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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251001T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251001T131500
DTSTAMP:20260403T174315
CREATED:20250821T203331Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250821T203331Z
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SUMMARY:ASSET Seminar: "Title TBD"
DESCRIPTION:Abstract TBD \n  \nZoom: https://upenn.zoom.us/j/98963621993
URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/asset-seminar-title-tbd-4/
LOCATION:Amy Gutmann Hall\, Room 414\, 3333 Chestnut Street\, Philadelphia\, 19104\, United States
CATEGORIES:Seminar
ORGANIZER;CN="AI-enabled Systems%3A Safe%2C Explainable%2C and Trustworthy (ASSET) Center":MAILTO:asset-info@seas.upenn.edu
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251001T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251001T160000
DTSTAMP:20260403T174315
CREATED:20250918T154143Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250918T154143Z
UID:10008514-1759330800-1759334400@seasevents.nmsdev7.com
SUMMARY:Fall 2025 GRASP SFI: Binghao Huang\, Columbia University\, "Scaling Touch: Flexible Tactile Skin for Dexterous Manipulation"
DESCRIPTION:This is a hybrid event with in-person attendance in Levine 307 and virtual attendance via Zoom.  \nABSTRACT\nTactile and visual perception are crucial for fine-grained human interactions with the environment. Developing similar multimodal sensing capabilities for robots can significantly enhance and expand their manipulation skills. This talk presents a scalable tactile stack that couples flexible\, large-area tactile skin with multimodal perception and simulation-driven learning. (1) Hardware. I will first introduce a low-cost\, flexible tactile “skin\,” outline the associated design choices\, explain why I value it over other sensors in different contexts\, and describe how I integrate it into the system to ensure high-quality tactile data. (2) Learning. Vision and touch have distinct natures yet are both important for robot decision making; I will explain how we encode tactile and visual data so that both contribute effectively to the decision-making process. (3) Scaling up Tactile Data. I will present two directions: (i) using portable tactile devices to collect large-scale real-world tactile data and leveraging this dataset to enhance policy learning\, and (ii) leveraging tactile simulation to increase policy robustness. We use a real-to-sim-to-real pipeline that calibrates a GPU-parallel tactile simulation and uses RL fine-tuning to let policies explore with the small corrective “wiggling” behaviors required for tight-fit bimanual assembly.
URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/fall-2025-grasp-sfi-binghao-huang/
LOCATION:Levine 307\, 3330 Walnut Street\, Philadelphia\, PA\, 19104\, United States
CATEGORIES:Seminar
ORGANIZER;CN="General Robotics%2C Automation%2C Sensing and Perception (GRASP) Lab":MAILTO:grasplab@seas.upenn.edu
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251002T103000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251002T120000
DTSTAMP:20260403T174315
CREATED:20250902T181221Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250902T181221Z
UID:10008490-1759401000-1759406400@seasevents.nmsdev7.com
SUMMARY:MSE Seminar: "Quantum Technologies with Atom-Light Interaction" Chuanwei Zhang - Washington University in St. Louis
DESCRIPTION:From knotted cords to contemporary computers\, the revolution in information technologies has been a major driving force of human civilization. Since its emergence in the early 1900s\, quantum mechanics has played a foundational role in enabling many\ntransformative technologies—such as lasers and transistors—that are now recognized as hallmarks of the first quantum revolution. Over the past two decades\, the focus has shifted to the second quantum revolution\, which aims to develop novel quantum\ntechnologies that harness the creation\, manipulation\, and measurement of quantum superposition and entanglement in physical systems. In this talk\, I will provide an overview of this rapidly evolving field and highlight the transformative potential of\nquantum technologies through two illustrative examples involving ultracold atoms and trapped ions controlled by light: (i) quantum simulation of topological quantum matter\, such as triply-degenerate fermions; and (ii) quantum squeezing and sensing via\nexceptional points in nonlinear optical media. Despite significant technological challenges\, these emerging quantum technologies hold great promise to revolutionize computing\, communication\, security\, materials science\, and sensing in the near future.
URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/mse-seminar-quantum-technologies-with-atom-light-interaction-chuanwei-zhang-washington-university-in-st-louis/
LOCATION:Wu and Chen Auditorium (Room 101)\, Levine Hall\, 3330 Walnut Street\, Philadelphia\, PA\, 19104\, United States
CATEGORIES:Seminar
ORGANIZER;CN="Materials Science and Engineering":MAILTO:johnruss@seas.upenn.edu
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251002T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251002T130000
DTSTAMP:20260403T174315
CREATED:20250828T184127Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250828T184127Z
UID:10008474-1759406400-1759410000@seasevents.nmsdev7.com
SUMMARY:FOLDS seminar: Theory and practice of LLM quantization
DESCRIPTION:Zoom link: https://upenn.zoom.us/j/98220304722 \n  \nModern LLMs process information by repeatedly applying a basic primitive of matrix multiplication. Estimates show that about 60-84% of the energy consumed by LLMs goes into memory load/store operations. How can we reduce this power consumption? Tokens start as about 16-bit integers but get mapped to vectors of floats of length in the 1000s\, suggesting very low information density per dimension. Thus\, unsurprisingly there has been much success in reducing precision of both weights and activations without much loss in LLM performance. In this talk we will present information-theoretic analysis of quantized representations and show how it lead us to creating NestQuant\, a new SOTA algorithm for weight/KV-cache/activations (ICML’2025). \n 
URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/folds-seminar-tba-3/
LOCATION:Amy Gutmann Hall\, Room 306\, 3317 Chestnut Street\, Philadelphia\, PA\, 19104\, United States
CATEGORIES:Seminar,Colloquium
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251003T103000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251003T114500
DTSTAMP:20260403T174315
CREATED:20250926T131911Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250926T131911Z
UID:10008521-1759487400-1759491900@seasevents.nmsdev7.com
SUMMARY:Fall 2025 GRASP on Robotics: Jiatao Gu\, University of Pennsylvania\, “Towards Robust World Models”
DESCRIPTION:This event will be in-person ONLY in Wu and Chen Auditorium. \nABSTRACT\nAutonomous agents need a world model that explains observations\, predicts what comes next\, and chooses actions over long horizons. Think of catching a ball: the robot must infer where it is now and where it will be next—even when it slips out of view—and move to intercept. Recently\, large diffusion-based video models trained on internet-scale data have shown promising results for world modeling; however\, they remain brittle—forecasting errors accumulate over time\, especially during long open-loop rollouts without geometric grounding or collective feedback. In this talk\, we present our recent research toward a more robust video generation foundation. Instead of diffusion\, we build on scalable normalizing flows–a different family of generative models based on invertible transformations. We will detail the mathematical formulation\, explain how these models can be trained end to end\, and describe how we construct a practical video model from this framework. We will conclude by outlining research directions derived from this approach and steps toward a truly robust world model.
URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/fall-2025-grasp-on-robotics-jiatao-gu-university-of-pennsylvania-towards-robust-world-models/
LOCATION:Wu and Chen Auditorium (Room 101)\, Levine Hall\, 3330 Walnut Street\, Philadelphia\, PA\, 19104\, United States
ORGANIZER;CN="General Robotics%2C Automation%2C Sensing and Perception (GRASP) Lab":MAILTO:grasplab@seas.upenn.edu
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251003T123000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251003T133000
DTSTAMP:20260403T174315
CREATED:20250916T200852Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250916T200852Z
UID:10008512-1759494600-1759498200@seasevents.nmsdev7.com
SUMMARY:ESE Ph.D. Thesis Defense: "Microscopic Surface Electrochemical Actuators for Voltage-Tunable Optical Elements"
DESCRIPTION:Surface electrochemical actuators (SEAs) harness ion-induced surface stress changes to produce large bending deformations at the microscale. They have previously been applied in microrobot locomotion and microbattery validation\, demonstrating their versatility as low-voltage microscopic actuators. Here\, we extend their functionality by showing that ultra-thin platinum membranes (10 nm thick\, 10–100 µm wide)\, fabricated via low-temperature lithographically patterned atomic layer deposition\, can undergo voltage-driven buckling displacements of several hundred nanometers in aqueous electrolyte. These out-of-plane motions\, controlled within ±150 mV of applied bias\, span the full visible wavelength range when integrated as the movable membrane of an optical resonator. The buckling mechanics are characterized using atomic force microscopy and finite element analysis\, while we also develop a hyperspectral imaging method to optically reconstruct the device topology. The actuators operate with response times on the order of tens of milliseconds and exhibit static power consumptions below a nanowatt\, while remaining directly compatible with CMOS circuitry. By coupling surface-stress–driven mechanics with electronic control\, these buckling-enabled actuators (BEAs) provide a pathway toward compact\, low-power\, voltage-tunable optical elements for applications in reflective displays and holography.
URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/ese-ph-d-thesis-defense-microscopic-surface-electrochemical-actuators-for-voltage-tunable-optical-elements/
LOCATION:Brand Details
CATEGORIES:Dissertation or Thesis Defense
ORGANIZER;CN="Electrical and Systems Engineering":MAILTO:eseevents@seas.upenn.edu
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251003T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251003T150000
DTSTAMP:20260403T174315
CREATED:20250829T155544Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250829T155544Z
UID:10008485-1759500000-1759503600@seasevents.nmsdev7.com
SUMMARY:PICS Colloquium: Flow and heat transfer over rough walls: fundamental physics\, numerical simulations\, and bulk parametrizations with Elie Bou-Zeid
DESCRIPTION:Understanding the physical processes modulating the transport of scalars\, such as heat\, over very rough surfaces is essential for understanding the thermal environment of\ncities\, how wind and solar farms modify heat and water exchanges between the\natmosphere and Earth surface\, and parameterizing surface physics in coarser Earth\nsystems models. This talk examines this problem in the urban context. Since passive\nscalars such as water vapor are advected with the flow\, broad similarity is expected\nbetween the widely-studied momentum transfer problem and its scalar counterpart.\nHowever\, unlike momentum that is dominated by form drag over very rough walls\,\nscalar transport must occur through the viscous exchanges at the solid-fluid interface.\nThis results in transport dissimilarity\, as well as in a continuous dependence on the\nReynolds number. In addition\, the spatial variability of the geometry gives rise to the so-\ncalled dispersive fluxes that can be larger than conventional turbulent fluxes in the\nroughness layer. In this talk we will use large eddy simulations to examine the role of\nsurface topography\, the resulting transport dissimilarity\, and novel approaches for\nparametrizing scalar exchanges using the surface renewal theory.
URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/pics-colloquium-flow-and-heat-transfer-over-rough-walls-fundamental-physics-numerical-simulations-and-bulk-parametrizations-with-elie-bou-zeid/
LOCATION:PICS Conference Room 534 – A Wing \, 5th Floor\, 3401 Walnut Street\, Philadelphia\, PA\, 19104\, United States
CATEGORIES:Colloquium
ORGANIZER;CN="Penn Institute for Computational Science (PICS)":MAILTO:dkparks@seas.upenn.edu
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251007T101500
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251007T111500
DTSTAMP:20260403T174315
CREATED:20250902T214525Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250902T214525Z
UID:10008493-1759832100-1759835700@seasevents.nmsdev7.com
SUMMARY:MEAM Seminar: "Self-assembly of Colloidal Diamond by Multiple Routes"
DESCRIPTION:There has been considerable interest in the colloidal self-assembly of photonic crystals with a diamond structure\, owing to their exceptional optical properties\, such as a wide photonic bandgap and relative insensitivity to disorder. These materials are valuable for applications in optical circuits\, low-threshold lasers\, sensors\, and solar cells. Given the three-dimensional nature of photonic crystals\, colloidal self-assembly is a favored fabrication method. \nIn this context\, we outline several different approaches for the self-assembly of colloidal diamond and zincblende. Some methods utilize specific DNA interactions\, while others rely on depletion interactions. One notable advantage of the depletion interaction is its capacity to guide particles that come into contact at any point on their surfaces toward the desired interlocking configuration. This funneling mechanism significantly accelerates crystallization kinetics\, allowing for crystallization at lower particle concentrations. The most effective routes may involve a combination of both types of interactions.
URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/meam-seminar-self-assembly-of-colloidal-diamond-by-multiple-routes/
LOCATION:Wu and Chen Auditorium (Room 101)\, Levine Hall\, 3330 Walnut Street\, Philadelphia\, PA\, 19104\, United States
CATEGORIES:Seminar
ORGANIZER;CN="Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics":MAILTO:meam@seas.upenn.edu
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251007T103000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251007T120000
DTSTAMP:20260403T174315
CREATED:20251003T185423Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251003T185423Z
UID:10008528-1759833000-1759838400@seasevents.nmsdev7.com
SUMMARY:CBE Doctoral Dissertation Defense: "Exploring Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation Across Length Scales: From Atomistic Bias Potentials To Phase-Field Models" (Alexander M. Johnson)
DESCRIPTION:Abstract: \n\n\n\nLiquid–liquid phase separation is a fundamental thermodynamic process that governs structure and function in biological systems\, chemical separations\, and multiphase materials. Within this broad field\, computational studies play a critical role in advancing understanding of this phenomenon by enabling investigation of phase behavior across multiple length scales. In this thesis\, liquid–liquid phase separation is explored across scales ranging from atomistic simulations to phase-field models. At the atomistic level\, concepts from phase-field theory are used to derive a bias potential that enables direct control of liquid–liquid phase separation in molecular simulations. Within this enhanced sampling framework\, macroscopic thermodynamic quantities such as excess free energy\, interaction parameters\, and activity coefficients are obtained\, as demonstrated using binary Lennard–Jones mixtures as model systems. Furthermore\, biasing liquid–liquid phase separation under different environmental conditions provides a pathway to relate free energies of phase separation to the stimuli response of Lennard–Jones mixtures and aqueous monomer solutions. Beyond the atomistic scale\, liquid–liquid phase separation is examined through simulations of bicontinuous morphologies to generate machine learning–ready datasets for autonomous materials fabrication. In addition\, phase-field modeling is applied to examine equilibrium partitioning in ternary liquid mixtures and their dynamics of liquid–liquid phase separation arising from solvent transfer methods. Altogether\, this thesis develops computational strategies that extend from atomistic simulations to phase-field modeling\, establishing a foundation for linking molecular-level features of liquid–liquid phase separation with macroscopic thermodynamic descriptions. These tools open opportunities to design\, optimize\, and control multiphase processes and materials across diverse applications.\n\n\n\n\n\n\nZoom Information:\nMeeting ID: 979 8424 1614\nPasscode: 412511
URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/cbe-doctoral-dissertation-defense-exploring-liquid-liquid-phase-separation-across-length-scales-from-atomistic-bias-potentials-to-phase-field-models-alexander-m-johnson/
LOCATION:Amy Gutmann Hall\, Room 306\, 3317 Chestnut Street\, Philadelphia\, PA\, 19104\, United States
CATEGORIES:Doctoral,Student,Dissertation or Thesis Defense
ORGANIZER;CN="Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering":MAILTO:cbemail@seas.upenn.edu
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251007T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251007T150000
DTSTAMP:20260403T174315
CREATED:20250918T113713Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250918T113713Z
UID:10008513-1759842000-1759849200@seasevents.nmsdev7.com
SUMMARY:BE Doctoral Dissertation Defense: Ryan Friedman
DESCRIPTION:
URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/be-ddd-friedman/
CATEGORIES:Dissertation or Thesis Defense
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251007T153000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251007T163000
DTSTAMP:20260403T174315
CREATED:20250930T131546Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250930T131546Z
UID:10008522-1759851000-1759854600@seasevents.nmsdev7.com
SUMMARY:CIS Seminar: "Reliable and Socially Aligned LLMs: Are We There Yet?"
DESCRIPTION:Large language models (LLMs) are powerful but not yet reliable: they hallucinate\, misalign with human values\, and struggle with social reasoning. In this talk\, I will trace a path from diagnosing failure modes such as hallucinations\, to uncovering the pitfalls of aligning models with noisy human preferences and diverse values\, and finally to emerging frontiers in socially grounded reasoning. Along the way\, I will highlight design principles\, empirical findings\, and open questions that reveal both how far we’ve come—and how far we still have to go—toward building reliable and socially aligned LLMs.
URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/14856/
LOCATION:Wu and Chen Auditorium (Room 101)\, Levine Hall\, 3330 Walnut Street\, Philadelphia\, PA\, 19104\, United States
ORGANIZER;CN="Computer and Information Science":MAILTO:cherylh@cis.upenn.edu
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251008T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251008T131500
DTSTAMP:20260403T174315
CREATED:20250821T203830Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250821T203830Z
UID:10008452-1759924800-1759929300@seasevents.nmsdev7.com
SUMMARY:ASSET Seminar: "Robust and Uncertainty-Aware Decision Making under Distribution Shifts"
DESCRIPTION:Abstract TBD \n  \nZoom: https://upenn.zoom.us/j/92346171614
URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/asset-seminar-title-tbd-6/
LOCATION:Amy Gutmann Hall\, Room 414\, 3333 Chestnut Street\, Philadelphia\, 19104\, United States
CATEGORIES:Seminar
ORGANIZER;CN="AI-enabled Systems%3A Safe%2C Explainable%2C and Trustworthy (ASSET) Center":MAILTO:asset-info@seas.upenn.edu
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251008T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251008T160000
DTSTAMP:20260403T174315
CREATED:20251003T141353Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251003T141353Z
UID:10008526-1759935600-1759939200@seasevents.nmsdev7.com
SUMMARY:Fall 2025 GRASP SFI: Tianjiao Ding\, University of Pennsylvania\, "Learning Parsimonious Representations for Efficient Analysis and Synthesis"
DESCRIPTION:This presenter is one of the winners of the 2025 GRASP vote for internal PhD or postdoc SFI Speakers! \nThis is a hybrid event with in-person attendance in Levine 307 and virtual attendance via Zoom.  \nABSTRACT\nThe automatic discovery of structures in data (analysis) and generation of data (synthesis) are two core problems in machine learning. Since data is high-dimensional and complex\, a common paradigm is to learn a low-dimensional representation for data to facilitate both analysis and synthesis. However\, existing methods are challenged by restrictive data assumptions and lack of semantic compositionality. We address these challenges by a unifying paradigm\, which is to learn/leverage latent spaces supported on low-dimensional linear subspaces. Encoders and decoders then map between data and latent spaces. Such paradigm enables us to push multiple frontiers in data analysis and synthesis\, including clustering images\, aligning the semantics of text generation\, and efficient image generation.
URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/fall-2025-grasp-sfi-tianjiao-ding/
LOCATION:Levine 307\, 3330 Walnut Street\, Philadelphia\, PA\, 19104\, United States
CATEGORIES:Seminar
ORGANIZER;CN="General Robotics%2C Automation%2C Sensing and Perception (GRASP) Lab":MAILTO:grasplab@seas.upenn.edu
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251008T153000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251008T163000
DTSTAMP:20260403T174315
CREATED:20250818T201911Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250818T201911Z
UID:10008430-1759937400-1759941000@seasevents.nmsdev7.com
SUMMARY:CBE Seminar: "Using NMR to Probe Functionality at Electrochemical Interfaces in Beyond Lithium Batteries" (Lauren Marbella\, Columbia University)
DESCRIPTION:Abstract: \nBeyond lithium-ion batteries\, like sodium and potassium\, are more abundant in the Earth’s crust and alleviate geopolitical concerns surrounding the materials inside of lithium-based batteries. However\, both sodium and potassium batteries display unique interfacial chemistry that develops during electrochemical cycling in conventional electrolytes\, preventing performances that are on par with current lithium systems. In the region between the electrodes and the electrolyte\, a solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) is produced by the spontaneous breakdown of electrolyte compounds that dictates these inefficiencies. In my talk\, I will discuss how we use nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to probe the structure and dynamics of the SEI as well as the reactions that occur at these interfaces to correlate these features with battery degradation. Insight from these methods allow us to determine the precise mechanisms of failure that arise inside of functional devices as well as develop new approaches to mitigate performance decline.
URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/cbe-seminar-using-nmr-to-probe-functionality-at-electrochemical-interfaces-in-beyond-lithium-batteries-lauren-marbella-columbia-university/
LOCATION:Wu & Chen Auditorium
CATEGORIES:Seminar
ORGANIZER;CN="Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering":MAILTO:cbemail@seas.upenn.edu
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20251010
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20251012
DTSTAMP:20260403T174315
CREATED:20250922T193345Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250922T193345Z
UID:10008518-1760054400-1760227199@seasevents.nmsdev7.com
SUMMARY:The Penn AI Symposium: Global Ideas Shaping Humanity
DESCRIPTION:The inaugural Penn AI Symposium is a landmark event that gathers leading thinkers who will share their explorations at the frontiers of artificial intelligence. \nThe symposium is hosted by Penn AI\, a University-wide initiative driving responsible AI innovation at Penn. The launch of Penn AI and the upcoming symposium signal a new chapter in Penn’s commitment to pioneering the future of AI\, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration\, and addressing the most significant scientific and societal questions of our time. \nThe symposium is open to faculty\, students\, and thought leaders\, both internal and external to Penn. Penn AI is an interdisciplinary initiative\, and speakers will address topics in Penn AI’s core themes: AI Foundations\, AI+Business\, AI+Education\, AI+Health\, AI+Science\, and AI+Society. \nSpeakers from Penn Engineering will include: \n\nVijay Kumar\, Nemirovsky Family Dean\nRené Vidal\, Rachleff University Professor\, ESE\, CIS\, Radiology\nKonrad Kording\, Nathan Francis Mossell University Professor\, BE\, CIS\, Neuroscience\nParis Perdikaris\, Associate Professor\, MEAM\n\nRegister Now
URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/the-penn-ai-symposium-global-ideas-shaping-humanity/
LOCATION:Jon M. Huntsman Hall\, 3730 Walnut Street\, Philadelphia\, PA\, 19104\, United States
CATEGORIES:Symposium
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20251013
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20251018
DTSTAMP:20260403T174315
CREATED:20250903T135152Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250903T135152Z
UID:10008495-1760313600-1760745599@seasevents.nmsdev7.com
SUMMARY:Climate Week at Penn
DESCRIPTION:Now in its sixth year\, Climate Week at Penn offers opportunities for every member of the Penn community to learn about and act on the climate crisis. The theme for 2025 is “Hot Spots\,” be they literal (wildfires and extreme heat) or figurative (political\, cultural\, interpersonal\, or scholarly hot topics). The Climate Week core organizing committee looks forward to working with partners across campus on this year’s lineup. Events marked in red below have been organized by a committee member. Questions or ideas about this year’s programming? Write us at contact@environment.upenn.edu.
URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/climate-week-at-penn/
CATEGORIES:Symposium
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251014T093000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251014T104500
DTSTAMP:20260403T174315
CREATED:20251001T165436Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251001T165436Z
UID:10008524-1760434200-1760438700@seasevents.nmsdev7.com
SUMMARY:ESE Ph.D. Thesis Defense: "Safeguarding AI Systems Against Unexpected Inputs"
DESCRIPTION:Artificial intelligence systems powered by deep neural networks have achieved remarkable success across a broad range of applications. However\, perturbations such as natural image corruptions or crafted malicious queries\, can cause significant performance degradation. This poses severe risks in safety-critical applications\, such as autonomous driving and clinical decision-making. A key vulnerability of machine learning models is their inability to handle data outside the training distribution or knowledge. When facing unseen or otherwise challenging inputs\, models often make incorrect decisions without warning users. \nThis thesis improves the safety of machine learning systems by building three stages for handling challenging inputs: (1) rejecting unexpected inputs with an explanation\, (2) providing statistical guarantees on rejection\, and (3) enabling models to adapt to challenging inputs. We consider two distinct scenarios: models with known training distributions (e.g.\, in cyber-physical systems) where challenges are out-of-distribution data\, and models with unknown training distributions (e.g.\, large language models in a multilingual context) where challenges are defined by standards like harmful content or deficits in knowledge across languages. We further investigate how to address challenging inputs for two clinical applications\, autism diagnosis and acne classification.
URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/ese-ph-d-thesis-defense-safeguarding-ai-systems-against-unexpected-inputs/
LOCATION:Greenberg Lounge (Room 114)\, Skirkanich Hall\, 210 South 33rd Street\, Philadelphia\, PA\, 19104\, United States
CATEGORIES:Dissertation or Thesis Defense
ORGANIZER;CN="Electrical and Systems Engineering":MAILTO:eseevents@seas.upenn.edu
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251014T101500
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251014T111500
DTSTAMP:20260403T174315
CREATED:20250821T141111Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250821T141111Z
UID:10008442-1760436900-1760440500@seasevents.nmsdev7.com
SUMMARY:MEAM Seminar: "Fluids\, Fingers\, Fractures and Fractals: Patterns in Porous Media"
DESCRIPTION:The displacement of one fluid by another in a porous medium gives rise to a rich variety of hydrodynamic instabilities. Beyond their scientific value as fascinating models of pattern formation\, unstable porous-media flows are essential to understanding many natural and man-made processes\, including water infiltration in the vadose zone\, carbon dioxide injection and storage in deep saline aquifers\, methane venting from organic-rich sediments\, and fracturing from fluid injection. Here\, we review a handful of these hydromechanical instabilities\, elucidate the key physics at play\, and point to modeling frameworks that permit quantitative assessments of their impact at the geologic scale.
URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/meam-seminar-fluids-fingers-fractures-and-fractals-patterns-in-porous-media/
LOCATION:Wu and Chen Auditorium (Room 101)\, Levine Hall\, 3330 Walnut Street\, Philadelphia\, PA\, 19104\, United States
CATEGORIES:Seminar,Colloquium
ORGANIZER;CN="Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics":MAILTO:meam@seas.upenn.edu
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251014T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251014T120000
DTSTAMP:20260403T174315
CREATED:20251006T133906Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251006T133906Z
UID:10008529-1760439600-1760443200@seasevents.nmsdev7.com
SUMMARY:ESE Guest Seminar: "Post-Moore Datacenters Are Hot Beyond Belief"
DESCRIPTION:Datacenters are the pillars of a digital economy and modern-day global IT services. The building blocks for today’s datacenters are cost-effective volume servers that find their roots in the basic hardware and OS organization of the desktops of 90s with a fundamental mismatch with workloads and services. Meanwhile\, there are several technological trends (e.g.\, slowdown in Moore’s Law)\, application trends (e.g.\, rapid adoption of AI) and societal challenges (e.g.\, climate impact of computing) that require innovation in datacenter design from algorithms to housing infrastructure. Post-Moore datacenters are hot because of both their trajectory to consume (and dissipate) unprecedented levels of energy and the many hot research avenues to pursue for an infrastructure whose building blocks belongs to the 90s. In this talk\, I will motivate and go over these research avenues.
URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/ese-guest-seminar-post-moore-datacenters-are-hot-beyond-belief/
LOCATION:Amy Gutmann Hall\, Room 306\, 3317 Chestnut Street\, Philadelphia\, PA\, 19104\, United States
CATEGORIES:Seminar
ORGANIZER;CN="Electrical and Systems Engineering":MAILTO:eseevents@seas.upenn.edu
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251015T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251015T131500
DTSTAMP:20260403T174315
CREATED:20250821T203656Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250821T203656Z
UID:10008450-1760529600-1760534100@seasevents.nmsdev7.com
SUMMARY:ASSET Seminar: "Auditing Large Language Model Ecosystems: From Model Outputs to Agentic System Deployment"
DESCRIPTION:Abstract TBD \n  \nZoom: https://upenn.zoom.us/j/97546234895
URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/asset-seminar-title-tbd-5/
LOCATION:Amy Gutmann Hall\, Room 414\, 3333 Chestnut Street\, Philadelphia\, 19104\, United States
CATEGORIES:Seminar
ORGANIZER;CN="AI-enabled Systems%3A Safe%2C Explainable%2C and Trustworthy (ASSET) Center":MAILTO:asset-info@seas.upenn.edu
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251015T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251015T160000
DTSTAMP:20260403T174315
CREATED:20251001T205503Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251001T205503Z
UID:10008525-1760540400-1760544000@seasevents.nmsdev7.com
SUMMARY:Fall 2025 GRASP SFI: Rao Fu\, Brown University\, "From Words to Worlds: Bridging Linguistic and Spatial Physical Intelligence"
DESCRIPTION:This is a hybrid event with in-person attendance in Levine 307 and virtual attendance via Zoom.  \nABSTRACT\nArtificial intelligence has achieved remarkable advances in linguistic intelligence\, enabling machines to process and generate language proficiently. Yet to truly assist people in everyday life\, machines must also develop spatial physical intelligence—the ability to perceive\, interpret\, and act within high-dimensional physical environments. This involves not only understanding complex spatial signals but also executing dexterous\, embodied actions that resist simple linguistic description. \nIn this talk\, I will present my research on advancing spatial physical intelligence across three interconnected domains: object geometry generation\, dexterous motion capture and generation\, and house-scale scene generation. I will discuss fundamental challenges\, including large-scale data collection for multi-sensory physical interaction\, efficient representation of high-dimensional spatial signals\, and interpretable modeling of spatial physical relationships.
URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/fall-2025-grasp-sfi-rao-fu/
LOCATION:Levine 307\, 3330 Walnut Street\, Philadelphia\, PA\, 19104\, United States
CATEGORIES:Seminar
ORGANIZER;CN="General Robotics%2C Automation%2C Sensing and Perception (GRASP) Lab":MAILTO:grasplab@seas.upenn.edu
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251015T153000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251015T163000
DTSTAMP:20260403T174315
CREATED:20250818T203836Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250818T203836Z
UID:10008431-1760542200-1760545800@seasevents.nmsdev7.com
SUMMARY:CBE Seminar: "Electrochemical Ion Pumping: Concept\, Theory\, and Application" (Shihong Lin\, Vanderbilt University)
DESCRIPTION:Abstract: \nAdvancements in electrochemical separation have paved the way for innovative approaches to address critical challenges in water treatment and resource recovery. In this seminar\, I will introduce the Electrochemical Ion Pumping (EIP) platform\, a transformative new approach to electrochemical separation that addresses the inherent limitations of conventional capacitive deionization and electrosorption. EIP leverages circuit-switching-induced ion shuttling to achieve unidirectional ion flux without solution switching\, enabling enhanced desalination efficiency and scalability. I will also discuss the development of a theoretical model for dynamic ion transport in EIP systems\, which provides critical insights into the unique behavior of ion shuttling mechanisms and informs the design and optimization of EIP for desalination. Finally\, I will present a novel application of the EIP platform for simultaneous desalination and selective metal recovery from industrial wastewater. By precisely regulating electrode potential and switching frequency\, the system enables targeted redox reactions for efficient metal recovery while performing desalination.
URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/cbe-seminar-electrochemical-ion-pumping-concept-theory-and-application-shihong-lin-vanderbilt-university/
LOCATION:Wu & Chen Auditorium
CATEGORIES:Seminar
ORGANIZER;CN="Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering":MAILTO:cbemail@seas.upenn.edu
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251016T103000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251016T120000
DTSTAMP:20260403T174315
CREATED:20250930T161133Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250930T161133Z
UID:10008523-1760610600-1760616000@seasevents.nmsdev7.com
SUMMARY:MSE Seminar: "From Nature to Engineering: Biological Blueprints for Next Generation Advanced Materials" David Kisailus - University of California - Irvine
DESCRIPTION:Organisms have derived specific sets of traits in response to common selection pressures that serve as guideposts for optimal biological designs. A prime example is the evolution of toughened structures in disparate lineages within plants\, invertebrates\, and vertebrates 1-4. Extremely tough structures can function much like armor\, battering rams\, or reinforcements that enhance the ability of organisms to win competitions\, find mates\, acquire food\, escape predation\, and withstand high winds or turbulent flow. Some of these natural systems have developed well-orchestrated strategies\, exemplified in the biological tissues of numerous animal and plant species\, to synthesize and construct materials from a limited selection of available starting materials. The resulting structures display multiscale architectures with incredible fidelity and often exhibit properties that are similar\, and frequently superior to\, mechanical properties exhibited by many engineering materials 1-4. In specific instances\, comparative analyses of multiscale structures have pinpointed which design principles have arisen convergently; when more than one evolutionary path arrives at the same solution\, we have a good indication that it is the best solution. This is required for survival under extreme conditions. We describe a few of these systems that show convergent design and describe how controlled syntheses and hierarchical assembly using organic scaffolds 5-8 lead to these integrated macroscale structures 8-12. We describe their function and translation to biomimetic and bioinspired materials used for engineering applications 13-16. \n1. “Biological and Biologically-Inspired Functional Nanostructures: Insights into Structural\, Optical\, Thermal\, and Sensing Applications”\, C-H Sung et al.\, Advanced Materials\, accepted (2025). DOI:10.1002/adma.202509281\n2. “Convergent design evolution of multiscale biomineralized structures in extinct and extant organisms: struts\, interfaces\, and helicoids”\, V. Perricone et al.\, Communications Materials\, 5\, (227) (2024) 1 – 18.\n3. “Multiscale toughening mechanisms in biological materials and bioinspired designs”\, W. Huang et al.\, Adv. Mat.\, 31\, 1901561 (2019).\n4. “Nano-Architected Tough Biological Composites from Assembled Chitinous Scaffolds”\, W. Huang et al.\, Acc. Chem. Res.\, 50 (10) (2022) 1360-1371.\n5. “Radular teeth matrix protein 1 directs iron oxide deposition in chiton teeth”\, M. Nemoto et al.\, Science\, 389 (6760) (2025) 637-643.\n6. “Mesocrystalline Ordering and Phase Transformation of Iron Oxide Biominerals in the Ultrahard Teeth of Cryptochiton stelleri\,” T. Wang et al.\, Small Structures\, (2022) 2100202.\n7. “Fibrous Anisotropy and Mineral Gradients within the Radula Stylus of Chiton: Controlled Stiffness and Damage Tolerance in a Flexible Biological Composite”\, J.E. Lee et al.\, J. Comp. Mater.\, 57 (4) (2022).\n8. “Phase transformations and structural developments in the radular teeth of Cryptochiton stelleri\,” Q. Wang\, Adv. Funct. Mater.\, 23 (2013) 2908–2917.\n9. “Toughening Mechanisms of the Elytra of the Diabolical Ironclad Beetle”\, J. Rivera et al.\, Nature\, 586\, 543-548 (2020).\n10. “A natural impact resistant bi-continuous composite nanoparticle coating”\, W. Huang et al.\, Nat. Mat. 9\, 1236-1243 (2020).\n11. “The Stomatopod Dactyl Club: A Formidable Damage-Tolerant Biological Hammer”\, J. Weaver et al.\, Science\, 336 1275-1280 (2012).\n12. “Analysis of an ultra hard magnetic biomineral in chiton radular teeth\,” J. Weaver et al.\, Materials Today\, 13 (2010) 42-52.\n13. “Bioinspired SiC/Chitosan impact resistant coatings”\, T. Hao et al. Adv. Funct. Mater.\, 35 (2025)\, 2417291.\n14. “Direct ink write printing of chitin-based gel fibers with customizable fibril alignment\, porosity\, and mechanical properties for biomedical applications”\, D. Montroni\, et al.\, J. Funct. Biomat.\, 13 (2) (2022) 83.\n15. “Electrocatalytic N-Doped Graphitic Nanofiber – Metal/Metal Oxide Nanoparticle Composites”\, H. Tang et al.\, Small\, 14\, 1703459 (2018).\n16. “Bio-Inspired Impact Resistant Composites”\, L.K. Grunenfelder et al.\, Acta Biomat.\, 10\, 3997-4008 (2014).
URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/mse-seminar-from-nature-to-engineering-biological-blueprints-for-next-generation-advanced-materials/
LOCATION:Wu & Chen Auditorium
CATEGORIES:Seminar
ORGANIZER;CN="Materials Science and Engineering":MAILTO:johnruss@seas.upenn.edu
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251016T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251016T120000
DTSTAMP:20260403T174315
CREATED:20250718T134733Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250718T134733Z
UID:10008413-1760612400-1760616000@seasevents.nmsdev7.com
SUMMARY:ESE Fall Seminar - "Distributional Control: From Robotic Motion Planning to Generative AI"
DESCRIPTION:Uncertainty propagation and mitigation is at the core of all robotic and control systems. The standard approach so far has followed the spirit of controlling a system “with uncertainties\,” as opposed to the direct control “of uncertainties.” Borrowing ideas from the classical Optimal Mass Transport (OMT) and Schrödinger Bridge problems\, distributional control has recently emerged as a principled approach to characterize and mitigate uncertainty in stochastic systems with strict performance guarantees. In this talk\, I will review some recent results on covariance and distribution control for stochastic systems subject to chance constraints\, including data-driven and distributionally robust implementations; I will demonstrate the application of the theory to a variety of problems ranging from model predictive control\, robot motion planning under uncertainty\, multi-agent mean-field control\, and generative AI.
URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/ese-fall-seminar-title-tba-3/
LOCATION:Raisler Lounge (Room 225)\, Towne Building\, 220 South 33rd Street\, Philadelphia\, PA\, 19104\, United States
CATEGORIES:Colloquium
ORGANIZER;CN="Electrical and Systems Engineering":MAILTO:eseevents@seas.upenn.edu
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251016T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251016T130000
DTSTAMP:20260403T174315
CREATED:20250828T185054Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250828T185054Z
UID:10008475-1760616000-1760619600@seasevents.nmsdev7.com
SUMMARY:FOLDS seminar:  A New Paradigm for Learning with Distribution Shift
DESCRIPTION:Zoom link: https://upenn.zoom.us/j/98220304722 \n  \nWe revisit the fundamental problem of learning with distribution shift\, where a learner is given labeled samples from training distribution D\, unlabeled samples from test distribution D′ and is asked to output a classifier with low test error. The standard approach in this setting is to prove a generalization bound in terms of some notion of distance between D and D′. These distances\, however\, are difficult to compute\, and this has been the main stumbling block for efficient algorithm design over the last two decades. \nWe sidestep this issue and define a new model called TDS learning\, where a learner runs a test on the training set and is allowed to reject if this test detects distribution shift relative to a fixed output classifier.  This approach leads to the first set of efficient algorithms for learning with distribution shift that do not take any assumptions on the test distribution.  Finally\, we discuss how our techniques have recently been used to solve longstanding problems in supervised learning with contamination.
URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/folds-seminar-tba-4/
LOCATION:Eyebrow
CATEGORIES:Seminar,Colloquium
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251016T153000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251016T163000
DTSTAMP:20260403T174315
CREATED:20250826T131806Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250826T131806Z
UID:10008458-1760628600-1760632200@seasevents.nmsdev7.com
SUMMARY:Herman P. Schwan Distinguished Lecture - Jeffrey A. Hubbell\, "Molecular Engineering to Tip Immune Balances between Tolerance and Aggression"
DESCRIPTION:
URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/herman-p-schwann-distinguished-lecture-jeffrey-hubbell-molecular-engineering-to-tip-immune-balances-between-tolerance-and-aggression/
LOCATION:Berger Auditorium (Room 13)\, Skirkanich Hall\, 210 South 33rd Street\, Philadelphia\, PA\, 19104\, United States
CATEGORIES:Distinguished Lecture
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251017T103000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251017T114500
DTSTAMP:20260403T174315
CREATED:20251007T130920Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251007T130920Z
UID:10008532-1760697000-1760701500@seasevents.nmsdev7.com
SUMMARY:Fall 2025 GRASP on Robotics: Parastoo Abtahi\, Princeton University\, "When Robots Disappear – From Haptic Illusions in VR to Object-Oriented Interactions in AR"
DESCRIPTION:This event will be in-person ONLY in Wu and Chen Auditorium. \nABSTRACT\n\nAdvances in audiovisual rendering have led to the commercialization of virtual reality (VR); however\, haptic technology has not kept up with these advances. While a variety of robotic systems aim to address this gap by simulating the sensation of touch\, many hardware limitations make realistic touch interactions in VR challenging. In my research\, I explore how\, by understanding human perception through the lens of sensorimotor control theory\, we can design interactions that not only overcome the current limitations of robotic hardware for VR but also extend our abilities beyond what is possible in the physical world. \nIn the first part of this talk\, I will present my work on redirection illusions that leverage the limits of human perception to improve the perceived performance of encountered-type haptic devices in VR\, such as the position accuracy of drones and the resolution of shape displays. In the second part\, I will share how we apply these illusory interactions to physical spaces and use augmented reality (AR) to facilitate situated and bidirectional human-robot communication\, bridging users’ mental models and robotic representations.
URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/fall-2025-grasp-on-robotics-parastoo-abtahi-princeton-university-when-robots-disappear-from-haptic-illusions-in-vr-to-object-oriented-interactions-in-ar/
LOCATION:Wu and Chen Auditorium (Room 101)\, Levine Hall\, 3330 Walnut Street\, Philadelphia\, PA\, 19104\, United States
CATEGORIES:Seminar
ORGANIZER;CN="General Robotics%2C Automation%2C Sensing and Perception (GRASP) Lab":MAILTO:grasplab@seas.upenn.edu
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251017T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251017T140000
DTSTAMP:20260403T174315
CREATED:20251006T230421Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251006T230421Z
UID:10008531-1760702400-1760709600@seasevents.nmsdev7.com
SUMMARY:CBE Doctoral Dissertation Defense: "Configuration Matters: Unveiling Cis-Regulatory Arrangement as a Mechanism of Transcriptional Fine-Tuning" (Emilia Leyes Porello)
DESCRIPTION:Abstract: \n\n\n\nThe precise regulation of gene expression depends on coordinated enhancer-promoter (E-P) interactions\, yet the principles governing how enhancer configuration influences transcription remain unclear. Classical models describe enhancers as modular and independent of orientation or relative positioning\, but accumulating evidence suggests these assumptions may not hold true. To investigate this problem\, systematic manipulations of enhancer configuration were performed in early Drosophila melanogaster embryos using reporter constructs designed to vary E-P distance\, enhancer placement upstream or downstream of the promoter\, and orientation (sense versus antisense). Site-specific insertion of these transgenic reporters coupled with quantitative single-nucleus live imaging of transcription via the MS2/MCP system enabled direct measurement of transcriptional activity and bursting dynamics in real time. These experiments revealed two distinct regulatory effects: linear E-P distance primarily determined transcriptional onset time\, consistent with a diffusion-controlled search process\, while relative enhancer positioning dictated the stability of the transcriptionally active state. Downstream enhancers exhibited reduced amplitude and stability compared to upstream counterparts\, and inversion of the enhancer into the antisense orientation further decreased transcriptional output. Mechanistic analysis identified the GAGA factor (GAF) as a key contributor to orientation-dependent repression at the snail proximal enhancer. Deletion of GAF-binding sites restored transcriptional activity\, supporting a model in which GAF acts as an insulator when positioned between enhancer and promoter. To extend these findings to larger genomic scales\, a live-imaging framework was developed in murine erythroblasts to quantify long-range E-P interactions mediated by the architectural protein YY1. Collectively\, these results demonstrate that enhancer function is not universally independent of configuration but instead emerges from an interplay between genomic arrangement\, local factor occupancy\, and higher-order chromatin organization\, refining models of transcriptional regulation across both short- and long-range contexts. By challenging long-standing assumptions of enhancer independence and revealing new principles of regulatory fine-tuning\, this work provides a framework for understanding how cis-regulatory architecture encodes developmental precision\, with implications for interpreting noncoding variation in human disease and for advancing targeted gene engineering approaches.\n\n\n\nZoom Information:\nMeeting ID: 946 9602 7668\nPasscode: 577765
URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/cbe-doctoral-dissertation-defense-configuration-matters-unveiling-cis-regulatory-arrangement-as-a-mechanism-of-transcriptional-fine-tuning-emilia-leyes-porello/
LOCATION:Towne 337
CATEGORIES:Doctoral,Student,Dissertation or Thesis Defense
ORGANIZER;CN="Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering":MAILTO:cbemail@seas.upenn.edu
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251017T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251017T150000
DTSTAMP:20260403T174315
CREATED:20250829T150341Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250829T150341Z
UID:10008482-1760709600-1760713200@seasevents.nmsdev7.com
SUMMARY:PICS Colloquium: Complex Polymer Design in the Age of AI: Why\, What\, and How?
DESCRIPTION:Polymers are essential to a wide range of technologies\, yet designing them with targeted structural and functional properties remains a grand challenge. A major opportunity lies in applying machine learning to help navigate the vast combinatorial design space—spanning sequence\, composition\, architecture\, morphology\, processing\, and more—to discover new formulations or replace existing ones with more sustainable alternatives. However\, this complexity\, combined with data scarcity and characterization challenges\, limits the effectiveness of purely rational design and/or high-throughput screening. In this talk\, I will describe some of our recent efforts to integrate molecular simulation\, machine learning\, and theory to map and navigate structure–function relationships in chemically and topologically diverse polymeric materials. I will describe strategies that we have employed across a range of applications to overcome data limitations in polymer science by developing physics-informed (or guided) models and exploring other algorithmic innovations. A focal example will examine how we can design complex polymer additives that tune material rheology\, with a particular focus on shear-thinning fluids. This example\, along with other case studies\, will showcase utility\, limitations\, and opportunities for data-driven approaches in modern-day science; and how coupling them with (or using them to develop) physical insight can accelerate innovation and deepen materials understanding.
URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/pics-colloquium-complex-polymer-design-in-the-age-of-ai-why-what-and-how/
LOCATION:PICS Conference Room 534 – A Wing \, 5th Floor\, 3401 Walnut Street\, Philadelphia\, PA\, 19104\, United States
CATEGORIES:Colloquium
ORGANIZER;CN="Penn Institute for Computational Science (PICS)":MAILTO:dkparks@seas.upenn.edu
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251020T173000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251020T193000
DTSTAMP:20260403T174315
CREATED:20250922T193504Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250922T193504Z
UID:10008511-1760981400-1760988600@seasevents.nmsdev7.com
SUMMARY:MSE Undergraduate Open House
DESCRIPTION:Materials Science and Engineering Undergraduate Open House \nAre you a first-year Student?\nUndecided about your major?\nCurious about MSE? \nJoin us for food and fun and explore how MSE can transform your future! \n• Who Should Attend: All first-year undergrad engineering students\, regardless of major \n• What: Eat good food and meet MSE faculty\, staff\, and undergraduate students \n• When: Monday\, October 20\, 2025 – 5:30 p.m. \n• Where: LRSM Reading Room – 3231 Walnut Street – 1st Floor \nQuestions?  Contact Vicky Lee\, Undergraduate Coordinator\, Department of Materials Science and Engineering – vickylt@seas.upenn.edu \nRSVP here by October 13:
URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/mse-undergraduate-open-house/
LOCATION:LRSM Reading Room\, 3231 Walnut St.\, Philadelphia\, PA\, 19104\, United States
CATEGORIES:Student
ORGANIZER;CN="Materials Science and Engineering":MAILTO:johnruss@seas.upenn.edu
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR