BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Penn Engineering Events - ECPv6.15.18//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-WR-CALNAME:Penn Engineering Events 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:20231027T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231027T120000 DTSTAMP:20260404T071207 CREATED:20230829T200443Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230829T200443Z UID:10007656-1698404400-1698408000@seasevents.nmsdev7.com SUMMARY:ESE Fall Seminar - "Quantum sensing and imaging with diamond spins" DESCRIPTION:Solid state spin qubits\, in particular the nitrogen vacancy (NV) center in diamond\, offer a path towards truly nanoscale imaging of condensed matter and biological systems with sensitivity to single nuclear spins. Here I discuss our NV-based magnetic imaging experiments as applied to condensed matter systems\, where we have imaged current flow patterns in graphene in order to reveal the transition from ohmic to electron-collision-dominated flow regimes. A grand challenge to improving the spatial resolution and magnetic sensitivity of the NV is mitigating surface-induced quantum decoherence\, which I will discuss in the second part of this talk. Decoherence at interfaces is a universal problem that affects many quantum technologies\, but the microscopic origins are as yet unclear. Our studies guide the ongoing development of quantum control and materials control\, pushing towards the ultimate goal of NV-based single nuclear spin imaging. URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/ese-fall-seminar-title-tbd-6/ LOCATION:Berger Auditorium (Room 13)\, Skirkanich Hall\, 210 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:20231027T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231027T114500 DTSTAMP:20260404T071207 CREATED:20230911T205402Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230911T205402Z UID:10007688-1698402600-1698407100@seasevents.nmsdev7.com SUMMARY:Fall 2023 GRASP on Robotics: Nick Gravish\, University of California\, San Diego\, "Adaptive robots through reconfiguration\, compliance\, and contact" DESCRIPTION:This is a hybrid event with in-person attendance in Wu and Chen and virtual attendance on Zoom. \nABSTRACT\nRecent advances in robot materials and algorithms have enabled new levels of adaptive and versatile behavior. In this talk I will describe my lab’s efforts to create robots\, mechanisms\, and control algorithms capable of adaptive behaviors in response to perturbations from the environment or body morphology. I will first describe how the modulation of material curvature can enable reconfigurable robot appendages and bodies\, culminating in new modes of robot manipulation and locomotion. Next\, I will describe our work on flapping wing actuation through bioinspired autonomous oscillators with adaptive and responsive dynamics. Lastly\, I will describe how to design adaptive proprioceptive feedback laws which can enable robot groups to synchronize locomotion purely through contact interactions. In total this work illustrates how simple mechanisms and algorithms can give rise to a rich design space for dynamic and responsive robots. URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/fall-2023-grasp-on-robotics-nick-gravish-university-of-california-san-diego-adaptive-robots-through-reconfiguration-compliance-and-contact/ 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:20231027T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231027T110000 DTSTAMP:20260404T071207 CREATED:20231012T001848Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231012T001848Z UID:10007726-1698400800-1698404400@seasevents.nmsdev7.com SUMMARY:PRECISE Seminar: "Communication and Sensing with Laser Light" DESCRIPTION:Abstract\n\nThe physical properties of laser light make it a perfect medium for a plethora of applications. Examples include high-bandwidth data communication thanks to its fast modulation speed\, efficient power delivery given its high energy density\, and fine-grained human sensing and object tracking because of its nanometer-level wavelength. Despite its potential\, laser light still faces numerous challenges in emergent mobile applications\, given its high directionality\, sensitivity to environmental dynamics\, and constraints in laser hardware. \nIn this talk\, I will describe our effort of realizing robust communication and sensing with laser light for mobile applications. I will begin with realizing robust air-water communication and sensing with laser light. The ability to communicate and sense across the air-water boundary is essential for efficient exploration and monitoring of the underwater world. I will present our systems to allow an aerial drone to communicate with and locate underwater robots. I will also introduce our latest work Lasertag that overcomes laser’s high directionality to enable laser tethering with highly mobile targets using portable hardware. Finally\, I will overview our years-long endeavor of noninvasive glucose sensing with laser light and conclude with future work. URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/precise-seminar-communication-and-sensing-with-laser-light/ LOCATION:Levine 307\, 3330 Walnut Street\, Philadelphia\, PA\, 19104\, United States ORGANIZER;CN="PRECISE":MAILTO:wng@cis.upenn.