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SUNMONTUEWEDTHUFRISAT
Events for the 4th week of March
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Human Factors in Aviation Safety (HFH)
Mon, Mar 21, 2011 @ 08:00 AM - 04:00 PM
Aviation Safety and Security Program
University Calendar
This course presents human factors information in a manner that can be readily understood and applied by aviation practitioners. Emphasis is placed on identifying the causes of human error, predicting how human error can affect performance, and applying countermeasures to reduce or eliminate its effects.
Location: Aviation Safety & Security Campus
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Harrison Wolf
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BME 533 - Seminar in Biomedical Engineering
Mon, Mar 21, 2011 @ 12:30 PM - 01:50 PM
Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Dr. Francisco Valero-Cuevas, USC BME
Host: Department of Biomedical Engineering, USC
Location: Olin Hall of Engineering (OHE) - 122
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Mischalgrace Diasanta
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CS Colloquium
Mon, Mar 21, 2011 @ 02:00 PM - 03:30 PM
Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Roger Dingledine, Project Leader - the Tor Project
Talk Title: Tor and the Censorship Arms Race: Lessons Learned
Abstract: Tor is a free-software anonymizing network that helps people around the world use the Internet in safety. Tor's 2200 volunteer relays carry traffic for several hundred thousand users including ordinary citizens who want protection from identity theft and prying corporations, corporations who want to look at a competitor's website in private, and soldiers and aid workers in the Middle East who need to contact their home servers without fear of physical harm.
Tor was originally designed as a civil liberties tool for people in the West. But if governments or others can block connections *to* the Tor network, who cares that it provides great anonymity? A few years ago we started adapting Tor to be more robust in situations where authorities or operators actively attempt to impede its use. We streamlined its network communications to look more like ordinary SSL, and we introduced "bridge relays" that are harder for an attacker to find and block than Tor's public relays.
Through the Iranian elections in June 2009, the periodic blockings in China, the demonstrations in Tunisia and Egypt, and whatever's coming next, we're learning a lot about how circumvention tools work in reality for activists in tough situations. This talk will assume some familiarity with Tor already, and jump quickly into the technical and social problems we're encountering, what technical approaches we've tried so far (and how they went), and what approaches I think we're going to need to try next.
Biography: Roger Dingledine is project leader for The Tor Project, a US non-profit working on anonymity research and development for such diverse organizations as Voice of America, the U.S. Navy, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation. In addition to all the hats he wears for Tor, Roger organizes academic conferences on anonymity, speaks at a wide variety of industry and hacker conferences, and also does tutorials on anonymity for national and foreign law enforcement.
Host: Terry Benzel and John Wroclawski - USC/ISI
Location: Mark Taper Hall Of Humanities (THH) - 210
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Kanak Agrawal
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Quantum Computers: Algorithms and Implementations
Mon, Mar 21, 2011 @ 03:00 PM - 04:00 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Ben Reichardt, University of Waterloo
Talk Title: Quantum Computers: Algorithms and Implementations
Abstract: Quantum computers have the potential to deliver exponential speedups. To realize this potential, we need new quantum algorithms and new ways of implementing scalable quantum devices.
A difficulty in designing quantum algorithms is that quantum mechanics is often counterintuitive. We show that quantum computers are equivalent to a simpler model, known as span programs, that does not use quantum mechanics. Based on this equivalence, we find new algorithms, and also determine general structural properties of quantum algorithms. For example, we find a better way of composing quantum algorithms than standard classical recursion.
The main problem for implementing quantum computers is noise. We study several proposed fault-tolerant quantum computer architectures in order to maximize the tolerable noise rate and minimize the overhead, while satisfying chip locality constraints. For example, by studying the propagation of errors, we modify an error-correction method to reduce its overhead by at least a factor of four. We also introduce a family of quantum error-correcting codes with useful locality and universality properties.
Biography: Ben Reichardt is an assistant professor at the Institute for Quantum Computing in the University of Waterloo. He received his Ph.D. from UC Berkeley in 2006, advised by Umesh Vazirani, and was a postdoctoral fellow at the California Institute of Technology until 2008.
Host: Todd Brun
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 248
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Gerrielyn Ramos
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ENH Seminar Series
Mon, Mar 21, 2011 @ 04:00 PM - 05:00 PM
Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Christine Raasch, Ph.D, Principal, Biomechanics Practice, Exponent Test & Engineering Center, Phoenix AZ
Talk Title: Biomechanics for (crash test) dummies- a lot happens in the blink of an eye
Abstract: During vehicle crashes, the laws of physics and mechanics hold sway, but those of us accustomed to âreal timeâ dynamics may have difficulty intuitively predicting the complex accelerations and forces that determine occupant motions and injury mechanisms for events that happen in the blink of an eye. Biomechanical accident reconstructionists and safety engineers use tools such as computer simulation and full-scale testing with instrumented anthropomorphic test dummies to open a window onto this fast and furious world. They also rely on careful evaluation of physical evidence left on structures, roadways, vehicle bodies/interiors and occupants themselves in real-world accidents to characterize the vehicle motions and occupant environment, and evaluate potential effectiveness of various safety systems in mitigating injury. We will review examples of research crash tests and accident investigations to see how biomechanical engineers analyze these loading scenarios to determine injury outcome.
