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SUNMONTUEWEDTHUFRISAT
Events for the -49th week of January
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GTHB Seminar
Tue, Jan 11, 2011 @ 12:00 PM - 01:30 PM
Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Prof. Fan Chung Graham , Distinguished Professor of Mathematics, Distinguished Professor of Computer Science and Engineering,UCSD
Talk Title: Graph coloring games and memoryless voter models
Abstract: We analyze a network coloring game which can also describe a voter model. Each node represents a voter and is colored according to its preferred candidate, or undecided. Each hyperedge is a subset of nodes and can be viewed as a chat group. We consider interaction-based strategies involving chat groups: in each round of the game, one chat group is chosen randomly, and voters in the group can change colors based on informed discussion. We analyze the game as a random walk on the associated weighted directed state graph. Under certain `memoryless' conditions on the interaction strategies, the spectrum of the state graph can be explicitly determined and the random walk on the state graph converges to its stationary distribution in $O(m \log n)$ time, where $n$ denotes the number of voters and $m$ denotes the number of chat groups. This can then be used to determine the appropriate cut-off time for voting. For example, we show that the problem of estimating the probability that `blue' wins within an error bound of $\epsilon$ takes $O((\log 1/\epsilon) m \log n)$ rounds, provided the interaction strategies are memoryless.
This is a joint work with Alex Tsiatas and based on previous work with Ron Graham.
Biography: Fan Chung Graham received a B.S. degree in mathematics from National Taiwan University in 1970 and a Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Pennsylvania in 1974, after which she joined the technical staff of AT&T Bell Laboratories. From 1983 to 1991, she headed the Mathematics, Information Sciences and Operations Research Division at Bellcore. In 1991 she became a Bellcore Fellow. In 1993, she was the Class of 1965 Professor of Mathematics at the the University of Pennsylvania. Since 1998, she has been a Professor of Mathematics and Professor of Computer Science and Enginering at the University of California, San Diego. She is also the Paul Erdos Professor in Combinatorics.
Her research interests are primarily in graph theory, combinatorics, and algorithmic design, in particular in spectral graph theory, extremal graphs, graph labeling, graph decompositions, random graphs, graph algorithms, parallel structures and various applications of graph theory in Internet computing, communication networks, software reliability, chemistry, engineering, and various areas of mathematics.
She was awarded the Allendoerfer Award by Mathematical Association of America in 1990. Since 1998, she has been a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
**Lunch served at 12pm. Talk begins at 12:10pm.
RSVP by Fri 1/7 to gthb-seminar@isi.edu.
Host: Prof. Milind Tambe, USC
Location: Seeley Wintersmith Mudd Memorial Hall (of Philosophy) (MHP) - 106
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Kanak Agrawal
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ASCE General Meeting w/ Clark Construction
Tue, Jan 11, 2011 @ 06:00 PM - 07:30 PM
Viterbi School of Engineering Student Organizations
Student Activity
Date: Tuesday -- January 11th TIme: 6pm, Room: TBA (expect room KAP 156)
Guest Speaker: Ed Cunningham, Human Resources from Clark Construction in Costa Mesa.
Ed will be giving a presentation about Clark Construction and the companies role as a general contractor. He will discuss some of the recent projects that Clark Construction is working on in the Southern Califorina area.Location: Kaprielian Hall (KAP) - TBA
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: American Society of Civil Engineers
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IEEE S-PAC Signups Online
Wed, Jan 12, 2011
Viterbi School of Engineering Student Organizations
Student Activity
IEEE S-PAC Signups are now online! Go to http://www-scf.usc.edu/~ieee/spac/ to sign up.
