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SUNMONTUEWEDTHUFRISAT
Events for the 2nd week of March
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Contemporary Middle Eastern CinemaSun, Mar 06, 2011
USC Viterbi School of Engineering
Receptions & Special Events
Admission is free.
Reservations required. Check the event page http://web-app.usc.edu/ws/eo2/calendar/113/event/873369 for festival schedule and reservation information.
This three-day film festival will present and explore a panorama of emerging and established cinemas from the Middle East, from the nascent film industries of the Arabian Peninsula to the historically rich film cultures of Egypt and Iran. The festival will highlight unifying themes in Middle Eastern cinemas, as well as discuss the idiosyncratic identities and complex construction and definition of national cinemas in countries that are abounding with cultural diversity.
Organized by the USC School of Cinematic Arts.
For further information on this event:
visionsandvoices@usc.eduLocation: Eileen L. Norris Cinema Theatre (NCT) -
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Daria Yudacufski
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ENH Seminar Series
Mon, Mar 07, 2011 @ 04:00 AM - 05:00 PM
Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Dr. Ken Ohta, Researcher/ Japan Institute of Sports Sciences Tokyo, Japan
Talk Title: Cybernetic-training for sports skill learning
Abstract: Explicit instruction by verbal communication for sports skill coaching is the conventional method. But this method does not guarantee that the learner can physically execute the skill. If the learner doesnʼt understand how to move in accordance with the instruction, this instruction leads to confusion rather than
enhancement. In contrast, implicit learning contains no formal instruction about how to perform the skill. We developed a training aid system for the hammer throw to have effective training using implicit coaching. In this system we put a
miniaturized sensor module on the hammer wire and this measured information was transmitted by a wireless system and given as auditory feedback through a controller. This is one kind of monitoring system, which detects and gives the information that human cannot sense and it works as "sixth sense". To be
effectively used in hammer throw training, we analyzed the hammer movement using mathematical analysis based on parametrically excited oscillation and clarified the acceleration mechanism of hammer and applied this principle to
the bio-feedback training system. We would like to put the scientific instruction behind this controller. In this short presentation, I will present the mathematical analysis and application for hammer training aid system using auditory feedback as the Cybernetic-training.
Host: Dr. Valero-Cuevas
More Info: http://bbdl.usc.edu/ENH-Schedule_1011.phpLocation: Center For Health Professions (CHP) - 147
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Adriana Cisneros
Event Link: http://bbdl.usc.edu/ENH-Schedule_1011.php
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Aviation Safety Management Systems (ASMS)
Mon, Mar 07, 2011 @ 08:00 AM - 04:00 PM
Aviation Safety and Security Program
University Calendar
This course is designed for the individual responsible for planning or directing aviation Safety Management System programs. Fundamentals in systems organization and structure provide the individual with the essential skills and methodology needed to plan and manage an effective program.
Location: Aviation Safety & Security Campus
Audiences: Aviation Professionals
Contact: Harrison Wolf
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Network Interference Management via Interference Alignment for Wireless Communications and Distributed Storage Systems
Mon, Mar 07, 2011 @ 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Viveck R. Cadambe, University of California, Irvine
Talk Title: Network Interference Management via Interference Alignment for Wireless Communications and Distributed Storage Systems
Abstract: Our current times are witnessing a veritable explosion in the number of mobile devices with network connectivity. This explosion in the number of mobile devices which will guzzle data is resulting in bandwidth is becoming an increasingly scarce resource. The surge in the demand for data calls for new techniques to understand and improve the capacity (data rates) of wireless networks. In this talk, I will describe and explore a new technique to manage interference, which is the primary bottleneck of rates of communication in wireless communication networks.
A widely held belief in wireless network design, and also a formal conjecture, is that for a wireless network with K interfering users competing for the same spectrum (also known as the wireless interference network), it is optimal from a network capacity (degrees of freedom) perspective to divide the spectrum among the users like cutting a cake. This cake cutting view of spectrum access also known as orthogonalization enables each user in the interference network to get a fraction of 1/K of the spectrum free of interference. The cake cutting view of spectrum access lies at the heart of the design of most current wireless communication systems. In this talk, we will show that this cake cutting view of spectrum access is flawed and show that each of the K users of an interference network can essentially get 'half the cake', i.e., each user can simultaneously get half the spectrum free of interference. To show this, the strategy of "interference alignment", which is a far more effective interference management strategy as compared to orthogonalization, will be presented and described in detail. The talk will explore the impact of interference alignment on fundamental design issues of wireless communication systems and briefly describe challenges for the design of future generation wireless systems.
The talk will also explore a second application of interference alignment - erasure coding for distributed storage systems. With the advent of cloud computing and storage, the amount of data stored in distributed data storage systems (such as data centers) is scaling at an unprecedented rate. This scaling of stored data has motivated the use of erasure coding as a technique to build redundancy in distributed storage systems, to replace the conventional redundancy design strategy of replication. While erasure coding is attractive because it provides higher redundancy for a given amount (cost) of storage as compared to the conventional strategy of replication, practical implementation of coding for large distributed storage systems faces one principal bottleneck - the efficiency of repair when a storage device (node) fails in the distributed storage system. In the second part of this talk, by connecting the repair problem to interference alignment, I will (briefly) describe codes which improved repair efficiency and thus potentially relieve an important obstacle in the use of erasure coding for distributed storage systems.
Biography: Viveck R. Cadambe received his B.Tech and M.Tech. degrees in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, India in 2006. He is currently working toward my Ph.D. degree at the University of California, Irvine. His research interests include multiuser information theory and wireless networks. In the summer of 2010, he was an intern in the Communication and Collaboration Systems Group at Microsoft Research, Redmond. Mr. Cadambe is a recipient of the 2009 IEEE Information Theory Society Paper Award and the UCI Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department Best Paper Award for 2008-09. He also received the University of California, Irvine CPCC graduate fellowship for the year 2007-08.
Host: Giuseppe Caire, caire@usc.edu
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 248
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Gerrielyn Ramos
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BME 533 - Seminar in Biomedical Engineering
Mon, Mar 07, 2011 @ 12:30 PM - 01:50 PM
Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Dr. Frank Yin, Washington University
Series: Invited Chair Series
Host: Department of Biomedical Engineering, USC
Location: Olin Hall of Engineering (OHE) - 122
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Mischalgrace Diasanta
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EE-Electrophysics Seminar
Mon, Mar 07, 2011 @ 01:00 PM - 02:00 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Daniel Feezell, Materials Department, University of California, Santa Barbara
Talk Title: Status and Future of Nonpolar/Semipolar III-Nitride Materials and Devices
Abstract: III-Nitride materials enable a wide variety of high-impact technologies, including solid-state lighting, high-density optical data storage, energy efficient displays, and next-generation power electronics. Commercially available III-Nitride devices are grown on the polar c-plane of the wurtzite crystal, and their performance is adversely affected by the presence of polarization-related electric fields. As an alternative to conventional c-plane technologies, growth of III-Nitride structures on nonpolar/semipolar planes presents a viable approach to reducing or eliminating the issues associated with polarization-related electric fields. Optical devices fabricated on these alternative planes emerge with several inherent advantages, including improved radiative efficiency, increased design flexibility, and the potential for superior performance in the elusive green spectral region. In this talk, I will review the unique characteristics of nonpolar/semipolar III-Nitrides and discuss the application of this materials platform to the development of high-performance laser diodes and light-emitting diodes. I will conclude by proposing several future research directions that utilize nonpolar/semipolar III-Nitride technology.
