIE
Event Link: https://airtable.com/appBsKwv6nCjaKrSd/shrgIfTq6StRSWOh3
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AME Seminar
Mon, Mar 04, 2024 @ 01:30 PM - 02:30 PM
Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Preston Culbertson, California Institute of Technology
Talk Title: To Err is Robotic: Enabling Robust Autonomy with Risk-Sensitivity
Abstract: Despite significant recent advances in robot learning and perception, achieving robust robot behavior for real-world, dynamic tasks like dexterous manipulation remains elusive. This challenge stems from the uncertainty inherent in robots' geometric models, perception systems, and controllers, particularly during dynamic interactions with the environment. This talk explores how risk-sensitivity can provide a principled, practical approach to addressing these robustness issues directly. First, I will discuss our work showing Neural Radiance Fields (NeRFs) — typically trained for novel view synthesis — can be used for both collision avoidance and localization, repurposing them as a versatile, probabilistic occupancy model for robotics. Next, we will turn to the problem of real-time, risk-sensitive planning more broadly. Specifically, I will present work combining stochastic control barrier functions (CBFs), which provide rigorous probabilistic safety/performance guarantees, with deep generative dynamics models to yield a lightweight, data-driven approach to risk-sensitive control. We have demonstrated that our method (running onboard a quadrotor at 100Hz) enables aggressive, yet safe flight with a completely unmodeled and uninstrumented slung load. The talk will conclude with a discussion of some lessons learned and future directions in risk-sensitive robotics.
Biography: Preston Culbertson is a postdoctoral scholar in the AMBER Lab at Caltech. His research interests lie at the intersection of robotics, machine learning, optimization, and computer vision. Specifically, his research explores how to enable robust robot behavior for dynamic, contact-rich tasks like manipulation, locomotion, and navigation, emphasizing new tools for understanding risk and uncertainty for autonomous systems. Preston earned his PhD from Stanford University, mentored by Prof. Mac Schwager, where his work on collaborative manipulation and robot assembly was awarded the NASA Space Technology Research Fellowship and the 'Best Manipulation Paper' award at ICRA 2018.
More Info: https://ame.usc.edu/seminars/
Webcast: https://usc.zoom.us/j/95892885119?pwd=QXZOZUhrcTJRYk5qZzZwVThrTytVZz09Location: Olin Hall of Engineering (OHE) - 406
WebCast Link: https://usc.zoom.us/j/95892885119?pwd=QXZOZUhrcTJRYk5qZzZwVThrTytVZz09
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Tessa Yao
Event Link: https://ame.usc.edu/seminars/
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ECE-EP seminar - Rishabh Sahu, Monday, March 4th at 2pm in EEB 248
Mon, Mar 04, 2024 @ 02:00 PM - 03:30 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Rishabh Sahu, Postdoctoral scholar, IST Austria
Talk Title: Building Quantum Networks with Quantum Electrooptics
Series: ECE-EP Seminar
Abstract: In the last few decades, a myriad of physical systems such as photons, atoms, ions and spins have been explored for various different quantum technologies such as computation, communication and meteorology. Until now, no single physical system has been suitable for all the different quantum applications and, therefore, different systems are utilized in different spheres usually without any intercompatibility between them. A solution to this emerging chaos in the quantum landscape is to build hybrid quantum networks where various quantum systems with their unique advantages can be connected together to build a combined system able to perform better than the sum of its aggregates. The nodes in such a network would be connected using flying qubits - telecom wavelength optical photons - which would also allow these nodes to be separated by long distances. There has been some progress in this direction, particularly attempts to make trapped ions and solid state qubits compatible with optical photons. However, making microwave technologies such as superconducting qubits compatible with high energy optics is more challenging due to the large energy gap between the two. In this talk, I will present how quantum electro optics can be used to establish a quantum bridge between microwave and optical frequencies. Such a bridge would not only allow connection of superconducting quits over a long distance but also would be a key step in making future hybrid quantum networks a reality.
Biography: Rishabh completed his bachelor's and master's degree in Physics at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. His research mainly involved studying orbital angular momentum of light, in particular, sorting photons in this basis to get a multidimensional basis for photons. His master's thesis involved simulating Maxwell's equation using Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) method. Rishabh started graduate school at ISTA in fall of 2018 and joined the Fink group in 2019. He graduated in 2023 and works now as a postdoc on new cavity electrooptics experiments.
Host: ECE-EP
Webcast: https://usc.zoom.us/j/97370470279?pwd=NGZ4aWdGUHRjUUtrQllkemVIV3lxQT09More Information: Rishabh Sahu Seminar Announcement.pdf
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 248
WebCast Link: https://usc.zoom.us/j/97370470279?pwd=NGZ4aWdGUHRjUUtrQllkemVIV3lxQT09
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Marilyn Poplawski
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CSC/CommNetS-MHI Seminar: Magnus Egerstedt
Mon, Mar 04, 2024 @ 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Dr. Magnus Egerstedt, Dean of Engineering, Professor | Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science | University of California, Irvine
Talk Title: Mutualistic interactions in heterogeneous multi-robot systems
Series: CSC/CommNetS-MHI Seminar Series
Abstract:
The typical approach to multi-robot systems is to divide the team-level tasks into suitable building blocks and have the robots solve their respective subtasks in a coordinated manner. However, by bringing together robots with different capabilities, it should be possible to arrive at completely new capabilities and skill-sets. In other words, the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts. In this talk, we will formalize this idea through the composition of barrier functions for encoding the collaborative arrangements in terms of expanding and contracting the reachable and safe sets. Inspired by the ecological concept of a mutualism, i.e., the interaction between two or more species that benefit everyone involved, the formalism is contextualized in a long-duration setting, i.e., for robots deployed over long time scales where optimality have to take a backseat to "survivability".
Biography:
Dr. Magnus Egerstedt is the Dean of Engineering and a Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of California, Irvine. Prior to joining UCI, Egerstedt was on the faculty at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He received the M.S. degree in Engineering Physics and the Ph.D. degree in Applied Mathematics from the Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden, the B.A. degree in Philosophy from Stockholm University, and was a Postdoctoral Scholar at Harvard University. Dr. Egerstedt conducts research in the areas of control theory and robotics, with particular focus on control and coordination of multi-robot systems. Magnus Egerstedt is a Fellow of IEEE and IFAC, a member of the Royal Swedish
Academy of Engineering Science, and currently serves as the President of the IEEE Control Systems Society. He has received a number of teaching and research awards, including the Ragazzini Award, the O. Hugo Schuck Best Paper Award, and the Alumni of the Year Award from the Royal Institute of Technology.
Host: Dr Lars Lindemann, llindema@usc.edu | Dr Mihailo Jovanovic, mihailo@usc.edu
More Info: https://csc.usc.edu/seminars/2024Spring/egerstedt.html
More Information: 2024.03.04 CSC Seminar - Magnus Egerstedt.pdf
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - EEB 132
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Miki Arlen
Event Link: https://csc.usc.edu/seminars/2024Spring/egerstedt.html
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Intellisense Networking Event and Resume Review
Mon, Mar 04, 2024 @ 06:30 PM - 07:30 PM
USC Viterbi School of Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Join WIE for an engaging session with Intellisense featuring accomplished engineers and recruiters! Students will be able to enjoy free burritos while getting their resumes reviewed individually by recruiters, learning about Intellisense, gaining insight from current engineers, and growing their network. Don't miss this chance to gain valuable insights from industry experts! Undergraduate and graduate students are 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=396051
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System Safety SSC 24-2
Tue, Mar 05, 2024 @ 08:00 AM - 04:00 PM
Aviation Safety and Security Program
University Calendar
Instruction is given in system safety engineering and management, emphasizing complex, high-technology systems. Engineering methods are illustrated with practical, numerical examples. The principal system safety analysis method is taught with classroom and homework problems. The preparation of a system safety program plan and management of the system safety process in all phases of the system life are examined in depth. A classroom project allows students to apply system safety management and engineering methods while working as a team. Enrichment lectures in special areas of knowledge essential to the system safety process will also be presented. Each student should bring a calculator with statistical functions.
Location: Century Boulevard Building (CBB) - 920
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Daniel Scalese
Event Link: https://avsafe.usc.edu/wconnect/CourseStatus.awp?&course=24ASSC2
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Aircraft Accident Investigation AAI 24-3
Tue, Mar 05, 2024 @ 08:00 AM - 04:00 PM
Aviation Safety and Security Program
University Calendar
The course is designed for individuals who have limited investigation experience. All aspects of the investigation process are addressed, starting with preparation for the investigation through writing the final report. It covers National Transportation Safety Board and International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) procedures. Investigative techniques are examined with an emphasis on fixed-wing investigation. Data collection, wreckage reconstruction, and cause analysis are discussed in the classroom and applied in the lab. The USC Aircraft Accident Investigation lab serves as the location for practical exercises. Thirteen aircraft wreckages form the basis of these investigative exercises. The crash laboratory gives the student an opportunity to learn the observation and documentation skills required of accident investigators. The wreckage is examined and reviewed with investigators who have extensive actual real-world investigation experience. Examination techniques and methods are demonstrated along with participative group discussions of actual wreckage examination, reviews of witness interview information, and investigation group personal dynamics discussions.
Location: WESTMINSTER AVENUE BUILDING (WAB) - Unit E
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Daniel Scalese
Event Link: https://avsafe.usc.edu/wconnect/CourseStatus.awp?&course=24AAAI3
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CS Colloquium: Angelina Wang (Princeton University) - Operationalizing Responsible Machine Learning: From Equality Towards Equity
Tue, Mar 05, 2024 @ 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Angelina Wang, Princeton University
Talk Title: Operationalizing Responsible Machine Learning: From Equality Towards Equity
Abstract: With the widespread proliferation of machine learning, there arises both the opportunity for societal benefit as well as the risk of harm. Approaching responsible machine learning is challenging because technical approaches may prioritize a mathematical definition of fairness that correlates poorly to real-world constructs of fairness due to too many layers of abstraction. Conversely, social approaches that engage with prescriptive theories may produce findings that are too abstract to effectively translate into practice. In my research, I bridge these approaches and utilize social implications to guide technical work. I will discuss three research directions that show how, despite the technically convenient approach of considering equality acontextually, a stronger engagement with societal context allows us to operationalize a more equitable formulation. First, I will introduce a dataset tool that we developed to analyze complex, socially-grounded forms of visual bias. Then, I will provide empirical evidence to support how we should incorporate societal context in bringing intersectionality into machine learning. Finally, I will discuss how in the excitement of using LLMs for tasks like human participant replacement, we have neglected to consider the importance of human positionality. Overall, I will explore how we can expand a narrow focus on equality in responsible machine learning to encompass a broader understanding of equity that substantively engages with societal context.
This lecture satisfies requirements for CSCI 591: Research Colloquium
Biography: Angelina Wang is a Computer Science PhD student at Princeton University advised by Olga Russakovsky. Her research is in the area of machine learning fairness and algorithmic bias. She has been recognized by the NSF GRFP, EECS Rising Stars, Siebel Scholarship, and Microsoft AI & Society Fellowship. She has published in top machine learning (ICML, AAAI), computer vision (ICCV, IJCV), interdisciplinary (Big Data & Society), and responsible computing (FAccT, JRC) venues, including spotlight and oral presentations. Previously, she has interned with Microsoft Research and Arthur AI, and received a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from UC Berkeley.
