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Events for the 2nd week of March
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Society of Women Engineers Spring Badge Day
Sat, Mar 07, 2015
Viterbi School of Engineering Student Organizations
Student Activity
Please check out the SWE USC facebook page for more event details!
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Society of Women Engineers Society of Women Engineers
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Seminar in Biomedical Engineering
Mon, Mar 09, 2015 @ 12:30 PM - 01:50 PM
Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Albert Keung, PhD, NIH-NRSA Postdoctoral Fellow, MIT(IMES)-Boston University(BME), Boston, MA.
Talk Title: Synthetic Chromatin Biology
Abstract: The genomes of eukaryotic organisms including yeast, plants, and mammals are packaged into chromatin, a constellation of proteins and RNA physically layered on top of the polymeric genomic DNA. Chromatinâs rich structure and intimate association with the genome drives highly sophisticated gene expression programs and is relevant in diverse cellular processes from yeast metabolism to cancer to stem cell differentiation. Due to the hundreds of chromatin components and their functional diversity and complexity, there remain many questions and hypotheses surrounding the fundamental mechanisms of chromatin regulation. Furthermore, we are just beginning to reveal and quantitatively understand the potential gene regulatory behaviors chromatin confers to eukaryotic cells beyond gene activation and repression. In this talk, I will discuss how systems-scale synthetic biology approaches can help address fundamental questions about chromatin regulation, reveal complex gene regulation behaviors, and advance our ability to treat diverse disease states. I will describe a library of 223 synthetic proteins that site-specifically controls chromatin states in the yeast, S. cerevisiae. Recruitment of these synthetic chromatin regulators to custom genetic reporters reveals diverse regulatory behaviors including: 1) two-input logic; 2) long-range regulation; 3) asymmetric spatial regulation; and 4) gene expression memory. Through gene ontology clustering analysis, this synthetic system also provides insights into the protein functions driving these behaviors and can be used to address fundamental hypotheses in chromatin biology. Just as over 15 years ago synthetic biology built a conceptual and experimental framework around the manipulation of DNA sequences, new systems to control and harness chromatin will deepen our understanding of eukaryotic gene regulation and provide a powerful layer of cellular regulation for biomedical and biotechnological applications
Biography: Dr. Keung is a postdoctoral fellow at MIT and Boston University. His doctoral work focused on extracellular biophysical cues and their effects on stem cell differentiation and neurogenesis. Given the importance of chromatin in these processes, and its ubiquitous roles in eukaryotic gene regulation, Dr. Keung became broadly interested in engineering synthetic approaches to manipulate and harness chromatin and other epigenetic sources of cellular information, with the ultimate goals of advancing biological research, human health, and biotechnology.
Host: Stanley Yamashiro
Location: OHE 122
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Mischalgrace Diasanta
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Short Course: Six Sigma Green Belt for Process Improvement
Tue, Mar 10, 2015
DEN@Viterbi, Executive Education
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Abstract: This program, an introductory course in Six Sigma, will give you a thorough understanding of Six Sigma and its focus on eliminating defects through fundamental process knowledge. Topics covered in addition to DMAIIC and Six Sigma philosophy include basic statistics, statistical process control, process capability, financial implications and root cause analysis. This program is offered both in the classroom and online.
Register Now!
Audiences: Registered Attendees
Contact: Viterbi Professional Programs
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CS Colloquium: Elette Boyle (Technion Israel Institute of Technology) - Large-Scale Secure Computation
Tue, Mar 10, 2015 @ 09:45 AM - 10:50 AM
Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Elette Boyle, Technion Israel Institute of Technology
Talk Title: Large-Scale Secure Computation
Series: CS Colloquium
Abstract: The ability to collect and process large data sets has unlocked exciting new technological and research discoveries. Unfortunately, in several important applications, it is not possible to leverage the full extent of collected data, when information consists of sensitive data sets held by individual agents who are either unable or unwilling to share the data itself (e.g., patients' medical information gathered by different medical studies).
A promising approach to enable data sharing within these scenarios is to make use of cryptographic tools such as secure multi-party computation (MPC). MPC protocols provide a means for mutually untrusting parties to jointly evaluate a global function f over their secret inputs, while guaranteeing that no information is revealed beyond the function output.
However, despite great progress in MPC techniques in the last three decades, the surrounding world of data aggregation and computation has leapt even more rapidly forward. For example, nearly all existing MPC protocols require each party to store information comparable to the {\em total} combined data, and evaluate the desired function via a {\em boolean circuit} representation. When the number of parties and size of data is large, or when the functions to be computed are "lightweight" (e.g. touching only small portions of the data), these limitations completely obliterate feasibility of MPC as a solution.
In this talk, I will introduce a new class of techniques yielding MPC protocols whose parameters scale to the modern regime of massive data.
Lecture will be available to stream HERE.
Biography: Elette is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the Technion Israel Institute of Technology. Prior to the Technion, Elette received her Ph.D. from MIT under the guidance of Shafi Goldwasser, held a short-term postdoc at Cornell University, and completed her B.S. at Caltech in mathematics. Elette's research is in cryptography, focusing on methods of secure computation and distributed algorithm design.