Biography: Daniel Feezell completed his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) in 2005 for work on InP-based vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers. He is currently a Project Scientist in the Solid-State Lighting and Energy Center at UCSB, where his research interests include growth, fabrication, and characterization of nonpolar/semipolar III-Nitrides for energy efficiency applications. Prior to joining UCSB he was a Senior Device Scientist and the first employee at Soraa, Inc., where he developed high-performance III-Nitride laser diodes and light-emitting diodes. For his role in the achievement of the first nonpolar III-Nitride laser diodes he received the 30th Annual Japanese Journal of Applied Physics Paper Award. He also invented an AlGaN-cladding-free nonpolar laser diode structure that is currently being utilized in cutting-edge industry products. For this work he received a commendation for excellence in technical communication from Laser Focus World magazine. He is the author or co-author of more than 30 peer-reviewed conference and journal publications, and has received several patents.
Host: EE-Electrophysics
More Info: ee.usc.edu/news/seminars/eepLocation: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 248
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Marilyn Poplawski
Event Link: ee.usc.edu/news/seminars/eep
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Lightwave Modulators: Early Research at Bell Labs
Mon, Mar 07, 2011 @ 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Ivan P. Kaminow, EECS, UC Berkeley
Talk Title: Lightwave Modulators: Early Research at Bell Labs
Abstract: Ted Maimanâs announcement of the ruby laser in May 1960 created great excitement worldwide, and particularly at Bell Labs. I was in the Microwave Systems Research Lab, soon to become the Lightwave Systems Research Lab, in Holmdel, NJ. Many of my colleagues decided to pursue laser research. Based on my experience with microwave systems, I decided to explore broadband light modulators that would be key for any telecom system. In my talk, I plan to touch on some of the highlights of a 15-year period of research on electrooptic modulators in the Bell Labs ambience. I include a 9 GHz travelling wave modulator, studies of electrooptic materials and photonic integrated circuits.
Biography: Ivan Kaminow retired from Bell Labs in 1996 after a 42-year career (1954-1996), mostly in lightwave research. At Bell Labs, he did seminal studies on electrooptic modulators and materials, Raman scattering in ferroelectrics, integrated optics (including titanium-diffused lithium niobate modulators), semiconductor lasers (including the DBR laser, ridge waveguide InGaAsP laser and multi-frequency laser), birefringent optical fibers, and WDM lightwave networks. Later, as Head of the Photonic Networks and Components Research Department, he led research on WDM components (including the erbium-doped fiber amplifier, waveguide grating router and the fiber Fabry-Perot resonator), and on WDM local and wide area networks. Earlier (1952-1954), he did research on microwave antenna arrays at Hughes Aircraft Company.
After retiring from Bell Labs, he served as IEEE Congressional Fellow on the staffs of the House Science Committee and the Congressional Research Service (Science Policy Research Division) in the Library of Congress. From 1997 to 1999, he returned to Lucent Bell Labs as a part-time Consultant. He also established Kaminow Lightwave Technology to provide consulting services to various technology companies, and to patent and litigation law firms. In 1999 he served as Senior Science Advisor to the Optical Society of America in Washington. He also served on a number of professional committees. He received degrees from Union College (BSEE), UCLA (MSE) and Harvard (AM, Ph.D.). He was a Hughes Fellow at UCLA and a Bell Labs Fellow at Harvard.
He has been Visiting Professor at Princeton, Berkeley, Columbia, the University of Tokyo, and Kwangju University (Korea). Currently, he is Adjunct Professor in EECS at University of California, Berkeley, where he has been teaching since 2004 (ee290F. Advanced Topics in Photonics [spring 2004]; ee233. Lightwave Systems [spring 2006]; seminar on Plasmonics [spring, fall 2007] and seminar on Photonics and Plasmonics [spring, fall 2008; spring, fall 2009; spring, fall 2010]; spring 2011).
He has published over 240 papers, received 47 patents, and has written or co-edited 5 books, the most recent being "Optical Fiber Telecommunications V A&B," co-edited with Tingye Li and Alan Willner, Academic Press/Elsevier (2008). Kaminow is a Life Fellow of IEEE, and Fellow of APS and OSA. He is the recipient of the Bell Labs Distinguished Member of Technical Staff Award, IEEE Quantum Electronics Award, OSA Charles Townes Award, IEEE/LEOS/OSA John Tyndall Award, IEEE Third Millennium Medal, Union College Alumni Gold Medal and IEEE Photonics Award. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, a Diplomate of the American Board of Laser Surgery, and a Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine.
Host: Alan Willner, willner@usc.edu
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 539
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Gerrielyn Ramos
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AIChE Emphasis Panel
Mon, Mar 07, 2011 @ 06:30 PM - 08:00 PM
Viterbi School of Engineering Student Organizations
Student Activity
Not sure which emphasis to pursue, or pursue one at all? Questions about your current one or thinking about switching? Come out to hear industry professionals talk about their experiences in the biochemical, nanotechnology, environmental, petroleum, and polymers/materials emphasis!
Speakers include:
Biochemical - Glenn Hunter from Amgen (Engineering Director)
Nanotechnology - Ryan Boyle from Intelligent Optical Systems
Petroleum - Stephanie Angkadjaja from ExxonMobil (Hazard and Operability Analysis Product Develop Engineer)
Environmental - Adam Moke from City of LA Bureau of Sanitation (Environmental Engineer Associate)
materials science / polymers - TBA
Food will be served!Location: Kaprielian Hall (KAP) - 156
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: USC American Institute of Chemical Engineers
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EE-Systems Controls Faculty Candidate
Tue, Mar 08, 2011 @ 09:30 AM - 10:30 AM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Dr. Elisa Franco, Cal-Tech
Talk Title: Design and Synthesis of 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, which we often fail to systematically explain. Quoting Richard Feynman, what we cannot create, we do not understand: by building simple molecular networks from the bottom-up, in a controlled environment, we have an opportunity to gain insight into the design principles of their more complicated, naturally occurring counterparts.