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20231026T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231026T120000 DTSTAMP:20260404T071207 CREATED:20231016T001108Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231016T001108Z UID:10007729-1698318000-1698321600@seasevents.nmsdev7.com SUMMARY:PRECISE Seminar: Machines that Talk to the Brain and Think Like the Mind DESCRIPTION:Abstract\n\nCommunicating with the brain enables us to advance our understanding of brain function\, treat disorders\, restore lost function\, and when combined with artificial cognitive frameworks\, can push the frontier of human capabilities. Key to realizing brain communication and replicating cognition are new computer architectures– systems that directly sense and stimulate the brain\, and those capable of running complex cognitive frameworks. In this talk\, I will present recent work on the first brain-computer interfacing platform\, SCALO\, that can sense\, process and stimulate neural activity from multiple regions of the brain with millisecond latency and milliwatts of power. SCALO flexibly supports many neuroscientific applications\, enabling for the first time\, study of brain-wide behavior and diseases. I will also share how new quantum and classical platforms are needed to accelerate cognitive neuroscience modeling\, and outline an end to end design that connects such platforms with brain interfaces. URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/precise-seminar-machines-that-talk-to-the-brain-and-think-like-the-mind/ LOCATION:Levine 307\, 3330 Walnut Street\, Philadelphia\, PA\, 19104\, United States ORGANIZER;CN="PRECISE":MAILTO:wng@cis.upenn.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20231026T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231026T120000 DTSTAMP:20260404T071207 CREATED:20230918T165332Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230918T165332Z UID:10007698-1698316200-1698321600@seasevents.nmsdev7.com SUMMARY:MSE Seminar: "Advanced Analytical Characterization of Next Generation Energy Storage Systems" - Nik Singh - Toyota Research Institute of North America DESCRIPTION:Advances in hybrid and electric vehicle technologies combined with a demand for green initiatives have recently motivated necessary diversification in energy storage research. To achieve customer expectations for hybrid and electric vehicles\, new battery systems with higher energy densities\, power densities and cycle life than the current state-of-art Lithium (Li)-ion battery are needed. Further\, to achieve necessary standards for green initiatives for hybrid and electric vehicles\, a closer examination of the processes and materials involved in battery systems is also critical. Examples of such Li-ion battery systems are those focused on the utilization of Silicon (Si) or Li metal as the anode\, or the use of low-Cobalt (Co) or Co-free cathodes\, or the move towards closed-loop battery ecosystems. However\, the development of such systems is complicated at the fundamental level by process-driven impurities and chemical incompatibilities in current liquid battery systems. \nAmong additional strategies under consideration for energy storage diversification\, the use of solid-state electrolytes (inclusive of polymers\, gels and conducting ceramics) stands out since the implementation of solid-state electrolytes can also serve as a mechanical barrier towards Li dendrite formation (and hence potentially subdue thermal runaway events). However\, solid-state electrolytes exhibit lower ionic conductivities and display poor interfacial stability towards higher energy Li metal anodes. While optimizations to overcome such intrinsic challenges in both liquid and solid-state battery materials continue\, even less is known about the interfacial interactions between both types of electrolytes and anodes/cathodes. Since battery system interfaces eventually govern the performance of the battery\, studies into understanding these interactions remains essential. Here\, we present an overview of select studies undertaken for the interfacial interactions between various liquid and solid electrolytes under consideration for metal battery systems today. The studies cover interfacial observations\, nucleation and growth of the metal anode and the chemo-mechanical transformations within electrolytes\, and at their interfaces with metal anode materials. Tandem analytical ex-situ and in-situ studies via transmission electron microcopy (TEM) and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) can reveal the interfacial interactions and failure modes between metal anodes and commonly used liquid and solid battery electrolytes. The presented studies allow for comparisons of metal anode properties for each electrolyte material and stand to help clarify interfacial\, morphological and failure evolution mechanisms during battery cycling from them. Further\, we present the need for bridging length scales across multiple analytical techniques when analyzing energy storage system materials\, to be able to better correlate model studies and commercial products. URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/mse-seminar-advanced-analytical-characterization-of-next-generation-energy-storage-systems-toyota-research-institute-of-north-america/ 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:20231025T173000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231025T190000 DTSTAMP:20260404T071207 CREATED:20231019T191642Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231019T191642Z UID:10007739-1698255000-1698260400@seasevents.nmsdev7.com SUMMARY:MSE OPEN HOUSE: "Photonics: From Probing Fundamental Physics to Enabling Computing at the Speed of Light” Liang Feng\, University of Pennsylvania DESCRIPTION: URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/mse-open-house-photonics-from-probing-fundamental-physics-to-enabling-computing-at-the-speed-of-light-liang-feng-university-of-pennsylvania/ LOCATION:LRSM Reading Room\, 3231 Walnut St.