Host: Francisco Valero-Cuevas
More Info: http://bbdl.usc.edu/ENH-Schedule_1011.phpLocation: Hedco Neurosciences Building (HNB) -
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Adriana Cisneros
Event Link: http://bbdl.usc.edu/ENH-Schedule_1011.php
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Qualcomm Information Session
Mon, Mar 21, 2011 @ 06:00 PM - 07:00 PM
Viterbi School of Engineering Student Organizations
Student Activity
Qualcomm is on campus and wants your resume. Note: The start date for these positions is Summer 2012.
Qualcomm has hundreds of openings for new grads and interns starting the summer of 2012 and they are looking for your resume. Join us for an Information Session where you will learn what it is like to be an Engineer at Qualcomm and how to get an interview. Come grab a couple slices of pizza and all weâll ask for in return is your resume. Sound like a fair trade?
Free food will be served and we look forward to seeing you there. This is a great opportunity for undergraduates - This information session is targeted at you!Location: Seeley G. Mudd Building (SGM) - 123
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
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Life After Man: Art in the Age of the Post-Human: An Evening with Michael Ondaatje
Mon, Mar 21, 2011 @ 07:00 PM - 09:00 PM
USC Viterbi School of Engineering
Receptions & Special Events
Join us for an evening with one of the worldâs foremost writers, Michael Ondaatje, author of Anilâs Ghost and The English Patient. Although he is best known as a novelist, Ondaatje also writes memoir, poetry and film, revealing a passion for defying conventional form. In his transcendent novel The English Patientâlater made into the Academy Awardâwinning filmâhe explores the stories of people history fails to reveal, intersecting four diverse lives at the end of World War II. From the memoir of his childhood, Running in the Family, to his Governor Generalâs Awardâwinning book of poetry, Thereâs a Trick with a Knife Iâm Learning to Do, to his novel The English Patient, Ondaatje casts a spell over his readers. And having won the British Commonwealthâs highest honor, the Booker Prize, he has taken his rightful place as a contemporary literary treasure.
âEach of [Ondaatjeâs] books is filled with passages of such finesse and vividness that they become part of us. He is a writer whose best paragraphs hover just over the page, then fly into the mind.ââThe New Yorker
Organized by the USC College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. Co-sponsored by the College Commons.
For further information on this event:
visionsandvoices@usc.eduLocation: George Finley Bovard Administration Building (ADM) -
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Daria Yudacufski
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GTHB Seminar
Tue, Mar 22, 2011 @ 12:00 PM - 01:30 PM
Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Prof. Eric Friedman, Cornell University
Talk Title: Bargaining Theory in the Cloud
Abstract: The axiomatic theory of bargaining solutions was initiated by John Nash with his seminal paper in 1950 and has a long and mostly mathematical history. Surprisingly, it arises naturally in a variety of allocation problems arising in cloud computing. For example, the second most famous bargaining solution, the Kalai-Smorodinsky solution, is the outcome of a simple water filling algorithm used in the Mesos Platform and has many strong properties in that setting, including incentive compatibility and fairness. In this talk, he will explore these connections for a variety of cloud computing problems and show how axiomatic bargaining theory can be used to analyze allocation problems in the cloud and conversely how cloud computing sheds new light on axiomatic bargaining theory.
This talk is based on joint work with Ali Ghodsi, Scott Shenker and Ion Stoica.
Biography: Eric Friedman is Associate Professor of Operations Research and Information Engineering at Cornell University and a Senior Research Scientist at the International Computer Science Institute at Berkeley (ICSI). His research interests include applications of game theory and complex network theory to computer science and cognitive neuroscience.
Host: Prof. Yu-Han Chang
More Info: http://gthb.usc.edu/Seminars/Location: Seeley Wintersmith Mudd Memorial Hall (of Philosophy) (MHP) - 101
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Kanak Agrawal
Event Link: http://gthb.usc.edu/Seminars/
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Overseas Studies Workshop
Tue, Mar 22, 2011 @ 01:00 PM - 02:00 PM
Viterbi School of Engineering Student Affairs
Workshops & Infosessions
Interested in studying abroad? Come talk to representatives from the College Overseas Studies office and learn about overseas programs for engineering students!
RSVP by emailing viterbi.studentservices@usc.edu with "RSVP Overseas Studies Workshop" in the subject.Location: Ronald Tutor Hall of Engineering (RTH) - 211
Audiences: Undergrad
Contact: Jeffrey Teng
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Novel Methods for Hydrogeophysical Joint Inversion and Data Integration
Tue, Mar 22, 2011 @ 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Michael Cardiff, Boise State University
Talk Title: Novel Methods for Hydrogeophysical Joint Inversion and Data Integration
Abstract: The search for improved estimates of subsurface flow and transport parameters, and the expense and time associated with collecting hydrologic measurements, have both lead many hydrologists to consider the use of geophysical data for aquifer characterization.
Geophysical surveys, such as ground-penetrating radar (GPR), electrical tomography, and active seismic are often relatively cheap and fast to collect, when compared to hydrologic tests such as pumping tests and tracer injections. However, the key drawback of geophysical tests is that they are sensitive to geophysical parameters (e.g., electrical resistivity, seismic velocity, etc.) instead of the hydrologic parameters of interest. In this talk, I present two novel methods for the joint analysis of hydrologic and geophysical data when characterizing hydrologic systems.