In this talk I will describe the design, modeling and synthesis of in vitro molecular circuits using simple building blocks: DNA, RNA and proteins. In particular, I will present my research on two specific challenges: flow regulation and scalability of biochemical networks. Cellular pathways rely heavily on a regulated flow of nucleic acids, enzymes and other metabolites. I will demonstrate how negative feedback can be used to coordinate and match the activity of two synthetic genes, minimizing waste of chemical reagents. The proposed architecture is robust with respect to initial conditions and specific uncertain parameters. Scaling up our perspective to the coordination of a large number of molecular circuits, biochemical oscillators promise to have a role analogous to digital clocks, which can drive millions of transistors. As a starting point, we have used a tunable biosynthetic oscillator to drive conformational changes of a DNA nano-mechanical device called "DNA tweezers". However, due to the imperfect modularity of the system, the operating point of the oscillator is remarkably deteriorated by high concentrations of its "load". This retroactivity effect is well known in engineered systems, and classical examples are given by voltage drops in power grids or pressure losses in pipe networks. This undesired back-action was reduced by engineering an "insulator circuit", the molecular equivalent of an operational amplifier, which improved the modularity and scalability of the system.
Biography: Elisa Franco received a Ph.D. in Electrical and Control Engineering in 2007 from the University of Trieste, Italy. She is currently completing a second Ph.D. from the California Institute of Technology in Control and Dynamical Systems, working on design and programming of robust molecular networks. Her research interests are in the field of synthetic and systems biology.
Host: Edmond Jonckheere
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 248
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Estela Lopez
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Special AME Seminar
Tue, Mar 08, 2011 @ 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Dr. Daniel P. Raymer, President, Conceptual Research Corp.
Talk Title: Design and Analysis of Hybrid Airships
Abstract: Dan Raymer will discuss the design and analysis of hybrid airships. Raymer performed the initial design and analysis of the Ohio Airship "Dynalifter", a hybrid flight vehicle combining hydrostatic lift from helium with aerodynamic lift from wings and a shaped hull. This concept avoids many of the problems of traditional airships since a large fraction of its weight is carried by aerodynamic lift. It lands like a normal aircraft, decelerating on a runway as its weight is transferred from the wings to the tires. It has substantial weight on its tires when sitting on the ground allowing it to withstand a gusty side wind. Compared to a normal aircraft, the dynamic lift airship has reduced drag when flown at low speeds and flies on much less power than a conventional aircraft carrying a similar payload. Raymer will discuss the advantages of such designs, how such design differs from normal aircraft design practice, and factors that influence the likely success of such projects.
Host: Dr. G. Spedding
More Info: http://ame-www.usc.edu/seminars/3-8-11-raymer.shtmlLocation: Hedco Neurosciences Building (HNB) - 100
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: April Mundy
Event Link: http://ame-www.usc.edu/seminars/3-8-11-raymer.shtml
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GTHB Seminar
Tue, Mar 08, 2011 @ 12:00 PM - 01:30 PM
Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Shachar Kariv , University of California, Berkeley
Talk Title: Who is (More) Rational?
Abstract: Revealed preference theory offers a criterion for decision-making quality: if decisions are high quality then there exists a utility function that the choices maximize. They conduct a large-scale field experiment that enables them to test subjects' choices for consistency with utility maximization and to combine the experimental data with a wide range of individual socio-demographic and economic information for the subjects. There is considerable heterogeneity in subjects' consistency scores: high-income and high-education subjects display greater levels of consistency than low-income and low-education subjects, men are more consistent than women, and young subjects are more consistent than older subjects. They also find that consistency with utility maximization is strongly related to wealth: a standard deviation increase in the consistency score is associated with 15-19 percent more wealth. This result conditions on current income, education, family structure, and is little changed when we add controls for past income, risk tolerance and the results of a standard personality test used by psychologists. [Authors: Syngjoo Choi (Universisty College London), Wieland Muller (Tilburg University) and Dan Silverman (University of Michigan)
Biography: Shachar Kariv was educated at Tel Aviv University and New York University, where he received his Ph.D. in economics in 2003, the same year he joined the Department of Economics at the University of California, Berkeley. He is a Professor and the Faculty Director of UC Berkeley Experimental Social Science Laboratory (Xlab), a laboratory for conducting experiment-based investigations of issues of interest to social sciences. He was a visiting member of the School of Social Science at the Institute for Advanced Studies at Princeton (2005-6), a visiting professor at the European University Institute (2008), and a visiting fellow at Nuffield College of the University of Oxford (2009).
He is the recipient of the UC Berkeley Division of Social Sciences Distinguished Teaching Award (2008) and the Graduate Economics Association Outstanding Advising Award (2006). He was also awarded NYU College of Arts and Science Outstanding Teaching Award (Golden Dozen) in recognition of excellence in teaching and contributions to undergraduate education (2002) and NYU Dean's Outstanding Teaching Award in the Social Sciences (2001).
For his Ph.D. dissertation at NYU, he received the Outstanding Dissertation Award in the Social Sciences (2003). He also received a National Science Foundation grant for studying decisions under uncertainty in theory and experiments (2006-8). Recently, he was awarded a Sloan Research Fellowship for Economics (2009-10).
His fields of interest include game theory, decision theory, and experimental and behavioral economics. His research interests include social learning, social networks, social and moral preferences, and risk preferences. His research has been published in a variety of academic journals including, The American Economic Review, Games and Economic Behavior, Journal of Economic Theory, and Economic Theory.
(http://gthb.usc.edu/Seminars/)
*Lunch is included
Host: Prof. Yu-Han Chang
Location: Seeley Wintersmith Mudd Memorial Hall (of Philosophy) (MHP) - 101
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Kanak Agrawal
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Tips for Interviewing- Presented by the CIA
Tue, Mar 08, 2011 @ 12:30 PM - 01:30 PM
Viterbi School of Engineering Career Connections
Workshops & Infosessions
Do you have an upcoming interview?
Discover tips on how to prepare for your upcoming interview, as well as the proper steps for follow-up
Come hear the information first hand from a CIA recruiter.
Don't miss out on this opportunity!Location: Ronald Tutor Hall of Engineering (RTH) - 211
Audiences: All Viterbi Students
Contact: RTH 218 Viterbi Career Services
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Yarta: A Middleware For Managing Mobile Social Ecosystems
Tue, Mar 08, 2011 @ 01:30 PM - 02:30 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Animesh Pathak, Ph.D., INRIA, Paris-Rocquencourt
Talk Title: Yarta: A Middleware For Managing Mobile Social Ecosystems
Abstract: With the increased prevalence of advanced mobile devices (the so-called "smart" phones), interest has grown in mobile social ecosystems, where users not only access traditional Web-based social networks using their mobile devices, but are also able to use the context information provided by these devices to further enrich their interactions. In complex mobile social ecosystems of the future the heterogeneity of software platforms on constituent nodes, combined with their intrinsic distributed nature and heterogeneity of representation of data and context raises the need for middleware support for the development of mobile social applications. Owing to the large variety of platforms available for smart phones, as well as the different ways that data and context information is represented, it is natural to think of middleware solutions that the developers of these systems can use while creating their applications.
In this talk, we will present the details of Yarta, a novel middleware designed for mobile social ecosystems (MSE), which takes into account the heterogeneity of both deployment nodes and available data, the intrinsic decentralized nature of mobile social applications, as well as users' privacy concerns. The Yarta core data model is based on RDF, and can be extended for specific social applications. We also discuss the results of performance evaluation of the core Yarta operations on smart phones and laptops, as well as the steps needed for developing new applications using it.