\, Philadelphia\, PA\, 19104\, United States CATEGORIES:Undergraduate,Symposium ORGANIZER;CN="Materials Science and Engineering":MAILTO:johnruss@seas.upenn.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20231025T153000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231025T163000 DTSTAMP:20260404T071208 CREATED:20230825T195555Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230825T195555Z UID:10007646-1698247800-1698251400@seasevents.nmsdev7.com SUMMARY:CBE Seminar: "Transformer-based Hybrid Modeling and Control of Evolving\, Nonlinear Processes" (Kwon\, Texas A&M University) DESCRIPTION:Traditionally\, the dynamic modeling of chemical processes has relied on first-principles models grounded in fundamental physics and chemistry laws. These models\, primarily formulated through differential equations with constant parameters\, enable the calculation of control actions optimizing process operations\, taking both process and actuator limitations into account. However\, the ever-evolving and nonlinear nature of chemical processes frequently calls for models with time-varying parameters. Motivated by these challenges\, we have developed hybrid models that integrate system-agnostic first-principles dynamics with system-specific data-driven\, time-varying parameters. Our hybrid modeling framework incorporates a recent innovation: attention-based time-series transformers (TSTs) coupled with positional encoding. This marks a pioneering venture into applying the transformer algorithm – a cornerstone in ChatGPT’s triumph – to nonlinear\, time-varying processes. By analyzing data across both current and preceding time steps\, the TST captures both immediate and historical changes in process states\, granting a contextual insight on process dynamics\, mirroring ChatGPT’s textual context understanding. This TST-based hybrid model identifies correlations between process parameters and state variables. Its versatility is evident as it adapts to a spectrum of models – from density function theory to computational fluid dynamics -and scales\, spanning from laboratory to extensive industrial environments. We will present applications of this hybrid modeling and control architecture\, showcasing its utility from labs to industrial processes\, made possible through partnerships with leading chemical process enterprises. URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/cbe-seminar-transformer-based-hybrid-modeling-and-control-of-evolving-nonlinear-processes-kwon-texas-am-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:20231025T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231025T160000 DTSTAMP:20260404T071208 CREATED:20231019T142926Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231019T142926Z UID:10007737-1698246000-1698249600@seasevents.nmsdev7.com SUMMARY:Fall 2023 GRASP SFI: Matthew D. Kvalheim\, University of Maryland\, Baltimore County\, "Discovering engineering (im)possibilities with geometry and topology" DESCRIPTION:This is a hybrid event with in-person attendance in Levine 307 and virtual attendance on Zoom. \nABSTRACT\nI will describe engineering (im)possibilities discovered with geometry or topology. These provide or revoke “hunting licenses” for the search of quantities of interest in three contexts: feedback control\, applied Koopmanism\, and deep neural network autoencoders. \nControl-Lyapunov or barrier functions yield sufficient conditions for stability or safety to be achievable with feedback control\, but cannot determine if this is not achievable. I will present user-friendly “tests” to determine this\, along with ongoing work on sufficient conditions for periodic orbit stabilizability. \nAn open problem for Koopman methods has been to determine the class of dynamical systems that are globally linearizable in the sense of admitting an embedding into a linear system on a Euclidean space. I will present a solution for the case of linearizing compact invariant sets or attractor basins. \nTopological obstructions dictate that autoencoders cannot provide nonlinear dimensionality reductions with small errors\, and yet\, the wide practical applicability of the method evidences remarkable empirical success. I will offer a resolution to this apparent paradox. \nThis is joint work with P. Arathoon\, A. M. Bloch\, D. E. Koditschek\, and E. D. Sontag. URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/fall-2023-grasp-sfi-matthew-kvalheim/ 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:20231025T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231025T131500 DTSTAMP:20260404T071208 CREATED:20230928T141244Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230928T141244Z UID:10007706-1698235200-1698239700@seasevents.nmsdev7.com SUMMARY:ASSET Seminar: "Towards a Design Flow for Verified AI-Based Autonomy" (Sajit A. Seshia\, University of California\, Berkeley) DESCRIPTION:ABSTRACT: \nVerified artificial intelligence (AI) is the goal of designing AI-based systems that have strong\, ideally provable\, assurances of correctness with respect to formally specified requirements. This talk will review the main challenges to achieving Verified AI\, and the initial progress the research community has made towards this goal. A particular focus will be on AI-based autonomous and semi-autonomous cyber-physical systems (CPS). Building on this initial progress\, there is a need to develop a new generation of design automation techniques\, rooted