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Events for the 2nd week of December
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Meet USC: Admission Presentation, Campus Tour, & Engineering Talk
Mon, Dec 08, 2014
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://www.usc.edu/admission/undergraduate/firstyear/prospective/meetusc_sw.html to check availability and make an appointment. Be sure to list an Engineering major as your "intended major" on the webform!
Location: Ronald Tutor Campus Center (TCC) - USC Admission Office
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Viterbi Admission
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USC Graduate Engineering Information Session
Mon, Dec 08, 2014 @ 06:00 AM - 07:00 AM
Viterbi School of Engineering Graduate Admission
Workshops & Infosessions
The University of Southern California Viterbi School of Engineering, a top ranked graduate engineering program by U.S News and World Report, is located Los Angeles and offers Master's and Doctoral programs in a variety of engineering disciplines. Join us for an information session and Q&A to learn about the academic programs available, application criteria, and scholarships.
Register to attendLocation: ONLINE EVENT
Audiences: Students with a background in engineering, math or science are welcome to attend.
Contact: Laura Hartman
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Penalized Maximum-likelihood PET Image Reconstruction for Lesion Detection
Mon, Dec 08, 2014 @ 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Li Yang, University of California-Davis
Talk Title: Penalized Maximum-likelihood PET Image Reconstruction for Lesion Detection
Abstract: Detecting cancerous lesions is a major clinical application in emission tomography. Statistical reconstruction methods based on the penalized maximum-likelihood (PML) principle have been developed to improve image quality. A number of metrics have been used to evaluate the quality of the reconstructed PET images, such as spatial resolution, noise variance, contrast-to-noise ratio, etc. Work has been done to optimize PML reconstruction to achieve uniform resolution and to maximize the contrast-to-noise ratio. However, these technical metrics do not necessarily reflect the performance of a clinical task. Here we focus on lesion detection and use a task-specific metric to evaluate the image quality. A multiview channelized Hotelling observer (mvCHO) is used to assess the lesion detectability in 3D images to mimic the condition where a human observer examines three orthogonal views of a 3D image for lesion detection. We derive simplified theoretical expressions that allow fast prediction of the detectability of a 3D lesion. We apply the theoretical results to guide the design of a shift-variant quadratic penalty function in PML reconstruction to maximize detectability of lesions at unknown locations in fully 3D PET. The proposed method is evaluated using computer-based Monte Carlo simulations as well as real patient data with a superimposed lesion.
Furthermore, we extend our theoretical analysis of static PET reconstruction to dynamic PET. We study both the conventional indirect reconstruction and direct reconstruction for Patlak parametric image estimation. In indirect reconstruction, Patlak parametric images are generated by reconstructing a sequence of dynamic PET images first and then performing Patlak analysis on the time activity curves (TACs) pixel-by-pixel. In direct reconstruction, Patlak parametric images are estimated directly from raw sinogram data by incorporating the Patlak model into the image reconstruction procedure. The PML reconstruction is used in both the indirect and direct reconstruction methods. Simplified expressions for evaluating the lesion detectability on Patlak parametric images have been derived and applied to the selection of the regularization parameter value to maximize the lesion detectability. Good agreements between the theoretical predictions and the Monte Carlo results are observed. The theoretical formula also shows the benefit of the direct method in dynamic PET reconstruction for lesion detection.
Biography: Li Yang received his B.S. degree in precision instrumentation from Tianjin University (China) in 2009. Currently, he is pursuing his Ph.D. degree in biomedical engineering at University of California-Davis under the supervision of Prof. Jinyi Qi. His research interests are image quality evaluation and statistical image reconstruction for emission tomography
Host: Prof. Richard Leahy
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 25
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Talyia Veal
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USC Viterbi Code Dojo
Mon, Dec 08, 2014 @ 12:00 PM - 02:00 PM
Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science
Workshops & Infosessions
Drop-in Q&A/help sessions, coordinated by VAST and CS@SC in preparation for the Hour of Code, sponsored by code.org. More details available at: http://hourofcode.com/us , specifics coming soon.