Host: Computer Science Department
More Info: https://bluejeans.com/175107895
Location: Olin Hall of Engineering (OHE) - 132
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Assistant to CS chair
Event Link: https://bluejeans.com/175107895
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EE-EP Seminar
Tue, Mar 10, 2015 @ 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Li Jun Jiang, Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, the University of Hong Kong
Talk Title: COMPUTATIONAL ELECTROMAGNETICS AND ITS APPLICATIONS FROM DC TO OPTICS
Abstract: Due to the pervasive use of computing powers, computational electromagnetics (CEM) has become an indispensable technology for maintaining Mooreâs law in semiconductor industries, engineering new electromagnetic and optical materials, characterizing the next generation nano devices, and accelerating future communication systems. Facing surging scientific and engineering demands, the complexity of physics in todayâs CEM researches is unprecedented. Because of close connections between electromagnetics and optics, CEM generates essential methodologies and insights to new advances from static circuits, microwave systems, to THz and optical devices.
There are several primary challenges that CEM is facing: complex environments, extreme frequencies, and multidisciplines. The first two are heavily referenced and employed by the last one for advances in optoelectronics and nano scale devices. By developing physical models and numerical engines, I have been addressing above issues with novel solutions. New integral equation methods in the frequency domain and discontinuous Galerkinâs methods in the time domain have been proposed by us to characterize problems that are homogeneous or inhomogeneous, linear or nonlinear, isotropic or anisotropic, deterministic or stochastic, etc. The numerical fast multipole algorithms and other divide and conquer strategies rooted from physical principles are employed to organize numerical solutions. At the low frequency, the decoupling of electronic and magnetic fields is employed to establish a stable system. For the broadband request, both evanescent and propagating properties are integrated to support a smooth transition from the circuit physics to wave physics. By further pushing up the frequency, novel computational solutions for optoelectronic devices and graphene have been successfully developed to characterize the electromagnetic field with them. By demonstrating computational solutions ranging from DC, microwave, THz, to optical applications, the talk will conclude with future research discussions.
Biography: Lijun Jiang (Sâ01-Mâ04-SMâ13) received his Bachelor degree from the Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Master degree from Tsinghua University, and Ph.D from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in summer 2004. He worked as the application engineering at Hewlett-Packard (HP) in 1996-1999. From 2004 to 2009, he was postdoc/research staff member/senior engineer at IBM T.J. Watson Research Center, NY. Since the end of 2009, he has been an Associate Professor with the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the University of Hong Kong, where he received his tenure in Summer 2014. Since Sept. 2014, he has been a visiting scholar at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) for his Sabbatical leave.
He has received many recognitions including the HP STAR Award in 1998 at HP, the Y.T. Lo Outstanding Research Award in 2004 at UIUC, the IBM Research Technical Achievement Award in 2008 at IBM Research, the Best Student Paper Award of 2014 ACES in Florida, and the Best Paper Award of 2014 IEEE EPEP in Oregon. He is the Associate Editor of IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, the Associate Editor of Progress in Electromagnetics Research, the Associate Guest Editor of the Proceedings of IEEE Special Issue in 2011~2012, IEEE Senior Member, and the member of many international academic associations. He was the Semiconductor Research Cooperation (SRC) Industrial Liaison for several academic projects. He was the TPC member, session organizer, or session chair of many international conferences. He was the co-organizer of HKU Computational Science and Engineering Workshops in 2010-2012, the TPC co-chair of the 7th International Conference on Nanophotonics (ICNP), the co-chair of International Workshop on Pulsed Electromagnetic Field at the Delft, the Netherlands, 2013, and the TPC co-chair of 14th International FEM Workshop. He serves as the reviewer for almost all major electromagnetics and microwave related journals.
His research interests focus on electromagnetics and optics, computational electromagnetics, IC signal/power integrity, IC EMC/EMI, microwave material engineering, etc.
Host: EE-Electrophysics
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 132
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Marilyn Poplawski
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Dynamics and control of distributed systems
Tue, Mar 10, 2015 @ 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Mihailo Jovanovic, University of Minnesota
Talk Title: Dynamics and control of distributed systems
Abstract: In the first part of the talk, we examine fundamental limitations arising from the use of local feedback in networks subject to stochastic disturbances. For vehicular formation control problems in topology of regular lattices we show that it is impossible to have coherent large formations, that behave like rigid lattices, in one and two spatial dimensions. Yet we prove that this is achievable in 3D. The observed phenomenon is a consequence of the fact that, in 1D and 2D, local feedback laws are ineffective in guarding against disturbances with large spatial wavelength. We provide connections with several other problems including distributed averaging algorithms, global mean first passage time of random walks, effective resistance in electrical networks, and statistical mechanics of harmonic solids. We close the first part of the talk by demonstrating how tools and ideas from control theory, optimization, and compressive sensing can be combined to identify network topologies that strike desired tradeoff between the performance and sparsity.
In the second part of the talk, techniques from control theory are used to study the early stages of transition to turbulence in wall-bounded shear flows. We demonstrate high sensitivity of the flow equations to modeling imperfections and show that control theory can be used not only to design flow control algorithms but also to provide valuable insights into the transition mechanisms.
Biography: Mihailo Jovanovic (www.umn.edu/~mihailo) is an Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Minnesota. He has held visiting positions with Stanford University and the Institute for Mathematics and its Applications. His current research focuses on fundamental limitations in the design of large dynamic networks, sparsity-promoting optimal control, and dynamics and control of fluid flows. He is a senior member of IEEE and currently serves as an Associate Editor of the SIAM Journal on Control and Optimization. He served as an Associate Editor of the IEEE Control Systems Society Conference Editorial Board from July 2006 until December 2010. Prof. Jovanovic received a CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation in 2007, an Early Career Award from the University of Minnesota Initiative for Renewable Energy and the Environment in 2010, a Resident Fellowship within the Institute on the Environment at the University of Minnesota in 2012, the George S. Axelby Outstanding Paper Award from the IEEE Control Systems Society in 2013, the University of Minnesota Informatics Institute Transdisciplinary Research Fellowship in 2014, and the Distinguished Alumni Award from UC Santa Barbara in 2014.
Host: Petros Ioannou
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 248
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Shane Goodoff
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Dynamics and control of distributed systems
Tue, Mar 10, 2015 @ 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Mihailo Jovanovic, University of Minnesota
Talk Title: Dynamics and control of distributed systems
Abstract: In the first part of the talk, we examine fundamental limitations arising from the use of local feedback in networks subject to stochastic disturbances. For vehicular formation control problems in topology of regular lattices we show that it is impossible to have coherent large formations, that behave like rigid lattices, in one and two spatial dimensions. Yet we prove that this is achievable in 3D. The observed phenomenon is a consequence of the fact that, in 1D and 2D, local feedback laws are ineffective in guarding against disturbances with large spatial wavelength. We provide connections with several other problems including distributed averaging algorithms, global mean first passage time of random walks, effective resistance in electrical networks, and statistical mechanics of harmonic solids. We close the first part of the talk by demonstrating how tools and ideas from control theory, optimization, and compressive sensing can be combined to identify network topologies that strike desired tradeoff between the performance and sparsity.
In the second part of the talk, techniques from control theory are used to study the early stages of transition to turbulence in wall-bounded shear flows. We demonstrate high sensitivity of the flow equations to modeling imperfections and show that control theory can be used not only to design flow control algorithms but also to provide valuable insights into the transition mechanisms.
Biography: Mihailo Jovanovic (www.umn.edu/~mihailo) is an Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Minnesota. He has held visiting positions with Stanford University and the Institute for Mathematics and its Applications. His current research focuses on fundamental limitations in the design of large dynamic networks, sparsity-promoting optimal control, and dynamics and control of fluid flows. He is a senior member of IEEE and currently serves as an Associate Editor of the SIAM Journal on Control and Optimization. He served as an Associate Editor of the IEEE Control Systems Society Conference Editorial Board from July 2006 until December 2010. Prof. Jovanovic received a CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation in 2007, an Early Career Award from the University of Minnesota Initiative for Renewable Energy and the Environment in 2010, a Resident Fellowship within the Institute on the Environment at the University of Minnesota in 2012, the George S. Axelby Outstanding Paper Award from the IEEE Control Systems Society in 2013, the University of Minnesota Informatics Institute Transdisciplinary Research Fellowship in 2014, and the Distinguished Alumni Award from UC Santa Barbara in 2014.
Host: Petros Ioannou
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 248
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Shane Goodoff
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Epstein Institute / ISE 651 Seminar Series
Tue, Mar 10, 2015 @ 03:30 PM - 04:50 PM
Daniel J. Epstein Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Dr. Ann Bisantz, Professor and Chair, Industrial and Systems Engineering, The University at Buffalo, State University of New York
Talk Title: Meta-Information Visualization: A Human Factors Approach
Abstract: In many domains, users are confronted with large volumes of information from a variety of sources. In addition to understanding the content of the information, they need to understand and reason about potential qualifiers of the information. These qualifiers, or meta-information, include characteristics such as the uncertainty associated with the data, the age of the data, and the source of the data. There is a long history of research in scientific visualization and geospatial information systems which has considered visual techniques for representing complex information, in both spatial and non-spatial frames of reference. Our own research has considered how visual techniques such as pixilation, transparency, saturation, and texture can be used to represent a variety of meta-information categories. This talk will survey results from a number of empirical studies which have examined how people interpret meta-information visualization regarding geospatial regions and objects, how different visualizations impact decision-making and task performance, and how these measure are affected by type of meta-information, task demands, and visual context.