in formal methods\, to enable and support the routine development of high assurance AI-based autonomy. I will describe our work on formal methods for Verified AI-based autonomy\, implemented in the open-source Scenic and VerifAI toolkits. The use of these tools will be demonstrated in industrial case studies involving deep learning-based autonomy in ground and air vehicles URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/asset-seminar-sanjit-a-seshia-university-of-california-berkeley/ LOCATION:Levine 307\, 3330 Walnut Street\, Philadelphia\, PA\, 19104\, United States END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20231024T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231024T120000 DTSTAMP:20260404T071208 CREATED:20230829T200102Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230829T200102Z UID:10007655-1698145200-1698148800@seasevents.nmsdev7.com SUMMARY:ESE Fall Seminar - "Acceleration by Stepsize Hedging" DESCRIPTION:Can we accelerate convergence of gradient descent without changing the algorithm — just by optimizing stepsizes? Surprisingly\, we show that the answer is yes. Our proposed Silver Stepsize Schedule optimizes strongly convex functions in $k^{\log_p 2} = k^{0.7864}$ iterations\, where $p=1+\sqrt{2}$ is the silver ratio and $k$ is the condition number. This is intermediate between the textbook unaccelerated rate $k$ and the accelerated rate $\sqrt{k}$ due to Nesterov in 1983. The non-strongly convex setting is conceptually identical\, and we obtain an analogous accelerated rate $\eps^{-\log_p 2} = \eps^{-0.7864}$. We conjecture and provide partial evidence that these rates are optimal among all possible stepsize schedules. \nThe Silver Stepsize Schedule is an explicit non-monotonic fractal. Why should such stepsizes help? The core intuition is “hedging” between individually suboptimal strategies — short steps and long steps — since bad cases for the former are good cases for the latter\, and vice versa. Properly combining these stepsizes yields faster convergence due to the misalignment of worst-case functions. This talk is based on joint work with Pablo Parrilo that publishes and extends my 2018 Master’s Thesis — which established for the first time that judiciously chosen stepsizes can enable accelerated convex optimization. Prior to this thesis\, the only such result was for the special case of quadratics\, due to Young in 1953. URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/ese-fall-seminar-title-tbd-5/ 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:20231024T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231024T113000 DTSTAMP:20260404T071208 CREATED:20230817T145900Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230817T145900Z UID:10007640-1698141600-1698147000@seasevents.nmsdev7.com SUMMARY:MEAM Seminar: "Granular and Photoelastic Avalanches" DESCRIPTION:Flowing granular materials arise everywhere around us\, in industry from pharmaceutical processes to bulk good transport lines\, and in nature from snow avalanches to captivating dune fields. \nIn landslides\, we have an interesting interplay between microscale (grain-grain contacts) and macroscale processes (continuum behavior). In order to understand critical macroscale processes such as stability of a slope\, creep and failure\, we need to be able to visualize and characterize the microscale interactions. \nIn this talk\, I will introduce a laboratory technique called photoelasticity to visualize grain-grain contacts in time and space. Collisions between grains create a fascinating network of so-called force chains\, which are responsible for the inhomogeneous distribution of stresses in a granular medium. We discover stress distributions in 2D granular avalanches\, visualized with bespoke\, superior-quality birefringent photoelastic particles. This technique gives us for the first time access to the full velocity\, density and stress fields inside of a dynamic avalanche\, and allows us to experimentally validate granular rheological models. URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/meam-seminar-granular-and-photoelastic-avalanches/ 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:20231020T130000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231020T150000 DTSTAMP:20260404T071208 CREATED:20231011T125444Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231011T125444Z UID:10007724-1697806800-1697814000@seasevents.nmsdev7.com SUMMARY:BE Doctoral Dissertation Defense: "Uncovering Structure-function Relationships in Chromatin Architecture" (Daniel Emerson) DESCRIPTION:The Department of Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania and Dr. Jennifer Phillips-Cremins are pleased to announce the Doctoral Dissertation Defense of Daniel Emerson.