In the first part of my presentation, I discuss the use of petrophysical transforms for converting geophysical parameters to hydrologic parameters. While petrophysical transforms are relatively easy to implement, the existence of non-unique petrophysical relations or multiple petrophysical relations can make the conversion to hydrologic parameters difficult. Using a Bayesian perspective, I derive a generalized maximum likelihood estimator that takes into account errors in both hydrologic and geophysical parameter estimates in order to estimate petrophysical relationships. The derived estimator is a generalization of so-called âGaussian Mixture Modelsâ, but with added flexibility. In terms of performance, the derived estimator is often capable of determining 1) The complexity of underlying petrophysical relations and 2) Whether multiple petrophysical relations are present.
The second part of my presentation discusses a novel inversion strategy for estimating boundaries between lithologic units (i.e.
facies) using either single datasets or combinations of hydrologic and geophysical data. By using a series of âlevel set functionsâ, I represent boundaries between facies that are allowed to iteratively deform and improve fit to both datasets. Both hydrologic and geophysical data are used to simultaneously drive boundary movement.
After presenting the theory and key equations, I will show performance on numerical experiments in addition to an application to a sandbox hydraulic tomography study.
Application of imaging and optimization methodologies to water resources systems is a rapidly growing and evolving field, with many opportunities for future research in both field, theoretical, and numerical methods. At the end of my talk, I will discuss some promising areas for future research in hydrogeophysical data integration and inversion, as well as other areas in which computational and optimization methods can be used to improve environmental decision making.
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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Cornelius Pings Lecture
Tue, Mar 22, 2011 @ 03:00 PM - 04:45 PM
Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Professor Chryssostomos Chryssostomidis, Professor of Mechanical and Ocean Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Talk Title: The Role of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) in Future Deepwater Oil Exploration and Production
Series: Cornelius Pings Lecture
Abstract: The oil industry has moved into deeper and deeper waters to meet the continued high demand for oil. The move into deeper waters has required major innovations to keep the cost low without sacrificing safety. The first innovation, the use of ROVs (Remotely Operated Vehicles), has made possible subsea completions at ever increasing standoff distances from the producing platform. The use of ROVs keeps the associated cost of the producing platform reasonable but increases the cost of inspection and maintenance. Even the most routine inspection using an ROV requires the presence of large surface vessel to support the ROV increasing the daily cost of even the most routine maintenance operations by tens of thousands of dollars. This cost pressure has ushered in the second innovation namely the use of AUVs, which can be operated without a costly surface vessel, to meet the inspection needs of producing platforms.
Whether ROVs will be entirely replaced by AUVs is debatable, but we believe that in the next decade an increasing number of light maintenance tasks will be assigned to AUVs. During the lecture the genesis and evolution of modern AUV technology will be discussed. Associated technologies such as underwater communications, sensor technologies, and near real-time supervisory control will be presented. The design of a fully operational and integrated AUV offshore oil inspection system will be described and discussed.
Biography: Educated at MIT and at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne in naval architecture, Professor Chryssostomidis was appointed to the MIT faculty in 1970 and became a full professor in the Department of Ocean Engineering in 1982. That same year he was appointed director of the MIT Sea Grant College Program where in 1989 he established the MIT Sea Grant Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV) Laboratory to develop technology and systems for advanced autonomous surface and underwater vehicles. He served as Department Head of the department of Ocean Engineering where he established the Ocean Engineering Teaching Laboratory from 1994 to 2002. He has been director of the MIT Ocean Engineering Department Design Laboratory since its inception in the early 1970s. In 2003, with MIT Sea Grant staff, he created the Sea Perch Program, funded by the Office of Naval Research. The Sea Perch program trains educators across the United States and around the world to build a simple, remotely operated underwater vehicle, or ROV, made from PVC pipe and other inexpensive, easily available materials.
In 1994 he was elected as Fellow of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineering. His over 100 publications display his wide range of interests including design methodology for ships, vortex-induced response of flexible cylinders, underwater vehicle design, design issues in advanced shipbuilding including the all electric ship and T-Craft. He receives research support from the Office of Naval Research, the National Science Foundation, the Naval Sea Systems Command, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, in addition to industry support. Professor Chryssostomidis has served on several National Research Council advisory committees focusing on shipbuilding and marine issues.
Host: Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science
More Info: http://chems.usc.edu/academics/10-11/p-03-22-11.htmLocation: Ronald Tutor Campus Center (TCC) - Room 450,
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Petra Pearce
Event Link: http://chems.usc.edu/academics/10-11/p-03-22-11.htm
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Annual George Bekey Keynote Lecture 2011
Tue, Mar 22, 2011 @ 04:00 PM - 06:00 PM
Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Prof. Michael I. Jordan, University of California, Berkeley
Talk Title: Completely Random Measures for Bayesian Nonparametrics
Abstract: Computer Science has historically been strong on data structures and weak on inference from data, whereas Statistics has historically been weak on data structures and strong on inference from data. One way to draw on the strengths of both disciplines is to pursue the study of "inferential methods for data structures", i.e., methods that update probability distributions on recursively-defined objects such as trees, graphs, grammars and function calls. This is accommodated in the world of "Bayesian non parametrics", where prior and posterior distributions are allowed to be general stochastic processes. Both statistical and computational considerations lead one to certain classes of stochastic processes, and these tend to have interesting connections to combinatorics. I will focus on Bayesian non parametric modeling based on completely random measures, giving examples of how recursions based on these measures lead to useful models in several applied problem domains, including protein structural modeling, natural language processing, computational vision, and statistical genetics.