Biography: Dr. Ann Bisantz performs research in areas of cognitive engineering, human-computer interface design, complex work system analysis. She is currently Professor and Chair of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York. Dr. Bisantz received a PhD in Industrial and Systems Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and an MS and BS in Industrial Engineering from the University at Buffalo. Her research includes developing novel information displays for complex systems, advancing methods in cognitive engineering, and modeling human decision-making; she has worked extensively in domains of health care and defense. She has an active research program regarding visualization of information qualifiers such as uncertainty, trust in information, and decision making which has been funded through a number of defense organizations as well as through a CAREER award from the National Science Foundation. She has collaborated with the University at Buffaloâs Center for Multi-Source Information Fusion and is currently a co-investigator on a MURI program funded by the Army Research Office regarding Hard-Soft Information Fusion. She is also collaborating with health informatics researchers and clinicians on research regarding health IT usability, workflow impacts and human factors of electronic health records and has conducted patient safety studies including risk analysis studies; and simulation and field studies of emergency department patient tracking systems. She co-edited the book âApplications of Cognitive Work Analysisâ (2008, CRC Press). She is a Fellow of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society and Associate Editor of both the Journal of Cognitive Engineering and Decision Making, and IIE Transactions on Occupational Ergonomics. Dr. Bisantz was appointed ISE department chair in 2012.
Host: Daniel J. Epstein Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
More Information: Seminar-Bisantz.docx
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 248
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Georgia Lum
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Short Course: Six Sigma Green Belt for Process Improvement
Wed, Mar 11, 2015
DEN@Viterbi, Executive Education
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Abstract: This program, an introductory course in Six Sigma, will give you a thorough understanding of Six Sigma and its focus on eliminating defects through fundamental process knowledge. Topics covered in addition to DMAIIC and Six Sigma philosophy include basic statistics, statistical process control, process capability, financial implications and root cause analysis. This program is offered both in the classroom and online.
Register Now!
Audiences: Registered Attendees
Contact: Viterbi Professional Programs
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Meet USC: Admission Presentation, Campus Tour, & Engineering Talk
Wed, Mar 11, 2015
Viterbi School of Engineering Undergraduate Admission
Receptions & Special Events
This half day program is designed for prospective freshmen and family members. Meet USC includes an information session on the University and the Admission process, a student led walking tour of campus, and a meeting with us in the Viterbi School. During the engineering session we will discuss the curriculum, research opportunities, hands-on projects, entrepreneurial support programs, and other aspects of the engineering school. Meet USC is designed to answer all of your questions about USC, the application process, and financial aid.
Reservations are required for Meet USC. This program occurs twice, once at 8:30 a.m. and again at 12:30 p.m. Please make sure to check availability and register online for the session you wish to attend. Also, remember to list an Engineering major as your "intended major" on the webform!Location: Ronald Tutor Campus Center (TCC) - USC Admission Office
Audiences: Prospective Undergrads and Families
Contact: Viterbi Admission
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Beyond Prosthetics: Turning Science Fiction into Science, and Science into Technology
Wed, Mar 11, 2015 @ 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Dr. Phillip Alvelda, Program Manager, Biological Technologies Office; DARPA
Talk Title: Beyond Prosthetics: Turning Science Fiction into Science, and Science into Technology
Abstract: Dr. Alvelda's vision is to take the latest neural engineering science and technology out of the laboratory and seed the creation of new mind-enabled industries. The purpose of this seminar is to have discussions to explore highly-scalable direct neural interface technologies in order to design and develop complete systems that can go beyond simply restoring lost function. This research will require collaboration across multiple disciplines, including optics/photonics, medical materials and packaging, and neuroscience. This seminar is intended to be an opportunity for discussion with 40 minutes allocated for Q&A.
Biography: A scientist, engineer, serial entrepreneur, and educator, highlights of Dr. Alveldaâs career include developing sensors that have flown throughout the solar system, establishing an entirely new infrastructure in telecommunications and media at companies that he founded, including the DARPA-funded MicroDisplay, and MobiTV, and founding the non-profit Westminster Institute for K-12 Science Education reform (wiseteachers.org). Dr. Alvelda holds over 50 technical publications and numerous patents, a Technical Emmy award from the Academy of Motion Pictures, a Bachelorâs degree in Physics from Cornell University, and Masters and PhD degrees in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is also a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer.
Location: Hedco Pertroleum and Chemical Engineering Building (HED) - 116
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Ryan Choi
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Computer Science Faculty Meeting
Wed, Mar 11, 2015 @ 12:00 PM - 02:00 PM
Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science
Workshops & Infosessions
Event details will be emailed to invited attendees.
Location: Ronald Tutor Hall of Engineering (RTH) - 526
Audiences: Invited Faculty Only
Contact: Assistant to CS chair
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LinkedIn Headshots
Wed, Mar 11, 2015 @ 12:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Viterbi School of Engineering Career Connections
Workshops & Infosessions
You are invited to attend our event that is completely free for Viterbi students! Pictures will be taken on a first come, first serve basis during the time of the event.
Suggested Attire: Professional attire.
***Please bring USC ID card to sign in.Location: E-Quad Fountain
Audiences: All Viterbi Students
Contact: RTH 218 Viterbi Career Services
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VSi2 Startup Office Hours
Wed, Mar 11, 2015 @ 01:30 PM - 04:00 PM
USC Viterbi School of Engineering
University Calendar
Working on a startup idea? Want to get feedback/guidance/support?
Schedule a 30 min appt with VSi2 Staff to get guidance and help.
You can schedule an appointment hereLocation: Olin Hall of Engineering (OHE) - 330D
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Viterbi Student Innovation Institute
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Spring 2015 Environmental Engineering Seminar Series
Wed, Mar 11, 2015 @ 03:00 PM - 05:00 PM
Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Dr. Jeanne VanBriesen, Carnegie Mellon University
Talk Title: Effects of Fossil Fuel Extraction and Utilization Wastewaters on Drinking Water Treatment Processes
Host: Katie Russo
Location: Seeley G. Mudd Building (SGM) - 101
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Kaela Berry
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Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering Seminar Series
Wed, Mar 11, 2015 @ 03:30 PM - 04:30 PM
Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Mac Schwager, Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering and Systems Engineering at Boston University, Boston, MA
Talk Title: Multi-Robot Systems for Monitoring and Controlling Large Scale Environments
Series: Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering Seminar Series
Abstract: Groups of aerial, ground, and sea robots working collaboratively have the potential to transform the way we sense and interact with our environment at large scales. They can serve as eyes-in-the-sky for environmental scientists, farmers, and law enforcement agencies, providing critical, real-time information about dynamic environments and cityscapes. They can even help us to control large-scale environmental processes, autonomously cleaning up oil spills, tending to the needs of crop lands, and fighting forest fires, while humans stay at a safe distance. This talk will present an overview of research toward the realization of this vision, giving special attention to recent work on distributed optimization-based control algorithms for groups of aerial robots to monitor large-scale environments. I will describe a general optimization-based control design methodology for synthesizing practical, distributed robot controllers with provable stability and convergence properties. I will also describe low-level control techniques based on differential flatness to coordinate the motion of teams of quadrotors in an agile and computationally efficient manner. Experimental studies with groups of quadrotor robots flying both outdoors and indoors using these controllers will also be discussed.
Biography: Mac Schwager is an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Division of Systems Engineering at Boston University. He obtained his BS degree in 2000 from Stanford University, his MS degree from MIT in 2005, and his PhD degree from MIT in 2009. He was a postdoctoral researcher working jointly in the GRASP lab at the University of Pennsylvania and CSAIL at MIT from 2010 to 2012. His research interests are in distributed algorithms for control, perception, and learning in groups of robots and animals. He received the NSF CAREER award in 2014.
Host: Paul Ronney
Location: Seaver Science Library (SSL) - 150
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Valerie Childress
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EE Pioneer Series – Robert W. Hellwarth
Wed, Mar 11, 2015 @ 04:00 PM - 06:00 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Robert W. Hellwarth, University Professor, Professor of Electrical Engineering and Physics and Astronomy
Talk Title: TBD
Series: Pioneer Series
Biography: Professor Robert W. Hellwarth, University Professor, Professor of Electrical Engineering and Physics and Astronomy, and holder of the George T. Pfleger Chair in Electrical Engineering, joined the University of Southern California in 1970. Over the past 45 years, Professor Hellwarth has made numerous outstanding research contributions in the areas of quantum electronics; nonlinear optics; design and employment of lasers to aid a variety of practical and scientific efforts, from adaptive optics for astronomy to electro-optic modulators for communications. Professor Hellwarth has received several honors including the Charles Hard Townes Award of the Optical Society of America, the Quantum Electronics Award of the IEEE, and he is member of both the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Host: Ming Hsieh Institute
More Info: http://mhi.usc.edu/about/news/2015/02/18/ee-pioneer-series-robert-w-hellwarth/
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 132
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Elise Herrera-Green
Event Link: http://mhi.usc.edu/about/news/2015/02/18/ee-pioneer-series-robert-w-hellwarth/
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Astani Civil and Environmental Engineering Seminar
Wed, Mar 11, 2015 @ 04:00 PM - 05:00 PM
Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Dr. Jeanne VanBriesen, Carnegie Mellon University
Talk Title: Effects of fossil fuel extraction and utilization wastewaters on drinking water treatment processes
Abstract:
Changes in human activities associated with fossil fuel extraction and utilization can alter source waters in ways that affect treatment choices, costs, and the quality of the finished water distributed for human consumption. Produced waters from oil and gas extraction, especially those associated with shale formations, are often high in salts and bromide. Discharge of these wastewaters, even after partial treatment, can increase surface water concentrations of dissolved solids and bromide. Similarly, coal-fired power plants can produce wastewater with high dissolved solids, where the bromide concentration depends on the source coal, the addition of bromide for mercury control, and the use of pollution control devices such as flue-gas desulfurization units. These new or increasing sources of bromide have the potential to affect drinking water treatment plants. Several areas of the country not traditionally associated with high source water bromide levels (including the Ohio River Basin) have been reporting increasing bromination of disinfection by-products (DBPs) in treated drinking water. These changes may require changes to treatment at the drinking water plant or new methods for DBP control in the distribution system. This represents a significant challenge for drinking water infrastructure in the United States. A recently completed three year field study, and an analysis of state and industry reports for produced water quantity and quality, along with power plant discharge data, enables an assessment of the effect of fossil fuel extraction and utilization activities on source water quality and finished water disinfection by-products in the Monongahela River in Southwestern Pennsylvania.