\n \nTitle: Uncovering Structure-function Relationships in Chromatin Architecture\n\n \nDate: October 20\, 2023\nTime: 1:00 PM\nLocation: BRB 0253\n\nZoom link\n\n\n\nThe Public is welcome to attend. URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/be-doctoral-dissertation-defense-uncovering-structure-function-relationships-in-chromatin-architecture-daniel-emerson/ LOCATION:BRB 253 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:20231020T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231020T114500 DTSTAMP:20260404T071208 CREATED:20230728T145630Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230728T145630Z UID:10007616-1697797800-1697802300@seasevents.nmsdev7.com SUMMARY:Fall 2023 GRASP on Robotics: Leslie Kaelbling\, Massachusetts Institute of Technology\, "Doing for our robots what nature did for us" DESCRIPTION:This is a hybrid event with in-person attendance in Wu and Chen and virtual attendance on Zoom. \nABSTRACT\nWe\, as robot engineers\, have to think hard about our role in the design of robots and how it interacts with learning\, both in “the factory” (that is\, at engineering time) and in “the wild” (that is\, when the robot is delivered to a customer). I will share some general thoughts about strategies for robot software design that combine machine learning with insights from natural intelligence and from classical engineering design. I will describe several research projects\, both in the design of an overall architecture for an intelligent robot and in strategies for learning to integrate new skills into the repertoire of an already competent robot. URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/fall-2023-grasp-on-robotics-leslie-kaelbling-massachusetts-institute-of-technology-doing-for-our-robots-what-nature-did-for-us/ 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:20231020T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231020T110000 DTSTAMP:20260404T071208 CREATED:20231012T001331Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231012T001331Z UID:10007725-1697796000-1697799600@seasevents.nmsdev7.com SUMMARY:PRECISE Seminar: "Co-Optimizing Imaging\, Computer Systems\, and Biological Perception for Next-Generation Visual Computing Platforms" DESCRIPTION:Abstract \nEmerging platforms such as Augmented Reality (AR)\, Virtual Reality (VR)\, and autonomous machines\, while are of a computing nature\, intimately interact with both the environment and humans. They must be built\, from the ground up\, with principled considerations of three main components: imaging\, computer systems\, and human perception. This talk will make a case for this tenet and discuss some of our recent work on this front. \nI will first talk about in-sensor visual computing\, the idea that co-designing the image sensor with the computer systems will significantly improve the overall system efficiency and\, perhaps more importantly\, unlock new machine capabilities. We will show a number of case studies in AR/VR and autonomous machines. I will then discuss our work on human-systems co-optimizations\, where we computationally model biological (human) vision to build energy-efficient AR/VR devices without degrading\, sometimes even enhancing\, human perception. \nIf time permits\, I will briefly discuss how we build fast and robust computing systems for autonomous machines\, many of which are now deployed by a self-driving car start-up. URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/precise-seminar-co-optimizing-imaging-computer-systems-and-biological-perception-for-next-generation-visual-computing-platforms/ LOCATION:Levine 307\, 3330 Walnut Street\, Philadelphia\, PA\, 19104\, United States ORGANIZER;CN="PRECISE":MAILTO:wng@cis.upenn.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20231019T153000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231019T163000 DTSTAMP:20260404T071208 CREATED:20230807T142040Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230807T142040Z UID:10007623-1697729400-1697733000@seasevents.nmsdev7.com SUMMARY:BE Seminar: "Robust CRISPR/Cas-based epigenome editing technologies for precision human cell engineering and mechanistic dissection of pathological gene expression" (Isaac Hilton\, Rice University) DESCRIPTION:Recent advances in CRISPR/Cas-based epigenome editing technologies have enabled programmable control over human gene expression\, chromatin states\, and genomic organization. Consequently\, these emerging technologies have created new opportunities to engineer human cells for therapeutic benefit and catalyzed innovative ways to functionally interrogate gene regulatory mechanisms in situ. Toward these ends\, we have recently developed new capabilities in the context of CRISPR/Cas-based transcriptional activation (CRISPRa) modalities. First\, we have identified and repurposed key segments from natural human transcription factors to build potent and compact multipartite transactivation modules and in turn build the CRISPR-DREAM platform. CRISPR-DREAM is specific\, robust across mammalian cell types\, efficacious at diverse human regulatory elements\, and well tolerated in therapeutically important primary cells – including T cells\, MSCs\, neurons\, and iPSCs. We have also leveraged the small size and potency of CRISPR-DREAM components to generate all-in-one CRISPRa AAV systems that expand opportunities for in vivo gene control. Second\, in unpublished studies\, we have isolated intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) from oncogenic fusion proteins associated with therapeutically intractable hematologic malignancies and nuclear phase separation. We find that different IDR compositions exhibit distinct propensities for nuclear import and biomolecular condensation in human cell nuclei. We demonstrate using precision CRISPR-based targeting of IDRs to human loci\, that levels of phase separation can be directly proportional to target gene activation. Interestingly we also find that while core transcriptomic network changes are shared among certain oncogenic IDR fusion proteins\, phase separation behaviors and genomic engagement occur in discrete ways – suggesting divergent IDR-driven routes to cellular oncogenesis\, the control over which could create new possibilities for tailored therapeutic approaches. URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/be-seminar-robust-crispr-cas-based-epigenome-editing-technologies-for-precision-human-cell-engineering-and-mechanistic-dissection-of-pathological-gene-expression-isaac-hilton-rice-university/ LOCATION:216 Moore Building CATEGORIES:Seminar ORGANIZER;CN="Bioengineering":MAILTO:be@seas.upenn.