BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Penn Engineering Events - ECPv6.15.18//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Penn Engineering Events REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20220313T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20221106T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20230312T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20231105T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20240310T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20241103T060000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230811T140000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230811T150000 DTSTAMP:20260404T151119 CREATED:20230809T154314Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230809T154314Z UID:10007631-1691762400-1691766000@seasevents.nmsdev7.com SUMMARY:Summer 2023 GRASP Seminar: Claire Tomlin\, University of California at Berkeley\, “Safe Learning in Control” DESCRIPTION:This is a hybrid event with in-person attendance in Wu and Chen and virtual attendance on Zoom. \n  \nABSTRACT\nIn many applications of autonomy in robotics\, guarantees that constraints are satisfied throughout the learning process are paramount. We present a controller synthesis technique based on the computation of reachable sets\, using optimal control and game theory. Then\, we present methods for combining reachability with learning-based methods\, to enable performance improvement while maintaining safety\, and to move towards safe robot control with learned models of the dynamics and the environment. We will discuss different interaction models with other agents\, and some implications of model vs. learning-based predictions. URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/summer-2023-grasp-seminar-claire-tomlin-university-of-california-at-berkeley-safe-learning-in-control/ LOCATION:GRASP Treehouse – Pennovation Complex; LAB Building (Bldg 250 – Suite 250)\, 3401 Grays Ferry\, Philadelphia\, 19146\, 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:20230815T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230815T113000 DTSTAMP:20260404T151119 CREATED:20230807T202346Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230807T202346Z UID:10007629-1692093600-1692099000@seasevents.nmsdev7.com SUMMARY:MEAM Seminar: "Hierarchical Methods for Geometric Control of Underactuated\, Free-Flying Robotic Systems" DESCRIPTION:Free-flying robotic systems (such as multibody aerial and space vehicles) evolve on high-dimensional non-Euclidean manifolds subject to nonlinear\, underactuated dynamics. Because such systems can rely only on the severely limited computational resources available onboard\, the design of general-purpose controllers capable of dynamic and reliable real-time performance remains a formidable challenge. To mitigate these obstacles and achieve the stated goals across a broad class of systems\, we seek geometric insight into structural properties that transcend individual robot morphologies\, developing systematic methods of controller synthesis by leveraging these features. First\, we exploit the Noetherian symmetry and Riemannian structure inherent to their dynamics\, revealing a class of systems that admits a certain hierarchical decomposition. In such a representation\, the motion of the system’s internal degrees of freedom is completely determined by the bulk motion through its symmetry group (e.g. its position and orientation). Examples of such systems include aerial manipulators consisting of an underactuated vehicle equipped with a robotic arm. Second\, in order to design and certify hierarchical controllers that leverage this structure\, we prove new basic results on the stability of cascades whose subsystems are only almost globally asymptotically stable\, the best possible property for smooth vector fields on general manifolds. Lastly\, in our ongoing work we apply these theoretical insights to inform mechanical design and controller implementation in pursuit of a small and agile aerial manipulator capable of precise\, dynamic operation. URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/meam-seminar-hierarchical-methods-for-geometric-control-of-underactuated-free-flying-robotic-systems/ LOCATION:Towne 337 CATEGORIES:Seminar ORGANIZER;CN="Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics":MAILTO:meam@seas.upenn.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230816T140000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230816T150000 DTSTAMP:20260404T151119 CREATED:20230807T183827Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230807T183827Z UID:10007627-1692194400-1692198000@seasevents.nmsdev7.com SUMMARY:MEAM Ph.D. Thesis Defense: "Exploiting Flows for Orienteering and Planning Problems" DESCRIPTION:Task and path planning algorithms for robots in the presence of flows confront a fundamental dichotomy between the continuous and the discrete: task planning algorithms discretize the world and their goals\, whereas flows are continuous in nature. This contrast is exemplified in many robotic applications where environmental forces impact navigation and exploiting those flows is critical for the quality of results. In this work\, we address methods for connecting continuous models of the environment with planning methods for robot motion in high-level task planning with low-level path planning.\nFirst\, we examine a problem that focuses on the high level problem of task planning\, but abstracts away the environment and assumes that the low-level path planning is solved independently. This helps simplify the problem\, but neglects to include environmental information which is often fundamentally linked to the vehicle motion. Next\, we address this limitation by exploring path planning algorithms in environments that are represented by an external flow field\, such as static and time-varying ocean currents. While we cannot control the external currents\, our planning method considers the trade-offs between energy efficiency\, reward collection\, and time budget based on the interplay of the chosen routes\, paths\, and environment. Lastly\, we expand our analysis to the joint problem of both designing the environmental flows and path planning within the designed flow fields. We explore this problem in the context of controlling magnetically driven milli-robots. We show how we can circumvent the need to solve the inverse dynamics problem with complete knowledge of the global field by extracting key features from the generated fields. These features enable us to take a topological approach to discretize the search space and design advantageous paths. URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/meam-ph-d-thesis-defense-exploiting-flows-for-orienteering-and-planning-problems/ LOCATION:Towne 337 CATEGORIES:Doctoral,Dissertation or Thesis Defense ORGANIZER;CN="Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics":MAILTO:meam@seas.upenn.