Biography: Michael I. Jordan is the Pehong Chen Distinguished Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and the Department of Statistics at the University of California, Berkeley. His research in recent years has focused on Bayesian nonparametric analysis, probabilistic graphical models, spectral methods, kernel machines and applications to problems in signal processing, statistical genetics, computational biology, information retrieval and natural language processing. Prof. Jordan was named to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) in 2010 and the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) in 2010. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the IMS, the ACM, and the IEEE.
Refreshments will be served at the Gerontology (GER) courtyard at 4 pm. Talk begins in GER Auditorium at 4:30pm.
Host: Prof. Fei Sha
Location: Ethel Percy Andrus Gerontology Center (GER) - Auditorium
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Kanak Agrawal
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Meet USC: Admission Presentation, Campus Tour, & Engineering TalkWed, Mar 23, 2011
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. 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 visit http://usconnect.usc.edu/ to check availability and make an appointment. Be sure to list an Engineering major as your "intended major" on the webform!
Location: USC Admission Center
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Viterbi Admission
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Meet USC: Admission Presentation, Campus Tour, & Engineering Talk
Wed, Mar 23, 2011
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. 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 visit http://usconnect.usc.edu/ to check availability and make an appointment. Be sure to list an Engineering major as your "intended major" on the webform!
Location: USC Admission Center
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Viterbi Admission
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Transfer Credit Workshop
Wed, Mar 23, 2011 @ 01:00 PM - 02:00 PM
Viterbi School of Engineering Student Affairs
Workshops & Infosessions
Planning on taking classes over the summer at a school closer to home? Come to this workshop to learn about how to submit the courses for approval and to make sure that the courses you want to take are equivalent to what's offered at USC.
Location: Ronald Tutor Hall of Engineering (RTH) - 211
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Jeffrey Teng
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DISTINGUISHED LECTURE SERIES IN GEOTHERMAL STUDIES
Wed, Mar 23, 2011 @ 01:30 PM - 02:30 PM
Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science
University Calendar
Location: RTH-324. The scientific community is cordially invited to Senior Geologist Brigette Martini's (Ormat Technologies, Inc.) brief talk on her current research. For more information visit: http://cgs.usc.edu/
Location: Ronald Tutor Hall of Engineering (RTH) -
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Aimee Barnard
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Seminar: Dr. Nasser Karam
Wed, Mar 23, 2011 @ 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Viterbi School of Engineering Student Organizations
Receptions & Special Events
Seminar Title:
High Efficiency Multijunction Solar Cells for Low-Cost Energy Generation
Speaker:
Dr. Nasser H. Karam
Vice President, Advanced Technology Products
BOEING - SPECTROLAB, Inc.
Location: HNB100
Date & Time: Wednesday, March 23, 2011 at 2:00 PM
Dr. Karam and his Advanced Technology Products (ATP) team are world recognized in the development of advanced space solar cells for satellites, as well as terrestrial concentrating solar cells, and other optoelectronic devices.
For the last decade, his team has developed, demonstrated and held nearly all the world records for high efficiency concentrating multijunction PV solar cells under concentration. In 2001-2002, Dr. Karam and his ATP Team won the âR&D 100â and the âScientific American 50â awards for contributions in the field of terrestrial energy generation and demonstration of concentrating multijunction terrestrial photovoltaic cell with 34% efficiency. In 2007, Dr. Karamâs group at Boeing Spectrolab demonstrated a world record of 40.7% efficient metamorphic
terrestrial solar cell under concentration; the team has been recognized with âR&D 100â award for this accomplishment. In 2009, his team asserted the US leadership as the current world record holder of the highest efficiency concentrator
solar cell at 41.6% under concentration. Spectrolab is currently in production of terrestrial concentrator solar cells with average efficiency of 38.5% at 500x concentration, and is gearing up to introduce a 40% efficient cell in 2011.
Today, Boeing - Spectrolab is in production with the most efficient space solar cell in the world at an average efficiency of 28.3% AM0 and recently introduced a 30% average AM0 efficiency space solar cell in 2011.
Host: PEEEPS (Phd Electrical Engineering ElectroPhysics Students organization) and CENT (Center for Energy Nanoscience and Technlogy)Location: Hedco Neurosciences Building (HNB) - 100
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Satsuki Takahashi
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Variable origin-destination trip matrix estimation: A maximum entropy-least squares estimator
Wed, Mar 23, 2011 @ 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Chi Xie, The University of Texas at Austin
Talk Title: Variable origin-destination trip matrix estimation: A maximum entropy-least squares estimator
Abstract: In transportation subnetwork-supernetwork analysis, it is well known that the origin-destination (O-D) flow table of a subnetwork is not only determined by trip generation and distribution, but also by traffic routing and diversion, due to the existence of internal-external, external-internal and external-external flows. This result indicates the variable nature of subnetwork O-D flows. This talk presents a variable O-D flow table estimation problem for subnetwork analysis. The underlying assumption is that each cell of the subnetwork O-D flow table contains an elastic demand function rather than a fixed demand rate and the demand function can properly capture traffic diversion effects under various network changes.