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20231019T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231019T140000 DTSTAMP:20260404T071208 CREATED:20231016T124015Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231016T124015Z UID:10007731-1697716800-1697724000@seasevents.nmsdev7.com SUMMARY:ESE PhD Thesis Defense: "CyberCardia: Patient-specific Electrophysiological heart model for assisting left atrium arrhythmia ablation" DESCRIPTION:Atrial arrhythmia is a prevalent heart disease that results in weak and irregular contractions of the atria. It affects millions of people worldwide. Cardiac ablation is among the most successful treatment options. During the procedure\, catheters are inserted into the left atrium to map the atrium geometry and record endocardium electrograms that are then converted into electroanatomical maps to pinpoint the arrhythmia source locations. \nHowever\, identifying arrhythmia sources is challenging. The electrograms are asynchronous and can be susceptible to noise. The spatial distribution of sampling sites is non-uniform\, which leads to inaccurate maps. Identifying arrhythmia source locations is not a trivial task. Therefore\, an ablation procedure often lasts from 3 to 6 hours\, and arrhythmia recurrence within 12 months after first ablation is about 45%. \nTo address these challenges\, we developed an integrated computational heart model to guide left atrium arrhythmia ablation. Our system takes in the left atrium geometry and electrograms\, processes them to extract regional tissue properties\, which are used to tune a heart model\, creating a patient-specific whole-atrium model. With this model\, we can simulate and detect arrhythmia sources\, and provide ablation assistance. To build such a system\, we investigated the fiber effects on atrial activation patterns. We developed a fast heart model tuning method which takes only a few seconds of computation time on a personal computer\, enabling real-time assistance during the ablation procedure. We achieved high accuracy in simulating arrhythmias\, which we validated on patient data. URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/ese-phd-thesis-defense-cybercardia-patient-specific-electrophysiological-heart-model-for-assisting-left-atrium-arrhythmia-ablation/ LOCATION:Room 313\, Singh Center for Nanotechnology\, 3205 Walnut 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:20231019T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231019T120000 DTSTAMP:20260404T071208 CREATED:20230831T185735Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230831T185735Z UID:10007664-1697711400-1697716800@seasevents.nmsdev7.com SUMMARY:MSE Seminar: "Bioinspired Polymers for Tissue Repair and Regeneration" (Phillip B. Messersmith University of California - Berkeley) DESCRIPTION:It is of great interest for materials scientists to study wet biological adhesives as inspiration for synthetic adhesives that can perform well in wet conditions. A compelling example is given by the adhesive proteins secreted by marine mussels\, which have inspired the development of synthetic polymer adhesives and coatings for adhesion to wet surfaces. Mussel byssal proteins contain high levels of the amino acid 3\,4-dihydroxy-L-alanine (DOPA)\, which has a catechol functional group that is believed to contribute to both the interfacial adhesive and bulk mechanical performance of the tissue. In this talk\, I will review what is known about the function of DOPA in the mussel byssus and describe our ongoing efforts focused on exploiting catechol-containing polymers to solve practical problems in wet adhesion. Emphasis will be placed on bioinspired adhesives\, hydrogels and coatings for tissue repair. Recently\, we have begun to combine bioinspired tissue adhesives with a releasable pro-regenerative drug that pharmacologically upregulates the transcription factor hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF-1α) to enhance tissue regeneration in mammals. Our early in-vivo results suggest that combining bioinspired tissue adhesives with drug-induced regeneration can produce remarkable results in clinical situations where both tissue repair and regeneration are desired. URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/mse-seminar-bioinspired-polymers-for-tissue-repair-and-regeneration-university-of-california-berkeley/ 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:20231018T153000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231018T163000 DTSTAMP:20260404T071208 CREATED:20230830T170153Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230830T170153Z UID:10007661-1697643000-1697646600@seasevents.nmsdev7.com SUMMARY:CBE Seminar: "Energetic Constraints on Biological Assembly and Motion" (Murrell\, Yale) DESCRIPTION:On small length-scales\, the mechanics of soft materials may be dominated by their interfacial properties as opposed to their bulk properties. These effects are described by equilibrium models of elasto-capillarity and wetting. In these models\, interfacial energies and bulk material properties are held constant. However\, in biological materials\, including living cells and tissues\, these properties are not constant\, but are ‘actively’ regulated and driven far from thermodynamic equilibrium. As a result\, the constraints on work produced during the various physical behaviors of the cell are