Biography:
Dr. Jeanne M. VanBriesen is the Duquesne Light Company Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. Dr. VanBriesen holds a B.S. in Education and a M.S. and Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Northwestern University. She is a licensed professional engineer in the state of Delaware. Her research focuses on biotransformation of recalcitrant organics, detection of biological agents in drinking water and natural water systems, and speciation-driven biogeochemistry of chelating agents and disinfection by-products. Dr. VanBriesen has published fifty scientific papers and given more than 100 professional presentations. Her research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense, the Colcom Foundation, the Heinz Endowments, the Packard Foundation, and the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Technology Alliance. Dr. VanBriesen has served on the boards of the Association for Environmental Engineering and Science Professors and the Ohio River Basin Consortia for Research and Education. She is currently serving on the U.S.EPA Science Advisory Board.
Host: Dr. Amy Childress
Location: Seeley G. Mudd Building (SGM) - 101
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Evangeline Reyes
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Viterbi Spotlight Series- Aerospace, Mechanical, and Astronautical Engineering
Wed, Mar 11, 2015 @ 07:00 PM - 08:00 PM
Viterbi School of Engineering Career Connections
Workshops & Infosessions
Viterbi Spotlight Series is your opportunity to connect with USC alumni and industry professionals that have been in your shoes and will share their experiences on how they got to where they are in their career.
Location: Ronald Tutor Hall of Engineering (RTH) - 211
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: RTH 218 Viterbi Career Services
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SHPE E-Board Elections
Wed, Mar 11, 2015 @ 07:00 PM - 08:30 PM
Viterbi School of Engineering Student Organizations
University Calendar
Elections are here and the time has come to shape next year's Executive Board! Come by to see the beginning of a new era in SHPE as the upcoming generation steps up to become the leaders they have aspired to become. Come listen to each candidates' speech and stay for the free food.
Location: Grace Ford Salvatori Hall Of Letters, Arts & Sciences (GFS) - 116
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
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Short Course: Six Sigma Green Belt for Process Improvement
Thu, Mar 12, 2015
DEN@Viterbi, Executive Education
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Abstract: This program, an introductory course in Six Sigma, will give you a thorough understanding of Six Sigma and its focus on eliminating defects through fundamental process knowledge. Topics covered in addition to DMAIIC and Six Sigma philosophy include basic statistics, statistical process control, process capability, financial implications and root cause analysis. This program is offered both in the classroom and online.
Register Now!
Audiences: Registered Attendees
Contact: Viterbi Professional Programs
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CS Colloquium: Elias Bareinboim (UCLA) - Generalizability in Causal Inference
Thu, Mar 12, 2015 @ 09:45 AM - 10:50 AM
Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Elias Bareinboim, UCLA
Talk Title: Generalizability in Causal Inference
Series: CS Colloquium
Abstract: Empirical scientists seek not just surface descriptions of the observed data, but deeper explanations of why things happened the way they did, and how the world would be like had things happened differently. With the unprecedented accumulation of data (or, âbig dataâ), researchers are becoming increasingly aware of the fact that traditional statistical techniques, including those based on artificial intelligence and machine learning, must be enriched with two additional ingredients in order to construct such explanations:
1. the ability to integrate data from multiple, heterogeneous sources, and
2. the ability to distinguish causal from associational relationships.
In this talk, I will present a theory of causal generalization that provides a principled way for fusing pieces of empirical evidence coming from multiple, heterogeneous sources. I will first introduce a formal language capable of encoding the assumptions necessary to express each problem instance. I will then present conditions and algorithms for deciding whether a given problem instance admits a consistent estimate for the target effects and, if feasible, fuse information from various sources to synthesize such an estimate. These results subsume the analyses conducted in various fields in the empirical sciences, including âexternal validity,â âmeta-analysis,â âheterogeneity,â âquasi-experiments,â âtransportability,â and âsampling selection bias.â I will conclude by presenting new challenges and opportunities opened by this research.
The lecture will be available to stream Here.
Biography: Elias Bareinboim is a postdoctoral scholar (and was a Ph.D. student) in the Computer Science Department at the University of California, Los Angeles, working with Judea Pearl. His interests are in causal and counterfactual inferences and their applications. He is also broadly interested in artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotics, and philosophy of science. His doctoral thesis provides the first general framework for solving the generalizability problems in causal inference -- which has applications across all the empirical sciences. Bareinboim's recognitions include the Dan David Prize Scholarship, the Yahoo! Key Scientific Challenges Award, the Outstanding Paper Award at the 2014 Annual Conference of the American Association for Artificial Intelligence (AAAI), and the Edward K. Rice Outstanding Graduate Student.