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230817T171500 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230818T180000 DTSTAMP:20260404T151119 CREATED:20230811T172805Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230811T172805Z UID:10007633-1692292500-1692381600@seasevents.nmsdev7.com SUMMARY:NCI Junior Investigator Meeting DESCRIPTION:University of Pennsylvania will be hosting the NCI Junior Investigator Meeting this year. The meeting includes several talks throughout the day and poster sessions (5:15 pm Thursday  & 4:00pm Friday)\n\n\nNCI Junior Investigator Meeting\nAugust 17-18\, 2023\nWu & Chen Auditorium\, Levine Hall\n\nUniversity of Pennsylvania \nPhiladelphia\, PA\n\n\nPlease see the website for details: https://events.cancer.gov/dcb/ji-meeting URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/9441/ LOCATION:Wu and Chen Auditorium (Room 101)\, Levine Hall\, 3330 Walnut Street\, Philadelphia\, PA\, 19104\, United States CATEGORIES:Faculty,Student,Conference END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230818T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230818T120000 DTSTAMP:20260404T151119 CREATED:20230816T135859Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230816T135859Z UID:10007636-1692356400-1692360000@seasevents.nmsdev7.com SUMMARY:Nano Seminar: "Conductive Nitrides for Plasmonics in the Visible Region: Properties and Applications" DESCRIPTION:Plasmonic nanostructure based on silver and gold that produces LSPR to withstand ultrahigh temperatures without damage remains a great challenge for future ultra-compact integrated circuits\, and high-power enabled photonic devices. In principle\, the shapes of plasmonic nanostructures containing noble metals would change after the heat treatment that altered the plasmonic resonance. Thus\, discovering refractory plasmonic materials that can exhibit plasmonic resonance in the visible range is essential. A challenge in refractory plasmonic materials is the bulk plasmon frequency is usually in the near-infrared range\, making it difficult to generate plasmonic colors in the visible. We first reported a new refractory plasmonic material HfN\, one of the conductive nitrides\, that has a relatively high bulk plasmon frequency (λ = 400 nm) with a high melting point (T ∼ 3583 K) and a relatively large magnitude of the real part of the permittivity\, which enables intense local electromagnetic field confinement to form LSPR in the visible region. We use this unique property to develop full-color plasmonic pixels with sub-diffraction resolution through tailoring HfN plasmonic crystals and demonstrate that HfN refractory plasmonic crystals can withstand high-temperature annealing (900 °C) without damage. The novel HfN refractory plasmonic materials unlock new opportunities for ultra-compact integrated functional plasmonic devices. Especially the unique property of HfN\, implying a bright future for emerging plasmonic materials at visible wavelengths [1]. In addition\, I will present an overview of my research works over the past five years on the plasmon-enhanced light-matter interactions in the visible regions and their applications [1-6]\, including the plasmonic nanolasers [2-3]\, tunable plasmonic modulators [4]\, plasmonic phototransistors [5]\, plasmon-enhanced solar energy harvesting [6]\, and the refractory plasmonic colors for back-light free displays [1]. My group discovered several unique working mechanisms that utilize plasmonic nanocavities to improve optoelectronic device performance. More recently\, we demonstrated the scalable 2D FET device fabrication and characterization [7].  By engineering the local electromagnetic field confinement\, the light-matter interaction strength can be enhanced\, which results in efficient energy conversion in the designed nanosystem. Lastly\, I will discuss detailed mechanisms and possible applications. These results have broad implications for the use of alternative plasmonic nanocavities in high-performance optoelectronic devices. URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/nano-seminar-conductive-nitrides-for-plasmonics-in-the-visible-region-properties-and-applications/ LOCATION:Room 35\, Singh Center for Nanotechnology\, 3205 Walnut 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:20230821T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230821T110000 DTSTAMP:20260404T151119 CREATED:20230808T194307Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230808T194307Z UID:10007630-1692612000-1692615600@seasevents.nmsdev7.com SUMMARY:MEAM Ph.D. Thesis Defense: "Mobile Wireless Infrastructure on Demand in Robot Teams" DESCRIPTION:Communication is fundamental to successful coordination in teams of robots. Indeed\, the promise that robot teams can complete tasks faster and more efficiently than any single agent depends on their ability to share information and effectively coordinate their actions. Today\, teams of mobile robots are increasingly being deployed to tackle challenging tasks in environments without existing network infrastructure\, relying instead on peer-to-peer communication. While there exists a considerable body of research dedicated to maintaining network connectivity\, we still lack methods that are efficient\, scalable\, and practical. In this thesis we take a number of steps to address these challenges. First\, we formalize the problem of Mobile Infrastructure on Demand (MID)\, wherein a team of mobile robots are deployed to create and sustain a wireless network that supports the communication requirements of a different set of task-oriented robots collaborating to accomplish an objective. This approach decouples the task planning and network maintenance problems and allows us to focus on developing algorithms for the communication/MID team that are task agnostic\, enabling a large class of multi-robot algorithms to function without existing network infrastructure. Second\, we demonstrate a data driven approach to the MID agent placement problem using convolutional neural networks (CNNs) that achieves comparable performance to an optimization based expert in a fraction of the time and scales to large teams. Finally\, we introduce a complete solution to the MID problem that optimizes the position of mobile network relay nodes to directly improve the performance of the underlying routing protocol. We demonstrate our system in a set of experiments with ground robots equipped with 802.11 WiFi radios performing situational awareness and multi-robot exploration. URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/meam-ph-d-thesis-defense-mobile-wireless-infrastructure-on-demand-in-robot-teams/ LOCATION:216 Moore Building CATEGORIES:Doctoral,Dissertation or Thesis Defense ORGANIZER;CN="Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics":MAILTO:meam@seas.upenn.