Host: Bistra Dilkina
Location: Olin Hall of Engineering (OHE) - 136
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: CS Faculty Affairs
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PhD Thesis Proposal - Shao-Hung Chan
Tue, Mar 05, 2024 @ 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science
University Calendar
PhD Thesis Proposal - Shao-Hung Chan
Committee members: Sven Koenig (chair), T.K. Satish Kumar, Lars Lindemann, John Carlsson, and Daniel Harabor
Title: Flex Distribution for Bounded-Suboptimal Multi-Agent Path Finding
Time: Mar. 5th, 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Location: EEB 349
Abstract:
Multi-Agent Path Finding (MAPF) is the problem of finding collision-free paths for multiple agents that minimize the sum of path costs. Explicit Estimation Conflict-Based Search (EECBS) is a leading two-level algorithm that solves MAPF bounded-suboptimally, i.e., within some factor w away from the minimum sum of path costs C*. It uses Focal Search to find bounded-suboptimal paths on the low level and Explicit Estimation Search (EES) to resolve collisions on the high level. To solve MAPF bounded-suboptimally, EES keeps track of a lower bound LB on C* to find paths whose sum of path costs is at most w times LB. However, the costs of many paths are often much smaller than w times their minimum path costs, meaning that the sum of path costs is much smaller than w times C*. Thus, in this proposal, we hypothesize that one can improve the efficiency of EECBS via Flex Distribution. That is, one can use the flex of the path costs (that relaxes the requirement to find bounded-suboptimal paths on the low level) to reduce the number of collisions that need to be resolved on the high level while still guaranteeing to solve MAPF bounded suboptimally. We also discuss the limitations of Flex Distribution and propose some techniques to overcome them.
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 349
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: CS Events
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Epstein Institute, ISE 651 Seminar Class
Tue, Mar 05, 2024 @ 03:30 PM - 04:50 PM
Daniel J. Epstein Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Dr. Jing Dong, DeRosa Family Associate Professor of Business, Decision, Risk, and Operations Division, Columbia Business School
Talk Title: Stochastic Gradient Descent with Adaptive Data
Host: Dr. Renyuan Xu
More Information: March 5, 2024.pdf
Location: Social Sciences Building (SOS) - SOS Building, B2
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Grace Owh
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FloQast Trojan Talk
Tue, Mar 05, 2024 @ 06:00 PM - 08:00 PM
Viterbi School of Engineering Career Connections
Workshops & Infosessions
FloQast Hiring Now for Summer 2024 Software Engineering Interns! Recruiting Event 3/5 @ 6 pm
FloQast is hiring! We are recruiting for our Summer Engineering Internship Program. Attend this session to meet recruiters. Attend the info session on March 5th, and we will be interviewing candidates on the following days: Wednesday, March 6th, and Thursday, March 7th!
Apply for the intern position in Viterbi Career Gateway > Jobs
Apply by 3/6/24
Note: This position is for bachelor candidates who do not require visa sponsorship now or in the future.
Recruiting Event Details:
Tuesday, March 5th 6-8 pm
RTH 211
Food will be served!
This will be a two-hour event starting at 6 pm with a brief presentation at 7 pm. We will have opportunities for networking before the presentation and end the event at 8pm. Engineering Leadership and Recruiting from FloQast will be present to meet students, chat about FloQast, and learn about their backgrounds.
Internship Details:
FloQast is pleased to offer an opportunity for aspiring Software Engineering Interns to join our summer internship program. If you're looking to kickstart your career, make a meaningful impact, and contribute to the growth of our Compliance product, we invite you to apply! At FloQast, we value collaboration, support, and innovation to create an environment where interns can learn and thrive.
FloQast is a SaaS-based company innovating solutions in the task management software and accounting space. Our flagship product’s fresh approach to the accounting close process already dramatically improves the day-to-day lives of accountants— and we’ve brought that same approach to help streamline compliance processes such as SOX and ITGC. Our compliance product empowers auditors and control owners to achieve the highest degree of transparency and accuracy within their processes and saves them countless hours, days, and weeks of time.
FloQast is headquartered in Los Angeles, CALocation: Ronald Tutor Hall of Engineering (RTH) - 211
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: RTH 218 Viterbi Career Connections
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System Safety SSC 24-2
Wed, Mar 06, 2024 @ 08:00 AM - 04:00 PM
Aviation Safety and Security Program
University Calendar
Instruction is given in system safety engineering and management, emphasizing complex, high-technology systems. Engineering methods are illustrated with practical, numerical examples. The principal system safety analysis method is taught with classroom and homework problems. The preparation of a system safety program plan and management of the system safety process in all phases of the system life are examined in depth. A classroom project allows students to apply system safety management and engineering methods while working as a team. Enrichment lectures in special areas of knowledge essential to the system safety process will also be presented. Each student should bring a calculator with statistical functions.
Location: Century Boulevard Building (CBB) - 920
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Daniel Scalese
Event Link: https://avsafe.usc.edu/wconnect/CourseStatus.awp?&course=24ASSC2
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Aircraft Accident Investigation AAI 24-3
Wed, Mar 06, 2024 @ 08:00 AM - 04:00 PM
Aviation Safety and Security Program
University Calendar
The course is designed for individuals who have limited investigation experience. All aspects of the investigation process are addressed, starting with preparation for the investigation through writing the final report. It covers National Transportation Safety Board and International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) procedures. Investigative techniques are examined with an emphasis on fixed-wing investigation. Data collection, wreckage reconstruction, and cause analysis are discussed in the classroom and applied in the lab. The USC Aircraft Accident Investigation lab serves as the location for practical exercises. Thirteen aircraft wreckages form the basis of these investigative exercises. The crash laboratory gives the student an opportunity to learn the observation and documentation skills required of accident investigators. The wreckage is examined and reviewed with investigators who have extensive actual real-world investigation experience. Examination techniques and methods are demonstrated along with participative group discussions of actual wreckage examination, reviews of witness interview information, and investigation group personal dynamics discussions.
Location: WESTMINSTER AVENUE BUILDING (WAB) - Unit E
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Daniel Scalese
Event Link: https://avsafe.usc.edu/wconnect/CourseStatus.awp?&course=24AAAI3
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EiS Communications Hub Drop-In Hours
Wed, Mar 06, 2024 @ 10:00 AM - 01:00 PM
Viterbi School of Engineering Student Affairs
Workshops & Infosessions
Viterbi Ph.D. students are invited to stop by the EiS Communications Hub for one-on-one instruction for their academic and professional communications tasks. All instruction is provided by Viterbi faculty at the Engineering in Society Program.
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?authuser=0
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EiS Communications Hub Drop-In Hours
Wed, Mar 06, 2024 @ 10:00 AM - 01:00 PM
Engineering in Society Program
Student Activity
Drop-in hours for writing and speaking support for Viterbi Ph.D. students
Location: Ronald Tutor Hall of Engineering (RTH) - 222
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Helen Choi
Event Link: https://sites.google.com/usc.edu/eishub/home
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CS Colloquium: Chang Xiao (Adobe Research) - Augmented Interaction Between Physical and Digital Realm
Wed, Mar 06, 2024 @ 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Chang Xiao, Adobe Research
Talk Title: Augmented Interaction Between Physical and Digital Realm
Series: Computer Science Colloquium
Abstract: Today's computing devices, including mobile phones, wearable devices, and VR/AR headsets, have become increasingly powerful and accessible to almost everyone. They offer a direct and immersive interaction with digital worlds. But what if we could use these devices to access interactive physical worlds as well, expanding our interaction space and unlocking greater interactive potential? In this talk, I will discuss our work on integrating both physical and digital systems to create a new computing environment. Leveraging techniques from AI/ML, Computer Vision, and Computational Design, we propose several interactive systems and sensing techniques that provide users with unified, low-cost, tangible, and intuitive experiences. These approaches unlock the potential of using the physical environment as computer interfaces in the era of Extended Reality (XR) and spatial computing, bridging the gap between physical and digital spaces.
This lecture satisfies requirements for CSCI 591: Research Colloquium
Biography: Chang Xiao is currently a Research Scientist at Adobe Research. He obtained his PhD from Columbia University in 2021. His broad interests lie at the intersection of HCI, AI/ML, and AR/VR, with a special focus on leveraging AI/ML to develop novel interaction and sensing techniques. His work has been published in a wide spectrum of top computer science venues, including CHI, UIST, SIGGRAPH, NeurIPS, CVPR, and ICLR. His research has gained impact beyond academia, having been successfully integrated into multiple Adobe products and receiving widespread attention, including media interviews and coverage by CNN, Adweek, CACM, and IEEE Spectrum. During his PhD studies, he received the Snap Research Fellowship and the Cheung-Kong Innovation Doctoral Fellowship.
Host: Heather Culbertson
Location: Olin Hall of Engineering (OHE) - 132
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: CS Faculty Affairs
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Careers at BMW
Wed, Mar 06, 2024 @ 11:30 AM - 01:00 PM
Viterbi School of Engineering Career Connections
Workshops & Infosessions
Careers at BMW (Virtual)
Wednesday, March 6th
11:30 -1
Location: Zoom. Register HERE
This virtual Info session will be lead by the current recruiting intern at Plant 10 in Spartanburg, SC (the largest BMW plant in the America's). We will discuss topics such as activities at Plant Spartanburg (Design, Assembly, Testing, etc.). We will also discuss the career opportunities that BMW has, not just at Plant 10 but worldwide- we offer paid, full-time co-ops and internships to undergraduate and graduate students of all levels all throughout the year, as well as internship opportunities for international students. We also have post-graduate programs built to give a new associate a well-rounded training before starting as a full-time associate. We have over 100 student positions offered every season, with the majority being in a range of engineering and technical disciplines.
Majors of interest: Supply Chain Systems, Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, IT, and many other related areas of study.
External employer-hosted events and activities are not affiliated with the USC Viterbi Career Connections Office. They are posted on Viterbi Career Connections because they may be of interest to members of the Viterbi community. Inclusion of any activity does not indicate USC sponsorship or endorsement of that activity or event. It is the participant’s responsibility to apply due diligence, exercise caution when participating, and report concerns to vcareers@usc.eduLocation: Virtual Event
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: RTH 218 Viterbi Career Connections
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PhD Dissertation Defense - Sina Shaham
Wed, Mar 06, 2024 @ 01:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science
University Calendar
PhD Dissertation Defense - Sina Shaham
Committee: Prof. Bhaskar Krishnamachari, Prof. Cyrus Shahabi, Prof. Cauligi Raghavendra
Title: Responsible AI in SpatioTemporal Data Processing
Abstract: In this presentation, we systematically investigate the design and development of algorithms to improve privacy and fairness in the processing of spatio-temporal data. Beginning with an essential background introduction and a review of cutting-edge advancements, the discussion progresses to introduce a novel algorithm for safeguarding privacy in the dissemination of Origin-Destination (OD) Matrices. This algorithm, rooted in Differential Privacy (DP) principles, aims to protect user privacy during the collection and sharing of OD-matrices in 2D and higher dimensions. Subsequently, our focus shifts to the domain of user energy consumption, where we develop a methodology that ensures user privacy when disclosing electricity time series to third parties and entities that may not be fully trusted. Following this, we propose an incentive-based program aimed at balancing electricity demand, taking into account socio-economic family attributes and ensuring fair treatment. Through comprehensive evaluations, the presentation demonstrates the progress made over previous works and also sheds light on potential areas for future studies, particularly in the realm of responsible handling of complex spatio-temporal data.