Biography: Animesh Pathak is currently a researcher ("Chargé de Recherche") with the ARLES project-team at INRIA Paris-Rocquencourt. He received his PhD in Computer Engineering from the University of Southern California, USA in 2008; and prior to that, the B.Tech degree in Computer Science and Engineering from the Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University, India where he graduated at the head of his class. His current research interests include high-level programming abstractions for sensor networks and emerging trends in mobile social networking.
Host: Professor Viktor K. Prasanna
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 248
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Janice Thompson
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Scaling of Fracture in Quasibrittle Structures
Tue, Mar 08, 2011 @ 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Qiang Yu, Northwestern University
Talk Title: Scaling of Fracture in Quasibrittle Structures
Abstract: Quasibrittle Materials, which include concrete, fiber composites, tough ceramics, bone and many other engineering materials, are widely used in the fields of civil engineering, aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering and bio-engineering. A salient feature of quasibrittle material is that its constituents are brittle and, due to heterogeneity, its fracture process zone is not negligible compared with the structure size. The consequence is that the structure strength (nominal stress at failure) is size dependent. Statistical studies showed that if size effect is ignored in concrete design, the failure probability may increase by orders of magnitude, e.g., from 10-6 to 10-3. Therefore, the proper scaling of quasibrittle structure strength is of great importance for structural safety and reliability.
In this study, the scaling of fracture in shear of RC beams, at reentrant corners, and in metal-composite hybrid joints is investigated theoretically, experimentally, and numerically. Dimensional analysis and asymptotic matching are exploited to identify the small- and large-size behaviors and the transition between these asymptotic trends. In contrast to notches and pre-existing cracks, the real part of the stress singularity exponent for the tip of a reentrant corner or bi-material corner is not -1/2, as required for finiteness of the energy flux into the crack. Therefore, one must take into account the fact that a cohesive crack must emanate from the corner and, for a large enough structure, must be embedded in a more remote singular stress field of the corner. The crack tip field, corner tip field and boundary influenced field are matched energetically through the strength of the singularities. By connecting the energy release and cohesive cracking of the embedded crack with the singular stress field of the corner, a general size effect law can be derived via asymptotic matching. The derived size effect laws for shear of reinforced concrete beams, for reentrant corners and for hybrid joints are validated by experiments and numerical simulations.
Host: Sonny Astani Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Location: Kaprielian Hall (KAP) - 209
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Erin Sigman
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Engineering Resume Workshop- Presented by Space X
Tue, Mar 08, 2011 @ 06:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Viterbi School of Engineering Career Connections
Workshops & Infosessions
Focused on jobs and internships in Engineering.
All engineering disciplines are welcome.
Presentation:
6:00 pm â 6:45 pm
Individual Resumes (Continuing on Presentation):
6:45 pm â 10:00 pm
First will be a 45 min. presentation on what companies are looking for in interns and new undergrads. Following the presentation we will work on the resumes of students attending, as a demonstration of how to apply principles from the presentation.
Registration for individual sessions: https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0Av8rls_cqomvdElUaERaY0U1TWtUZUxjNGdaWTZMR1E&hl=en&authkey=CKCfgn4
What to Bring:
Bring an electronic copy of your resume (paper copy recommended for notes).
Workshop hosted by Bryan Gardner:
Propulsion Manager, Spacecraft Manufacturing at SpaceX
Author of Hired Minds: A Career Guide for Engineering Students and Graduates
MIT - MBA & MS Astronautics â08
BYU - Mechanical Engineering â03
The presentation and sample resumes are available at http://www.bryangardner.com/Resume/ResExamples.html
Location: Ronald Tutor Hall of Engineering (RTH) - 211
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: RTH 218 Viterbi Career Services
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Decoherence of Polarization Entanglement in Optical Fibers With Polarization Mode Dispersion
Wed, Mar 09, 2011 @ 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Misha Brodsky, AT&T Labs
Talk Title: Decoherence of Polarization Entanglement in Optical Fibers With Polarization Mode Dispersion
Abstract: Quantum mechanics permits the existence of unique correlations, or entanglement, between individual particles. For a pair of entangled photons, this means that performing a measurement on one photon appears to affect the state of the other. The ability of entangled particles to act in concert is preserved even when they are separated by large distances and serves as a resource for numerous applications. For example, distributing entangled photon pairs over fiber-optic cables enables secure communication between two remote parties or could offer the possibility of interconnecting quantum computers. The vast transparency band of the installed global fiber-optic network, consisting of over a Gigameter of optical fiber cables, presents a particularly attractive opportunity for this task. The bond between entangled photons is, however, very fragile and could be lost.
Several physical phenomena set limitations on transmission of classical light pulses through optical fibers. An intriguing and crucial question is how some of these well-studied phenomena, for instance Polarization Mode Dispersion (PMD), affect a polarization entangled photon pair. How far could one send entangled photons while still maintaining the connection between them?
We investigate, theoretically and experimentally, how inherent defects and miniscule imperfections in fiber-optic cables degrade entanglement between two photons transmitted over fibers. We show that the loss of entanglement could be either gradual or surprisingly abrupt. In addition, we suggest a novel way to compensate for adverse effects that occur during propagation in fibers. Finally, we define the range of fiber parameters over which entanglement remains sufficient for secure communication. The richness of the observed phenomena suggests that fiber-based entanglement distribution systems could serve as natural laboratories for studying entanglement decoherence.
A brief introduction to the topic of the talk is available on the front page of AT&T Labs website: www.research.att.com
Biography: Dr. Misha Brodsky joined AT&T Labs in 2000. His contributions to fiber optic communications focused on optical transmission systems and physics of fiber propagation, most notably through his work on polarization effects in fiber-optic networks. More recently Misha has been working on quantum communications; single photon detection; where his prime research interest is in photon entanglement and entanglement decoherence mechanisms in optical fibers.
Dr. Brodsky has authored or co-authored over 70 journal and conference papers, a book chapter and about two dozen patent applications. He is a topical editor for Optics Letters and has been active on numerous program committees for IEEE Photonics Society and OSA conferences. Dr. Brodsky holds a PhD in Physics from MIT.
Host: Daniel Lidar
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 248
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Gerrielyn Ramos
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Technology Developments and R&D Challenges for Smart Grid Applications in Homes, Buildings, and Industry
Wed, Mar 09, 2011 @ 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Dr. Tariq Samad, Honeywell Automation and Control Solutions
Talk Title: Technology Developments and R&D Challenges for Smart Grid Applications in Homes, Buildings, and Industry
Series: CEI Distinguished Lecture Series in Energy Informatics
Abstract: The smart grid does not stop at the meter. Over 90% of the electricity generated in developed economies is consumed in homes, buildings and industrial plants. Greater attention must be paid to end-use sectors if the promised benefits of smart grids â such as reduction of electricity consumption, load shifting, better use of renewable generation and storage, reduced use of fossil fuels, and improved grid reliability â are to be achieved.