unknown. Here\, by measurement of elasto-capillary effects during cell adhesion\, growth and motion\, we demonstrate that interfacial and bulk parameters violate equilibrium constraints and exhibit anomalous effects\, which depend upon a distance from equilibrium. However\, their anomalous properties are reciprocal\, and thus in combination reliably define energetic constraints on the production of work arbitrarily far from equilibrium. These results provide basic principles that govern biological assembly and behavior. URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/cbe-seminar-energetic-constraints-on-biological-assembly-and-motion-murrell-yale/ 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:20231018T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231018T131500 DTSTAMP:20260404T071208 CREATED:20230928T141146Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230928T141146Z UID:10007705-1697630400-1697634900@seasevents.nmsdev7.com SUMMARY:ASSET Seminar: "Lifelong Learning for Autonomous Systems: Progress and Challenges" (Eric Eaton\, Penn) DESCRIPTION:ABSTRACT:  \nResearch in lifelong or continual machine learning has advanced rapidly over the past few years\, primarily focusing on enabling learned models to acquire new tasks over time while avoiding catastrophic forgetting of previous tasks. However\, autonomous systems still lack the ability to rapidly learn new generalizable skills by building upon and continually refining their learned knowledge—a hallmark of lifelong learning in humans and animals. In this talk\, I will examine our progress toward lifelong machine learning and its application to autonomous systems\, exploring recent work in compositional representations and self-supervision. We’ll then discuss how far we have come and the open problems that remain toward learning generalizable skills in lifelong settings. URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/asset-seminar-eric-eaton-penn/ LOCATION:Levine 307\, 3330 Walnut Street\, Philadelphia\, PA\, 19104\, United States END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20231018T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231018T131500 DTSTAMP:20260404T071208 CREATED:20230908T195846Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230908T195846Z UID:10007679-1697630400-1697634900@seasevents.nmsdev7.com SUMMARY:Engineering Faculty Teaching Forum: "Awake & Engaged: Making Lectures More Interactive" DESCRIPTION:Lectures can be a useful method for communicating complex information but are most effective when students are engaged with and focused on the material. Drs. Igor Bargatin and Amish Patel will start this informal conversation by sharing their strategies for making lectures more interactive. We’ll consider ways to increase student attention and interaction to promote deeper learning. Lunch will be provided for those who register in advance. URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/engineering-faculty-teaching-forum-awake-engaged-making-lectures-more-interactive/ LOCATION:Towne 108\, 220 South 33rd Street\, Philadelphia\, PA\, 19104\, United States CATEGORIES:Faculty END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20231017T153000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231017T163000 DTSTAMP:20260404T071208 CREATED:20231004T190116Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231004T190116Z UID:10007722-1697556600-1697560200@seasevents.nmsdev7.com SUMMARY:CIS Seminar: "Reliable Quantum Computing Needs Intelligent Software and Hardware" DESCRIPTION:Quantum computers can solve important problems that are beyond the capability of conventional computers. Quantum computing is at an inflection point where small systems with a few tens qubits have been demonstrated and the number of qubits is expected to increase to several thousand over the coming years. As qubits are low-energy devices\, they are susceptible to high error-rates (in the range of 0.1% to 1% per operation). Unfortunately\, quantum error-correction incurs a significant overhead (hundreds of physical qubits per fault-tolerant qubit) and is impractical for near-term machines. Therefore\, hardware errors will continue to severely restrict the length of the program that can be reliably executed on a near-term quantum computer. In this talk\, I will offer a computer-systems perspective of quantum computers and then share some of our recent work that improves the reliability of near-term quantum computers with intelligent software techniques. I will also discuss the hardware support necessary to enable large- scale quantum computers. URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/cis-seminar-reliable-quantum-computing-needs-intelligent-software-and-hardware/ LOCATION:Wu and Chen Auditorium (Room 101)\, Levine Hall\, 3330 Walnut Street\, Philadelphia\, PA\, 19104\, United States CATEGORIES:Colloquium ORGANIZER;CN="Computer and Information Science":MAILTO:cherylh@cis.upenn.