Zoom Link: https://usc.zoom.us/j/98092705100Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 539
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: CS Events
Event Link: https://usc.zoom.us/j/98092705100
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AME Seminar
Wed, Mar 06, 2024 @ 03:30 PM - 04:30 PM
Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Hannah Lu, MIT
Talk Title: Physics-Aware Data-Driven Modeling and Uncertainty Quantification for Large-Scale Environmental Problems
Abstract: Data-driven modeling of complex systems is a rapidly evolving field facilitated by the concurrent rise of data science. To alleviate the prohibitively expensive computational costs of repeated full-model simulations in uncertainty quantification, data-driven modeling is often used to describe the behaviors of the complex system by predicting the quantities of interest directly. In this talk, I will present my contributions to this field with an emphasis on (1) improving model performance by using physics-aware machine learning techniques, (2) quantifying uncertainties in the system’s response, and (3) inferring the key parameters of the physics-based models from measured data. Examples of applications will be focused on large-scale geological carbon sequestration—an important strategy for reducing greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere and mitigating climate change. The objective is to develop a convenient computing toolbox to provide more accurate scientific information at cheaper computational costs for better environmental management and decision-making.
Biography: Hannah Lu is a postdoc associate at MIT, affiliated with the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Department of Civil Environmental Engineering, Earth Resources Laboratory and Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems. She obtained her Ph.D. from Energy Science and Engineering at Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability. Her research interests lie in the field of scientific computing, reduced order modeling, uncertainty quantification and machine learning in applications of environmental fluid mechanics. She received EDGE Doctoral Fellowship, Frank G. Miller Fellowship Award and Henry J. Ramey, Jr. Fellowship Award from Stanford University; Student Travel Award from SIAM Conference on UQ; NSF Fellowship from MMLDT-CSET Conference; Travel Grant from NSF-funded HydroML Symposium; and a first-place USNCCM17 Best Presentation Award in postdoc category.
Host: AME Department
More Info: https://ame.usc.edu/seminars/
Webcast: https://usc.zoom.us/j/95892885119?pwd=QXZOZUhrcTJRYk5qZzZwVThrTytVZz09Location: James H. Zumberge Hall Of Science (ZHS) - 252
WebCast Link: https://usc.zoom.us/j/95892885119?pwd=QXZOZUhrcTJRYk5qZzZwVThrTytVZz09
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Tessa Yao
Event Link: https://ame.usc.edu/seminars/
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System Safety SSC 24-2
Thu, Mar 07, 2024 @ 08:00 AM - 04:00 PM
Aviation Safety and Security Program
University Calendar
Instruction is given in system safety engineering and management, emphasizing complex, high-technology systems. Engineering methods are illustrated with practical, numerical examples. The principal system safety analysis method is taught with classroom and homework problems. The preparation of a system safety program plan and management of the system safety process in all phases of the system life are examined in depth. A classroom project allows students to apply system safety management and engineering methods while working as a team. Enrichment lectures in special areas of knowledge essential to the system safety process will also be presented. Each student should bring a calculator with statistical functions.
Location: Century Boulevard Building (CBB) - 920
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Daniel Scalese
Event Link: https://avsafe.usc.edu/wconnect/CourseStatus.awp?&course=24ASSC2
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Aircraft Accident Investigation AAI 24-3
Thu, Mar 07, 2024 @ 08:00 AM - 04:00 PM
Aviation Safety and Security Program
University Calendar
The course is designed for individuals who have limited investigation experience. All aspects of the investigation process are addressed, starting with preparation for the investigation through writing the final report. It covers National Transportation Safety Board and International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) procedures. Investigative techniques are examined with an emphasis on fixed-wing investigation. Data collection, wreckage reconstruction, and cause analysis are discussed in the classroom and applied in the lab. The USC Aircraft Accident Investigation lab serves as the location for practical exercises. Thirteen aircraft wreckages form the basis of these investigative exercises. The crash laboratory gives the student an opportunity to learn the observation and documentation skills required of accident investigators. The wreckage is examined and reviewed with investigators who have extensive actual real-world investigation experience. Examination techniques and methods are demonstrated along with participative group discussions of actual wreckage examination, reviews of witness interview information, and investigation group personal dynamics discussions.
Location: WESTMINSTER AVENUE BUILDING (WAB) - Unit E
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Daniel Scalese
Event Link: https://avsafe.usc.edu/wconnect/CourseStatus.awp?&course=24AAAI3
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CS Colloquium: Ben Lengerich (MIT) - Contextualized learning for adaptive yet persistent AI in biomedicine
Thu, Mar 07, 2024 @ 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Ben Lengerich, MIT
Talk Title: Contextualized learning for adaptive yet persistent AI in biomedicine
Series: Computer Science Colloquium
Abstract: Machine learning models often exhibit diminished generalizability when applied across diverse biomedical contexts (e.g., across health institutions), leading to a significant discrepancy between expected and actual performance. To address this challenge, this presentation introduces "contextualized learning", a meta-learning paradigm designed to enhance model adaptability by learning meta-relationships between dataset context and statistical parameters. Using network inference as an illustrative example, I will show how contextualized learning estimates context-specific graphical models, offering insights such as personalized gene expression analysis for cancer subtyping. The talk will also discuss trends towards “contextualized understanding”, bridging statistical and foundation models to standardize interpretability. The primary aim is to illustrate how contextualized learning and understanding contribute to creating learning systems that are both adaptive and persistent, facilitating cross-context information sharing and detailed analysis.
This lecture satisfies requirements for CSCI 591: Research Colloquium
Biography: Ben Lengerich is a Postdoctoral Associate and Alana Fellow at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab (CSAIL) and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, where he is advised by Manolis Kellis. His research in machine learning and computational biology emphasizes the use of context-adaptive models to understand complex diseases and advance precision medicine. Through his work, Ben aims to bridge the gap between data-driven insights and actionable medical interventions. He holds a PhD in Computer Science and MS in Machine Learning from Carnegie Mellon University, where he was advised by Eric Xing. His work has been recognized with spotlight presentations at conferences including NeurIPS, ISMB, AMIA, and SMFM, financial support from the Alana Foundation, and recognition as a "Rising Star in Data Science” by the University of Chicago and UC San Diego.
Host: Willie Neiswanger
Location: Olin Hall of Engineering (OHE) - 136
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: CS Faculty Affairs
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ECE Seminar: Sarah H. Cen
Thu, Mar 07, 2024 @ 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Sarah H. Cen, EECS Dept, MIT
Talk Title: Paths to AI Accountability
Abstract: We have begun grappling with difficult questions related to the rise of AI, including: What rights do individuals have in the age of AI? When should we regulate AI and when should we abstain? What degree of transparency is needed to monitor AI systems? These questions are all concerned with AI accountability: determining who owes responsibility and to whom in the age of AI. In this talk, I will discuss the two main components of AI accountability, then illustrate them through a case study on social media. Within the context of social media, I will focus on how social media platforms filter (or curate) the content that users see. I will review several methods for auditing social media, drawing from concepts and tools in hypothesis testing, causal inference, and LLMs.
Biography: Sarah is a final-year PhD student at MIT in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department advised by Professor Aleksander Madry and Professor Devavrat Shah. Sarah utilizes methods from machine learning, statistical inference, causal inference, and game theory to study responsible computing and AI policy. Previously, she has written about social media, trustworthy algorithms, algorithmic fairness, and more. She is currently interested in AI auditing, AI supply chains, and IP Law x Gen AI.
Host: Drs. Urbashi Mitra (ubli@usc.edu) and Mahdi Soltanolkotabi (soltanol@usc.edu)
Webcast: https://usc.zoom.us/j/97190024349?pwd=a0NTY2J5WjdKQUsvL3BtdTBSNGZTQT09Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 248
WebCast Link: https://usc.zoom.us/j/97190024349?pwd=a0NTY2J5WjdKQUsvL3BtdTBSNGZTQT09
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Mayumi Thrasher
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NL Seminar - Self-Play Fine-Tuning Converts Weak Language Models to Strong Language Models
Thu, Mar 07, 2024 @ 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Information Sciences Institute
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Zixiang Chen, UCLA
Talk Title: Self-Play Fine-Tuning Converts Weak Language Models to Strong Language Models
Series: NL Seminar
Abstract: REMINDER: This talk will be a live presentation only, it will not be recorded. Meeting hosts only admit 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 provide your: Full Name, Title and Name of Workplace to (nlg-seminar-host(at)isi.edu) beforehand so we’ll be aware of your attendance. Also, let us know if you plan to attend in-person or virtually. More Info for NL Seminars can be found at: https://nlg.isi.edu/nl-seminar/. Harnessing the power of human-annotated data through Supervised Fine-Tuning (SFT) is pivotal for advancing Large Language Models (LLMs). In this talk, I will introduce our newest fine-tuning method, Self-Play Fine-Tuning (SPIN), which improves LLMs without the need for additional human-annotated data. SPIN utilizes a self-play mechanism, where the LLM enhances its capabilities by generating its own training data through interactions with instances of itself. Specifically, the LLM generates its own training data from its previous iterations, refining its policy by discerning these self-generated responses from those obtained from human-annotated data. As a result, SPIN unlocks the full potential of human-annotated data for SFT. Our empirical results show that SPIN can improve the LLM’s performance across a variety of benchmarks and even outperform models trained through direct preference optimization (DPO) supplemented with extra GPT-4 preference data. Additionally, I will outline the theoretical guarantees of our method. For more details and access to our codes, visit our GitHub repository (https://github.com/uclaml/SPIN).
Biography: Zixiang Chen is currently a Ph.D. student in computer science at the Department of Computer Science, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), advised by Prof. Quanquan Gu. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Tsinghua University. He is broadly interested in the theory and applications of deep learning, optimization, and control, with a focus on generative models, representation learning, and multi-agent reinforcement learning. Recently, he has been utilizing AI to enhance scientific discovery in the domain of public health. He was a visiting graduate student in the theory of reinforcement learning program at the Simons Institute for the Theory of Computing. If speaker approves to be recorded for this NL Seminar talk, it will be posted on our USC/ISI YouTube page within 1-2 business days: https://www.youtube.com/user/USCISI. Subscribe here to learn more about upcoming seminars: https://www.isi.edu/events/
Host: Jon May and Justin Cho
More Info: https://nlg.isi.edu/nl-seminar/
Webcast: https://youtu.be/Fg4C6YZcqQ4Location: Information Science Institute (ISI) - Virtual and ISI-Conf Rm#689
WebCast Link: https://youtu.be/Fg4C6YZcqQ4
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Pete Zamar
Event Link: https://nlg.isi.edu/nl-seminar/
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TCS Celebrating Women: Empowerment and Innovation
Thu, Mar 07, 2024 @ 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Viterbi School of Engineering Career Connections
Workshops & Infosessions
Join Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) as we celebrate International Women's Day and learn about career opportunities with a global leader.
TCS is delighted to bring together a panel of technology leaders who make an impact in the business and consulting spaces in TCS. Come hear from Courtney Wood, Director of Mergers & Acquisitions, and Chandrika Shrinivasan, Business Unit Head for Banking and Financial Services, on their career journey and learn more about their business units at TCS. The 1 hour virtual session will be interactive and allow you the opportunity to participate in a live Q&A session with senior leaders and learn more about their careers and how you can amplify your impact at TCS!
Date: Thursday, March 7th 2024
Time: 2:00-3:00 pm PST
RSVP using the attached registration link
Don't miss this opportunity to be part of a transformative conversation and contribute to building a more inclusive and equitable future. Register now to secure your spot and join us in celebrating the remarkable achievements of women on International Women's Day!