Dr. Samad will discuss current solutions that are already realizing such benefits, R&D activities under way, and outstanding challenges. The talk will cover automated demand response, remote energy diagnostics, home energy management systems, thermal storage, demand-management ancillary services, and micro-grid optimization. Current and proposed system architectures for such solutions will be presented, with examples from residential, commercial, and industrial sectors. Challenges for research as well as standards development will be discussed.
Biography: Tariq Samad is a Corporate Fellow with Honeywell Automation and Control Solutions, based in Minneapolis. His career with Honeywell has spanned 25 years, during which time he contributed to automation and control technology R&D with applications to electric power systems, the process industries, building management, automotive engines, unmanned aircraft, and clean energy. His research interests relate to automation, intelligence, and autonomy for complex engineering systems.
Dr. Samad is a Fellow of the IEEE, and served as the President of IEEE Control Systems Society in 2009 and the Editor-in-chief of IEEE Control Systems Magazine. He is General Chair for the 2012 American Control Conference and is on the editorial board of IEEE Press. He holds 17 patents and has (co)authored over 100 publications. He represents Honeywell on the Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute, and is a member of the Governing Board of the U.S. Smart Grid Interoperability Panel. He holds a B.S. in Engineering and Applied Science from Yale University and M.S. and Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University.
Host: Prof. S. Joe Qin and Prof. Viktor Prasanna
More Info: http://cei.usc.edu/news/lecturesLocation: Seeley G. Mudd Building (SGM) - 101
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Yogesh Simmhan
Event Link: http://cei.usc.edu/news/lectures
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The nanochemomechanics of geomaterials
Wed, Mar 09, 2011 @ 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Alberto Ortega, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Talk Title: The nanochemomechanics of geomaterials
Abstract: Geomaterials such as rocks, soils, and concrete have emerged as crucial components in advanced engineering solutions related to enhanced oil recovery, geothermal energy, carbon sequestration, and green construction materials. These engineering challenges demand an intimate understanding of the multiscale mechanical behaviors of natural and engineered porous composites. In this presentation, a combination of experimental and theoretical microporomechanics approaches deployed at fundamental material scales is proposed as a means to decode complex mechanical responses of two geomaterials: shale, a type of clay-bearing sedimentary rock, and a high-performance cement paste. For shale, experiments involving statistical grid nanoindentation and an original application of wave dispersive spectroscopy allowed for the proper chemomechanical quantification of the in situ clay matrix response and the nature of the clay-silt grain interface. The micromechanics modeling of the clay matrix as a composite of nano-sized building blocks of clay agglomerates and nanoporosity revealed a granular and anisotropic mechanical behavior, which drives the poroelasticity of shale observed at macroscopic scales. For cement, the intrinsic solid properties of the calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) phase in high-performance pastes were determined by employing a similar experimental program and the micromechanics modeling tools. The improved elasticity and strength of the solid backbone compared to those of ordinary cement pastes provided valuable insight into the effects of mix design and curing on the mechanical response of the hardened materials. The nanochemomechanics of these geomaterials learned from fundamental scales can be used as instrumental information for the design and validation of upscaling models capable of predicting macroscopic engineering properties. Furthermore, the proposed geo-genome approach represents a viable framework for the mechanical modeling of other natural porous composites.
Host: Sonny Astani Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Location: Kaprielian Hall (KAP) - 209
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Erin Sigman
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EE-Electrophysics Seminar
Wed, Mar 09, 2011 @ 02:30 PM - 03:30 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Faxian Xiu, Electrical Engineering Department at UCLA
Talk Title: Magnetic Nanomaterials and Nanodevices - Emerging Strategies for Beating Mooreâs Law
Abstract: Magnetic nanomaterials have potentials for developing new-generation electric devices to resolve power consumptions and variability issues in todayâs microelectronics industry. In this talk, I will present my recent research on the development of high-Curie-temperature Mn0.05Ge0.95 quantum dots with a ferromagnetic order above room temperature. I will describe an approach to probe the electric-field control of ferromagnetism in this material and demonstrate the operation temperature up to 300 K. I will also briefly discuss some of recent advance in voltage-controlled surface states in topological insulator Bi2Te3 nanoribbons. The surface states of the topological nanoribbon can be significantly enhanced up to 51 % by applying an external gate voltage. These novel magnetic and electronic materials could be potentially used for the long-sought power dissipationless applications.
Biography: Dr. Faxian Xiu is currently a staff research associate with the Electrical Engineering department at UCLA. He is associated with two research centers in California: the Functional Engineered Nano Architectonics Center and the Western Institute of Nanoelectronics. He received his Masters degree in Materials Science and Engineering from the same university in 2002, and his Ph. D. degree from the Electrical Engineering at UC Riverside in 2007. After his Ph.D., he worked for ZN technology Incorporation for two years before he joined UCLA as a staff research associate.
Dr. Xiu has interdisciplinary background involving both materials science and electrical engineering. He has over 40 peer-reviewed publications and received numerous media attention on his work of dilute magnetic semiconductors. His current research interest includes spintronic and nanoelectronic devices based on the Mn-doped Ge quantum dots and topological insulator nanoribbons.
Host: EE-Electrophysics
More Info: http://ee.usc.edu/news/seminars/eepLocation: Hedco Neurosciences Building (HNB) - 100
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Marilyn Poplawski
Event Link: http://ee.usc.edu/news/seminars/eep
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AME Department Seminar
Wed, Mar 09, 2011 @ 03:30 PM - 04:30 PM
Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: DuÅ¡an M. Stipanović , Associate Professor, Department of Industrial and Enterprise Systems Engineering and Control and Decision Group at the Coordinated Science Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Talk Title: An Approach to Control of Dynamic Systems with Multiple Objectives
Abstract: The challenges of controlling dynamic systems with multiple objectives are related to and furthermore include problems in multi-player dynamic games, multiobjective optimization, and decentralized control and estimation which all are known to be independently difficult and unsolved in general terms. The additional complexity is introduced through nonlinear dynamic models with delays and perturbations as well as various state, input and communication constraints. In this talk we will present a number of recent results in control of dynamic systems with multiple objectives based on a Liapunov-like approach as well as differentiable approximations of minimum and maximum and differential inequalities. We will show simulations of multi- vehicle systems achieving multiple objectives such as collision avoidance, trajectory tracking, control of formations of vehicles, and surveillance of compact domains. In addition a number of experimental results including autonomous and semi-autonomous (that is, teleoperated) ground vehicles (conducted in the Robotics Laboratory at the University of Illinois) and aerial vehicles (conducted at the Boeing Company in Seattle) will be presented.