Participating companies include Intel, Qualcomm, Boeing, Space-X, Sandia National Laboratories, Deloitte, and GE Aviation.Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
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Real-Time Feedback Control of a Mesoscopic Superposition
Wed, Jan 12, 2011 @ 01:00 PM - 02:00 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Kurt Jacobs, University of Massachusetts Boston
Talk Title: Real-Time Feedback Control of a Mesoscopic Superposition
Abstract: I will talk about how to use continuous real-time feedback to track, control, and protect a mesoscopic superposition of two spatially separated wave-packets. The feedback protocol is enabled by an approximate state-estimator, and requires two continuous measurements, performed simultaneously. Both measurements can be implemented for nanomechanical and superconducting resonators with readily available circuit elements.
Biography: Kurt Jacobs obtained his PhD from Imperial College in 1998. He held postdoctoral research positions at Los Alamos National Laboratory, Griffith University, and LSU, before joining the faculty in the Physics Department at UMass Boston in 2006, where he is presently an Assistant Professor. He has worked on quantum measurement theory, feedback control in mesoscopic systems, the quantum-to-classical transition, and the relationship between information, control, and thermodynamics.
Host: Todd Brun, tbrun@usc.edu, EEB 502, X03503
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 539
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Gerrielyn Ramos
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Utility Optimal Scheduling in Networks: Small Delay and No Underflow
Wed, Jan 12, 2011 @ 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Longbo Huang, USC
Talk Title: Utility Optimal Scheduling in Networks: Small Delay and No Underflow
Abstract: The recently developed Lyapunov optimization technique (commonly known as Backpressure / Max-Weight) is a powerful tool for solving a large class of stochastic network optimization problems. In this talk, we extend the theory in two directions: (i) We prove that dramatically improved delay is achievable with a simple Last-In-First Out (LIFO)-Backpressure rule, (ii) We generalize to "processing networks" where processing actions combine commodities of different queues to produce outputs, which involves a challenging "no underflow" constraint.
In the first part of the talk, we show that the LIFO-Backpressure algorithm can achieve utility within epsilon of optimality (for any epsilon>0), with O([log(1/epsilon)]^2) average delay. This dramatically improves upon the previous O(1/epsilon) delay bounds, and results in 95-98% delay reduction in practical implementations. Remarkably, LIFO-Backpressure achieves this performance by simply changing the queueing discipline of the original Backpressure algorithm. It is also the first algorithm that achieves such poly-logarithmic delay performance without knowing or learning any implicit network parameters.
In the second part of the talk, we consider processing networks that are generalizations of the traditional data networks, where commodities in one or more queues can be combined to produce new commodities that are delivered to other parts of the network. These networks can be used to model problems such as data fusion, stream processing and manufacturing, etc. Scheduling algorithms in such networks must ensure that the queues always have enough contents to support the actions, i.e., no underflow happens. We develop the Perturbed Max-Weight algorithm (PMW) for general processsing networks with random arrivals and activation costs. We show that by carefully perturbing the weights used in the usual Max-Weight algorithm, PMW simultaneously prevents queue underflows and optimizes network utility.
Biography: Longbo Huang received the B.E. degree from Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China in June 2003, and the M.S. degree from Columbia University, New York City, in December 2004, both in Electrical Engineering. He is currently working toward his Ph.D. degree at the University of Southern California. His research interests are in the areas of Queueing Theory, Stochastic Network Optimization and Network Pricing.
Host: Alex Dimakis, dimakis@usc.edu, EEB 532, x09264
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 248
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Gerrielyn Ramos
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AME Dept. Seminar
Wed, Jan 12, 2011 @ 03:30 PM - 04:30 PM
Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Elisa Franco , Graduate Student
Talk Title: Programming Molecular Networks
Abstract: How do living organisms process information and implement their responses to external stimuli? Even in the simplest cells, sensing, computation and actuation are structurally embedded in the biochemistry of complex molecular networks, and we need to develop new paradigms to explain and engineer such structures. Quoting Richard Feynman, what we cannot create, we do not understand: by programming and building simple molecular networks from the bottom-up, scientists have an opportunity to gain insight into the design principles of more complicated, naturally occurring circuits.