Location: Virtual Event
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: RTH 218 Viterbi Career Connections
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DEN@Viterbi - Online Graduate Engineering Virtual Information Session
Thu, Mar 07, 2024 @ 05:00 PM - 06:00 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/r65e189f49680890639e9b60462958a27
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Corporate & Professional Programs
Event Link: https://uscviterbi.webex.com/weblink/register/r65e189f49680890639e9b60462958a27
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System Safety SSC 24-2
Fri, Mar 08, 2024 @ 08:00 AM - 04:00 PM
Aviation Safety and Security Program
University Calendar
Instruction is given in system safety engineering and management, emphasizing complex, high-technology systems. Engineering methods are illustrated with practical, numerical examples. The principal system safety analysis method is taught with classroom and homework problems. The preparation of a system safety program plan and management of the system safety process in all phases of the system life are examined in depth. A classroom project allows students to apply system safety management and engineering methods while working as a team. Enrichment lectures in special areas of knowledge essential to the system safety process will also be presented. Each student should bring a calculator with statistical functions.
Location: Century Boulevard Building (CBB) - 920
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Daniel Scalese
Event Link: https://avsafe.usc.edu/wconnect/CourseStatus.awp?&course=24ASSC2
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Aircraft Accident Investigation AAI 24-3
Fri, Mar 08, 2024 @ 08:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Aviation Safety and Security Program
University Calendar
The course is designed for individuals who have limited investigation experience. All aspects of the investigation process are addressed, starting with preparation for the investigation through writing the final report. It covers National Transportation Safety Board and International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) procedures. Investigative techniques are examined with an emphasis on fixed-wing investigation. Data collection, wreckage reconstruction, and cause analysis are discussed in the classroom and applied in the lab. The USC Aircraft Accident Investigation lab serves as the location for practical exercises. Thirteen aircraft wreckages form the basis of these investigative exercises. The crash laboratory gives the student an opportunity to learn the observation and documentation skills required of accident investigators. The wreckage is examined and reviewed with investigators who have extensive actual real-world investigation experience. Examination techniques and methods are demonstrated along with participative group discussions of actual wreckage examination, reviews of witness interview information, and investigation group personal dynamics discussions.
Location: WESTMINSTER AVENUE BUILDING (WAB) - Unit E
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Daniel Scalese
Event Link: https://avsafe.usc.edu/wconnect/CourseStatus.awp?&course=24AAAI3
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EiS Communications Hub Drop-In Hours
Fri, Mar 08, 2024 @ 10:00 AM - 01:00 PM
Viterbi School of Engineering Student Affairs
Workshops & Infosessions
Viterbi Ph.D. students are invited to stop by the EiS Communications Hub for one-on-one instruction for their academic and professional communications tasks. All instruction is provided by Viterbi faculty at the Engineering in Society Program.
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?authuser=0
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EiS Communications Hub Drop-In Hours
Fri, Mar 08, 2024 @ 10:00 AM - 01:00 PM
Engineering in Society Program
Student Activity
Drop-in hours for writing and speaking support for Viterbi Ph.D. students
Location: Ronald Tutor Hall of Engineering (RTH) - 222
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Helen Choi
Event Link: https://sites.google.com/usc.edu/eishub/home
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Quantum Science & Technology Seminar - David Vitali - Friday, March 8th at 10am in EEB 248
Fri, Mar 08, 2024 @ 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: David Vitali, Univeristy of Camerino, Italy
Talk Title: Quantum Sensing and Quantum State Manipulation in Cavity Optomechanics
Series: Quantum Science & Technology Seminar Series
Abstract: Cavity Optomechanics offers the possibility to generate and manipulate quantum states of mesoscopic mechanical resonators allowing the realization of useful components of quantum networks, and at the same time testing fundamental aspects of physics theories. We will review recent proposals for generating multipartite entangled states of mechanical resonators and also their exploitation for quantum sensing of weak forces and signals.
Biography: David Vitali graduated in Physics at the University of Pisa in 1988 and obtained his PhD in Physics from the Scuola Normale Superiore of Pisa in 1994. He has been Visiting Lecturer at the University of North Texas (USA), at the Ecole Normale Superieure in Paris, at the University of Queensland , Brisbane (Australia), and at the University of Vienna. He is Full Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Camerino since 2015. He is the author of 193 publications in international refereed journals, with more than 10700 citations and Hirsch index h = 52 referring to the SCOPUS database. He has carried out research in many subfields of Quantum Optics and Quantum Information Theory, such as entanglement manipulation, quantum communication and quantum key distribution, quantum optics implementation of quantum technologies. In 2015 he was named APS Fellow of the American Physical Society, "For groundbreaking work on cavity opto-mechanics, which proved to provide an ideal and flexible environment for quantum information processing and quantum-limited sensing; for proposing pioneering techniques to control decoherence in quantum systems." In 2021 he was nominated OPTICA Senior Member, and he has coordinated various European projects and many National projects, all related to quantum technologies and quantum optomechanics.
Host: Quntao Zhang, Wade Hsu, Mengjie Yu, Jonathan Habif & Eli Levenson-Falk
More Information: David Vitali Seminar Flyer.pdf
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 248
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Marilyn Poplawski
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ECE-S Seminar - Zhijian Liu
Fri, Mar 08, 2024 @ 10:30 AM - 11:30 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Zhijian Liu, PhD Candidate | Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Talk Title: Efficient Deep Learning with Sparsity: Algorithms, Systems, and Applications
Abstract: Machine learning is widely used across a broad spectrum of applications. However, behind its remarkable performance lies an increasing gap between the demand for and supply of computation. On the demand side, the computational costs of machine learning models have surged dramatically, driven by ever-larger input and model sizes. On the supply side, as Moore's Law slows down, hardware no longer delivers increasing performance within the same power budget.
In this talk, I will discuss my research efforts to bridge this demand-supply gap through the lens of sparsity. I will begin by discussing my research on input sparsity. First, I will introduce algorithms that systematically eliminate the least important patches/tokens from dense input data, such as images, enabling up to 60% sparsity without any loss in accuracy. Then, I will present the system library that we have developed to effectively translate the theoretical savings from sparsity to practical speedups on hardware. Our system is up to 3 times faster than the leading industry solution from NVIDIA. Following this, I will touch on my research on model sparsity, highlighting a family of automated, hardware-aware model compression frameworks that surpass manual solutions in accuracy and reduce the design process from weeks of human efforts to mere hours of GPU computation. Finally, I will present several examples demonstrating the use of sparsity to accelerate computation-intensive AI applications, such as autonomous driving, language modeling, and high-energy physics. I will conclude this talk with an overview of my ongoing work and my vision towards building more efficient and accessible AI.
Biography: Zhijian Liu is a Ph.D. candidate at MIT, advised by Song Han. His research focuses on efficient machine learning. He has developed efficient ML algorithms and provided them with effective system/algorithm support. He has also contributed to accelerating computation-intensive AI applications in computer vision, natural language processing, and scientific discovery. His work has been featured as oral and spotlight presentations at conferences such as NeurIPS, ICLR, and CVPR. He was selected as the recipient of the Qualcomm Innovation Fellowship and the NVIDIA Graduate Fellowship. He was also recognized as a Rising Star in ML and Systems by MLCommons and a Rising Star in Data Science by UChicago and UCSD. Previously, he was the founding research scientist at OmniML, which was acquired by NVIDIA.
Host: Mahdi Soltanolkotabi, soltanol@usc.edu | Peter Beerel, pabeerel@usc.edu
More Info: https://usc.zoom.us/j/96790337008?pwd=ZDljTkhHYjRQaUovUmJTSHZhR1ovUT09
Webcast: https://usc.zoom.us/j/96790337008?pwd=ZDljTkhHYjRQaUovUmJTSHZhR1ovUT09More Information: 2024.03.08 ECE Seminar - Zhijian Liu.pdf
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - EEB 132
WebCast Link: https://usc.zoom.us/j/96790337008?pwd=ZDljTkhHYjRQaUovUmJTSHZhR1ovUT09
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Miki Arlen
Event Link: https://usc.zoom.us/j/96790337008?pwd=ZDljTkhHYjRQaUovUmJTSHZhR1ovUT09
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AI Seminar
Fri, Mar 08, 2024 @ 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Information Sciences Institute
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Yu-Ru Lin, Univ. of Pitt., Univ of Pitt
Talk Title: A Gateway to Trustworthy AI: Using Visual Analytics to Unmask Coincidental Correlations
Abstract: Join Zoom Meeting https://usc.zoom.us/s/99782858348?pwd=MnlSdGlTVWNETGFFbDQ4OWRmakdEQT09 Meeting ID: 997 8285 8348 Passcode: 580559 Register in advance for this webinar: https://usc.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_xxYy3NkSQpidFYRY3fg_Ew In the realm of machine learning and data-driven decision-making, the risk of spurious and biased associations poses significant challenges to the integrity and reliability of AI systems. In this talk, I will introduce how visual analytic designs can empower data practitioners in navigating these complex issues. First, through a human-in-the-loop workflow, we tackle the problem of AI blindspots in classification models, where key patterns are often missed or misleading. Our design offers visually interpretable statistical methods to quantify and understand concept associations. It also includes debiasing techniques to address misleading patterns in data. Second, we tackle Simpson’s Paradox, a phenomenon where associations in data appear contradictory at different levels of aggregation, leading to cognitive confusion and incorrect interpretations. Our design offers an intuitive causal analysis framework and a human-centric workflow, enabling users to identify, understand, and prevent spurious associations, leading to more accountable causal decision-making. Together, these design frameworks contribute to making AI more trustworthy, offering robust tools for overcoming the challenges of spurious and biased associations in machine learning through advanced visual analytics.
Biography: Website: http://www.yurulin.com/ Yu-Ru Lin is an Associate Professor in the School of Computing and Information and the Research Director of the Institute for Cyber Law, Policy, and Security (Pitt Cyber) at the University of Pittsburgh, where she directs the PITT Computational Social Dynamics Lab (PICSO LAB). Her research lies at the intersection of Computational Social Science, Data Mining, and Visualization. She specializes in using social network and text data along with statistical learning tools and social theories to study phenomena spanning societal events and policy, anomalous behaviors, and other crucially important complex patterns concerning collective attention and actions, as well as human and social dynamics in response to societal risks. Her work has appeared in prestigious scientific venues and has been featured in the press, including WSJ, The Boston Globe, The Atlantic, MIT News, and NPR. She has authored or co-authored more than 100 refereed journal and conference papers and served on more than 50 conference program committees in the areas of big data, network science, and computational social science. She has served as a chair/co-chair of leading computational social science, web mining, and social media conferences such as AAAI ICWSM and TheWebConference/WWW (Web & Society Track). She currently serves as an Editor-in-Chief of AAAI ICWSM and an Associate Editor for multiple journals, including PLOS ONE, Springer EPJ Data Science, Nature's Scientific Reports, and Frontiers in Big Data. She was selected as a Fellow of Kavli Frontiers of Science, National Academy of Sciences (NAS).
Host: Fred Morstatter and Zhuoyu Shi
More Info: https://www.isi.edu/events/4389/ai-seminar-a-gateway-to-trustworthy-ai-using-visual-analytics-to-unmask-coincidental-correlations/
Webcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uZOOM6-nooLocation: Information Science Institute (ISI) - Virtual Only
WebCast Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uZOOM6-noo
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Pete Zamar
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System Safety SSC 24-2
Mon, Mar 11, 2024 @ 08:00 AM - 04:00 PM
Aviation Safety and Security Program
University Calendar
Instruction is given in system safety engineering and management, emphasizing complex, high-technology systems. Engineering methods are illustrated with practical, numerical examples. The principal system safety analysis method is taught with classroom and homework problems. The preparation of a system safety program plan and management of the system safety process in all phases of the system life are examined in depth. A classroom project allows students to apply system safety management and engineering methods while working as a team. Enrichment lectures in special areas of knowledge essential to the system safety process will also be presented. Each student should bring a calculator with statistical functions.