Host: Computer Science Department
Location: Olin Hall of Engineering (OHE) - 132
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Assistant to CS chair
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EE-EP Seminar
Thu, Mar 12, 2015 @ 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Rajib Rahman, Purdue University
Talk Title: Atomistic modeling of solid-state devices: from qubits to transistors
Abstract: Due to aggressive scaling, todayâs transistors have reached sizes of tens of nanometers and are fast approaching the ultimate limits of scaling, as predicted by Mooreâs Law. At the nanoscale, the atomic granularity of the devices and the associated quantum mechanical effects strongly influence device operation and need to be considered in theoretical models. To ensure continued progress in computing in the post Mooreâs Law era, novel device concepts need to be developed utilizing quantum phenomena at the nanoscale. I will present an atomistic modeling technique for solid-state devices that combine material and device level description of electronic structure and transport from a full quantum mechanical treatment. This framework helps to model a variety of systems ranging from solid-state qubits to field-effect-transistors, and can help in designing the next generation of electronic devices.
In particular, I will show several applications of this method to model silicon qubits hosted in quantum dots and donors. 1) The method captures the precise electric field control of electronic and nuclear spins in donor qubits through the hyperfine and spin-orbit interactions [1], and helps in the first experimental realization of the Kane A-gate [2]. 2) Spin-lattice relaxation times are computed from an atomistic electron-phonon Hamiltonian to interpret experimental measurements, and design guidelines are presented to enhance the relaxation times by an order of magnitude [3]. 3) Electron-electron interaction is captured from a full configuration interaction technique in the tight-binding basis, and is used to obtain two-qubit exchange energy as a function of detuning electric field and qubit separation. Design considerations are presented to improve the electric-field tunability of exchange by several orders of magnitude in donor qubits. The computed single and multi-electron wavefunctions are also compared with tunneling probability measurements in scanning tunneling microscopy experiments to identify signatures of conduction band valley quantum interference in silicon [4].
I will also show atomistic quantum transport simulations of tunnel field-effect transistors (FET) in the emerging class of two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides. The simulations elucidate the material choice and design principles needed to achieve a steep sub-threshold slope transistor with large on-currents and high on/off ratio, which may help to scale down the power supply voltage and thus reduce the power consumption [5].
References:
[1] R. Rahman et. al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 99, 036403 (2007).
[2] B. E. Kane, Nature 393, 133 (1998).
[3] Y. Hsueh et. al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 113, 246406 (2014).
[4] J. Salfi et. al., Nature Materials 13, 605 (2014).
[5] H. Ilatikhameneh et. al., arXiv: 1502.01760 (2015).
Biography: Rajib Rahman obtained his PhD degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Purdue University in 2009 in the area of computational nanoelectronics. Subsequently, Rajib spent three years in Sandia National Laboratories, New Mexico, as a postdoctoral fellow in the Silicon Quantum Information Science and Technology group. Both in his PhD and postdoc, Rajib developed large-scale computational techniques in the NEMO3D tool to investigate the properties of quantum bits in silicon based on quantum dots and impurities. In 2012, Rajib joined Purdue University as a Research Assistant Professor in the Network for Computational Nanotechnology (NCN). Rajib currently leads the device modeling effort of the Australian Centre for Quantum Computer and Communication Technology (CQC2T), and investigates silicon qubits and their interaction with a solid-state environment. At Purdue, Rajib also works on novel low energy field-effect transistors in emerging materials such as 2D transition metal dichalcogenides, graphene, and polarization engineered Nitride devices.
Host: EE-Electrophysics
Location: Olin Hall of Engineering (OHE) - 122
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Marilyn Poplawski
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Control of Spreading Processes on Networks
Thu, Mar 12, 2015 @ 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Cameron Nowzari, University of Pennsylvania
Talk Title: Control of Spreading Processes on Networks
Abstract: The prevalence of social networks, robotic networks, power systems, and the Internet of Things today necessitates the development of a new interdisciplinary science catered to studying these complex networks. Some of the fundamental problems that can benefit from such a science include consensus, distributed estimation and control, and network and topology design. In this talk, we focus on the analysis and control of various spreading processes. The spreading of a disease through a population, the adoption of an idea or rumor through a social network, the consumption of a product in a marketplace, or the risk of receiving a computer virus through the world wide web are all prevalent examples of spreading processes we encounter every day. With the vast amount of application areas, it is no surprise that we have seen a recent surge of interest in these problems and the area of Network Science in general.
One of the most popular models of spreading processes is the Susceptible-Infected-Susceptible (SIS) model. Although a plethora of variations to the SIS model have been studied and analyzed by mathematicians, physicists, computer scientists, and biologists for over a century, there is still a severe lack in understanding how to effectively control these systems. With the freshly renewed interest in this topic, control engineers have only recently entered the scene and have a lot to offer. Focusing on the application of a disease spreading through a population, such as ebola or measles, we will look at how to best minimize the chance of it becoming an epidemic. We formulate the problem for a much more general model than the SIS model and propose an optimization framework that allows us to solve it efficiently.