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Assistant to CS chair
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PhD Defense - Dan Ingold
Mon, Dec 08, 2014 @ 01:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science
University Calendar
Dissertation Title
A model for estimating schedule acceleration in agile software development projects
PhD Candidate
Dan Ingold
Committee
Barry Boehm (chair), Leana Golubchik, William GJ Halfond, Behrokh Khoshnevis (outside member)
Time and Place
Monday, 8 Dec 2014, 1pm
SAL 322 Conference Room
Abstract
This research assesses the effect of product, project, process, people and risk factors on schedule for software development projects that employ agile methods. Prior research identified these factors as being significant within lean/agile organizations with a history of rapid-response to new product development needs. This work integrates these factors into CORADMO, the Constructive Rapid Application Development Model, an offshoot of the COCOMO family of effort and schedule estimation models.
CORADMO is based on a systems dynamics model of the agile development process, which simulates the flow of development tasks and change items through the process. The five major factors are elaborated into twelve sub-factors, most having a second-, third- or higher-order effect on schedule. Each of the factors and sub-factors is rated along a six-element Likert scale, which determines a set of weighing multipliers derived from COCOMO, COSYSMO, and other models. These multipliers are applied to the systems dynamics model elements that affect task production, change rates, defect insertion, refactoring, and other processes, and the schedule effects assessed.
The results of this modeling show very good ability to predict the schedule outcomes of agile projects. The research evaluates the dynamic model against twelve commercial projects, which show from 2% schedule overrun to 56% underrun, and that implement a variety of product types using diverse languages. The twelve factors were rated for each project based on information the projects provided, and the simulated schedule results compared with the actual schedules realized. Although wide-range validation is limited due to the availability of test data, the CORADMO model is able to predict accurately the actual schedule outcomes of these commercial projects.
Location: Henry Salvatori Computer Science Center (SAL) - 322
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Lizsl De Leon
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Speculative Dynamical Systems: How Technical Trading Rules Determine Price Dynamics
Mon, Dec 08, 2014 @ 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Li-Xin Wang, Ph.D., Xian Jiaotong University, Department of Automation Science and Technology
Talk Title: Speculative Dynamical Systems: How Technical Trading Rules Determine Price Dynamics
Abstract: In this talk, I will first show how to use fuzzy systems theory to convert the following technical trading rules commonly used by stock practitioners into price dynamical equations: moving average rules, support and resistance rules, trend line rules, big buyer and big seller rules, manipulator rules, band and stop rules, and volume and relative strength rules. Then, I will analyze the price dynamical model with the moving average rules in detail, showing: (1) there exist an infinite number of price equilibriums, but all these equilibriums are unstable; (2) volatility is a deterministic function of the model parameters; (3) short-term prediction is possible with the âprediction horizonâ characterized by the Lyapunov exponent; and (4) how return correlations move from sub-diffusion to norm-diffusion and then to super-diffusion as the model parameters change. Finally, I will apply the big buyer/seller model to Hong Kong stocks and show how to detect big buyers in the market and follow them up to make money. Specifically, I will develop two trading strategies, namely Follow-the-Big-Buyer and Ride-the-Mood, and apply them to the top 20 banking and real estate stocks listed in the Hong Kong Stock Exchange for the seven-year period from July 3, 2007 to July 2, 2014; the results show that the net profits would increase 67% or 120% on average if an investor switched from the benchmark Buy-and-Hold strategy to the Follow-the-Big-Buyer or Ride-the-Mood strategies during this period, respectively. This talk is based on the paper: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2508276.
Biography: Li-Xin Wang received the Ph.D. degree from the Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Southern California, in 1992. From 1992 to 1993, he was a Postdoctoral Fellow with the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of California at Berkeley. From 1993 to 2007, he was on the faculty of the Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). In 2007, he resigned from his tenured position at HKUST to become an independent researcher and investor in the stock and real estate markets in Hong Kong and China. In Fall 2013, he returned to academic and joined the faculty of the Department of Automation Science and Technology, Xian Jiaotong University, Xian, China, after a fruitful hunting journey across the wild land of investment to achieve financial freedom. His research interests are dynamical models of asset prices, market microstructure, trading strategies, fuzzy systems, and adaptive nonlinear control. Dr. Wang received USCâs Phi Kappa Phi Student Recognition Award in 1992.