Host: Prof. F. Udwadia
More Info: http://ame-www.usc.edu/seminars/3-9-11-stipanovic.shtmlLocation: Seaver Science Library (SSL) - 150
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: April Mundy
Event Link: http://ame-www.usc.edu/seminars/3-9-11-stipanovic.shtml
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Evaluating and Negotiating Job Offers
Wed, Mar 09, 2011 @ 05:00 PM - 06:00 PM
Viterbi School of Engineering Career Connections
Workshops & Infosessions
Decision Time! How do you decipher and evaluate job offers? How do you begin the negotiations phase? Attend this workshop and learn helpful tips that will help guide you through the process.
Location: Grace Ford Salvatori Hall Of Letters, Arts & Sciences (GFS) - 106
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: RTH 218 Viterbi Career Services
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Tau Beta Pi Info Session
Wed, Mar 09, 2011 @ 06:00 PM - 07:00 PM
Viterbi School of Engineering Student Organizations
Student Activity
Eligible students, come learn more about Tau Beta Pi and the requirements for membership.
Location: Grace Ford Salvatori Hall Of Letters, Arts & Sciences (GFS) - 222
Audiences: Invited students
Contact: Tau Beta Pi
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Get Inked with SWE!
Wed, Mar 09, 2011 @ 07:00 PM - 09:00 PM
Viterbi School of Engineering Student Organizations
Student Activity
Come to our 3rd General Meeting of the year and get a Henna tattoo before spring break! Henna tattoo artist Gabriela will be decorating our members in this ancient form of body decoration. We will also be serving Indian food from Manas.
While you're waiting for your turn to be inked, you'll have the opportunity to chat with current Officer Council members about their roles in SWE. Elections for the new council will be coming up at the end of the month, so if you'd like to get more involved in SWE USC next year, come get answers to all your questions!Location: Von Kleinsmid Center For International & Public Affairs (VKC) - 156
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Society of Women Engineers
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Programmable Logic for High Performance Networking
Thu, Mar 10, 2011 @ 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Gordon Brebner, Xilinx Labs, USA
Talk Title: Programmable Logic for High Performance Networking
Abstract: The telecommunications equipment industry is now moving to data rates of 100 Gb/s and above, with 1 Tb/s on the horizon. In this talk, I will overview research in Xilinx Labs that has been directed to demonstrating that Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) technology can play a mainstream role in implementing the required functions at such data rates. In particular, I will focus on packet classification. The first part concerns a novel programmable packet parsing engine capable of extracting relevant keys at line rate. The second part concerns high-throughput lookup of such keys to make classification decisions.
This involves both on-FPGA memory lookup for small tables, and off-FPGA memory lookup for larger tables. In the former case, aside from the necessary lookup rates, a key figure of merit has been the average number of physical memory bits required per table data bit. Another concern has been efficient live table update. Good results have been obtained based on the work of Prasanna et al, for heavily pipelined implementations of tree and tries, and these will be overviewed. After the feasibility of practical implementations at a 100 Gb/s data rate had been verified, a prototype high-level programming environment that hides the FPGA completely was developed, and I will give a short demonstration of this.
Biography: Gordon Brebner is a Distinguished Engineer at Xilinx, Inc., the worldwide leader in programmable logic solutions. He works in Xilinx Labs in San José, California, USA, leading an international group researching issues surrounding networked processing systems of the future. His main personal research interests concern dynamically reconfigurable architectures, domain-specific languages with highly concurrent implementations, and high performance networking and telecommunications, with also a historical interest in computational complexity. He has authored numerous papers and the book "Computers in Communication", and holds many patents. Prior to joining Xilinx in 2002, Gordon was the Professor of Computer Systems at the University of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom, directing the Institute for Computing Systems Architecture. He continues to be an Honorary Professor at the University of Edinburgh, is a Ph.D. advisor at Santa Clara University, and is a visiting lecturer at Stanford University.
Host: Professor Viktor K. Prasanna
Location: Ronald Tutor Hall of Engineering (RTH) - 324
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Janice Thompson
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CS Colloquium
Thu, Mar 10, 2011 @ 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Dr. Makoto Yokoo, Kyushu University
Talk Title: Cooperative Game Theory: A New Frontier for Agent Researchers
Abstract: Cooperative game theory deals with how (selfish) agents can create a coalition and divide the gain of the coalition among them, when agents can negotiate before taking their actions. This research topic has 60-year tradition (started by von Neumann), and various solution concepts (e.g. core, Shapley value) that describe how to determine the value division have been developed. Furthermore, the growth of Internet and e-commerce has expanded its application area (e.g. dynamic, agile formations of virtual organizations). In this talk, I give a brief overview of traditional results on cooperative game theory, and describe new challenging topics for agent/AI/CS researchers, such as coalitional structure generation and concise representation schemes.
Biography: Makoto Yokoo received the B.E. and M.E. degrees in electrical engineering, in 1984 and 1986, respectively, form the University of Tokyo, Japan, and the Ph.D. degree in information and communication engineering in 1995, from the University of Tokyo, Japan. From 1986 to 2004, he was a research scientist of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT). He is currently a Professor of Information Science and Electrical Engineering, Kyushu University. His esearch interests include multi-agent systems, constraint satisfaction, and mechanism design among self-interested agents. He served as a general co-chair of International joint Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems in 2007 (AAMAS-2007), and as a program co-chair of AAMAS-2003. He is on the board of directors of International Foundation for Autonomous Agent and Multiagent Systems (IFAAMAS). He received the ACM SIGART Autonomous Agents Research Award in 2004, and the IFAAMAS influential paper award in 2010.
Host: Prof. Milind Tambe
Location: Grace Ford Salvatori Hall Of Letters, Arts & Sciences (GFS) - 101
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Kanak Agrawal
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A Panel on Wireless Technologies and their Potential for Health and Health-related Research
Thu, Mar 10, 2011 @ 12:00 PM - 02:00 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Workshops & Infosessions
A Panel on Wireless Technologies and their Potential for Health and Health-related Research
Moderator: Urbashi Mitra, Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical Engineering
Panelists: Murali Annavaram, Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical Engineering
Jill McNitt-Gray, Kinesiology, Biological Sciences, & Biomedical Engineering
Andy Molisch, Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical Engineering
Terry Sanger, Director, HTE@USC
Biomedical Engineering, Biokinesiology & Neurology
Carolee Winstein, Biokinesiology, Physical Therapy, Health Affairs
& Neurology, Director, OPTT-RERC
Description:
Cellular telephones have advanced from pure voice communication devices to data communication devices and are evolving into computing devices with a current focus on data management and entertainment applications. Today, more than 80% of the worldâs population is within the reach of a cell tower with nearly 4 billion mobile phones in use. Such expansive mobile phone penetration and coverage creates new opportunities to exploit wireless technology for prevention and treatment efforts of health conditions. In this panel, we will explore the potential impact of new wireless technology on treatment and on health-related research, in general. Challenges and potential new research directions will be discussed for a variety of health domains.
Thursday, March 10th, 2011
12:00 PM â 2:00 PM
Locations:
University Park Campus, UPC: ACB 238 (lunch served)
Health Sciences Campus, HSC: BCC 1st Floor Seminar Room
Informational Sciences Institute, ISI: 11th Floor Conference Room
Workshop will be simulcasted at UPC, HSC and ISI.