An integrated maximum entropy-least squares (ME-LS) estimator is proposed, by which O-D flows are distributed over the subnetwork so as to maximize the trip distribution entropy, while demand function parameters are estimated for achieving the least sum of squared estimation errors. While the estimator is powered by the classic convex combination algorithm, computational difficulties emerge within the algorithm implementation until partial optimality conditions and a column generation procedure are incorporated into the algorithmic framework. Numerical results from applying the integrated estimator to a couple of subnetwork examples show that a variable O-D flow table, when used as input for subnetwork flow evaluations, reflects network flow changes significantly better than its fixed counterpart.
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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AME Department Seminar
Wed, Mar 23, 2011 @ 03:30 PM - 04:30 PM
Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Barnaby Wainfan , Technical Fellow, Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems
Talk Title: The Seven Deadly Sins of Aircraft Design
Abstract: This presentation examines mistakes that occur regularly in airplane design. The designs that result from these missteps fail. The failures can be technical, leading to machines that refuse to fly or are never completed. The failure can also be one of effectiveness; the aircraft is technically successful as a flying machine, but is economically unviable or unable to perform its mission. The goal of the presentation is to describe the most common of these failure types and to provide, through historical example, insight enabling recognition and avoidance of the most common traps early in the design process.
Biography: Mr. Barnaby Wainfan is Technical Fellow for Aerodynamics Design at Northrop Grumman Corporation.
Host: Prof. G. Spedding
More Info: http://ame-www.usc.edu/seminars/index.shtml#upcomingLocation: Seaver Science Library (SSL) - 150
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: April Mundy
Event Link: http://ame-www.usc.edu/seminars/index.shtml#upcoming
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Workshop on Use-Inspired Agents and Multiagent Systems
Thu, Mar 24, 2011 @ 09:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science
Workshops & Infosessions
"Workshop on Use-Inspired Agents and Multiagent Systems"
Workshop will be held at USC on main campus, in either HNB or SSL or similar location, and it will be open to everyone.
Date: March 24
Location: USC main campus
Time: 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM
Host: Milind Tambe
Location: USC Main Campus
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Kanak Agrawal
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CENG Seminar
Thu, Mar 24, 2011 @ 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Mingoo Seok, Texas Instruments
Talk Title: Extremely Energy Efficient Integrated Circuit and System Design for Millimeter Scale Implantable Medical Devices
Abstract: Millimeter scale implantable medical devices with years of lifetime can bring revolutionary advancements in health care. They could be safely introduced into human body without invasive operations and constantly monitor physiological signs without having to be replaced. However, it is very challenging to create such devices. Why? Conventional circuit and system design techniques fail to deliver the required energy efficiency to satisfy such long lifetime requirement with the constraint of almost invisible system volume. In order to improve energy efficiency, it has been suggested to scale supply voltage down to near or below transistor threshold voltages. However, such ultra low voltage operation is by itself insufficient to achieve the sub-nW power budget of millimeter scale medical devices. Also, it creates several other challenges such as performance degradation, heightened variability, and circuit robustness.
In this talk, I will discuss ultra low voltage systems and present a range of new circuit, and architectural design approaches to overcome the above challenges, and thus lead to millimeter scale medical systems. This talk will focus on three relevant projects from my dissertation: a 35pW sensing platform (Phoenix Processor), a 2-transistor voltage reference, and a Fast Fourier Transform core. In these projects, we successfully improved energy efficiency, performance, and variability, bringing the abstract concept of millimeter scale medical devices towards practical applications. Our proposed approaches provided record-setting energy efficiency in major building blocks such as microcontrollers, embedded memories, power conversion circuits, and DSP accelerators. The improvements were extensively verified through numerous silicon demonstrations.
Biography: Mingoo Seok is currently pursiung PhD degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan. Seokâs thesis is entitled âExtreme Power-Constrained Integrated Circuit Designâ. His research contributions and interest are in the area of sub- or near-threshold logic circuits and ultra low power architectures and sensors. During his PhD, he published more than 25 journal and conference papers. His work contributed to the improvement of energy efficiency, performance, and variability in energy-constrained systems, allowing the abstract concept of millimeter-scale implantable medical devices to be translated into practical applications.
Mingoo Seok received a 1998 Excellency Fellowship from Seoul National University, a 1999 Distinguished Undergraduate Scholarship from the Korea Foundation for Advanced Studies, a 2005 Doctoral Fellowship from the same organization, and a 2008 Rackham Pre-Doctoral Fellowship from the University of Michigan. He also won the 2009 AMD/CICC Student Scholarship Award for picowatt voltage reference design and 2009 DAC/ISSCC Student Design Contest for the 35pW sensor platform design, also known as Phoenix Processor. He holds one pending US patent and two invention disclosures. He is currently a member of technical staff at the R&D center of Texas Instruments, focusing on ultra low power communication systems and security-enhancing circuit techniques.
Host: Prof. Viktor Prasanna
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 248
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Estela Lopez
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Transfer Credit Workshop
Thu, Mar 24, 2011 @ 12:00 PM - 01:00 PM
Viterbi School of Engineering Student Affairs
Workshops & Infosessions
Planning on takes class this summer at a school closer to home? Come to this workshop to learn how to submit your courses for approval and to make sure that the courses are equivalent to what's offered at USC.