Host: Professor Jerry Mendel
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 132
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Talyia White
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Short Course: Six Sigma Green Belt for Process Improvement
Tue, Dec 09, 2014
DEN@Viterbi, Executive Education
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Talk Title: TBA
Abstract: This program, an introductory course in Six Sigma, will give you a thorough understanding of Six Sigma and its focus on eliminating defects through fundamental process knowledge. Topics covered in addition to DMAIIC and Six Sigma philosophy include basic statistics, statistical process control, process capability, financial implications and root cause analysis.This program is offered both in the classroom and online.
Register Now
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Viterbi Professional Programs
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CS Colloquium: Robert Kleinberg (Cornell University)
Tue, Dec 09, 2014 @ 03:30 PM - 05:00 PM
Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Robert Kleinberg, Cornell University
Talk Title: Multi-Armed Bandits and the Web
Series: CS Colloquium
Abstract: For more than fifty years, the multi-armed bandit problem has been the predominant theoretical model for investigating how to make the most efficient use of limited experimentation resources for optimization. In the past decade, the emergence of the Web as a platform for automated experimentation at a massive scale has inspired a variety of new opportunities and challenges in this area. I will survey some new algorithms that have been developed to address these challenges. Inspired by applications to e-commerce, crowdsourcing, Web search, and advertising, the algorithms touch on broader issues in experimental design: how to design nearly optimal experimentation policies in the presence of supply limits, how to make the best use of feedback in the form of relative preference judgments, and how to mitigate the misalignment of incentives between agents who perform experiments and a principal who benefits from observing the resulting outcomes.
Biography: Robert Kleinberg is an Associate Professor of Computer Science at Cornell University. His research studies the design and analysis of algorithms, and their applications to electronic commerce, networking, information retrieval, and other areas. Prior to receiving his doctorate from MIT in 2005, Kleinberg spent three years at Akamai Technologies, where he assisted in designing the world's largest Internet Content Delivery Network. He is the recipient of a Microsoft Research New Faculty Fellowship, an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellowship, and an NSF CAREER Award.
Host: David Kempe
Location: Henry Salvatori Computer Science Center (SAL) - 101
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Assistant to CS chair
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Meet USC: Admission Presentation, Campus Tour, & Engineering Talk
Wed, Dec 10, 2014
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://www.usc.edu/admission/undergraduate/firstyear/prospective/meetusc_sw.html to check availability and make an appointment. Be sure to list an Engineering major as your "intended major" on the webform!
Location: Ronald Tutor Campus Center (TCC) - USC Admission Office
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Viterbi Admission
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Short Course: Six Sigma Green Belt for Process Improvement
Wed, Dec 10, 2014
DEN@Viterbi, Executive Education
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Talk Title: TBA
Abstract: This program, an introductory course in Six Sigma, will give you a thorough understanding of Six Sigma and its focus on eliminating defects through fundamental process knowledge. Topics covered in addition to DMAIIC and Six Sigma philosophy include basic statistics, statistical process control, process capability, financial implications and root cause analysis.This program is offered both in the classroom and online.
Register Now
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Viterbi Professional Programs
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Communications, Networks & Systems (CommNetS) Seminar
Wed, Dec 10, 2014 @ 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Sérgio Pequito, University of Pennsylvania
Talk Title: A Framework for Structural Input/Output and Control Configuration Selection of Large - Scale Systems
Series: CommNetS
Abstract: The structure control system design consists mainly of two steps: input/output (I/O) selection and control configuration (CC) selection. The first one is devoted to the problem of computing how many actuators/sensors are needed and where should be placed in the plant to obtain some desired property. Control configuration is related to the decentralized control problem and is dedicated to the task of selecting which outputs (sensors) should be available for feedback and to which inputs (actuators) in order to achieve a predefined goal. The choice of inputs and outputs affects the performance, complexity and costs of the control system. Due to the combinatorial nature of the selection problem, an efficient and systematic method is required to complement the designer intuition, experience and physical insight.