Register at usccer@usc.edu to reserve your space!
Location: Ahmanson Center (ACB) - 238
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Gerrielyn Ramos
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Have a Slice With WTS-LA!
Thu, Mar 10, 2011 @ 12:00 PM - 01:00 PM
Viterbi School of Engineering Career Connections
Workshops & Infosessions
Attention engineers, urban planners, environmental
planners, public policy and logistics students with a career
interest in transportation: Have a slice with WTS-LA! Learn how participation will benefit your professional development in all phases of your
career!Location: Ronald Tutor Hall of Engineering (RTH) - 211
Audiences: All Viterbi Students
Contact: RTH 218 Viterbi Career Services
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Lyman L. Handy Colloquium Series
Thu, Mar 10, 2011 @ 12:45 PM - 01:50 PM
Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Professor Mark D. Asta, Department of Materials Science and Engineering University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, California
Talk Title: Crystal-Melt Interfaces: Insights from Atomic-Scale Simulations
Series: Lyman L. Handy Colloquium Series
Abstract: The properties of crystal-melt interfaces have long been a topic of substantial interest in materials science, primarily because of their role in governing crystal growth kinetics and morphologies. While the importance of this class of heterophase interfaces has long been recognized, detailed information related to their properties has become available only relatively recently due to advances in both experimental and computational methods. This talk will discuss insights derived over the past decade in the application of atomic-scale computer simulations as a framework for calculating structural, thermodynamic and kinetic properties of crystal-melt interfaces. The talk will include a review of results obtained for elemental metals and model alloy systems with cubic and hexagonal crystal structures, and will illustrate how the detailed information provided by atomistic simulations can be combined with phase-field modeling to derive insights into the origin of complex morphological phenomena in alloy solidification. Recent applications to faceted solid-liquid interfaces, and to rapid solidification in binary alloys with also be discussed.
Host: Professor Vashishta
More Info: http://chems.usc.edu/academics/10-11/l-03-10-11.htmLocation: James H. Zumberge Hall Of Science (ZHS) - 159
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Petra Pearce
Event Link: http://chems.usc.edu/academics/10-11/l-03-10-11.htm
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CS Colloquium
Thu, Mar 10, 2011 @ 03:30 PM - 05:00 PM
Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Shaddin Dughmi, Stanford University
Talk Title: Randomization and Computation in Strategic Settings
Abstract: In resource allocation problems, a centralized agency allocates resources to
recipients: an Internet Service Provider allocates bandwidth to consumers; the Federal Communications Commission auctions radio spectra to telecommunications companies; and a content distribution company designs an overlay network to satisfy its customers' routing needs. Often, the agency's goal is to find an allocation that maximizes the social good. This goal is complicated by the fact that the recipients are self-interested, and their actions influence the allocation.
Economists cope with self-interested behavior by designing mechanisms that align individual incentives with the social good. This requires finding an optimal solution to the -- often intractable -- resource allocation problem.
Computer scientists cope with intractability by designing approximation algorithms. Until recently, it appeared difficult to unify these techniques and design incentive-compatible computationally-efficient mechanisms for computing approximately optimal allocations. Impossibility results regarding deterministic mechanisms suggest that this difficulty is fundamental.
My work harnesses the power of randomization to reconcile economic and computational requirements in settings where deterministic mechanisms provably can not. My colleagues and I (1) developed general techniques for the design of randomized mechanisms, (2) applied these techniques to solve some of the paradigmatic problems in this area, and (3) developed a black box reduction that, for a large class of problems, generically converts an approximation algorithm to an incentive compatible mechanism without degrading its approximation guarantee.
Biography: Shaddin Dughmi is a PhD student in the computer science theory group at Stanford University, advised by Professor Tim Roughgarden. His main research interests are in algorithms, game theory, and combinatorial optimization. Shaddin graduated from Cornell University in 2004 with a B.S. in computer science and a minor in applied mathematics. From 2004 to 2006, he was an Information Security Engineer at the MITRE Corporation, where he worked on cryptographic protocol analysis. He enrolled in the Stanford computer science PhD program in the Fall of 2006, with an expected graduation date of June 2011.
Host: Prof. David Kempe
Location: Seaver Science Library (SSL) - 150
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Kanak Agrawal
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AI SEMINAR
Thu, Mar 10, 2011 @ 04:00 PM - 06:00 PM
Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science, Information Sciences Institute, USC Viterbi School of Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Chris Welty, Research staff member, IBM Watson Research Center
Talk Title: Inside the mind of Watson
Abstract: Watson is a computer system capable of answering rich natural language questions and estimating its confidence in those answers at a level of the best humans at the task. Â On Feb 14-16, in an historic event, Watson triumphed over the best Jeopardy! players of all time. Â In this talk Chris Welty will discuss how Watson works and dive into some of its answers (right and wrong).
Biography: Chris Welty is a Research Scientist at the IBM T.J. Watson Research Center in New York. Previously, he taught Computer Science at Vassar College, taught at and received his Ph.D. from Rensselaer Polytechnice Institute, and accumulated over 14 years of teaching experience before moving to industrial research. Chris' principal area of research is Knowledge Representation, specifically ontologies and the semantic web, and he spends most of his time applying this technology to Natural Language Question Answering as a member of the DeepQA/Watson team and, in the past, Software Engineering. Dr. Welty is a co-chair of the W3C Rules Interchange Format Working Group (RIF), serves on the steering committee of the Formal Ontology in Information Systems Conferences, is president of KR.ORG, on the editorial boards of AI Magazine, The Journal of Applied Ontology, and The Journal of Web Semantics, and was an editor in the W3C Web Ontology Working Group. While on sabbatical in 2000, he co-developed the OntoClean methodology with Nicola Guarino. Chris Welty's work on ontologies and ontology methodology has appeared in CACM, and numerous other publications. see:
http://domino.research.ibm.com/comm/research_people.nsf/pages/welty.index.html
Host: Ed Hovy ISI
Location: Grace Ford Salvatori Hall Of Letters, Arts & Sciences (GFS) - 106
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Eric Mankin
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Suburban/Structure: Films by Sharon Lockhart and Charlie White
Thu, Mar 10, 2011 @ 07:00 PM - 09:00 PM
USC Viterbi School of Engineering
Receptions & Special Events
Admission is free.
Join us for a screening and discussion with acclaimed artists and USC fine-arts faculty Sharon Lockhart and Charlie White. Filmed in a secondary school in suburban Japan, Lockhartâs Goshogaoka at first seems to be about the drills of a girlsâ basketball team. The film consists of six ten-minute takes in which the various cadences of chanting voices and bodily movements digress into distinct studies. Whiteâs American Minor is a meditation on the suburban American teenage girl and a world defined by products, objects and perpetual consumption.
Lockhart has exhibited at museums around the world, including the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis and Kunsthalle in Zurich. White has exhibited internationally at museums including the Shanghai Museum of Art, the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles and Oberösterreichisches Landesmuseum in Austria.