Location: Ronald Tutor Hall of Engineering (RTH) - 211
Audiences: Undergrad
Contact: Jeffrey Teng
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Distinguished Lecture Series - Cancelled
Thu, Mar 24, 2011 @ 12:45 PM - 01:50 PM
Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Diana Huffaker,
Host: Professor Armani
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Petra Pearce
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Evaluating and Negotiating Job Offers
Thu, Mar 24, 2011 @ 04:00 PM - 05:00 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: Ronald Tutor Hall of Engineering (RTH) - 211
Audiences: All Viterbi Students
Contact: RTH 218 Viterbi Career Services
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eHarmony Inc. Information Session
Thu, Mar 24, 2011 @ 06:00 PM - 07:00 PM
Viterbi School of Engineering Career Connections
Workshops & Infosessions
Join representatives of this company as they share general company information and available opportunities.
Location: Grace Ford Salvatori Hall Of Letters, Arts & Sciences (GFS) - 106
Audiences: All Viterbi Students
Contact: RTH 218 Viterbi Career Services
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Tau Beta Pi Caucus
Thu, Mar 24, 2011 @ 06:30 PM - 08:00 PM
Viterbi School of Engineering Student Organizations
Student Activity
New members come to caucus to meet current members and be elected to officially join Tau Beta Pi.
**if you cannot attend caucus, you MUST email us at tbp@usc.edu to set up an appointment to meet with an e-board member instead.
New members, bring a check for initiation fee, copy of your resume and a food item for 10 people.
***All members are highly encouraged and strongly asked to come. It is a great opportunity to officially meet new members. We need you to meet and evaluate the new members. Also, they get to meet you.
Since this is such an important event, we will be offering 2 stole points for attending.
Location: Seeley G. Mudd Building (SGM) - 601
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Tau Beta Pi
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Ballet for the 21st Century: Wendy Whelan and the Choreography of Christopher Wheeldon
Thu, Mar 24, 2011 @ 07:00 PM - 09:00 PM
USC Viterbi School of Engineering
Receptions & Special Events
Admission is free.
Join us for a thrilling evening of dance and discussion as Wendy Whelan and Craig Hall of the New York City Ballet perform two masterworks of the 21st century, Christopher Wheeldonâs After the Rain and Liturgy. One of the leading choreographers of his generation, Wheeldon created these breathtakingly beautiful and innovative dances in collaboration with his muse, the incomparable Wendy Whelan, whom the New York Times calls âone of the great ballerinas of our time.â Following the performance, Whelan and her dance partner, Craig Hall, will talk about ballet and how these works evolved through collaboration. The works are already being performed by dance companies around the world, inviting audiences to experience a multifaceted art that Wheeldon calls âsculpture in motion.â
Wendy Whelan is a principal dancer for the New York City Ballet. She has danced featured roles in ballets such as George Balanchineâs Concerto Barocco, âRubiesâ and âDiamondsâ from Jewels, The Nutcracker, A Midsummer Nightâs Dream, Mozartiana, Orpheus, Swan Lake, Stravinsky Violin Concerto and Symphony in C; Jerome Robbinsâs Dances at a Gathering, Glass Pieces and In G Major; Jerome Robbins and Twyla Tharpâs Brahms/Handel; Peter Martinsâs Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake; and William Forsytheâs Behind the China Dogs. She was nominated for an Olivier Award for her fall 2007 performances with Morphoses at Sadlerâs Wells, and she has toured extensively throughout the United States, Europe and Asia.
Craig Hall is a soloist with the New York City Ballet. He has danced featured roles in George Balanchineâs Agon, The Four Temperaments, The Nutcracker, Serenade and La Sonnambula; Jerome Robbinsâs Afternoon of a Faun, The Cage and Fanfare; Peter Martinsâs Romeo + Juliet, Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake; Christopher Wheeldonâs After the Rain; and Angelin Preljocajâs La Stravaganza. Hall has won several awards, including a National Foundation for the Advancement in Arts scholarship.
Organized by William Handley (English).
For further information on this event:
visionsandvoices@usc.edu
Location: George Finley Bovard Administration Building (ADM) -
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Daria Yudacufski
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Meet USC: Admission Presentation, Campus Tour, & Engineering Talk
Fri, Mar 25, 2011
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. 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 visit http://usconnect.usc.edu/ to check availability and make an appointment. Be sure to list an Engineering major as your "intended major" on the webform!
Location: USC Admission Center
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Viterbi Admission
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Annual Research Review 2011: USC Computer Science
Fri, Mar 25, 2011 @ 08:00 AM - 04:00 PM
Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science
Receptions & Special Events
Annual Research Review 2011
The review is an all-day event that showcases current research in the Computer Science department at USC. It will feature short research talks and posters by USC Computer Science faculty, postdocs, and PhD students.
Please visit http://www.cs.usc.edu/researchreview2011/ for more details.
Location: Ethel Percy Andrus Gerontology Center (GER) - Auditorium
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Kanak Agrawal
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EE-Electrophysics Seminar
Fri, Mar 25, 2011 @ 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Wei Wu, Senior Scientist, HP Labs, Hewlett-Packard Co.
Talk Title: Nano-Crossbar Circuits, Optical Meta-Materials and SERS Sensors
Abstract: Semiconductor industry has enjoyed great successes by following the âMooreâs lawâ for more than four decades. With the end of the roadmap looming in the horizon, great efforts have been made to look for the alternatives for âpost-Siâ electronics. I will present our work on crossbar circuits, especially crossbar memory circuits based on transition metal oxide (i.e. memristor). Memristor is a type of resistive RAM device. It stores the information by ion movements inside the switching material, instead of charge trapping as in other conventional memory devices. We have demonstrated several generations of crossbar memory circuits with record-high densities, and have also integrated memristor and Si CMOS circuits successfully. The technologies developed for nano-electronics were applied to several other areas. One example I would like to share is optical negative meta-materials (NIMs) at near-IR range. That includes NIMs with negative reflective index (both negative permittivity and permeability) at 1.55 m range, fast modulation of NIMs and non-linear effects of NIMs. Another example is highly sensitive surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) sensors fabricated using the 3-D nano-patterning technology we developed. The end of roadmap may be getting closer, but it is just the start of a new era, where we can leverage on what we have been developed in the past and make great impacts on the whole society.