In this talk, I will describe how DNA and RNA can be used as simple building blocks to construct molecular circuits encoding complex functionalities, because their interactions can be predicted and specified with high confidence. In particular, we have used nucleic acids to investigate two challenges: synchronization and scalability of biochemical networks. I will describe how the activity of two synthetic genes can be matched, by using their outputs to create positive or negative feedback loops. Scaling up our perspective, to synchronize the operations of a larger number of circuits we may need "timing" devices: for instance, digital clock generators coordinate the state transitions of millions of silicon circuits. I will describe how a tunable synthetic oscillator can be used to time the conformation of a DNA nano-mechanical device called "DNA tweezers," evaluating several modes of connection. Because the biochemical interconnections are created by stoichiometric binding of our oscillator components and its "load" components, we observed a remarkable deterioration of the oscillator behavior as we increased its load concentration. To reduce this undesired retroactivity we engineered an "insulator circuit", the molecular equivalent of an operational amplifier, which improves the modularity and scalability of the system. To our knowledge, this is the first experimental attempt to use a synthetic biochemical oscillator to drive several types of downstream processes, in a plug-and-play fashion.
Biography: Elisa Franco is currently a graduate student at the California Institute of Technology, in the Department of Control and Dynamical Systems. She got her Laurea degree in Power Systems Engineering from the University of Trieste, Italy, where she also earned a PhD in Automatic Control. Her current research interests are in the field of synthetic and systems biology.
Host: Prof. Eva Kanso
More Info: http://ame-www.usc.edu/seminars/1-12-11-franco.shtmlLocation: Seaver Science Library (SSL) - 150
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: April Mundy
Event Link: http://ame-www.usc.edu/seminars/1-12-11-franco.shtml
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Overseas Programs Info Session (London & Rome)
Wed, Jan 12, 2011 @ 05:00 PM - 06:00 PM
Viterbi School of Engineering Student Affairs
Workshops & Infosessions
Please join us to learn more about this summer's Viterbi Overseas Programs: London & Rome.
We will discuss details associated with both of the programs and answer your questions before you apply about the program, housing, cultural excursions, classes and more.
More details and the applications for the programs are available at http://viterbi.usc.edu/overseasLocation: Ronald Tutor Hall of Engineering (RTH) - 211
Audiences: Undergrad
Contact: Viterbi Student Services
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Optimization Over Time: Multi-Armed Bandit and Quickest Detection
Thu, Jan 13, 2011 @ 09:30 AM - 10:30 AM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Qing Zhao, UC Davis
Talk Title: Optimization Over Time: Multi-Armed Bandit and Quickest Detection
Abstract: To quote Peter Whittle: "Optimization-over-time is the optimization of decisions to be made for the running of a dynamic system." In this talk, we focus on two broad classes of problems under this subject: multi-armed bandit and quickest detection. While both problems have been studied since early 1930's, we show that emerging applications such as dynamic spectrum access and smart grid of the energy distribution network call for new formulations and new solutions to these classical problems. At the same time, these emerging applications give rise to important classes of practical problems for which much stronger results can be obtained than what can be offered by the original mathematical theory.
Biography: Qing Zhao received the Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering in 2001 from Cornell University, Ithaca, NY. In August 2004, she joined the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at UC Davis where she is currently an Associate Professor. Her research interests are in the general area of stochastic optimization and decision theory in dynamic systems and communication networks. Qing Zhao holds the title of UC Davis Chancellor's Fellow. She received the 2000 Young Author Best Paper Award from IEEE Signal Processing Society and the 2008 Outstanding Junior Faculty Award from the UC Davis College of Engineering. She is also a co-author of two student paper awards at IEEE ICASSP 2006 and IEEE Asilomar Conference 2006.