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230822T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230822T113000 DTSTAMP:20260404T151119 CREATED:20230807T180903Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230807T180903Z UID:10007626-1692698400-1692703800@seasevents.nmsdev7.com SUMMARY:MEAM Seminar: "Photophoretic Levitating Structures Enabling Mesospheric and Martian Exploration" DESCRIPTION:Studying certain regions of the atmosphere is hindered by available propulsion technologies. For example\, the mesosphere\, ranging from about 50 to 80 km in altitude\, has air too thin for aerodynamic and buoyant flight but air too dense for satellites and orbital flight due to drag. The Martian atmosphere is another region where no flight mechanisms currently operate besides the short-term flight of the Mars Helicopter. We propose a novel flight mechanism utilizing only light and no moving parts to allow macroscale structures to achieve photophoretic levitation. Photophoretic levitation refers to flight enabled through light-induced movement of gas particles that create lift forces and is optimized in the terrestrial mesosphere and on Mars. We previously demonstrated the possibility of levitating centimeter-scale disks and plates of microfabricated materials for early levitation testing\, fabrication\, and theory development. Now\, we show the scalability of this mechanism to carry theoretical payloads of up to 10 kg in the upper atmosphere. This scalability is plausible by expanding the nearly 2D materials to meter-scale 3D structures like spheres and cones made of the same ultrathin\, ultralight materials. We will discuss the architecture of photophoretic aircraft and their scalability to kg-size payloads\, as well as the fabrication\, testing\, and simulations behind these discoveries. The applications include in situ measurements in the upper atmosphere through deployment from missions like current NASA balloons or sounding rockets. Ultimately\, deploying an array of photophoretic aircraft represents new and cost-effective means of remotely sensing winds\, temperature\, and gas concentrations in the Martian atmosphere and the mesosphere through different sensing mechanisms. URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/meam-seminar-photophoretic-levitating-structures-enabling-mesospheric-and-martian-exploration/ LOCATION:Towne 337 CATEGORIES:Seminar ORGANIZER;CN="Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics":MAILTO:meam@seas.upenn.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230822T140000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230822T160000 DTSTAMP:20260404T151119 CREATED:20230807T144343Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230807T144343Z UID:10007624-1692712800-1692720000@seasevents.nmsdev7.com SUMMARY:BE Doctoral Dissertation Defense: "The Role of Collagen XII in Establishing Tendon Cell Organization\, Hierarchical Structure\, and Mechanical Function During Tendon Development" (Ashley Fung) DESCRIPTION:The Department of Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania and Dr. Lou Soslowsky are pleased to announce the Doctoral Dissertation Defense of Ashley Fung.\n\n\n\n\nTitle: The Role of Collagen XII in Establishing Tendon Cell Organization\, Hierarchical Structure\, and Mechanical Function During Tendon Development\nAdvisor: Dr. Lou Soslowsky\nDate: Tuesday\, August 22\nTime: 2pm\nLocation: CRB Austrian Auditorium\nZoom link: https://upenn.zoom.us/j/94851744190?pwd=a3Z4VDdGSFlrZlpGaHg4dlRiU3JMUT09\n\nThe public is welcome to attend. URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/be-doctoral-dissertation-defense-the-role-of-collagen-xii-in-establishing-tendon-cell-organization-hierarchical-structure-and-mechanical-function-during-tendon-development-ashley-fung/ LOCATION:CRB Auditorium\, 415 Curie Boulevard\, Philadelphia\, PA\, 19104\, United States CATEGORIES:Doctoral,Graduate,Student,Dissertation or Thesis Defense ORGANIZER;CN="Bioengineering":MAILTO:be@seas.upenn.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230824T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230824T113000 DTSTAMP:20260404T151119 CREATED:20230811T132042Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230811T132042Z UID:10007632-1692873000-1692876600@seasevents.nmsdev7.com SUMMARY:MEAM Seminar: "Vibrating Beam MEMS Accelerometers for Gravity and Seismic Measurements" DESCRIPTION:Advances in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) have enabled the widespread development of sensors for a variety of consumer\, automotive\, and wearable healthcare electronics applications. However\, there is increasing interest in the development of highly accurate MEMS inertial sensors for a variety of emerging applications\, for e.g.\, navigation systems for pedestrians and autonomous vehicles\, and seismic and gravity imaging\, where the traditional attributes of MEMS (miniaturization and system integration) are combined with scalable transduction principles to enable highly accurate physical measurements. Resonant approaches to measurement of forces and displacements in MEMS devices have enabled significant advances in accuracy of MEMS inertial sensors in recent years\, assisted by parallel advances in wafer-level encapsulation techniques\, interface circuits\, and approaches to mitigate temperature sensitivity\, also applied to products in MEMS timing and frequency control. This talk will describe the evolution of vibrating beam MEMS accelerometers demonstrating exceptional long-term stability for applications in gravimetry and seismology. Device sensitivity and stability is demonstrated through the tracking of Earth tides and recording of ground motion corresponding to a number of seismic events. MEMS-based gravity instruments are now being developed for applications such as geotechnical surveying\, planetary exploration\, and CO2 storage\nmonitoring. These results demonstrate the potential of vibrating beam MEMS accelerometers for high-resolution and stable measurements with wider implications for precision measurement employing other resonant-output MEMS devices such as gyroscopes and magnetometers. URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/meam-seminar-vibrating-beam-mems-accelerometers-for-gravity-and-seismic-measurements/ LOCATION:Towne 337 CATEGORIES:Seminar ORGANIZER;CN="Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics":MAILTO:meam@seas.upenn.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230828T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230828T120000 DTSTAMP:20260404T151119 CREATED:20230807T193609Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230807T193609Z UID:10007628-1693216800-1693224000@seasevents.nmsdev7.com SUMMARY:BE Doctoral Dissertation: “MRI-based Quantification of Renal Oxygen Utilization” (Rajiv Deshpande) DESCRIPTION:The Department of Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania and Dr. Felix Wehrli are pleased to announce the Doctoral Dissertation Defense of Rajiv Deshpande. \nTitle: “MRI-based Quantification of Renal Oxygen Utilization” \nDate: August 28\, 2023 \nTime: 10:00 AM \nLocation: Donner-Grice Auditorium\, HUP (2nd Floor) \nThe public is welcome to attend. URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/be-doctoral-dissertation-mri-based-quantification-of-renal-oxygen-utilization-rajiv-deshpande/ LOCATION:Donner-Grice Auditorium CATEGORIES:Doctoral,Graduate,Student,Dissertation or Thesis Defense ORGANIZER;CN="Bioengineering":MAILTO:be@seas.upenn.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230829T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230829T113000 DTSTAMP:20260404T151119 CREATED:20230804T180757Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230804T180757Z UID:10007622-1693303200-1693308600@seasevents.nmsdev7.com SUMMARY:MEAM Seminar: "The Multiphysics Stochastic Brain" DESCRIPTION:Fuelled in particular by current medical challenges in Traumatic Brain Injury\, the field of brain mechanics has progressed tremendously in the last decade. Simulations that required months in development and runtime can now be created from patient specific medical images\, meshed and run in a fraction of that time. However\, and paradoxically\, not only do these new models still lack multiphysics capabilities – in clear contradiction with their ultimate purpose to predict functional alteration – but their high fidelity has also exacerbated a problem that the rough early finite element models were naturally avoiding by design\, i.e.