Biography: Wei Wu graduated from Peking University with a BS in Physics in 1996, and received a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Princeton University in 2003. He joined HP labs in 2003, and he is a senior scientist at nano-electronics research group (formerly known as quantum science research). His work on nanoimprint lithography has enabled nano-electronic and nano-photonic applications at HP labs for the last seven years. His work includes crossbar memory (i.e. memristor) and logic circuits with the record high densities, the first nanoimprint-fabricated optical negative index meta-material at 1.55 m range, the first optical modulation using negative index meta-material at near-IR, the first third harmonic generation using meta-material, highly sensitive surface enhanced Raman sensors fabricated using 3-D nanoimprint, the first room-temperature working single electron memory and the first large area bit-patterned magnetic media fabricated using nanoimprint. The nanoimprint machine he invented has been commercialized via IP licensing. He coauthored 65 peer reviewed journal papers and more than 60 conference presentations, including 10 keynote and invited presentaions. He has 49 granted US patents and 77 pending applications. He is serving as HPâs representative at SEMATECH lithography program advisory group. He is a senior member of IEEE and serving in the executive committee of IEEE SFBA nanotechnology council.
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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USC Water Institute Seminar
Fri, Mar 25, 2011 @ 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Chris Scholin, President/Chief Executive Officer, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
Talk Title: Fostering Science-Engineering Partnerships as a Means to Develop âNext Generationâ Ocean Observatories
Abstract: David Packard founded the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) in 1987 as an alternative to the traditional academic oceanographic research institution. He challenged us to develop and apply new methods, instruments, and analytical systems to address fundamental problems in ocean science and to identify new directions where innovative technologies will accelerate marine research. To achieve this vision, Packard created MBARI as an organization that is fundamentally based on a peer relationship between scientists and engineers, and one that enables ready access to the sea. In that light, over the past year, MBARI has cast a new strategic plan that will guide it for the coming decade. Emphasized are four major research themes â Exploration and Discovery, Ocean Visualization, Ecosystem Dynamics, and Ocean Biogeochemistry. Each theme focuses on different aspects of documenting the current state of the ocean and life within it against the backdrop of global change. In this presentation, I will provide a broad overview of MBARI and will highlight a number of ongoing projects that exemplify science-engineering partnerships stemming from our current research priorities.
Biography: Christopher Scholin is President/Chief Executive Officer of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. Chris received a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology-Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program in Biological Oceanography in 1993, a M.A. in Molecular Biology and Immunology from Duke University in 1986, and a B.A. with highest honors in Biology from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 1984. His research interests are centered on detection of water borne microorganisms including bacterioplankton, invertebrates, harmful algae and associated toxins using molecular probes and the Environmental Sample Processor. He currently serves on an External Advisory Committee for the University of Miamiâs Oceans and Human Health Center, the Management Committee of the Center for Ocean Solutions, and the Board of Trustees of the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the Alliance for Coastal Technologies.
Host: Prof. Gaurav Sukhatme
Location: Hedco Neurosciences Building (HNB) - Auditorium
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Kanak Agrawal
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USC -PSOC Monthly Seminar Series - Professor John F. Marko
Fri, Mar 25, 2011 @ 11:30 AM - 01:00 PM
Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Professor John F. Marko, Department of Molecular Biosciences, Department of Physics and Astronomy, NCI Physical Sciences and Oncology Center Northwestern University
Talk Title: The physical organization of chromosomes and cancer
Abstract: Professor Marko will discuss research in our PS-OC that is focused on studies of large-scale chromosome struc-ture, using a few different biophysical approaches. First I will discuss some of the evidence that the folding of chromatin in tumorigenic cells differs from that in non-tumorigenic cells, for exam-ple, drastic changes in chromatin structure associated with misregulation of histone methylation (Licht group). I will discuss how light scattering and electron microscop can be used (Backman group) to analyze the âroughnessâ of chromatin in the nucleus and how this is modified in disease versus ânormalâ cell lines. I will then discuss work aimed at analyzing how replication origin usage is modified in tumorigenic cells
(Le Beau group). Finally, I will discuss methods for visualization and micromanipulation of individual metaphase chromosomes, which allow direct analysis of chromatin folding and packing (Marko group).
Experiments which reveal a âcross-linked networkâ organization of mitotic chromosomes will be discussed, along with preliminary results showing how metaphase chromosome mechanics are affected by knockdowns of subunits of chromosome-condensing âcondensinâ complexes.