Location: Century Boulevard Building (CBB) - 920
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Daniel Scalese
Event Link: https://avsafe.usc.edu/wconnect/CourseStatus.awp?&course=24ASSC2
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EiS Communications Hub Spring Break Writing Retreat Day1
Mon, Mar 11, 2024 @ 11:00 AM - 04:00 PM
Engineering in Society Program
Student Activity
Join us at the Hub for a Spring Break Writing Retreat for concentrated writing time! Quiet writing space, lunch, and optional one-on-one writing consultations with Hub staff provided.When: Monday, March 11 (11am to 4pm) and Tuesday, March 12 (11am to 4pm) Where: RTH 222 (Space is very limited). You can sign up for one or both days. RSVP by Monday, March 4 here: https://forms.gle/TvHgpqUghS8paz3r8
Location: Ronald Tutor Hall of Engineering (RTH) - 222
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Helen Choi
Event Link: https://forms.gle/TvHgpqUghS8paz3r8
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Safety Management for Remotely Piloted Aircraft RPSM 24-2
Mon, Mar 11, 2024 @ 04:00 PM - 04:00 PM
Aviation Safety and Security Program
University Calendar
This Safety Management for Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPSM) course is intended for students who know remotely piloted vehicle operations or are looking to understand the current operational conditions for RPAs. Experts from RPA Human Factors, RPA Safety Management Systems, and RPA Piloting introduce students to the theory and application unique to unmanned aircraft. By addressing the characteristics that differ between manned and unmanned air vehicles, the course applies the latest approaches to accident investigation and Safety Management. Students come away with a working knowledge of the safety field pertaining to Remotely Piloted Aircraft, which they can apply to their organization’s operations and future planning.
Location: Century Boulevard Building (CBB) - 960
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Daniel Scalese
Event Link: https://avsafe.usc.edu/wconnect/CourseStatus.awp?&course=24ARPSM2
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System Safety SSC 24-2
Tue, Mar 12, 2024 @ 08:00 AM - 04:00 PM
Aviation Safety and Security Program
University Calendar
Instruction is given in system safety engineering and management, emphasizing complex, high-technology systems. Engineering methods are illustrated with practical, numerical examples. The principal system safety analysis method is taught with classroom and homework problems. The preparation of a system safety program plan and management of the system safety process in all phases of the system life are examined in depth. A classroom project allows students to apply system safety management and engineering methods while working as a team. Enrichment lectures in special areas of knowledge essential to the system safety process will also be presented. Each student should bring a calculator with statistical functions.
Location: Century Boulevard Building (CBB) - 920
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Daniel Scalese
Event Link: https://avsafe.usc.edu/wconnect/CourseStatus.awp?&course=24ASSC2
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EiS Communications Hub Spring Break Writing Retreat Day2
Tue, Mar 12, 2024 @ 11:00 AM - 04:00 PM
Engineering in Society Program
Student Activity
Join us at the Hub for a Spring Break Writing Retreat for concentrated writing time! Quiet writing space, lunch, and optional one-on-one writing consultations with Hub staff provided.
When: Monday, March 11 (11am to 4pm) and Tuesday, March 12 (11am to 4pm)
Where: RTH 222 (Space is very limited).
You can sign up for one or both days. RSVP by Monday, March 4 here: https://forms.gle/TvHgpqUghS8paz3r8Location: Ronald Tutor Hall of Engineering (RTH) - 222
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Helen Choi
Event Link: https://forms.gle/TvHgpqUghS8paz3r8
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**No Epstein Institute, ISE 651 Seminar Class - Spring Recess**
Tue, Mar 12, 2024 @ 03:30 PM - 04:50 PM
Daniel J. Epstein Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Talk Title: **NO SEMINAR - SPRING RECESS**
Location: Social Sciences Building (SOS) - SOS Building, B2
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Grace Owh
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Safety Management for Remotely Piloted Aircraft RPSM 24-2
Tue, Mar 12, 2024 @ 04:00 PM - 04:00 PM
Aviation Safety and Security Program
University Calendar
This Safety Management for Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPSM) course is intended for students who know remotely piloted vehicle operations or are looking to understand the current operational conditions for RPAs. Experts from RPA Human Factors, RPA Safety Management Systems, and RPA Piloting introduce students to the theory and application unique to unmanned aircraft. By addressing the characteristics that differ between manned and unmanned air vehicles, the course applies the latest approaches to accident investigation and Safety Management. Students come away with a working knowledge of the safety field pertaining to Remotely Piloted Aircraft, which they can apply to their organization’s operations and future planning.
Location: Century Boulevard Building (CBB) - 960
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Daniel Scalese
Event Link: https://avsafe.usc.edu/wconnect/CourseStatus.awp?&course=24ARPSM2
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System Safety SSC 24-2
Wed, Mar 13, 2024 @ 08:00 AM - 04:00 PM
Aviation Safety and Security Program
University Calendar
Instruction is given in system safety engineering and management, emphasizing complex, high-technology systems. Engineering methods are illustrated with practical, numerical examples. The principal system safety analysis method is taught with classroom and homework problems. The preparation of a system safety program plan and management of the system safety process in all phases of the system life are examined in depth. A classroom project allows students to apply system safety management and engineering methods while working as a team. Enrichment lectures in special areas of knowledge essential to the system safety process will also be presented. Each student should bring a calculator with statistical functions.
Location: Century Boulevard Building (CBB) - 920
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Daniel Scalese
Event Link: https://avsafe.usc.edu/wconnect/CourseStatus.awp?&course=24ASSC2
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Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering
Wed, Mar 13, 2024 @ 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Ishwar K. Puri, Professor of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering
Talk Title: Playing with Magnets
Abstract: Control over coalescing particles as they interact, grow, and form patterns leads to a wide array of life science and nanotechnology applications. We consider engineered clusters, such as annuli, spheroids, and organoids, that better mimic in vitro physiological constructs than 1D monolayer structures. Here, we describe a macroscale contactless and label-free field-guided magnetic method that prints in-situ three-dimensional particle assemblies of different morphologies and sizes using non-adherent cells (RBCs) and adherent cells, such as MCF-7, over relatively short timespans. Potential applications of the method include biosensing, high-throughput drug testing, and other patient-specific treatments.
Biography: Ishwar K. Puri is professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering at the University of Southern California. He is a fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and holds the Engineering Medal for Engineering Excellence awarded by Professional Engineers Ontario and the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers. Puri is the author of over 200 archival publications and books that have been cited over 9,400 times per Google Scholar with an H-Index of 54, and is ranked among the top 2% of scientists in the world based on the citations publications between 1965-2019. He has founded and mentored startups. He also oversees the USC Office of Research and Innovation that guides the university’s research programs.
Host: Peter Wang
Location: Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience (MCB) - 102
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Carla Stanard
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Safety Management for Remotely Piloted Aircraft RPSM 24-2
Wed, Mar 13, 2024 @ 04:00 PM - 04:00 PM
Aviation Safety and Security Program
University Calendar
This Safety Management for Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPSM) course is intended for students who know remotely piloted vehicle operations or are looking to understand the current operational conditions for RPAs. Experts from RPA Human Factors, RPA Safety Management Systems, and RPA Piloting introduce students to the theory and application unique to unmanned aircraft. By addressing the characteristics that differ between manned and unmanned air vehicles, the course applies the latest approaches to accident investigation and Safety Management. Students come away with a working knowledge of the safety field pertaining to Remotely Piloted Aircraft, which they can apply to their organization’s operations and future planning.
Location: Century Boulevard Building (CBB) - 960
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Daniel Scalese
Event Link: https://avsafe.usc.edu/wconnect/CourseStatus.awp?&course=24ARPSM2
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DEN@Viterbi: How to Apply Virtual Info Session
Wed, Mar 13, 2024 @ 05:00 PM - 06:00 PM
DEN@Viterbi, Viterbi School of Engineering Graduate Admission
Workshops & Infosessions
Join USC Viterbi representatives for a step-by-step guide and tips for how to apply for formal admission into a Master's degree or Graduate Certificate program. The session is intended for individuals who wish to pursue a graduate degree program completely online via USC Viterbi's flexible online DEN@Viterbi delivery method. Attendees will have the opportunity to connect directly with USC Viterbi representatives and ask questions about the admission process throughout the session.
WebCast Link: https://uscviterbi.webex.com/weblink/register/r3d8589734bd530f6a08a3b0962a5f014
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Corporate & Professional Programs
Event Link: https://uscviterbi.webex.com/weblink/register/r3d8589734bd530f6a08a3b0962a5f014
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System Safety SSC 24-2
Thu, Mar 14, 2024 @ 08:00 AM - 04:00 PM
Aviation Safety and Security Program
University Calendar
Instruction is given in system safety engineering and management, emphasizing complex, high-technology systems. Engineering methods are illustrated with practical, numerical examples. The principal system safety analysis method is taught with classroom and homework problems. The preparation of a system safety program plan and management of the system safety process in all phases of the system life are examined in depth. A classroom project allows students to apply system safety management and engineering methods while working as a team. Enrichment lectures in special areas of knowledge essential to the system safety process will also be presented. Each student should bring a calculator with statistical functions.
Location: Century Boulevard Building (CBB) - 920
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Daniel Scalese
Event Link: https://avsafe.usc.edu/wconnect/CourseStatus.awp?&course=24ASSC2
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Safety Management for Remotely Piloted Aircraft RPSM 24-2
Thu, Mar 14, 2024 @ 04:00 PM - 04:00 PM
Aviation Safety and Security Program
University Calendar
This Safety Management for Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPSM) course is intended for students who know remotely piloted vehicle operations or are looking to understand the current operational conditions for RPAs. Experts from RPA Human Factors, RPA Safety Management Systems, and RPA Piloting introduce students to the theory and application unique to unmanned aircraft. By addressing the characteristics that differ between manned and unmanned air vehicles, the course applies the latest approaches to accident investigation and Safety Management. Students come away with a working knowledge of the safety field pertaining to Remotely Piloted Aircraft, which they can apply to their organization’s operations and future planning.
Location: Century Boulevard Building (CBB) - 960
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Daniel Scalese
Event Link: https://avsafe.usc.edu/wconnect/CourseStatus.awp?&course=24ARPSM2
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Munushian Distinguished Lecture - George Malliaras, Friday, March 15th at 3pm in EEB 132
Fri, Mar 15, 2024 @ 02:00 PM - 03:30 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: George Malliaras, University of Cambridge
Talk Title: Technology for Bioelectronic Medicine
Series: Munushian Visiting Seminar Series
Abstract: Neurological conditions affect one in six people, imposing significant health, economic and societal burden. Bioelectronic medicine aims to restore or replace neurological function with the help of implantable electronic devices. Unfortunately, significant technological limitations prohibit these devices from reaching patients at scale, as implants are bulky, require invasive implantation procedures, elicit a pronounced foreign body response, and show poor treatment specificity and off-target effects. Over the past decade, new devices made using methods from microelectronics industry have been shown to overcome these limitations. Recent literature provides powerful demonstrations of thin film implants that are miniaturised, ultra-conformal, stretchable, multiplexed, integrated with different sensors and actuators, bioresorbable, and minimally invasive. I will discuss the state-of-the-art of these new technologies and the barriers than need to be overcome to reach patients at scale.
Biography: George Malliaras is the Prince Philip Professor of Technology at the University of Cambridge. He leads the Bioelectronics Laboratory, an interdisciplinary group of scientists, engineers and clinicians who translate advances in electronics to better tools for healthcare. George received a BS from the Aristotle University, Greece, a PhD from the University of Groningen, the Netherlands, and did a postdoc at the IBM Almaden Research Center, USA. Before joining Cambridge, he was a faculty member at Cornell University in the USA, where he also served as the Director of the Cornell NanoScale Facility, and at the School of Mines of St. Etienne in France. His research has been recognized with awards from the European Academy of Sciences (Blaise Pascal Medal), the Materials Research Society (Mid-Career Researcher Award), the New York Academy of Sciences (Blavatnik Award for Young Scientists), the US National Science Foundation (Faculty Early Career Development Award), and DuPont (Young Professor Award). He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Linköping (Sweden), elected Fellow of the Materials Research Society and of the Royal Society of Chemistry, and is a member of the Academia Europaea and of the European Academy of Sciences. He serves as a Deputy Editor of Science Advances.
Host: ECE-Electrophysics
More Information: George Malliaras Flyer.pdf
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 132
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Marilyn Poplawski
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Safety Management for Remotely Piloted Aircraft RPSM 24-2
Fri, Mar 15, 2024 @ 04:00 PM - 04:00 PM
Aviation Safety and Security Program
University Calendar
This Safety Management for Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPSM) course is intended for students who know remotely piloted vehicle operations or are looking to understand the current operational conditions for RPAs. Experts from RPA Human Factors, RPA Safety Management Systems, and RPA Piloting introduce students to the theory and application unique to unmanned aircraft. By addressing the characteristics that differ between manned and unmanned air vehicles, the course applies the latest approaches to accident investigation and Safety Management. Students come away with a working knowledge of the safety field pertaining to Remotely Piloted Aircraft, which they can apply to their organization’s operations and future planning.
Location: Century Boulevard Building (CBB) - 960
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Daniel Scalese
Event Link: https://avsafe.usc.edu/wconnect/CourseStatus.awp?&course=24ARPSM2
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Human Factors in Aviation Safety HFH 24-3
Mon, Mar 18, 2024 @ 08:00 AM - 04:00 PM
Aviation Safety and Security Program
University Calendar
Humans design, build, operate, and maintain the aviation system. It is no wonder that the majority of aviation accidents and incidents have roots in human factors. With this realization comes the conclusion that quality human factors training is effective in improving safety. This course presents information on human factors in a manner that can be readily understood and applied by aviation practitioners. Emphasis is placed on identifying the causes of human error, predicting how human error can affect performance, and applying countermeasures to reduce or eliminate its effects. The course content follows the subjects recommended in FAA Advisory Circular 120-51E. The course also addresses topics recommended in the International Civil Aviation Organization’s Human Factors Digest No. 3: Training Operational Personnel in Human Factors. The emphasis is from the pilot’s perspective but applies to all phases of aviation operations. The course relies heavily on participation, case studies, demonstrations, self-assessment, and practical exercises.
Location: Century Boulevard Building (CBB) - 960
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Daniel Scalese
Event Link: https://avsafe.usc.edu/wconnect/CourseStatus.awp?&course=24AHFH3
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Advanced System Safety Analysis ADVSS 24-1
Mon, Mar 18, 2024 @ 08:00 AM - 04:00 PM
Aviation Safety and Security Program
University Calendar
This course is a continuation of the <a href="https://aviationsafety.usc.edu/courses/system-safety/">System Safety</a> course focused on engineering aspects of the course. The objective is to address advanced issues in system safety analysis and broaden the trainees’ perspective on system safety issues. Engineering methods addressed in the System Safety course are reviewed, and special advanced topics are addressed. Additional methods for system safety analysis are addressed, focusing on the application of these methods.
Location: Century Boulevard Building (CBB) - 960
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Daniel Scalese
Event Link: https://avsafe.usc.edu/wconnect/CourseStatus.awp?&course=24AADVSS1
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EiS Communications Hub Drop-In Hours
Mon, Mar 18, 2024 @ 10:00 AM - 01:00 PM
Viterbi School of Engineering Student Affairs
Workshops & Infosessions
Viterbi Ph.D. students are invited to stop by the EiS Communications Hub for one-on-one instruction for their academic and professional communications tasks. All instruction is provided by Viterbi faculty at the Engineering in Society Program.
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?authuser=0
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EiS Communications Hub Drop-In Hours
Mon, Mar 18, 2024 @ 10:00 AM - 01:00 PM
Engineering in Society Program
Student Activity
Drop-in hours for writing and speaking support for Viterbi Ph.D. students
Location: Ronald Tutor Hall of Engineering (RTH) - 222
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Helen Choi
Event Link: https://sites.google.com/usc.edu/eishub/home
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CS Colloquium: TBA
Mon, Mar 18, 2024 @ 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: TBA, TBA
Talk Title: TBA
Series: Computer Science Colloquium
Host: Heather Culbertson
Location: Olin Hall of Engineering (OHE) - 132
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: CS Faculty Affairs
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ECE Seminar: Marcelo Orenes-Vera, "Navigating Heterogeneity and Scalability in Modern Chip Design"
Mon, Mar 18, 2024 @ 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Marcelo Orenes-Vera, PhD Candidate, Dept of CS, Princeton University
Talk Title: Navigating Heterogeneity and Scalability in Modern Chip Design
Abstract: Abstract: The pursuit of continued improvements in performance and energy efficiency, following the end of Moore's Law and Dennard scaling, marks a pivotal moment in system architecture. As modern systems leverage parallelism and hardware specialization to achieve these goals, new challenges arise:
(1) The complexity of the system grows with the number of distinct hardware components, making it difficult to verify that it will behave correctly and securely;
(2) Parallelizing applications across more processing elements increases the pressure on the memory hierarchy and the network to supply data, which results in severe bottlenecks for data-and communication-intensive applications such as graph analytics and sparse linear algebra.
These challenges call for re-thinking our software abstractions and hardware designs to achieve scalable and efficient systems, as well as introducing robust methodologies to ensure their correctness and security. This talk presents my work on scalable data-centric architectures that co-design the hardware with a migrate-compute-to-the-data programming model to outperform the best results from the Graph500 list. Moreover, this architecture offers a chiplet-based design that enables post-silicon re-configuration of critical resources like the memory hierarchy or network-on-chip for a cost-efficient integration based on different deployment targets. In addition, this talk also introduces two formal-verification-based tools that assist the design of verifiably correct and secure hardware RTL by leveraging high-level abstraction primitives. In addition to facilitating the design process, my verification work also identified and fixed security vulnerabilities and correctness bugs in widely used open-source hardware projects.
Biography: Marcelo is a PhD candidate at Princeton University advised by Margaret Martonosi and David Wentzlaff. His research focuses on Computer Architecture, from hardware RTL design and verification to software programming models of novel architectures. He has previously worked in the hardware industry at Arm, contributing to the design and verification of three GPU projects; at Cerebras Systems, creating high-performance kernels for the Wafer-Scale Engine; and at AMD Research, contributing to design next-generation data centers optimized for large graph structure traversal. At Princeton, he has contributed in two chip tapeouts that aims to improve the performance, power and programmability of ML and Graph workloads. His contributions to scalable data-centric architectures were recognized with the gold medal at the ACM/SIGMICRO 2022 SRC and with an honorable mention at the IEEE Top Picks of 2023.
Host: Dr. Massoud Pedram, pedram@usc.edu
Webcast: https://usc.zoom.us/j/98003769115?pwd=Sm5JU2RUN1N4Qnd6UkZSOTFEdFpzZz09Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 248
WebCast Link: https://usc.zoom.us/j/98003769115?pwd=Sm5JU2RUN1N4Qnd6UkZSOTFEdFpzZz09
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Mayumi Thrasher
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NL Seminar-Do Androids Know They're Only Dreaming of Electric Sheep?
Mon, Mar 18, 2024 @ 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Information Sciences Institute
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Sky Wang, Columbia University
Talk Title: Do Androids Know They're Only Dreaming of Electric Sheep?
Series: NL Seminar
Abstract: REMINDER: This talk will be a live presentation only, it will not be recorded. Meeting hosts only admit 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 provide your: Full Name, Title and Name of Workplace to (nlg-seminar-host(at)isi.edu) beforehand so we’ll be aware of your attendance. Also, let us know if you plan to attend in-person or virtually. More Info for NL Seminars can be found at: https://nlg.isi.edu/nl-seminar/ We design probes trained on the internal representations of a transformer language model that are predictive of its hallucinatory behavior on in-context generation tasks. To facilitate this detection, we create a span-annotated dataset of organic and synthetic hallucinations over several tasks. We find that probes trained on the force-decoded states of synthetic hallucinations are generally ecologically invalid in organic hallucination detection. Furthermore, hidden state information about hallucination appears to be task and distribution-dependent. Intrinsic and extrinsic hallucination saliency varies across layers, hidden state types, and tasks; notably, extrinsic hallucinations tend to be more salient in a transformer's internal representations. Outperforming multiple contemporary baselines, we show that probing is a feasible and efficient alternative to language model hallucination evaluation when model states are available.
Biography: If speaker approves to be recorded for this NL Seminar talk, it will be posted on our USC/ISI YouTube page within 1-2 business days: https://www.youtube.com/user/USCISI. Subscribe here to learn more about upcoming seminars: https://www.isi.edu/events/ Sky is a Ph.D. candidate in Computer Science at Columbia University advised by Zhou Yu and Smaranda Muresan. His research primarily revolves around Natural Language Processing (NLP), with broad interests in the area where NLP meets Computational Social Science (CSS). Here, his research primarily revolves around three major areas: (1) revealing and designing for social difference and inequality, (2) cross-cultural NLP, and (3) mechanistic interpretability. His research is supported by a NSF Graduate Research Fellowship and has received two outstanding paper awards at EMNLP. He has previously been an intern at Microsoft Semantic Machines, Google Research, and Amazon AWS AI.
Host: Jon May and Justin Cho
More Info: https://nlg.isi.edu/nl-seminar/
Webcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pm0ljFMg0cwLocation: Information Science Institute (ISI) - Virtual and ISI-Conf Rm#689
WebCast Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pm0ljFMg0cw
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Pete Zamar
Event Link: https://nlg.isi.edu/nl-seminar/
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Machine Learning Center Seminar: Lily Weng (UC San Diego) - Towards Interpretable Deep Learning
Mon, Mar 18, 2024 @ 12:00 PM - 01:30 PM
Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Lily Weng, UC San Diego
Talk Title: Towards Interpretable Deep Learning
Series: Machine Learning Center Seminar Series
Abstract: Deep neural networks (DNNs) have achieved unprecedented success across many scientific and engineering fields in the last decades. Despite its empirical success, however, they are notoriously black-box models that are difficult to understand their decision process. Lacking interpretability is one critical issue that may seriously hinder the deployment of DNNs in high-stake applications, which need interpretability to trust the prediction, to understand potential failures, and to be able to mitigate harms and eliminate biases in the model.