\, the stochasticity of the brain. In this presentation\, we first highlight why multiphysics modelling considerations are indeed required to adequately tackle the current challenges of brain engineering research. We then focus on the stochasticity of the brain by proposing a series of new numerical methods built on the finite element method accounting for both the intrinsic stochasticity (i.e.\, variations of the properties within the brain) and extrinsic stochasticity (i.e.\, variations between individuals). Relevant applications are given throughout as illustrations. URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/meam-seminar-the-multiphysics-stochastic-brain/ LOCATION:Wu and Chen Auditorium (Room 101)\, Levine Hall\, 3330 Walnut Street\, Philadelphia\, PA\, 19104\, United States ORGANIZER;CN="Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics":MAILTO:meam@seas.upenn.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230905T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230905T113000 DTSTAMP:20260404T151119 CREATED:20230801T195846Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230801T195846Z UID:10007621-1693908000-1693913400@seasevents.nmsdev7.com SUMMARY:MEAM Seminar: “Data-Driven Computational Design of Engineered Material Systems” DESCRIPTION:Designing advanced material systems poses challenges in integrating knowledge and representation from multiple disciplines and domains such as materials\, manufacturing\, structural mechanics\, and design optimization. Data-driven machine learning and computational design methods provide a seamless integration of predictive materials modeling\, manufacturing\, and design optimization\, enabling the accelerated design and deployment of advanced material systems. In this talk\, we will introduce state-of-the-art data-driven methods for designing heterogeneous nano- and microstructural materials and complex multiscale metamaterial systems. We will discuss research developments in design representation\, design evaluation\, and design synthesis\, along with novel design methods that integrate machine learning\, mixed-variable Gaussian process modeling\, Bayesian optimization\, topology optimization\, and the concept of digital twins. Furthermore\, we will address the challenges and opportunities involved in designing engineered material systems. URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/meam-seminar-data-driven-computational-design-of-engineered-material-systems/ LOCATION:Wu and Chen Auditorium (Room 101)\, Levine Hall\, 3330 Walnut Street\, Philadelphia\, PA\, 19104\, United States ORGANIZER;CN="Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics":MAILTO:meam@seas.upenn.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230906T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230906T131500 DTSTAMP:20260404T151119 CREATED:20230828T193249Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230828T193249Z UID:10007649-1694001600-1694006100@seasevents.nmsdev7.com SUMMARY:ASSET Seminar: "On Testing Properties of High-Dimensional Distributions" (Erik Waingarten\, Penn) DESCRIPTION: URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/asset-seminar-on-testing-properties-of-high-dimensional-distributions/ LOCATION:Levine 307\, 3330 Walnut Street\, Philadelphia\, PA\, 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:20230906T143000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230906T163000 DTSTAMP:20260404T151119 CREATED:20230817T125044Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230817T125044Z UID:10007639-1694010600-1694017800@seasevents.nmsdev7.com SUMMARY:BE Doctoral Dissertation Defense: "“Development of magnetic nanopore-based extracellular vesicle subpopulation sorting for the multimodal diagnosis and prognosis of neurological disease and cancer” (Andrew Lin) DESCRIPTION:The Department of Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania and Dr. David Issadore are pleased to announce the Doctoral Dissertation Defense of Andrew Lin. \nTitle:  “Development of magnetic nanopore-based extracellular vesicle subpopulation sorting for the multimodal diagnosis and prognosis of neurological disease and cancer” \nDate: Wednesday\, September 6th from \nTime:  2:30 PM \nLocation: Raisler Lounge (Towne 2nd Floor) \nZoom option: \nhttps://upenn.zoom.us/j/2137711558 \nThe public is welcome to attend. URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/be-doctoral-dissertation-defense-development-of-magnetic-nanopore-based-extracellular-vesicle-subpopulation-sorting-for-the-multimodal-diagnosis-and-prognosis-of-neurological-disease-and-c/ LOCATION:Raisler Lounge (Room 225)\, Towne Building\, 220 South 33rd Street\, Philadelphia\, PA\, 19104\, United States CATEGORIES:Doctoral,Graduate,Student,Dissertation or Thesis Defense ORGANIZER;CN="Bioengineering":MAILTO:be@seas.upenn.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230906T153000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230906T163000 DTSTAMP:20260404T151119 CREATED:20230816T183654Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230816T183654Z UID:10007637-1694014200-1694017800@seasevents.nmsdev7.com SUMMARY:CBE Seminar: "Engineering Electrochemical Reactions for Sustainable Chemical Manufacturing" (Modestino\, NYU) DESCRIPTION:The chemical industry produces more than 70\,000 products (1.2 billion tons in total) via thermal processes powered by fossil fuel combustion\, accounting for ~5% of the US energy utilization and >30% of the US energy-derived industrial CO2 emissions. Amongst these processes\, the production of organic chemical commodities accounts for most of the energy utilization (>1200 TBTU/y)\, and the electrification of these processes via the implementation of electro-organic reactions coupled with green hydrogen production could enable the integration of renewable electricity sources with chemical plants and accelerate the decarbonization of the chemical industry. Most of these reactions are oxidations in nature and if performed electrochemically could be coupled with the reduction of water to potentially produce H2. These paired electrolysis approaches for the production of basic organic chemicals would result in the production of large amounts of emissions-free H2 which could support other processes in the industry. Currently\, however\, two major challenges prevent the deployment of electro-organic reactions at scale: their low selectivity and their low production rates. To circumvent these barriers\, my group combines electrochemical reaction engineering principles and machine-learning methods to accelerate the development of high-performing electro-organic reaction processes. \nIn this presentation\, I will discuss our work on understanding and improving the production of adiponitrile (ADN)\, a precursor to Nylon 6\,6\, via the electrohydrodimerization of acrylonitrile (AN). This is the largest and most successful electro-organic reaction deployed in industry and serves as a test case for the development of large-scale organic electrochemical processes. Our investigations on ADN are aimed at uncovering the relationship between the electrochemical environment at and near the electrical double layer (EDL) and reaction performance metrics (i.e.