Organized by the USC Roski School of Fine Arts in conjunction with the USC School of Cinematic Arts.
For further information on this event:
visionsandvoices@usc.eduLocation: The Ray Stark Family Theatre, School of Cinematic Arts 108
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Daria Yudacufski
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EE-Electrophysics Seminar
Fri, Mar 11, 2011 @ 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Liangbing Hu, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University
Talk Title: Nanostructured Energy Devices: Manipulating Electrons, Photons and Ions
Abstract: Lowering the cost and improving the performance of devices are essential for making renewable energy feasible for everyday applications. In this talk, I will focus on discussing how abundant materials such as paper, silicon and copper can be engineered to create one dimensional nanomaterial networks (Nano-Nets) which allow us to manipulate fundamental particles in these energy devices to ultimately obtain remarkable performance. Conductive Nano-Nets using carbon nanotubes, silver nanowires and copper nanofibers for transparent electrodes in solar cells, silicon Nano-Nets for high performance Li-ion battery anodes, and conductive paper and textiles for ultracapacitors and microbial fuel cells will be discussed in detail.
Biography: Liangbing Hu received his B.S. in applied physics from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) in 2002. He did his Ph.D. in experimental physics under Prof. George Gruner at UCLA, focusing on carbon nanotube based nanoelectronics. He studied extensively the charge transport in carbon nanotube thin films with randomly distributed energy barriers and its dependence on geometry (nanotube length, density et al.) and energy (frequency, temperature and field). He also explored the device applications of such random networks in field effect transistors, sensors and optoelectronic devices. In 2006, he joined Unidym as a co-founding scientist. At Unidym, Liangbingâs role was the development of roll-to-roll printed carbon nanotube transparent electrodes and device integrations into touch screens, LCDs, flexible OLEDs and solar cells. Currently, Liangbing is a postdoctoral research fellow at Stanford University in Prof. Yi Cuiâs lab where he is working on various energy devices based on nanomaterials and nanostructures including Li-ion batteries, ultracapacitors and microbial fuel cells. He has ~ 50 journal publications in nanomaterials, nanoelectronics, printed electronics and energy devices.
Host: EE-Electrophysics
More Info: http://ee.usc.edu/news/seminars/eepLocation: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 248
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Marilyn Poplawski
Event Link: http://ee.usc.edu/news/seminars/eep
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AI seminar
Fri, Mar 11, 2011 @ 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science, Information Sciences Institute, Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, USC Viterbi School of Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Chris Welty, Research staff member, IBM Watson Research Center
Talk Title: Inside the mind of Watson
Abstract: Watson is a computer system capable of answering rich natural language questions and estimating its confidence in those answers at a level of the best humans at the task. On Feb 14-16, in an historic event, Watson triumphed over the best Jeopardy! players of all time. In this talk Chris Welty will discuss how Watson works and dive into some of its answers (right and wrong).
Biography: Biography: Chris Welty is a Research Scientist at the IBM T.J. Watson Research Center in New York. Previously, he taught Computer Science at Vassar College, taught at and received his Ph.D. from Rensselaer Polytechnice Institute, and accumulated over 14 years of teaching experience before moving to industrial research. Chris' principal area of research is Knowledge Representation, specifically ontologies and the semantic web, and he spends most of his time applying this technology to Natural Language Question Answering as a member of the DeepQA/Watson team and, in the past, Software Engineering. Dr. Welty is a co-chair of the W3C Rules Interchange Format Working Group (RIF), serves on the steering committee of the Formal Ontology in Information Systems Conferences, is president of KR.ORG, on the editorial boards of AI Magazine, The Journal of Applied Ontology, and The Journal of Web Semantics, and was an editor in the W3C Web Ontology Working Group. While on sabbatical in 2000, he co-developed the OntoClean methodology with Nicola Guarino. Chris Welty's work on ontologies and ontology methodology has appeared in CACM, and numerous other publications. see:
http://domino.research.ibm.com/comm/research_people.nsf/pages/welty.index.html
Host: Gully Burns, 1SI
Location: ISI 11th floor conference room
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Eric Mankin
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W.V.T. Rusch Engineering Honors Colloquium;From Internet to Smart Grid
Fri, Mar 11, 2011 @ 01:00 PM - 01:50 PM
USC Viterbi School of Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering Student Affairs
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Dr. Steven H. Low, Professor of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering at CalTech
Talk Title: W.V.T. Rusch Engineering Honors Colloquium;From Internet to Smart Grid
Abstract: Dr. Steven H. Low, Professor of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering at the California Institute of Technology, will present "From Internet to Smart Grid" as part of the W.V.T. Rusch Engineering Honors Program.
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: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Amanda Atkinson
Event Link: http://viterbi.usc.edu/students/undergrad/honors/schedules/
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DANIEL J. EPSTEIN DEPARTMENT OF INDUSTRIAL & SYSTEMS ENGINEERING SEMINAR
Fri, Mar 11, 2011 @ 01:30 PM - 02:30 PM
Daniel J. Epstein Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Dr. Luca Quadrifoglio, Zachry Department of Civil Engineering, Texas A&M University
Talk Title: Paratransit System Design: Evaluating the Use of "Transfers" for Zoning Strategy
Abstract: Paratransit services often adopt decentralized zoning strategies to divide large service area into smaller zones. Paratransit services often adopt decentralized Zoning strategies to divide large service area into smaller zones assigned to different providers in order to simplify their management. If zones are independently managed, there is no coordination among providers. This causes the overall system to be quite inefficient, due to a large amount of empty trip miles driven, a major cause for these services' high operating costs. Coordination among providers is possible by including transfer points at zone boundaries and can potentially improve productivity. The zoning with transfer practice has been adopted by some transit agencies (Chicago, Boston and San Diego, for example) but never properly investigated from a research point of view. This research study evaluates the impact of transfer design on decentralized zoning paratransit through extensive simulation analyses.
Biography: Dr. Luca Quadrifoglio holds a Laurea in Chemical Engineering (1996) from the Politecnico of Milan (Italy), a M.S. in Engineering Management (2002) and Ph.D. (2005) degrees from the Daniel J. Epstein Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the USC. After a year as a Postdoc at CREATE (USC), he joined the Faculty of the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering at Texas A&M University in 2006. He published a number of papers in top rated Journals, won the 2006 Pritsker Doctoral Dissertation Award (3rd place) and the 2004 Council of University Transportation Center (CUTC) National Student Award for best publication in Science and Technology. His research interests are related to the broad field of Operations Research primarily applied to transportation systems, mainly transit.
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - Room 248
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Georgia Lum
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Pre-MESA Day
Sat, Mar 12, 2011 @ 09:00 AM - 03:00 PM
Viterbi School of Engineering K-12 STEM Center
Student Activity
Math, science, and engineering competitions for MESA middle and high school students to qualify to participate in the Los Angeles Regional MESA Days.
Audiences: High school and middle school MESA students
Contact: Larry Lim