Biography: : Cameron Nowzari received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Santa Barbara in June 2009. He received his M.S. and Ph.D. in Engineering Sciences from the University of California, San Diego in December 2010 and September 2013, respectively. He is currently working as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Pennsylvania. His research interests include dynamical systems and control, sensor networks, distributed coordination algorithms, optimization, robotics, event- and self-triggered control, Markov processes, and spreading processes. He was a finalist for the Best Student Paper Award at the 2011 American Control Conference and received the 2012 O. Hugo Schuck Best Paper Award in the Theory category for his work on distributed self-triggered coordination of mobile robotic networks.
Host: Urbashi Mitra, ubli@usc.edu, EEB 536, x04667
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 248
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Gerrielyn Ramos
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WIE Faculty & Student Mixer
Thu, Mar 12, 2015 @ 12:30 PM - 01:30 PM
Viterbi School of Engineering Student Affairs
Receptions & Special Events
Are you a female engineer interested in research or going to graduate school? Wondering what kinds of things a professor does? If so, attend Women in Engineering’s (WIE) Faculty and Student Mixer!
You’ll have a chance to mix and mingle with female faculty from our various engineering departments and ask them questions about their research, career paths, and advice they have for you.
A light lunch will be provided.
RSVP here if you'll be attending!Location: Ronald Tutor Hall of Engineering (RTH) - 211
Audiences: Undergrad
Contact: Women in Engineering
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VSi2 Startup Office Hours
Thu, Mar 12, 2015 @ 01:00 PM - 05:00 PM
USC Viterbi School of Engineering
University Calendar
Working on a startup idea? Want to get feedback/guidance/support?
Schedule a 30 min appt with VSi2 Staff to get guidance and help.
You can schedule an appointment hereLocation: Olin Hall of Engineering (OHE) - 330D
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Viterbi Student Innovation Institute
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Meet USC: Admission Presentation, Campus Tour, & Engineering Talk
Fri, Mar 13, 2015
Viterbi School of Engineering Undergraduate Admission
Receptions & Special Events
This half day program is designed for prospective freshmen and family members. Meet USC includes an information session on the University and the Admission process, a student led walking tour of campus, and a meeting with us in the Viterbi School. During the engineering session we will discuss the curriculum, research opportunities, hands-on projects, entrepreneurial support programs, and other aspects of the engineering school. Meet USC is designed to answer all of your questions about USC, the application process, and financial aid.
Reservations are required for Meet USC. This program occurs twice, once at 8:30 a.m. and again at 12:30 p.m. Please make sure to check availability and register online for the session you wish to attend. Also, remember to list an Engineering major as your "intended major" on the webform!Location: Ronald Tutor Campus Center (TCC) - USC Admission Office
Audiences: Prospective Undergrads and Families
Contact: Viterbi Admission
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W.V.T. Rusch Engineering Honors Colloquium
Fri, Mar 13, 2015 @ 01:00 PM - 01:50 PM
Viterbi School of Engineering Student Affairs
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Alyse Killeen, Early-Stage Venture Capitalist,
Talk Title: Innovation with Distributed Network Technologies and the (related) VC Funding Environment
Location: Seeley G. Mudd Building (SGM) - 101
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Julie Phaneuf
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Communications, Networks & Systems (CommNetS) Seminar
Fri, Mar 13, 2015 @ 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Dr. Nuno Martins, University of Maryland
Talk Title: Remote and Distributed Estimation over Shared Networks: New Results and Open Problems
Series: CommNetS
Abstract: This talk will focus on the design of distributed estimation systems that are formed by multiple non-collocated components. A shared network is used to disseminate information among the components.
I will discuss two recent results: Assuming that the network is characterized by an incomplete directed communication graph, the first result characterizes the existence of omniscience-achieving schemes for which all components that observe only a portion of the output of an underlying plant can estimate the entire state with error that vanishes asymptotically. Our approach hinges on key concepts from decentralized control that are systematic and constructive. The second result characterizes the structure of certain optimal policies for the case in which the number of components exceeds the maximal number of simultaneous transmissions that the network can accept. In order to obtain a tractable framework for which design principles can be characterized analytically, I will consider the case in which there are two estimators that rely on information sent to them by two sensors that access dissimilar measurements. I will show the optimality of certain threshold-based policies, establish a connection with a problem of optimal quantization for which the distortion is non-uniform across representation symbols, present numerical approaches, discuss interpretations of the results and list related open issues.
Biography: Nuno Martins is Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park, where he also holds a joint appointment with the Institute for Systems Research. From 2012 until 2014 he was the Director of the Maryland Robotics Center.
Martins holds a Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science with a minor in Mathematics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge. His research interests are in distributed control and estimation, team decision, optimization, networked control and communications.
He received a National Science Foundation CAREER award in 2007, the 2006 American Automatic Control Council O. Hugo Schuck Award, the 2010 Outstanding Institute for Systems Research Faculty award and the 2008 IEEE CSS Axelby Award for the best paper in the IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control.
He has served as a member of the editorial board of Systems and Control Letters (Elsevier), Automatica and of the IEEE Control Systems Society Conference Editorial Board. He was a program vice-chair for the IEEE Conference on Decision and Control in 2013 and 2014.
Host: Prof. Ashutosh Nayyar and the Ming Hsieh Institute
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 248
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Annie Yu