\, selectivity\, efficiency\, and productivity). I will discuss general guidelines for electrolyte formulation and provide insights into the role of different electrolyte species (e.g.\, buffer ions\, chelating ions\, selectivity-directing ions\, and supporting ions) in achieving conversions of AN to ADN with selectivity as high as 83%. I will also present how carefully controlling pulsed electrosynthesis conditions guided by active machine learning can help mitigate mass transport limitations\, control the concentration of AN near the EDL and enhance the production rate of ADN by >30%. Our learnings on ADN electrosynthesis helped us to also engineer the electrocatalytic hydrogenation of ADN to hexamethylenediamine (a Nylon 6\,6 monomer)\, achieving the highest reported selectivity to date for this reaction (>95%). This electrochemical hydrogenation process avoids sourcing hydrogen from fossil sources and brings sustainability to hydrogen utilization in chemical production. To further accelerate the development of high-performing electro-organic processes\, my group has recently developed new machine-learning methods for rapid reactor outflow analysis using inexpensive spectroscopic tools and Bayesian optimization methods that leverage physical models to maximize process performance. These new tools will help us accelerate the electrification of petrochemical processes with large carbon footprints. URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/cbe-seminar-engineering-electrochemical-reactions-for-sustainable-chemical-manufacturing-modestino-nyu/ LOCATION:Wu and Chen Auditorium (Room 101)\, Levine Hall\, 3330 Walnut Street\, Philadelphia\, PA\, 19104\, United States CATEGORIES:Seminar ORGANIZER;CN="Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering":MAILTO:cbemail@seas.upenn.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230907T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230907T120000 DTSTAMP:20260404T151119 CREATED:20230824T191040Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230824T191040Z UID:10007644-1694082600-1694088000@seasevents.nmsdev7.com SUMMARY:MSE Seminar: Working Safely in the Lab: Navigating Common Laboratory Hazards in MSE Research DESCRIPTION:EHRS Sr. Lab Safety Specialist Gwenn Allen will discuss how to work safely in the lab while navigating the changing landscape of materials science and engineering research.  Her talk will cover common laboratory hazards\, routes of exposure\, PPE requirements\, and biological safety. \nShe will also present an overview of the University’s recent transition to Workday Learning and the training requirements for MSE.  Lastly\, she will discuss a near miss box oven incident in Senior Design to illustrate the importance of undergraduate supervision in the lab.  After the presentation\, Gwenn will be happy to answer any questions about the topics covered or any other lab safety topics. URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/mse-seminar-working-safely-in-the-lab-navigating-common-laboratory-hazards-in-mse-research/ LOCATION:Wu and Chen Auditorium (Room 101)\, Levine Hall\, 3330 Walnut Street\, Philadelphia\, PA\, 19104\, United States CATEGORIES:Seminar END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230907T153000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230907T163000 DTSTAMP:20260404T151119 CREATED:20230726T135006Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230726T135006Z UID:10007613-1694100600-1694104200@seasevents.nmsdev7.com SUMMARY:BE Seminar: "Engineering the immune response at the molecular level" (Jamie Spangler\, Johns Hopkins U.) DESCRIPTION:The repertoire of naturally occurring proteins is finite and many molecules induce multiple confounding effects\, limiting their efficacy as therapeutics. Recently\, there has been a growing interest in redesigning existing proteins or engineering entirely new proteins to address the deficiencies of molecules found in nature. Researchers have traditionally taken an unbiased approach to protein engineering\, but as our knowledge of protein structure-function relationships advances\, we have the exciting opportunity to apply molecular principles to guide engineering. Leveraging cutting-edge tools and technologies in structural biology and molecular design\, our lab is pioneering a unique structure-based engineering approach to elucidate the mechanistic determinants of protein activity\, in order to inform therapeutic development. Our group is particularly interested in engineering immune proteins\, such as cytokines\, growth factors\, and antibodies\, to bias the immune response for targeted disease treatment. Despite the recent explosive growth of protein drugs within the pharmaceutical market\, limitations such as delivery\, acquired resistance\, and toxicity have impeded realization of the full potential of these therapeutics\, necessitating new approaches that synergize with existing strategies to address clinically unmet needs. This talk will highlight ongoing work in our lab that spans the discovery\, design\, and translation of novel molecular immunotherapeutics for applications ranging from cancer to autoimmune disorders to regenerative medicine. URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/be-seminar-engineering-the-immune-response-at-the-molecular-level-jamie-spangler-johns-hopkins-u/ LOCATION:216 Moore Building CATEGORIES:Seminar ORGANIZER;CN="Bioengineering":MAILTO:be@seas.upenn.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230908T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230908T114500 DTSTAMP:20260404T151119 CREATED:20230831T155550Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230831T155550Z UID:10007662-1694169000-1694173500@seasevents.nmsdev7.com SUMMARY:Fall 2023 GRASP Seminar: GRASP Research Overview - Day 1 DESCRIPTION:GRASP Lab faculty confirmed presentations (where appropriate their presenters)…\n*This is a HYBRID Event with in-person attendance in Wu & Chen Auditorium and virtual attendance on Zoom. \nDr. Mark Yim (Welcome and Introduction)\nDr. Pratik Chaudhari\nDr. Kostas Daniilidis\nDr. Eric Eaton\nDr. Nadia Figueroa\nDr. Dinesh Jayaraman\nDr. Michael Posa\nDr. Jianbo Shi\nDr. René Vidal URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/fall-2023-grasp-seminar-grasp-research-overview-day-1/ 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:20230912T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230912T113000 DTSTAMP:20260404T151119 CREATED:20230831T201245Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230831T201245Z UID:10007665-1694512800-1694518200@seasevents.nmsdev7.com SUMMARY:MEAM Seminar: "Viscoelastic Biopolymer Networks Model Fibrotic Niches" DESCRIPTION:Fibrosis and remodeling of extracellular matrix are involved in many diseases\, such as tumors\, wound healing\, and chronic inflammation. During fibrosis\, tissues undergo changes in their viscoelastic properties\, i.e.