Biography: Professor John F. Marko
Department of Molecular Biosciences, Department of Physics and Astronomy, NCI Physical Sciences and Oncology Center Northwestern University
Host: Center For Applied Molecular Medicine
Location: May Ormerod Harris Hall, Quinn Wing & Fisher Gallery (HAR) -
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Yvonne Suarez
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CiSoft Seminar Series 2011
Fri, Mar 25, 2011 @ 12:00 PM - 01:00 PM
Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Professor Jan Dirk Jansen, Delft University of Technology
Talk Title: Closed Loop Reservoir Management
Abstract: Closed-loop reservoir management is a combination of model-based optimization and computer-assisted history matching. The aim is to maximize life-cycle reservoir performance, in terms of recovery or financial measures, by changing reservoir management from a periodic to a near-continuous process. I will present work from our group at Delft University to illustrate the scope for closed-loop water flooding using real-time production data under uncertain reservoir conditions. In particular Iâll address the effect of update frequency, ways to systematically incorporate uncertainties, and approaches to reconcile short-term production optimization and long-term reservoir management.
Biography: Jan-Dirk Jansen is Professor of Reservoir Systems and Control at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. His current research is focused on the application of systems and control theory to subsurface flow and well bore flow. Earlier, he worked for Shell in the Netherlands, Norway and Nigeria, in research and operations. He is currently spending a year at Stanford University as Cox Visiting Professor in the Department of Energy Resources Engineering.
Host: CiSoft
More Info: To participate remotely, please register via this link: http://usccisoft.omnovia.com/register/88521298064699Location: Ronald Tutor Hall of Engineering (RTH) - 324
Audiences: Please RSVP: legat@usc.edu
Contact: Juli Legat
Event Link: To participate remotely, please register via this link: http://usccisoft.omnovia.com/register/88521298064699
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W.V.T. Rusch Engineering Honors Colloquium;The Only Constant is Change
Fri, Mar 25, 2011 @ 01:00 PM - 01:50 PM
USC Viterbi School of Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering Student Affairs
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: John McLaughlin, Chief Engineer for WET Design
Talk Title: W.V.T. Rusch Engineering Honors Colloquium;Innovative Water Displays and Design
Abstract: John McLaughlin, Chief Engineer for WET Design, will present "The Only Constant is Change" as part of the W.V.T. Rusch Engineering Honors Colloquium.
Host: W.V.T. Rusch Engineering Honors Colloquium
More Info: http://viterbi.usc.edu/students/undergrad/honors/schedules/Location: Seeley G. Mudd Building (SGM) - 101
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Amanda Atkinson
Event Link: http://viterbi.usc.edu/students/undergrad/honors/schedules/
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The Lupton Sisters
Fri, Mar 25, 2011 @ 02:00 PM - 04:00 PM
USC Viterbi School of Engineering
Receptions & Special Events
Admission is free.
Reception to follow.
While pundits worry about the increasing amount of time young people spend online in dematerialized virtual spaces, we have also witnessed an explosion of practices and devices that return our attention to the hand. From the online craft vendor Etsy to the tactile interfaces of our iPhones, the body and the digital are deeply interlaced. The Touch of the Hand in the Digital Era is a two-part series that will consider the particular roles that touch and the emotions play in our sense of self and the world.
Sisters Ellen and Julia Lupton will offer a wide-ranging exploration of the D.I.Y. impulse of the past decade. The do-it-yourself movement, which signals the resurgence of craft and the handmade in contemporary life, exists in interesting tension with the widespread use of digital media. The Lupton sisters are ideally poised to address this seeming paradox. Ellen Lupton is an award-winning graphic designer, curator and critic, and Julia Lupton is a noted Shakespearean scholar. Together, they have published a series of popular books focused on design and everyday life, including Design Your Life, D.I.Y.: Design It Yourself and D.I.Y. Kids. The Lupton sisters will also engage the audience in a hands-on D.I.Y. experience.
Organized by Philip Ethington (History and Political Science) and Tara McPherson (Cinematic Arts). Co-sponsored by the Center for Transformative Scholarship.
For further information on this event:
visionsandvoices@usc.edu
Location: Edward L. Doheny Jr. Memorial Library (DML) - Friends Lecture Hall, Room 240
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Daria Yudacufski
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Integrated Systems Seminar Series
Fri, Mar 25, 2011 @ 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Dr. Afshin Momtaz, Broadcom
Talk Title: Broadcom and ADC based multiGHz wireline transceivers
Host: Prof. Hossein Hashemi and Firooz Aflatouni
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 248
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Hossein Hashemi
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Lucia di Lammermoor
Sat, Mar 26, 2011 @ 01:00 PM - 04:00 PM
USC Viterbi School of Engineering
Student Activity
Admission is free. Reservations required. Reservations will be accepted beginning Friday, March 4, at 12 p.m. To RSVP, go to http://cinema.usc.edu/Opera.
Natalie Dessay portrays the fragile title heroine of Donizettiâs Lucia di Lammermoor, a role in which she triumphed at the premiere of Mary Zimmermanâs new production on opening night of the 2007â08 season. Joseph Calleja adds a new role to his Met repertoire as her lover, Edgardo. Ludovic Tézier sings Enrico, and Kwangchul Youn is Raimondo. Patrick Summers conducts. The opera will be preceded by a discussion hosted by the USC Thornton School of Music. Presented as part of an ongoing series of satellite broadcasts from the Metropolitan Opera presented in spectacular HD digital projection and 5.1 surround sound.
Organized by the USC School of Cinematic Arts in conjunction with the USC Thornton School of Music and the Metropolitan Opera.
For further information on this event:
visionsandvoices@usc.eduLocation: Eileen L. Norris Cinema Theatre (NCT) -
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Daria Yudacufski