In this talk, I'll share some exciting results in my lab on advancing explainable AI and interpretable machine learning. Specifically, I will show how we could bring interpretability into deep learning by leveraging recent advances in multi-modal models. I'll present two recent works [1,2] in our group on demystifying neural networks and interpretability-guided neural network design, which are the important first steps to enable Trustworthy AI and Trustworthy Machine Learning. I will also briefly overview our other recent efforts on Trustworthy Machine Learning and automated explanations for LLMs [3].
[1] Oikarinen and Weng, CLIP-Dissect: Automatic Description of Neuron Representations in Deep Vision Networks, ICLR 23 (spotlight)
[2] Oikarinen, Das, Nguyen and Weng, Label-Free Concept Bottleneck Models, ICLR 23
[3] Lee, Oikarinen etal, The Importance of Prompt Tuning for Automated Neuron Explanations, NeurIPS 23 ATTRIB workshop
Biography: Lily Weng is an Assistant Professor in the Halicioglu Data Science Institute at UC San Diego. She received her PhD in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences (EECS) from MIT in August 2020, and her Bachelor and Master degree both in Electrical Engineering at National Taiwan University. Prior to UCSD, she spent 1 year in MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab and several research internships in Google DeepMind, IBM Research and Mitsubishi Electric Research Lab. Her research interest is in machine learning and deep learning, with primary focus on trustworthy AI. Her vision is to make the next generation AI systems and deep learning algorithms more robust, reliable, explainable, trustworthy and safer. For more details, please see https://lilywenglab.github.io/.
Host: Yan Liu
Location: Ronald Tutor Hall of Engineering (RTH) - 306
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: CS Events
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AME Seminar
Mon, Mar 18, 2024 @ 01:30 PM - 02:30 PM
Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Rachel Holladay, MIT
Talk Title: Dexterous Decision-Making for Real-World Robotic Manipulation
Abstract: For a robot to prepare a meal or clean a room, it must make a large array of decisions, such as what objects to clean first, where to grasp each ingredient and tool, how to open a heavy, overstuffed cabinet, and so on. To enable robots to tackle these tasks, I decompose the problem into two interdependent layers: generating a series of subgoals (i.e., a strategy) and solving for the robot behavior that achieves each of these subgoals. Critically, to accomplish a rich set of manipulation tasks, these subgoal solvers must account for force, motion, deformation, contact, uncertainty and partial observability.My research contributes models and algorithms that enable robots to reason over both the geometry and physics of the world in order to solve long-horizon manipulation tasks. In this talk, I will first discuss how this approach has enabled robots to perform tasks that require reasoning over and exerting force, like opening a childproof medicine bottle with a single arm. Next, I will present an abstraction for the complex physics of frictional pushing and demonstrate its application within the context of in-hand manipulation. Finally, I will illustrate how robots can make robust choices in the face of uncertainty. For example, this empowers robots to reliably chop up fruit of unknown ripeness!
Biography: Rachel Holladay is a Ph.D. student in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her research focuses on developing algorithms and models that enable robots to robustly perform long-horizon, contact-rich manipulation tasks in everyday environments. She received her B.S. in Computer Science and Robotics from Carnegie Mellon University.
Host: AME Department
More Info: https://ame.usc.edu/seminars/
Webcast: https://usc.zoom.us/j/95892885119?pwd=QXZOZUhrcTJRYk5qZzZwVThrTytVZz09Location: Olin Hall of Engineering (OHE) - 406
WebCast Link: https://usc.zoom.us/j/95892885119?pwd=QXZOZUhrcTJRYk5qZzZwVThrTytVZz09
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Tessa Yao
Event Link: https://ame.usc.edu/seminars/
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CSC/CommNetS-MHI Seminar: Nickolay Atanasov
Mon, Mar 18, 2024 @ 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Dr. Nickolay Atanasov, Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering | University of California, San Diego
Talk Title: Elements of generalizable mobile robot autonomy
Abstract: This seminar will discuss mobile robot autonomy in novel, unstructured, changing environments. It will argue that successful generalization requires motion, environment, and task models that can be constructed and adapted from streaming sensor observations and interaction among multiple robots. Four elements of generalizable mobile robot autonomy will be presented: 1) physics-informed motion-model learning using neural ordinary differential equations, 2) online mapping using object and semantic information, 3) multi-robot coordination using distributed optimization, and 4) task modeling and planning using automata labeled with object semantics.
Biography: Nikolay Atanasov is an Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA. He obtained a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from Trinity College, Hartford, CT, USA in 2008, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical and Systems Engineering from University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA in 2012 and 2015, respectively. Dr. Atanasov's research focuses on robotics, control theory, and machine learning with emphasis on active perception problems for autonomous mobile robots. He works on probabilistic models and inference techniques for simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) and on optimal control and reinforcement learning techniques for autonomous navigation and uncertainty minimization. Dr. Atanasov's work has been recognized by the Joseph and Rosaline Wolf award for the best Ph.D. dissertation in Electrical and Systems Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania in 2015, the Best Conference Paper Award at the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) in 2017, the NSF CAREER Award in 2021, and the IEEE RAS Early Academic Career Award in Robotics and Automation in 2023.
Host: Dr. Lars Lindemann, llindema@usc.edu
More Info: https://csc.usc.edu/seminars/2024Spring/atanasov.html
More Information: 2024.03.18 CSC Seminar - Nikolay Atanasov.pdf
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - EEB 132
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Miki Arlen
Event Link: https://csc.usc.edu/seminars/2024Spring/atanasov.html
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Human Factors in Aviation Safety HFH 24-3
Tue, Mar 19, 2024 @ 08:00 AM - 04:00 PM
Aviation Safety and Security Program
University Calendar
Humans design, build, operate, and maintain the aviation system. It is no wonder that the majority of aviation accidents and incidents have roots in human factors. With this realization comes the conclusion that quality human factors training is effective in improving safety. This course presents information on human factors in a manner that can be readily understood and applied by aviation practitioners. Emphasis is placed on identifying the causes of human error, predicting how human error can affect performance, and applying countermeasures to reduce or eliminate its effects. The course content follows the subjects recommended in FAA Advisory Circular 120-51E. The course also addresses topics recommended in the International Civil Aviation Organization’s Human Factors Digest No. 3: Training Operational Personnel in Human Factors. The emphasis is from the pilot’s perspective but applies to all phases of aviation operations. The course relies heavily on participation, case studies, demonstrations, self-assessment, and practical exercises.
Location: Century Boulevard Building (CBB) - 960
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Daniel Scalese
Event Link: https://avsafe.usc.edu/wconnect/CourseStatus.awp?&course=24AHFH3
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Advanced System Safety Analysis ADVSS 24-1
Tue, Mar 19, 2024 @ 08:00 AM - 04:00 PM
Aviation Safety and Security Program
University Calendar
This course is a continuation of the <a href="https://aviationsafety.usc.edu/courses/system-safety/">System Safety</a> course focused on engineering aspects of the course. The objective is to address advanced issues in system safety analysis and broaden the trainees’ perspective on system safety issues. Engineering methods addressed in the System Safety course are reviewed, and special advanced topics are addressed. Additional methods for system safety analysis are addressed, focusing on the application of these methods.
Location: Century Boulevard Building (CBB) - 960
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Daniel Scalese
Event Link: https://avsafe.usc.edu/wconnect/CourseStatus.awp?&course=24AADVSS1
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CS Colloquium: Sherry Yang - Decision Making with Internet-Scale Knowledge
Tue, Mar 19, 2024 @ 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Sherry Yang, UC Berkeley
Talk Title: Decision Making with Internet-Scale Knowledge
Abstract: Machine learning models pretrained on internet data have acquired broad knowledge about the world but struggle to solve complex tasks that require extended reasoning and planning. Sequential decision making, on the other hand, has empowered AlphaGo’s superhuman performance, but lacks visual, language, and physical knowledge about the world. In this talk, I will present my research towards enabling decision making with internet-scale knowledge. First, I will illustrate how language models and video generation are unified interfaces that can integrate internet knowledge and represent diverse tasks, enabling the creation of a generative simulator to support real-world decision-making. Second, I will discuss my work on designing decision making algorithms that can take advantage of generative language and video models as agents and environments. Combining pretrained models with decision making algorithms can effectively enable a wide range of applications such as developing chatbots, learning robot policies, and discovering novel materials. This lecture satisfies requirements for CSCI 591: Research Colloquium
Biography: Sherry is a final year PhD student at UC Berkeley advised by Pieter Abbeel and a senior research scientist at Google DeepMind. Her research aims to develop machine learning models with internet-scale knowledge to make better-than-human decisions. To this end, she has developed techniques for generative modeling and representation learning from large-scale vision, language, and structured data, coupled with developing algorithms for sequential decision making such as imitation learning, planning, and reinforcement learning. Sherry initiated and led the Foundation Models for Decision Making workshop at NeurIPS 2022 and 2023, bringing together research communities in vision, language, planning, and reinforcement learning to solve complex decision making tasks at scale. Before her current role, Sherry received her Bachelor’s degree and Master’s degree from MIT advised by Patrick Winston and Julian Shun.
Host: Dani Yogatama
Location: Olin Hall of Engineering (OHE) - 136
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: CS Faculty Affairs
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Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering
Tue, Mar 19, 2024 @ 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Wilson Wong, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering an Allen Distinguished Investigator
Talk Title: Engineering Vaccines, Cell and GeneTherapies using Synthetic Biology
Abstract: In this seminar, I will share with you some of the work that my trainees and colleagues have done on using synthetic biology in various areas, such as foundational circuit engineering, cellular immunotherapy, and vaccines. I will discuss our work on improving the specificity and safety of CAR T cell therapy against cancer using synthetic biology and biomaterials. I will also share our recent discovery on engineering self-amplifying RNA with reduced innate immune response and improved protein expression, leading to a highly potent COVID-19 vaccine as demonstrated in a lethal live virus challenge in mice.
Biography: Dr. Wilson Wong is an Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering and an Allen Distinguished Investigator at Boston University. He is an expert in immune cell engineering and synthetic biology for therapeutic applications. Dr. Wong’s research has been published in numerous high-impact journals, including Nature, Nature Biotechnology, Cell, and PNAS. Dr. Wong has been recognized with multiple academic career awards, including the NIH New Innovator Award, the ACS Synthetic Biology Young Investigator Award, the NSF CAREER Award, and the Allen Distinguished Investigator Award. He has co-founded three companies, with one in the clinical stage. Dr. Wong has a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and a PhD in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Wong completed his postdoctoral studies in the laboratory of Professor Wendell Lim at the University of California, San Francisco.
Host: Peter Wang
Location: Corwin D. Denney Research Center (DRB) - 145
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Carla Stanard
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PhD Thesis Proposal - Yuzhong Huang
Tue, Mar 19, 2024 @ 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science
University Calendar
Committee Members: Fred Morstatter (Chair), Yue Wang, Aiichiro Nakano, & Antonio Ortega
Date & Time: Tuesday, March 19, 2024, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. (PST) - PHE 325
Title: Explicit Control in the Understanding and Generation of 3D world
Abstract: Understanding and recreating our living environment has been a key topic in scientific research, ranging from virtual reality, autonomous driving, and generative AI tools. Recent advancements have significantly improved machine model’s capability to recognize and generate visually similar 3D objects. However, existing approaches often lack explicit control mechanisms, limiting their adaptability and interpretability. This thesis proposal addresses this gap by focusing on three crucial aspects: (1) Explicit control in understanding 3D worlds, achieved through the imposition of planar priors and plane-splatting volume rendering method. (2) Explicit control in generating 3D worlds, enabled by an orientation-conditioned diffusion model. (3) Explicit control in modifying 3D objects, enabled by projecting text-guided 2D segmentation map onto 3D models. These advancements pave the way for more intuitive and precise manipulation of 3D environments.