\, how they resist deformation like a solid and dissipate stress over time like a fluid. Our research determines the impact of viscoelasticity on inflammation in fibrotic tissues and develops new immune therapies in cancer and regeneration. We employ material strategies to manipulate and study cell behavior in a broad range of physiologic and disease contexts\, including tissue regeneration\, hematopoietic and solid tumor malignancies\, and fibrosis. Overall\, our long-term goal is to develop novel biomaterials that enable precision health engineering. URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/meam-seminar-viscoelastic-biopolymer-networks-model-fibrotic-niches/ 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:20230912T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230912T120000 DTSTAMP:20260404T151119 CREATED:20230829T194413Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230829T194413Z UID:10007651-1694516400-1694520000@seasevents.nmsdev7.com SUMMARY:ESE Fall Seminar - "Josephson parametric amplifiers for rapid\, high-fidelity measurement of solid-state qubits" DESCRIPTION:Quantum physics puts a limit on how small the noise added by an amplifier can be. Limiting this extra noise\, which causes unavoidable signal degradation\, is an essential requirement for the measurement of weak electromagnetic signals in various areas of science and engineering. In particular\, a nearly-quantum-limited microwave amplifier is a key tool for performing rapid\, high-fidelity measurement of solid-state qubits. In this talk\, I will review how we build Josephson parametric amplifiers (JPAs) that adds only the minimum amount of noise required by quantum physics. Focusing on a specific JPA circuit called the SNAIL parametric amplifier\, I will discuss how\, we have improved the performance of these amplifiers to achieve greater power handling and information throughput\, necessary for realizing large-scale quantum information processors. Finally\, I will discuss recent work to realize JPAs with a new element\, a Josephson Junction Field Effect Transistor (JJFET) made from InAs-Al superconductor-semiconductor heterostructures. URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/ese-fall-seminar-title-tbd/ LOCATION:Glandt Forum\, Singh Center for Nanotechnology\, 3205 Walnut 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:20230913T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230913T131500 DTSTAMP:20260404T151119 CREATED:20230911T145514Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230911T145514Z UID:10007681-1694606400-1694610900@seasevents.nmsdev7.com SUMMARY:ASSET Seminar: "Efficient and Targeted COVID-19 Border Testing Via Reinforcement Learning" (Hamsa Bastani\, Penn) DESCRIPTION:ABSTRACT:  \nThroughout the COVID-19 pandemic\, countries relied on a variety of ad-hoc border control protocols to allow for non-essential travel while safeguarding public health: from quarantining all travellers to restricting entry from select nations based on population-level epidemiological metrics such as cases\, deaths or testing positivity rates. Here we report the design and performance of a reinforcement learning system\, nicknamed ‘Eva’. In the summer of 2020\, Eva was deployed across all Greek borders to limit the influx of asymptomatic travellers infected with SARS-CoV-2\, and to inform border policies through real-time estimates of COVID-19 prevalence. In contrast to country-wide protocols\, Eva allocated Greece’s limited testing resources based upon incoming travellers’ demographic information and testing results from previous travellers. By comparing Eva’s performance against modelled counterfactual scenarios\, we show that Eva identified 1.85 times as many asymptomatic\, infected travellers as random surveillance testing\, with up to 2-4 times as many during peak travel\, and 1.25-1.45 times as many asymptomatic\, infected travellers as testing policies that only utilize epidemiological metrics. We demonstrate that this latter benefit arises\, at least partially\, because population-level epidemiological metrics had limited predictive value for the actual prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 among asymptomatic travellers and exhibited strong country-specific idiosyncrasies in the summer of 2020. Our results raise serious concerns on the effectiveness of country-agnostic internationally proposed border control policies that are based on population-level epidemiological metrics. Instead\, our work represents a successful example of the potential of reinforcement learning and real-time data for safeguarding public health. \nBIO: \nHamsa Bastani is an Assistant Professor of Operations\, Information\, and Decisions at the Wharton School\, University of Pennsylvania. Her research focuses on developing novel machine learning algorithms for data-driven decision-making\, with applications to healthcare operations and social good. Her work has received several recognitions\, including the Wagner Prize for Excellence in Practice (2021)\, the Pierskalla Award for the best paper in healthcare (2016\, 2019\, 2021)\, the Behavioral OM Best Paper Award (2021)\, as well as first place in the George Nicholson and MSOM student paper competitions (2016). URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/asset-seminar-efficient-and-targeted-covid-19-border-testing-via-reinforcement-learning-hamsa-bastani-penn/ LOCATION:Levine 307\, 3330 Walnut Street\, Philadelphia\, PA\, 19104\, United States 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:20230913T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230913T160000 DTSTAMP:20260404T151119 CREATED:20230906T192935Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230906T192935Z UID:10007673-1694617200-1694620800@seasevents.nmsdev7.com SUMMARY:Fall 2023 GRASP SFI: Jim Fan\, NVIDIA AI\, "Generalist Agents in Open-Ended Worlds" DESCRIPTION:This is a hybrid event with in-person attendance in Levine 307 and virtual attendance on Zoom. \nABSTRACT\nAutonomous agents have made great strides in specialist domains like Atari games and Go. However\, they typically learn tabula rasa in isolated environments with limited objectives\, thus failing to generalize across a wide spectrum of tasks and capabilities. Inspired by how humans continually learn and adapt in the open world\, we advocate a trinity of ingredients for building generalist agents: 1) an environment that supports an infinite variety of tasks and goals\, 2) a large-scale database of multimodal knowledge\, and 3) a flexible and scalable agent architecture. We introduce MineDojo\, a new framework built on the popular Minecraft game that features a simulation suite with 1000s of diverse open-ended tasks and an internet-scale knowledge base with YouTube videos\, Wiki pages\, and Reddit posts. We also propose two new algorithms on top of MineDojo: 1) MineCLIP\, a foundation reward function reminiscent of RLHF for embodied agents; and 2) Voyager\, an LLM-powered lifelong learning agent that explores and improves itself purely in-context. We look forward to seeing how MineDojo empowers the community to make more progress on the grand challenge of open-ended agent learning. URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/fall-2023-grasp-sfi-jim-fan/ 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:20230913T153000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230913T163000 DTSTAMP:20260404T151119 CREATED:20230821T193707Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230821T193707Z UID:10007642-1694619000-1694622600@seasevents.nmsdev7.com SUMMARY:CBE Seminar: "Improving the Sustainability of Solvent-Borne Paints and Coatings through Fundamental Studies of Polymerization Reactions" (Soroush\, Drexel University) DESCRIPTION:The global market size of paints and coatings (P&C) was US$164 Billion in 2022 and is forecast to grow to