http://www.ece.ucdavis.edu/~qzhao/
Host: Urbashi Mitra, ubli@usc.edu, EEB 540, x04667
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 248
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Gerrielyn Ramos
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Sonny Astani Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering Seminar
Thu, Jan 13, 2011 @ 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
University Calendar
Speaker: Dr. Navid Saleh, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering University of South Carolina
Title:
Aggregation and Surface Interaction of Carbonaceous and Metallic Nanomaterials in Environmental and Biologically Relevant Conditions
Abstract:
Carbonaceous (fullerenes and nanotubes) and metallic nanomaterials have a widespread potential for application due to their unique physicochemical properties. There has been lack of studies aimed at understanding the aggregation and surface interaction of such materials in the natural and biological environments. A systematic study of aggregation (kinetics and structure) and surface interaction of such nanomaterials is essential in order to predict their fate and interaction in chemistries relevant to natural and biological environments. Single-walled carbon nanotubes, higher order fullerenes, and gold nanospheres and nanorods are used in aggregation and surface interaction experiments in both natural and biologically relevant background chemistries. Aggregation kinetics and aggregate structural conformation of both carbonaceous and metallic nanoparticles are measured experimentally using state-of-the-art time-resolved dynamic and static light scattering studies. Classical Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (DLVO) model has been used to analyze the aggregation behavior. Quartz Crystal Microbalance-Dissipation (QCM-D) has been used to quantify such nanomaterial interaction with natural mineral interfaces. The mineral interfaces were also modified with natural organic matter (NOM) to determine the effect of NOM on deposition behavior. The results thus obtained aid in establishing quantitative structure activity relationships (QSARs) and mechanistically explain nanomaterial interaction with biological species.
Short Biography:
Navid Saleh is an Assistant Professor at Civil and Environmental Engineering at USC. Prior to joining USC in January 2009, he was a Post-Doctoral Researcher in Menachem Elimelechâs research group in Environmental Engineering at Yale University. Dr. Saleh received his B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), Dhaka, Bangladesh and his M.S. and PhD degrees from Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA in 2007 in Civil and Environmental Engineering. His research interests include (1) aggregation and deposition mechanisms of nanomaterials in aquatic environments, (2) development of novel technologies for water treatment and pollutant remediation, and (3) understanding interactions between nanomaterials and biological species in environmental systems. He already has received two major NSF grants as the PI on environmental fate of nanomaterials and nanoeducation.
Location: Kaprielian Hall (KAP) - 209
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Evangeline Reyes
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CS Colloquium
Thu, Jan 13, 2011 @ 03:30 PM - 05:00 PM
Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Dr. Zornitsa Kozareva, ISI, USC: Natural Language (Lexical Semantics)
Talk Title: Learning the Encyclopedia of the World using the Web
Abstract: How can we automatically build the Encyclopedia of the World, that will contain not only high-level information such as found in Wikipedia, but also particular facts such as "Who appeared in a concert in the Hollywood Bowl last night?" ?This is a challenging problem, which was never solved despite many have worked on it. In this talk, I will present novel algorithms for information gathering, sifting and organization that can rapidly, accurately and completely cover any area of interest mining unstructured text on the Web. I will describe a semi-supervised bootstrapping procedure, which uses a recursive lexico-syntactic pattern and an instance of a given semantic relation to scan billions of Web documents, and automatically harvest and taxonomize thousands to millions of new instances, facts and semantic relations. I will describe graph-based algorithms used to validate and rank the harvested knowledge. Finally, I will show that the algorithms (1) outperform state-of-the-art systems like KnowItAll and Yago, (2) enrich existing human-built knowledge repositories like WordNet, and (3) accurately reconstruct taxonomies starting from scratch. The developed search technology has shown that it is possible to begin the building of the Encyclopedia of the World and has opened up new directions for research.
Biography: Zornitsa Kozareva is a Research Scientist in the Natural Language group at the Information Sciences Institute, University of Southern California (USC/ISI). She received her PhD with Cum Laude from the University of Alicante, Spain. Her research interests lie in Web-based knowledge acquisition, text mining, lexical semantics, ontology population and multilingual information extraction. In 2010, Zornitsa co-organized one of the biggest challenges in the area of semantics called SemEval. She co-organized the CCIACADA/VACCINE Reconnect Conference. She was the leader of the team that won the answer validation challenge (AVE-2006) for French and Italian, and a member of the team that won the Spanish Geographic Information Retrieval (GeoClef-2006) challenge.