Motivated by the above, this presentation addresses the structure control system design taking explicitly into consideration the possible application to large - scale systems. We provide an efficient framework to solve the following major minimization problems: i) selection of the minimum number of manipulated/measured variables to achieve structural controllability/observability of the system, and ii) selection of the minimum number of measured and manipulated variables, and feedback interconnections between them such that the system has no structural fixed modes. Contrary to what would be expected, we showed that it is possible to obtain the global solution of the aforementioned minimization problems in polynomial complexity in the number of the state variables of the system. To this effect, we propose a methodology that is efficient (polynomial complexity) and unified in the sense that it solves simultaneously the I/O and the CC selection problems. This is done by exploiting the implications of the I/O selection in the solution to the CC problem.
Biography: Sérgio Pequito is a postdoctoral researcher at University of Pennsylvania. He obtained his PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University and Instituto Superior Técnico, through the CMU-Portugal program. Furthermore, he received his BSc and MSc in Applied Mathematics from the Instituto Superior Técnico. Pequito's research consists in understanding the global qualitative behavior of large scale systems from their structural or parametric descriptions and provide a rigorous framework for the design, analysis, optimization and control of large scale (real-world) systems. Pequito was awarded with the best student paper finalist in the Conference on Decision and Control 2009, the ECE Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award at Carnegie Mellon University, and the Carnegie Mellon Graduate Teaching Award (university-wide) honorable mention, both in 2012.
Host: Paul Bogdan and the Ming Hsieh Institute
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 248
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Annie Yu
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USC Graduate Engineering Information Session
Wed, Dec 10, 2014 @ 05:00 PM - 06:00 PM
Viterbi School of Engineering Graduate Admission
Workshops & Infosessions
The University of Southern California Viterbi School of Engineering, a top ranked graduate engineering program by U.S News and World Report, is located Los Angeles and offers Master's and Doctoral programs in a variety of engineering disciplines. Join us for an information session and Q&A to learn about the academic programs available, application criteria, and scholarships.
Register to attendLocation: ONLINE EVENT
Audiences: Students with a background in engineering, math or science are welcome to attend.
Contact: Laura Hartman
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DEN@Viterbi Information Session: Seattle, WA
Wed, Dec 10, 2014 @ 07:00 PM - 08:00 PM
DEN@Viterbi, Executive Education
Workshops & Infosessions
The USC Viterbi School of Engineering will be hosting a DEN@Viterbi Information Session in Seattle, WA on Wednesday, December 10th.
Why Attend?
- Discover the 40+ graduate programs offered completely online through USC Viterbi’s Distance Education Network [DEN@Viterbi]
- Learn about non-degree continuing education opportunities offered on-campus, online and on-site, including short courses and custom programs
- Find out how you can start classes as early as this spring.
Register NowAudiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Viterbi Professional Programs
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USC Viterbi Code Dojo
Wed, Dec 10, 2014 @ 09:00 PM - 11:00 AM
Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science
Workshops & Infosessions
Drop-in Q&A/help sessions, coordinated by VAST and CS@SC in preparation for the Hour of Code, sponsored by code.org. More details available at: http://hourofcode.com/us , specifics coming soon.
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Assistant to CS chair
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Short Course: Six Sigma Green Belt for Process Improvement
Thu, Dec 11, 2014
DEN@Viterbi, Executive Education
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Talk Title: TBA
Abstract: This program, an introductory course in Six Sigma, will give you a thorough understanding of Six Sigma and its focus on eliminating defects through fundamental process knowledge. Topics covered in addition to DMAIIC and Six Sigma philosophy include basic statistics, statistical process control, process capability, financial implications and root cause analysis.This program is offered both in the classroom and online.
Register Now
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Viterbi Professional Programs
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Eberhardt Rechtin Keynote Lecture
Thu, Dec 11, 2014 @ 02:00 AM - 04:30 PM
Daniel J. Epstein Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Dr. Neil Siegel, Sector Vice President & Chief Technology Officer, Northrop Grumman
Talk Title: âApplying Systems Engineering to Improve Healthcareâ
Abstract: Systems engineering has proven effective at creating solutions to important societal problems that include a complicated mixture of technical, cost, legal, and social constraints. The healthcare system would seem to be a candidate for benefiting from the application of systems engineering; Dr. Siegel discusses avenues for approaching this problem.
USC Davidson Conference Center (DCC)
2:00-3:30 PM Seminar, DCC Board Room
3:00-4:30 PM Reception, 2nd Floor Lobby
Biography: Neil Siegel, Ph.D., is sector vice-president & chief technology officer at Northrop Grumman. He has been responsible for the creation of many first-of-their-kind, large-scale, high-reliability systems for Government and civilian uses. A USC alumni, he is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, a Fellow of the IEEE, an INCOSE-certified expert systems engineering practitioner, and the recipient of the Simon Ramo Medal for systems engineering, among many other awards and honors.
Host: Daniel J. Epstein Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
More Information: 2014 Rechtin Announcement-Siegel.pptx
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Georgia Lum
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DEN@Viterbi Online Information Session
Thu, Dec 11, 2014 @ 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
DEN@Viterbi, Executive Education
Workshops & Infosessions
USC Viterbi School of Engineering DEN@Viterbi (Distance Education Network) strives to meet the needs of engineering professionals, providing the opportunity to advance your education while maintaining your career and other commitments. By breaking down geographical and scheduling barriers, DEN allows you to take your classes anytime and anywhere.
Join this information session to learn more about the 40+ graduate level programs and continuing education offerings available completely online.
RSVP NOWAudiences: Registered Attendees
Contact: Viterbi Professional Programs
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Zhisheng Niu Seminar
Thu, Dec 11, 2014 @ 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Zhisheng Niu, Tsinghua University
Talk Title: How Densely should the Traffic Base Stations be Deployed in Hyper-Cellular Networks?
Abstract: One of the key approaches to make the mobile communication networks more GREEN (Globally Resource-optimized and Energy-Efficient Networks) is to have the cellular architecture and radio resource allocation more adaptive to the environment and traffic variations, including making some lightly-loaded base stations (BSs) go to sleep. This is the concept of so-called TANGO (Traffic-Aware Network planning and Green Operation) and CHORUS (Collaborative and Harmonized Open Radio Ubiquitous Systems) published by the author earlier. To realize this, a new cellular framework, named hyper-cellular networks (HCN), has been proposed, in which the coverage of control signals is decoupled from the coverage of data signals so that the data coverage can be more elastic in accordance with the dynamics of traffic characteristics and QoS requirements. Specifically, the traffic base stations (TBSs) in HCN can be densely deployed during peak traffic time in order to satisfy the capacity requirement, while a portion of TBSs can be switched off or go to sleep mode if the traffic load is lower than a threshold in order to save energy. A fundamental question then arises: how densely should the TBSs be deployed in order to balance the QoS requirements and the energy consumption in hyper cellular networks?
In this talk, we characterize the optimal TBS density for both homogeneous and heterogeneous hyper cellular networks to minimize network cost with stochastic geometry theory. For homogeneous cases, both upper and lower bounds of the optimal TBS density are derived. For heterogeneous cases, our analysis reveals the best type of TBSs to be deployed for capacity extension or to be switched off for energy saving. Specifically, if the ratio between the micro TBS cost and the macro TBS cost is lower than a threshold, which is a function of path loss and their transmit power, then the optimal strategy is to deploy micro TBSs for capacity extension or to switch off macro TBSs (if possible) for energy saving with higher priority. Otherwise, the optimal strategy is the opposite. Based on the parameters from EARTH, numerical results show that in the dense urban scenario, compared to the traditional macro-only homogeneous cellular network with no TBS sleeping, deploying micro TBSs can reduce about 40% of the total energy cost, and further reduce about 20% with TBS sleeping capability.
Biography: Zhisheng Niu graduated from Northern Jiaotong University (currently Beijing Jiaotong University), Beijing, China, in 1985, and got his M.E. and D.E. degrees from Toyohashi University of Technology, Toyohashi, Japan, in 1989 and 1992, respectively. After spending two years at Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd., Kawasaki, Japan, he joined with Tsinghua University, Beijing, China, in 1994, where he is now a professor at the Department of Electronic Engineering, deputy dean of the School of Information Science and Technology, and director of Tsinghua-Hitachi Joint Lab on Environmental Harmonious ICT. He is also a guest chair professor of Shandong University. His major research interests include queueing theory, traffic engineering, mobile Internet, radio resource management of wireless networks, and green communication and networks.
Dr. Niu has been an active volunteer for various academic societies, including Director for Conference Publications (2010-11) and Director for Asia-Pacific Board (2008-09) of IEEE Communication Society, Membership Development Coordinator (2009-10) of IEEE Region 10, Councilor of IEICE-Japan (2009-11), and council member of Chinese Institute of Electronics (2006-11). He is now a distinguished lecturer (2012-13) of IEEE Communication Society, editor of IEEE Wireless Communication Magazine, associate editor-in-chief of IEEE/CIC joint publication âChina Communicationsâ, standing committee member of both Communication Science and Technology Committee under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China and Chinese Institute of Communications (CIC), and vice chair of the Information and Communication Network Committee of CIC.
Dr. Niu received the Outstanding Young Researcher Award from Natural Science Foundation of China in 2009 and the Best Paper Awards (with his students) from the 13th, 15th and 19th Asia-Pacific Conference on Communication (APCC) in 2007, 2009, and 2013, respectively. He is now the Chief Scientist of the National Basic Research Program (so called â973 Projectâ) of China on "Fundamental Research on the Energy and Resource Optimized Hyper-Cellular Mobile Communication System" (2012-2016), which is the first national project on green communications in China. He is now a fellow of both IEEE and IEICE.
Host: Bhaskar Krishnamachari, Andreas Molisch
More Info: http://mhi.usc.edu/about/news/2014/12/01/distinguished-visiting-fellow-zhisheng-niu/
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 132
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Elise Herrera-Green
Event Link: http://mhi.usc.edu/about/news/2014/12/01/distinguished-visiting-fellow-zhisheng-niu/
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MFD - Chemical Engineering and Materials Science Graduate Semina
Thu, Dec 11, 2014 @ 11:15 AM - 01:50 PM
Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Ruijie Liu, PhD, Enhanced Oil Recovery Flagship; Upstream Technology, BP America Inc.
Talk Title: On Development of Geomechanics Cap Model and Its Application to Modeling Reservoir Compaction and Sand Production
Abstract: Oil and gas operators make huge investment in onshore and deepwater facilities that require efficient removal of
hydrocarbons. Significant cost overruns due to non-productive time resulting from wellbore damage and massive
sand production problems. Geomechanics modeling has been providing a powerful analytical tool to petroleum
engineers for better reservoir management. The Drucker-Prager plasticity model is the most popular geomaterial
constitutive law employed in many commercial geomechanics simulators. It is mainly used to model shear-dominated
problems but unable to predict reservoir compaction behaviors. For many reservoirs with soft rocks, the compaction
effect is the leading cause for formation failure and massive sand production during depleting operations.
Geomechanics cap plasticity theories have been proposed for describing both shear and compaction behaviors of
geomaterials. This talk focuses on finite element development on the Pelessone geomechanics cap plasticity model.
The work targets to achieve quadratic convergent rates for solving nonlinear geomechanics problems. This has been
done through deriving and implementing a consistent cap material integrator. The performance of the developed cap
model is demonstrated through solving a near oil well problem. The prediction on sand production curves following
reservoir compaction is also presented.
Biography: Dr. Ruijie Liu is the senior reservoir simulation specialist at Enhanced Oil Recovery Flagship, Upstream Technology,
BP America Inc. His responsibility is developing BP in-house massive parallel computer code for solving multiphase
flow problems with billion cells at pore-scale using rock micro-CT image data. Before joining BP in 2012, he had
worked in ANSYS as the distinguished R & D engineer for more than 7 years. In ANSYS, he developed numerous
nonlinear material models including geomechanics cap model. He is also a major developer for ANSYS coupled
elements and computational frameworks for fracture propagation. He received his PhD from The University of Texas
at Austin in 2004. His current research interests are coupled reservoir dynamics with geomechanics, hydraulic
fracturing, pore-scale modeling, parallel computing for extremely large scale petroleum systems.
In his spare time, he enjoys playing tennis and walking his chocolate lab.
Location: Mark Taper Hall Of Humanities (THH) - 210
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Ryan Choi
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Astronautical Engineering Seminar
Thu, Dec 11, 2014 @ 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Astronautical Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: David Reese, Aerospace Corporation
Talk Title: Future Developments in Solid Propellant Technology
Abstract: Solid rocket motors are a key enabling technology for military and space launch applications. Current
propellants are based primarily on ammonium perchlorate (AP), which is a favored oxidizer thanks to its
unique ability to control burning rate, safe processing characteristics, and high performance. However,
much remains to be understood about the combustion dynamics of AP-based propellants: due to the short
temporal and spatial scales, high temperatures, and extreme pressures present in a solid rocket motor
chamber, it has been all but impossible to employ traditional combustion diagnostics to characterize this
environment. This talk will begin with a discussion of recent advances in the understanding of the
fundamentals of AP propellant combustion in motor-like environments enabled by new high speed and
high power laser diagnostic techniques.
Despite its advantages, however, AP carries with it a chlorine atom, which causes the exhaust products to
form hydrochloric acid smoke, unfavorable from both tactical and environmental standpoints. Potential
replacements for AP have been rejected as unsuitable due to their low performance, unstable combustion,
or unsafe handling characteristics. However, recent advances in a few molecular families appear
promising, particularly the nitrate esters, in which the 2008 discovery of a new solid material called SMX
has led to exciting developments in chlorine-free propellant compositions. The second half of this talk
will discuss results of experiments with ammonium perchlorate replacements, with a focus on SMX.
By combining modern diagnostic technology with recent advances in synthesis, entire new capabilities for
solid rocket motors may soon be realized.
Biography: Dr. Reese was an undergraduate in the first four-year ASTE B.S. class at USC, where he was co-founder
of the Rocket Propulsion Laboratory. He earned his M.S. and Ph.D. at Purdue. His dissertation was
Combustion of SMX and SMX Propellants. He joined the Aerospace Corporation after graduation in
2014.
Host: Dan Erwin
Location: Vivian Hall of Engineering (VHE) - 217
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Dan Erwin
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DEN@Viterbi Online Information Session
Thu, Dec 11, 2014 @ 06:00 PM - 07:00 PM
DEN@Viterbi, Executive Education
Workshops & Infosessions
USC Viterbi School of Engineering DEN@Viterbi (Distance Education Network) strives to meet the needs of engineering professionals, providing the opportunity to advance your education while maintaining your career and other commitments. By breaking down geographical and scheduling barriers, DEN allows you to take your classes anytime and anywhere.
Join this information session to learn more about the 40+ graduate level programs and continuing education offerings available completely online.
RSVP NOWAudiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Viterbi Professional Programs
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Meet USC: Admission Presentation, Campus Tour, & Engineering Talk
Fri, Dec 12, 2014
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://www.usc.edu/admission/undergraduate/firstyear/prospective/meetusc_sw.html to check availability and make an appointment. Be sure to list an Engineering major as your "intended major" on the webform!
Location: Ronald Tutor Campus Center (TCC) - USC Admission Office
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Viterbi Admission
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Short Course: Lean Six Sigma White Belt
Fri, Dec 12, 2014
DEN@Viterbi, Executive Education
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: TBA,
Abstract: Lean Six Sigma White Belt will introduce you to the tools and techniques for implementing lean/six sigma principles. Participants will gain a broad understanding of the philosophy, methods and benefits of lean/six sigma and value stream mapping as they apply to all types of enterprises. You will be introduced to lean concepts via hands-on exercises.
Register Now
Host: Professional Programs
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Viterbi Professional Programs
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AI Seminar-Experiences with Opinion Mining in the Brazilian Election Scenario: beyond twitters and products reviews
Fri, Dec 12, 2014 @ 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Information Sciences Institute
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Karin Becker, UFRGS
Talk Title: Experiences with Opinion Mining in the Brazilian Election Scenario: beyond twitters and products reviews
Series: Artificial Intelligence Seminar
Abstract: Opinion mining aims at automatically identifying opinionative content in documents available in the web, and determine the sentiment, perception or attitude of the public with regard to the target of the opinion. Product reviews and tweets are popular sources of opinions, well explored by existing works. This talk describes some of our experiences in handling newspapers readersâ comments written in Portuguese, using the Brazilian elections scenario. More specifically, we focus on the challenges of mining user-generated content in Portuguese, a language for which tools and resources are scarce; sentiment-based prediction of the variation on vote intentions and aspect-based sentiment mining in unstructured opinion sources. These are important contributions towards a more general framework that is able to blend opinions from several different sources to find representativeness of the target population, and make more reliable sentiment-based applications.
Biography: Karin Becker is an Associate Professor at the Computer Science Institute of Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) since 2010. She received a Ph.D. degree in Computer Science from the Facultés Universitaires Notre-Dame de la Paix (Belgium), and a M.Sc. degree from UFRGS (Brazil), and currently she is a visiting scholar at ISI- USC. Her research background involves both the academia and industry, mainly in the areas of database, data and web mining and software engineering. Her current interests are focused on the application of data mining techniques to web-related data (opinion mining, web services, social networks, linked data). She is also an enthusiastic of agile practices. She has near 100 published papers, including articles in journals and conference proceedings, and book chapters. She served as chairperson and member of program committee in several conferences.
Host: Craig Knoblock
Location: Information Science Institute (ISI) - 11th Flr Conf Rm # 1135, Marina Del Rey
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Peter Zamar
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EE-Electrophysics Seminar
Fri, Dec 12, 2014 @ 03:00 PM - 04:00 PM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Joyce Poon, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Toronto
Talk Title: Scaling Integrated Photonic Devices and Circuits
Abstract: By 2020, the number of Internet-connected devices will be more than six times the number of people on Earth. The âInternet of Thingsâ is causing an explosion of data that must be transmitted and processed in energy-efficient ways. Optical communications have been a part of the physical backbone of this paradigm and will continue to have a vital role in enabling the interconnectivity in our world.
In this talk, I will give an overview of my groupâs research in integrated photonic devices and circuits implemented in silicon photonic platforms. We are exploring how device size, performance, and circuit complexity can be scaled to address the challenges in communications and computing. I will describe our work on optical modulators, filters, polarization management, electronic-photonic integration, and wavelength-size active components. I will also describe some ongoing and new projects. The work paves the path toward very large-scale photonic integrated circuits.
Biography: Joyce Poon is an Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at University of Toronto, where she holds the Canada Research Chair in Integrated Photonic Devices. She and her team conduct theoretical and experimental research in micro- and nano-scale integrated photonics.
Dr. Poon obtained the Ph.D. and M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Caltech in 2007 and 2003 respectively, and the B.A.Sc. in Engineering Science (physics option) from the University of Toronto in 2002. She is the recipient of a McCharles Prize for Early Research Career Distinction, a MIT TR35 award in 2012, IBM Faculty Award in 2010 and 2011, Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation Early Researcher Award in 2009, NSERC University Faculty Award in 2008, and the Clauser Doctoral Thesis Prize from Caltech in 2007.
Host: EE-Electrophysics
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 248
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Marilyn Poplawski