Zoom Link: https://usc.zoom.us/j/99330288526Location: Charles Lee Powell Hall (PHE) - 325
WebCast Link: https://usc.zoom.us/j/99330288526
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science
Event Link: https://usc.zoom.us/j/99330288526
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PhD Thesis Proposal- Yuzhong Huang
Tue, Mar 19, 2024 @ 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science
Student Activity
PhD Thesis Proposal- Yuzhong Huang
Title: Explicit Control in the Understanding and Generation of 3D world
Committee Members: Fred Morstatter (Chair), Yue Wang, Aiichiro Nakano, Antonio Ortega
Abstract:
Understanding and recreating our living environment has been a key topic in scientific research, ranging from virtual reality, autonomous driving, and generative AI tools. Recent advancements have significantly improved machine model’s capability to recognize and generate visually similar 3D objects.
However, existing approaches often lack explicit control mechanisms, limiting their adaptability and interpretability. This thesis proposal addresses this gap by focusing on three crucial aspects: (1) Explicit control in understanding 3D worlds, achieved through the imposition of planar priors and plane-splatting volume rendering method. (2) Explicit control in generating 3D worlds, enabled by an orientation-conditioned diffusion model. (3) Explicit control in modifying 3D objects, enabled by projecting text-guided 2D segmentation map onto 3D models.
These advancements pave the way for more intuitive and precise manipulation of 3D environments.
Location: Charles Lee Powell Hall (PHE) - 325
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Yuzhong Huang
Event Link: https://usc.zoom.us/j/99330288526
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DEN@Viterbi: How to Apply Virtual Info Session
Tue, Mar 19, 2024 @ 12:00 PM - 01:00 PM
DEN@Viterbi, Viterbi School of Engineering Graduate Admission
Workshops & Infosessions
Join USC Viterbi representatives for a step-by-step guide and tips for how to apply for formal admission into a Master's degree or Graduate Certificate program. The session is intended for individuals who wish to pursue a graduate degree program completely online via USC Viterbi's flexible online DEN@Viterbi delivery method. Attendees will have the opportunity to connect directly with USC Viterbi representatives and ask questions about the admission process throughout the session.
WebCast Link: https://uscviterbi.webex.com/weblink/register/r7a895a38201c8efe49db7ed6e881f7f2
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Corporate & Professional Programs
Event Link: https://uscviterbi.webex.com/weblink/register/r7a895a38201c8efe49db7ed6e881f7f2
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ECE-S Seminar - Dr. Peipei Zhou
Tue, Mar 19, 2024 @ 01:00 PM - 02:00 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Dr. Peipei Zhou, Assistant Professor | Department of Electrical Computer Engineering | University of Pittsburgh
Talk Title: Efficient Programming on Heterogeneous Accelerators for Sustainable Computing
Abstract: There is a growing call for increasingly agile computational power for edge and cloud infrastructure to serve the computationally complex needs of ubiquitous computing devices. One important challenge is addressing the holistic environmental impacts of these computing systems. A life-cycle view of sustainability for computing systems is necessary to reduce environmental impacts such as greenhouse gas emissions from these computing systems in different phases: manufacturing, operational, and disposal/recycling. My research investigates how to efficiently program and map widely used workloads on heterogeneous accelerators and seamlessly integrate them with existing computing systems towards sustainable computing.
In this talk, I will first discuss how new mapping solutions, i.e., composing heterogeneous accelerators within system-on-chip with both FPGAs and AI tensor cores, achieve orders of magnitude energy efficiency gains when compared to monolithic accelerator mapping designs for various applications, including deep learning, security, and others. Then, I will apply such novel mapping solutions to show how design space explorations are performed when composing heterogeneous accelerators in latency-through tradeoff analysis. I will further discuss how such mapping and scheduling can be applied to other computing systems, such as GPUs, to improve energy efficiency and, therefore, reduce the operational carbon cost. Finally, I will introduce the REFRESH FPGA chiplets, explain why REFRESH chiplets help reduce the embodied carbon cost, and discuss the challenges and opportunities.
Biography: Peipei Zhou is a tenure-track assistant professor in the Department of Electrical Computer Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh. She received her Ph.D. in Computer Science (2019) and M.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering (2014) from UCLA, and her B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering (2012) from Southeast University. Her research investigates architecture, programming abstraction, and design automation tools for reconfigurable computing and heterogeneous computing. She has published 30 papers in IEEE/ACM computer system and design automation conferences and journals including FPGA, FCCM, DAC, ICCAD, ISPASS, TCAD, TODAES, TECS, IEEE Micro, etc. Her work has won the 2019 IEEE TCAD Donald O. Pederson Best Paper Award. Other awards include the 2023 ACM/IEEE IGSC Best Viewpoint Paper Finalist, the 2018 IEEE ISPASS Best Paper Nominee, and the 2018 IEEE/ACM ICCAD Best Paper Nominee.
Host: Dr. Peter Beerel, pabeerel@usc.edu
More Info: https://usc.zoom.us/j/92387554175?pwd=ZmFRL0NnZE1sLy82dzBiSXYzbUFVdz09
Webcast: https://usc.zoom.us/j/92387554175?pwd=ZmFRL0NnZE1sLy82dzBiSXYzbUFVdz09More Information: 2024.03.19 ECE-S Seminar - Peipei Zhou.pdf
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - EEB 132
WebCast Link: https://usc.zoom.us/j/92387554175?pwd=ZmFRL0NnZE1sLy82dzBiSXYzbUFVdz09
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Miki Arlen
Event Link: https://usc.zoom.us/j/92387554175?pwd=ZmFRL0NnZE1sLy82dzBiSXYzbUFVdz09
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ECE-EP Seminar - Yue (Joyce) Jiang, Tuesday, March 19th at 2pm in EEB 248
Tue, Mar 19, 2024 @ 02:00 PM - 03:30 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Yue (Joyce) Jiang, JILA, University of Colorado Boulder
Talk Title: Exploring Quantum Harmony between Superconducting Circuits & Cold Atoms
Series: ECE-EP Seminar
Abstract: Join me in this talk as I share my research journey in quantum information science, transitioning from cold atoms to superconducting circuits and exploring their harmonious collaboration in advancing quantum science and technology. In the first part, I will discuss the demonstration of a quantum-enhanced sensing technique at microwave frequencies using superconducting circuits to accelerate the search for weak signals arising from physics beyond the Standard Model, with a specific focus on axion dark matter searches. Shifting gears in the second part, we will delve into quantum optics experiments that utilize the nonlinear interaction between the cold atomic ensemble and optical photons, unveiling the fascinating realm of non- Hermitian quantum optics. Wrapping up, we will explore the exciting science that leverages the strengths of both systems, utilizing superconducting-atomic hybrid systems to bridge the gap between quantum information science in microwave and optical frequencies.
Biography: Yue (Joyce) Jiang is a postdoctoral research associate at JILA. She earned her Ph.D. in Physics from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology under the guidance of Prof. Shengwang Du in 2020, focusing on studying the nonlinear interaction between photons and laser-cooled atomic ensembles. Currently at JILA, she works with Prof. Konrad Lehnert on developing quantum-enhanced sensing techniques for weak signal detection using superconducting circuits.
Host: ECE-EP
Webcast: https://usc.zoom.us/j/93212540080?pwd=ODI5cXJ2N0RQQW9CNE9MQW5Ea3A0dz09More Information: Yue (Joyce) Jiang Seminar Announcement.pdf
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 248
WebCast Link: https://usc.zoom.us/j/93212540080?pwd=ODI5cXJ2N0RQQW9CNE9MQW5Ea3A0dz09
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Marilyn Poplawski
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Epstein Institute, ISE 651 Seminar Class
Tue, Mar 19, 2024 @ 03:30 PM - 04:50 PM
Daniel J. Epstein Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Dr. Gokce Dayanikli, Assistant Professor, Department of Statistics, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Talk Title: Finding Optimal Policies for Large Populations: An Application to Epidemic Control
Host: Dr. Renyuan Xu
More Information: March 19, 2024.pdf
Location: Social Sciences Building (SOS) - SOS Building, B2
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Grace Owh
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Clune Construction Trojan Talk
Tue, Mar 19, 2024 @ 05:00 PM - 06:00 PM
Viterbi School of Engineering Career Connections
Workshops & Infosessions
Come meet us and learn how to build your career in construction!
Clune Construction is a national, employee-owned general contractor, with more than 700 talented professionals located in seven offices across the U.S. We employ some of the most talented people in the construction industry to meet our clients expectations of the highest level of service. It is Clune's mission to provide exceptional construction services to our clients and business partners and deliver results which always exceed expectations.
Tuesday, March 19th
5-6 pm
Ronald Tutor Hall (RTH) Room 211
Please click on the links below to learn more about our company and careers in construction.
What We Build
Capabilities
Careers
Internship Program
Target majors: Civil, Electrical, Mechanical, Information Technology, ConstructionLocation: Ronald Tutor Hall of Engineering (RTH) - 211
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: RTH 218 Viterbi Career Connections
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Human Factors in Aviation Safety HFH 24-3
Wed, Mar 20, 2024 @ 08:00 AM - 04:00 PM
Aviation Safety and Security Program
University Calendar
Humans design, build, operate, and maintain the aviation system. It is no wonder that the majority of aviation accidents and incidents have roots in human factors. With this realization comes the conclusion that quality human factors training is effective in improving safety. This course presents information on human factors in a manner that can be readily understood and applied by aviation practitioners. Emphasis is placed on identifying the causes of human error, predicting how human error can affect performance, and applying countermeasures to reduce or eliminate its effects. The course content follows the subjects recommended in FAA Advisory Circular 120-51E. The course also addresses topics recommended in the International Civil Aviation Organization’s Human Factors Digest No. 3: Training Operational Personnel in Human Factors. The emphasis is from the pilot’s perspective but applies to all phases of aviation operations. The course relies heavily on participation, case studies, demonstrations, self-assessment, and practical exercises.
Location: Century Boulevard Building (CBB) - 960
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Daniel Scalese
Event Link: https://avsafe.usc.edu/wconnect/CourseStatus.awp?&course=24AHFH3
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Advanced System Safety Analysis ADVSS 24-1
Wed, Mar 20, 2024 @ 08:00 AM - 04:00 PM
Aviation Safety and Security Program
University Calendar
This course is a continuation of the <a href="https://aviationsafety.usc.edu/courses/system-safety/">System Safety</a> course focused on engineering aspects of the course. The objective is to address advanced issues in system safety analysis and broaden the trainees’ perspective on system safety issues. Engineering methods addressed in the System Safety course are reviewed, and special advanced topics are addressed. Additional methods for system safety analysis are addressed, focusing on the application of these methods.
Location: Century Boulevard Building (CBB) - 960
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Daniel Scalese
Event Link: https://avsafe.usc.edu/wconnect/CourseStatus.awp?&course=24AADVSS1
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EiS Communications Hub Drop-In Hours
Wed, Mar 20, 2024 @ 10:00 AM - 01:00 PM
Viterbi School of Engineering Student Affairs
Workshops & Infosessions
Viterbi Ph.D. students are invited to stop by the EiS Communications Hub for one-on-one instruction for their academic and professional communications tasks. All instruction is provided by Viterbi faculty at the Engineering in Society Program.
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?authuser=0
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EiS Communications Hub Drop-In Hours
Wed, Mar 20, 2024 @ 10:00 AM - 01:00 PM