Host: Prof. Aiichiro Nakano
Location: SSL 150
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Kanak Agrawal
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Got a Brand? Tell Me A Little About Yourself (30 sec. pitch)
Thu, Jan 13, 2011 @ 04:00 PM - 05:00 PM
Viterbi School of Engineering Career Connections
Workshops & Infosessions
Do you know how to talk to employers at networking or hiring events? Do you want to know what a 30 second elevator speech is? Come to this workshop to help prepare for the question, âTell Me A Little About Yourselfâ
Location: Ronald Tutor Hall of Engineering (RTH) - 211
Audiences: All Viterbi Students
Contact: RTH 218 Viterbi Career Services
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W.V.T. Rusch Engineering Honors Colloquium; "The Great Transatlantic Cable"
Fri, Jan 14, 2011 @ 12:55 AM - 01:50 PM
USC Viterbi School of Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Talk Title: Screening of the video documentary "The Great Transatlantic Cable."
Abstract: The video documentary "The Great Transatlantic Cable" will be shown as part of the W.V.T. Rusch Engineering Honors Colloquium.
Host: W.V.T. Rusch Engineering Honors Colloquium
More Info: http://viterbi.usc.edu/students/undergrad/honors/schedules/Location: Seeley G. Mudd Building (SGM) - 101
Audiences: Undergrad
Contact: Amanda Atkinson
Event Link: http://viterbi.usc.edu/students/undergrad/honors/schedules/
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ASCE Rebuilding Together
Sat, Jan 15, 2011
Viterbi School of Engineering Student Organizations
Student Activity
Rebuilding Together!
Date: Saturday(s) -- January 15th and/or February 18th
Time: TBA (Assume most of the day)
Description of Rebuilding Together: Rebuilding Together believes in a safe and healthy home for every person. This means that we believe disabled and aging homeowners should be able to remain in their homes for as long as possible. We believe that homeowners displaced by natural disaster will get back into safe housing with help from the community. We believe that our nationâs veterans with disabilities deserve safe and accessible homes. Rebuilding Together believes we can preserve affordable homeownership and revitalize communities by providing free home modifications and repairs, making homes safer, more accessible, and more energy efficient.
Event Description: Basically, you have the opportunity to help build homes for low income families, in the area. According to our contact, for these two events Rebuilding Together will be working with the NBA, but she did not say in what capacity.
Remember this counts for a PSWC event which you need to attend at least 1 to go to PSWC.
Please RSVP by emailing us at uscasce@usc.eduLocation: Kaprielian Hall (KAP) - infront
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: American Society of Civil Engineers
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L.A. Philharmonic: Dudamel Conducts Mahler's Ninth Symphony
Sat, Jan 15, 2011 @ 06:30 PM - 11:00 PM
USC Viterbi School of Engineering
Student Activity
*This trip is for current USC students only. You must use the provided transportation to participate. Space is limited and advance registration is required. Due to limited space, tickets will be distributed on a lottery basis. To sign up for the lottery, click on the link at the event page http://web-app.usc.edu/ws/eo2/calendar/113/event/873340 on Tuesday, December 7, between 7 a.m. and 2 p.m. Check-in for the event will begin at 5:45 p.m. on campus. Buses will depart at 6:30 p.m. and return to campus at 11 p.m. Dinner will be provided at check-in.
Experience L.A. takes a second trip to see the L.A. Philharmonic as the dynamic Gustavo Dudamel tackles Gustav Mahlerâs sprawling Ninth Symphony. Just over 100 years old, Mahlerâs Ninth is a work preoccupied with death. Reflecting on the recent passing of his young daughter and his own fading health, Mahler crafted a work that serves as a capstone to Romanticism while anticipating modern classical music.
For further information on this event:
visionsandvoices@usc.eduLocation: Walt Disney Concert Hall
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Daria Yudacufski