US$241Billion by 2030. A fast-growing sector in the P&C industries is acrylics. P&C should contain a solvent in order to be brushable/sprayable. However\, in the case of solvent-borne P&C\, their improved sustainability requires decreasing their organic solvent contents. This sustainability-applicability tradeoff can be addressed by preparing P&C from polymers with lower average molecular weights\, which can be produced via high-temperature (> 130 °C)free-radical polymerization. However\, at these temperatures\, several reactions — that are of little significance at low temperatures — strongly affect the polymer product quality. These so-called secondary reactions include monomer self-initiation\, monomer-solvent and monomer-molecular oxygen co-initiation\, depropagation\, β-scission\, and backbiting. We have made advances in quantum-level polymerization reaction modeling — that have enabled us to discover new reactions and fundamentally study previously known reactions in thermal polymerization of acrylates — as well as in macroscopic-scale mechanistic modeling and optimization of high-temperature polymerization reactors. Sample results from these studies will be presented. They will include new theoretical and experimental insights that can be used to produce more sustainable\, higher-quality acrylic P&C at lower costs. The self-initiation of acrylates at high temperatures improves the polymer quality and reduces the operating costs due to less or no use of relatively expensive conventional initiators. URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/cbe-seminar-improving-the-sustainability-of-solvent-borne-paints-and-coatings-through-fundamental-studies-of-polymerization-reactions-soroush-drexel-university/ LOCATION:Wu and Chen Auditorium (Room 101)\, Levine Hall\, 3330 Walnut Street\, Philadelphia\, PA\, 19104\, United States CATEGORIES:Seminar ORGANIZER;CN="Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering":MAILTO:cbemail@seas.upenn.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230915T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230915T120000 DTSTAMP:20260404T151119 CREATED:20230828T154618Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230828T154618Z UID:10007648-1694772000-1694779200@seasevents.nmsdev7.com SUMMARY:BE Doctoral Dissertation: "Batch effect detection and harmonization methods for quantitative features extracted from medical images" (Hannah Horng) DESCRIPTION:The Department of Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania along with Drs. Despina Kontos and Taki Shinohara proudly announce the Doctoral Dissertation Defense of Hannah Horng.\n \nTitle: Batch effect detection and harmonization methods for quantitative features extracted from medical images\nDate: September 15\, 2023\nTime: 10:30am\nLocation: John Morgan Building – Class of ’62 Auditorium.\n\n \nZoom option:\n\nhttps://upenn.zoom.us/j/98693898665?pwd=c1lKZ0pzNjJsZEdaTm16Z05GQ2VoUT09 \nMeeting ID: 986 9389 8665\nPasscode: 905326\n\n \nThe public is welcome to attend. URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/be-doctoral-dissertation-batch-effect-detection-and-harmonization-methods-for-quantitative-features-extracted-from-medical-images-hannah-horng/ LOCATION:Class of 62 Auditorium\, John Morgan Building\, 3620 Hamilton Walk\, Philadelphia\, PA\, 19104 CATEGORIES:Doctoral,Graduate,Student,Dissertation or Thesis Defense ORGANIZER;CN="Bioengineering":MAILTO:be@seas.upenn.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230915T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230915T114500 DTSTAMP:20260404T151119 CREATED:20230831T160201Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230831T160201Z UID:10007663-1694773800-1694778300@seasevents.nmsdev7.com SUMMARY:Fall 2023 GRASP Seminar: GRASP Research Overview - Day 2 DESCRIPTION:GRASP Lab faculty confirmed presentations (where appropriate their presenters)…\n*This is a HYBRID Event with in-person attendance in Wu & Chen Auditorium and virtual attendance via Zoom. \nDr. Ani Hsieh (Welcome and Introduction)\nDr. Jean Gallier\nDr. Michelle Johnson (presented by Francis Sowande)\nDr. Vijay Kumar (presented by Jake Welde)\nDr. Lingjie Liu\nDr. Nik Matni (presented by Fengjun Yang)\nDr. George Pappas\nDr. Cynthia Sung\nDr. Marc Miskin URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/fall-2023-grasp-seminar-grasp-research-overview-day-2/ 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:20230915T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230915T131500 DTSTAMP:20260404T151119 CREATED:20230908T195526Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230908T195526Z UID:10007675-1694779200-1694783700@seasevents.nmsdev7.com SUMMARY:Engineering Faculty Teaching Forum: "Being Accessible to Students while Preserving Your Time" DESCRIPTION:Finding time to support and mentor students can be challenging. Drs. Lee Bassett and Jennifer Lukes will start this informal conversation by sharing ideas for promoting positive relationships with students while maintaining boundaries to preserve our time. We will consider ways to use office hours efficiently\, as well as ways to leverage technology to simplify scheduling and communication. Lunch will be provided for those who register in advance. URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/engineering-faculty-teaching-forum-being-accessible-to-students-while-preserving-your-time/ LOCATION:Towne 108\, 220 South 33rd Street\, Philadelphia\, PA\, 19104\, United States CATEGORIES:Faculty END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230915T140000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230915T150000 DTSTAMP:20260404T151119 CREATED:20230906T174501Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230906T174501Z UID:10007672-1694786400-1694790000@seasevents.nmsdev7.com SUMMARY:PICS Colloquium: "The Virtual Pregnancy: Using Computational Models to Probe Human Reproduction" DESCRIPTION:  \nPreterm birth affects approximately ten percent of pregnancies and rates of maternal mortality in the US are rising. Computational investigations of pregnancy have great potential to explore fundamental aspects of reproductive physiology that are otherwise difficult or even impossible to investigate in humans. There are few-to-no good animal models of human pregnancy\, and the reasonable ethical restrictions on experimentation with pregnant women limit clinical research.  This talk will discuss how image-based computational modeling techniques can be used across length-scales to study different aspects of human pregnancy.  Examples considered will include (a) models of individual collagen fibrils in preterm fetal membrane rupture\, (b) maternal-fetal oxygen transport in the placenta\, and (c) stresses in C-section scars at risk of rupture in subsequent pregnancies.  With the recent worldwide attention given to poor maternal and fetal outcomes\, fundamental bioengineering research into the mechanisms of preterm birth is timely and necessary.  Computational models—including even full ‘digital twin’ models of pregnant persons—present a unique opportunity to advance an under-studied branch of medicine with significant financial and societal implications. URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/pics-colloquium-the-virtual-pregnancy-using-computational-models-to-probe-human-reproduction/ 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:20230919T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230919T113000 DTSTAMP:20260404T151119 CREATED:20230831T212927Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230831T212927Z UID:10007666-1695117600-1695123000@seasevents.nmsdev7.com SUMMARY:MEAM Seminar: "Insect Respiratory Biomechanics and Insect-inspired Microfluidics" DESCRIPTION:Insect respiration is characterized by the rapid transport of respiratory gases within the organism and efficient exchange with the external environment. This unique system is comprised of a network of tracheal tubes that directly supply oxygen to the cells throughout the body\, eliminating the need for blood as an intermediate oxygen carrier. The remarkable diversity of insects and their astonishing metabolic rates\, the highest in the animal kingdom for flying insects\, provide evidence of the success of their respiratory strategy. Microfluidic technology\, particularly in the domains of gas microfluidics and tissue engineering\, stands to benefit from emulating the mechanical proficiency demonstrated by insects in manipulating fluids at the microscale. Despite this significance\, our understanding of the fundamental principles underlying insect respiration remains incomplete. In this talk\, we will present mathematical\, microfluidic\, and computational modeling of insect respiration based on data from large\, inactive and small\, highly active insects\, including the darkling beetle Zophobas morio and the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. Our results suggest that insect respiration is highly versatile with largely automated\, distributed control mechanisms. Finally\, we will present our work developing microfluidic infusion pumps based on principles of insect respiration. They are powered by the arterial pulse and have the potential to drastically reduce the profile of ambulatory infusion pumps for the delivery of insulin\, chemotherapy\, other therapeutics\, and vaccines. URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/meam-seminar-insect-respiratory-biomechanics-and-insect-inspired-microfluidics/ 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:20230920T090000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230920T100000 DTSTAMP:20260404T151119 CREATED:20230907T152741Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230907T152741Z UID:10007674-1695200400-1695204000@seasevents.nmsdev7.com SUMMARY:MEAM Ph.D. Thesis Defense: "Multi-Scale Probing of Colloidal Sedimentation Dynamics in Active Suspensions" DESCRIPTION:Microorganisms\, although challenging to observe\, are ubiquitous in both natural ecosystems and industries. They inhabit diverse environments: natural ones ranging from small river tributaries and lakes to oceans\, as well as in industrial settings\, like wastewater treatment plants and food manufacturing. In these diverse contexts\, microorganisms coexist with settling particles\, a process heavily influenced by gravity. Consequently\, gravity significantly influences microorganisms’ behaviors\, impacting aspects such as locomotion and nutrient uptake. The presence of microorganisms alongside colloidal particles\, specifically\, can influence industrial processes and transport properties. The comprehension of microorganisms’ physical and biological behaviors in aquatic environments\, especially under external forces like gravity\, remains elusive and challenging. \nIn this thesis\, I explore the dynamics of spherical colloidal sedimentation in the presence of swimming Escherichia coli across various concentrations within the dilute regime. The sedimentation processes receive comprehensive characterization across length scales\, through the examination of macro-scale settling speeds\, meso-scale concentration profiles\, and micro-scale particle diffusivities. First\, I showcase how bacterial activity affects the concentration profiles of spherical particles—an alteration describable through an advection-diffusion equation with an added population dynamics term. Subsequently\, I characterize the sedimentation speed of spherical particles across different bacterial concentrations\, unveiling the emergence of two sedimentation fronts: particle- and bacteria-rich fronts. Even passive systems of poly-dispersed (by size) particles are known to show segregating sedimentation fronts; larger (and faster) settling particles will separate from smaller (and slower) ones\, given enough time. In this context\, heightened activity influences sedimentation speeds and the associated timescales tied to the appearance of the bacteria front. These timescales pertaining to the second front yield a phenomenological model that captures the sedimentation of passive particles within active fluids. Lastly\, I explored the interactions between particles and bacteria in the presence of gravity\, uncovering that bacterial-induced convective motions reduce the convective transport of colloidal particles. By increasing bacterial concentration\, particle convection diminishes and nearly stabilizes. These observations reveal a correlation with measurements of macro-scale settling speeds. I demonstrate that the emergence of this phenomenon is associated with the development of complex bioconvection patterns. Overall\, this dissertation illuminates the intricate interplay between microorganisms and particles in the presence of gravity\, revealing nontrivial effects. URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/meam-ph-d-thesis-defense-multi-scale-probing-of-colloidal-sedimentation-dynamics-in-active-suspensions/ LOCATION:Raisler Lounge (Room 225)\, Towne Building\, 220 South 33rd Street\, Philadelphia\, PA\, 19104\, United States CATEGORIES:Doctoral,Dissertation or Thesis Defense ORGANIZER;CN="Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics":MAILTO:meam@seas.upenn.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230920T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230920T131500 DTSTAMP:20260404T151119 CREATED:20230911T150135Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230911T150135Z UID:10007682-1695211200-1695215700@seasevents.nmsdev7.com SUMMARY:ASSET Seminar: "The Road to Explainable AI v2.0" (Eric Wong\, Penn) DESCRIPTION:ABSTRACT:\n“A.I. has an explainability crisis”—Fortune Magazine. If you ask an ML researcher about explainability\, you’ll find that there are a large number of interpretability methods with no clear consensus on what to use. In fact\, it isn’t clear what many of these explanations even mean\, let alone how they can be used. I will discuss a potential vision that moves beyond these limitations to the next generation of explainable AI: interpretations with provable guarantees and well-defined takeaways. \nBIO:  \nEric Wong is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer and Information Science at the University of Pennsylvania. He researches the foundations of robust systems\, building on elements of machine learning and optimization to debug\, understand\, and develop reliable systems. URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/asset-seminar-aditi-raghunathan-carnegie-mellon-university/ LOCATION:Levine 307\, 3330 Walnut Street\, Philadelphia\, PA\, 19104\, United States ORGANIZER;CN="AI-enabled Systems%3A Safe%2C Explainable%2C and Trustworthy (ASSET) Center":MAILTO:asset-info@seas.upenn.edu END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR