• Spring 2021 GRASP SFI: “Model-Based Deep RL for Robotics”

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    Abstract: Deep learning has shown promising results in robotics, but we are still far from having intelligent systems that can operate in the unstructured settings of the real world, where disturbances, variations, and unobserved factors lead to a dynamic environment. In the first part of the talk, I will show that model-based deep RL can […]

    ODEI Spotlight: The Masc We Live In – Cultural Implications of Masculinity

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    Join us as we host an open discussion on masculinity in different cultural contexts and the intersections of race, religion and other factors which influence how we view, interpret, and navigate masculinity. This is the first of four conversations in our ongoing discussion series for the Spring Semester. All gender identities welcome. The event is […]

    ESE PhD Dissertation Defense: “Enhanced Nonlinearity Enabled via Doped ENZ Metastructures: Theory & Potential Applications”

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    Zoom - Email nahvi@seas.upenn.edu for link

    Synthetic composite structures, known as metamaterials, have been increasingly applied in the past two decades in numerous applications for obtaining electromagnetic characteristics far beyond naturally occurring materials. In particular, epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) media are a special category of metamaterials which have been shown to exhibit exotic wave-matter interaction properties, rendering them suitable for numerous applications. Exploiting […]

    BE Seminar: “Engineering Synthetic Biomaterials for Islet Transplantation” (María M. Coronel)

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    This event will be held virtually via Zoom (check email or contact ksas@seas.upenn.edu). Two major challenges to the translation of cellular-based tissue-engineered therapies are the lack of adequate oxygen support post-implantation and the need for systemic immunosuppression to halt the strong inflammatory and immunological response of the host. As such, strategies that aim at addressing […]

    CIS Seminar: “Enabling Hyperscale Web Services”

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    Zoom - Email CIS for link cherylh@cis.upenn.edu

    Abstracts:  Current hardware and software systems were conceived at a time when we had scarce compute and memory resources, limited quantity of data and users, and easy hardware performance scaling due to Moore's Law. These assumptions are not true today. Today, emerging web services require data centers that scale to hundreds of thousands of servers, […]

    GRASP On Robotics: “Trajectory Planning Using Dynamic and Power Models: a Heuristics-Based Approach”

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    https://upenn.zoom.us/j/96715197752

    Abstract: Robot planning is needed for robots to perform purposeful missions in their environments. In realistic situations, planning does not simply involve getting to a desired destination without collisions, but often requires achieving a desired goal configuration in an optimal or near-optimal fashion. Common optimality criteria include minimum distance, minimum time, and minimum energy. To […]

    ESE Seminar: “(Re)building Human Dexterity: Inferring Musculoskeletal Dynamics for Next-Generation Assistive Devices & Diagnostics”

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    Zoom - Email ESE for Link jbatter@seas.upenn.edu

    While there exist a number of mechanically sophisticated exoskeletons, prostheses, and assistive robots, with articulations similar to those of the intact human arm and hand, these devices remain limited in their ability to augment human dexterity and safely interact with human users and collaborators. In particular, due to the limits of conventional sensing, robots remain […]

    ODEI Spotlight: A Conversation with Stacey Abrams

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    Please join us on February 19th at noon EST for a conversation with Stacey Abrams, moderated by Benjamin Todd Jealous and with remarks from President Amy Gutmann. The event is sponsored by the Annenberg School for Communication, the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Paideia Program, and the Penn Provost's Office. Register Here. If […]

    PICS Colloquia: “Recent Advances in Modeling Subduction and Viscoelastic Flow in Geodynamic Computations”

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    Zoom - email kathom@seas.upenn.edu

    Abstract: We will describe two separate but related methodologies that have been implemented in the open source, finite element code ASPECT, which computational geophysicists use to model a wide variety of problems that arise in Earth and Planetary geophysics. The first technique is a volume-of-fluid (VOF) interface tracking algorithm that was originally designed to model […]

    BE Dissertation Defense: “Microtissue Engineered Neural Networks as Optically-Controlled Living Electrodes for Circuit Modeling and Neuroprosthetics” (Dayo Adewole)

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    The Department of Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania and Dr. D. Kacy Cullen are pleased to announce the Doctoral Dissertation Defense of Dayo Adewole. Title:  Microtissue Engineered Neural Networks as Optically-Controlled Living Electrodes for Circuit Modeling and Neuroprosthetics Date: February 22, 2021 Time: 9:00am Please join via the zoom link below:  https://zoom.us/j/2559106703?pwd YVFuVkxsZDk2NGRJU0tzREh3SDUzQT09 The […]

    MEAM Seminar: “Engineering Interfaces To Improve The Thermal Performance of Wide Bandgap Semiconductors”

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    Zoom - Email MEAM for Link peterlit@seas.upenn.edu

    Wide bandgap electronics are currently under development due to their potential to create some of the most advanced RF and power electronics in the world. A key concern in their development is the control of the junction temperature during operation which is impacted by the internal device thermal resistance. To address this concern, we will […]

    CIS Seminar: “Provably Secure Indistinguishability Obfuscation”

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    Zoom - Email CIS for link cherylh@cis.upenn.edu

    Abstract: In this talk, we will cover some exciting progress on the problem of Indistinguishability Obfuscation (proposed by Barak et. al. 2001). In a nutshell, an Indistinguishability Obfuscation scheme is an efficient compiler that takes as input a program and outputs a new program with the same input-behavior and only a polynomial slowdown, but in […]