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20231017T133000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231017T143000 DTSTAMP:20260404T071208 CREATED:20231013T221142Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231013T221142Z UID:10007728-1697549400-1697553000@seasevents.nmsdev7.com SUMMARY:Fall 2023 GRASP Seminar: Donglai Xiang\, Carnegie Mellon University\, "Modeling Dynamic Clothing for Data-Driven Photorealistic Avatars" DESCRIPTION:This is a hybrid event with in-person attendance in Levine 512 and virtual attendance on Zoom. \nABSTRACT\nIn this talk\, I will present research on building photorealistic avatars of humans wearing complex clothing in a data-driven manner. Such avatars will be a critical technology to enable future applications such as VR/AR and virtual content creation. Loose-fitting clothing poses a significant challenge for avatar modeling due to its large deformation space. We address the challenge by unifying three components of avatar modeling: model-based statistical prior from pre-captured data\, physics-based prior from simulation\, and real-time measurement from sparse sensor input. First\, we introduce a separate two-layer representation that allows us to disentangle the dynamics between the pose-driven body part and temporally-dependent clothing part. Second\, we further combine physics-based cloth simulation with a physics-inspired neural rendering model to generate rich and natural dynamics and appearance even for challenging clothing such as a skirt and a dress. Last\, we go beyond pose-driven animation and incorporate online sensor input into the avatars to achieve more faithful telepresence of clothing. URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/fall-2023-grasp-seminar-donglai-xiang-carnegie-mellon-university-modeling-dynamic-clothing-for-data-driven-photorealistic-avatars/ LOCATION:Levine 512 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:20231017T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231017T113000 DTSTAMP:20260404T071208 CREATED:20231002T152507Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231002T152507Z UID:10007718-1697536800-1697542200@seasevents.nmsdev7.com SUMMARY:MEAM Seminar: "A Symbiotic Philosophy for Bio-inspired Robotics" DESCRIPTION:Humans have frequently looked to natural phenomena to inspire the design of art\, structures\, and mechanisms. However\, there are as many different ways to learn from nature as there are words for this approach: bioinspiration\, biomimicry\, and biodesign to name a few. In this talk\, I propose a taxonomy for categorizing distinct biodesign approaches and use examples from my own research to illustrate the methodology and benefits of each. In particular\, I introduce the field of Animal-Robot Interactions and describe how bio-inspired approaches can be used to further biological inquiry while advancing robotics. URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/meam-seminar-a-symbiotic-philosophy-for-bio-inspired-robotics/ 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:20231012T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231012T140000 DTSTAMP:20260404T071208 CREATED:20231003T140425Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231003T140425Z UID:10007720-1697112000-1697119200@seasevents.nmsdev7.com SUMMARY:ESE PhD Thesis Defense: "Light matter interaction in low-dimensional semiconductors" DESCRIPTION:Light matter interaction holds significant relevance across a range of applications including lasing\, sensing\, communications\, and computing. One prominent method for modulating optical properties is through the use of a Fabry-Perot cavity\, which controls the photonic density of states within optical cavities. Additionally\, plasmonic and high-contrast dielectric cavities represent a cutting-edge approach for photonic dispersion engineering and phase modulation. These techniques confine light field distribution within nanostructures whose dimensions are comparable to\, or smaller than\, the light wavelength. Materials exhibiting resonant quantum confined states\, such as excitons\, phonons\, and magnons\, offer alternate avenues for manipulating light propagation and interaction. This thesis aims to explore light-matter interactions within various innovative low-dimensional semiconductors. This exploration is achieved by generating cavity photons either out-of-plane (Fabry-Perot cavity) or in-plane (plasmonic or dielectric cavity)\, offering an innovative platform for enhancing light matter interactions and tuning optical properties. The talk will present examples of the above using chalcogenide-based excitonic semiconductors showing strong exciton-polariton coupling and antiferromagnetic semiconductors showing near unity linear dichroism and exciton-magnon coupling. URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/ese-phd-thesis-defense-light-matter-interaction-in-low-dimensional-semiconductors/ LOCATION:Room 35\, Singh Center for Nanotechnology\, 3205 Walnut 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:20231011T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231011T160000 DTSTAMP:20260404T071208 CREATED:20231004T144414Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231004T144414Z UID:10007721-1697036400-1697040000@seasevents.nmsdev7.com SUMMARY:Fall 2023 GRASP SFI: Helmut Hauser\, University of Bristol\, "Morphological Computation - Building Smart Bodies for Smart Robots" DESCRIPTION:This is a hybrid event with in-person attendance in Levine 307 and virtual attendance on Zoom. This week’s speaker will be virtual. \nABSTRACT\nMorphological Computation is a concept in robotics that suggests that the morphology of a robot should play  a crucial role in the design of intelligent machines.  This is inspired by observations in nature\, where we can see that biological systems rely heavily on their morphological features to implement useful functionalities to make them more energy efficient\, robust and resilient.  We work together with biologists and chemists to extract the underlying principles and to translate them into intelligent morphological structures that can be exploited to facilitate control\, improve sensing and accelerate learning.  I will present examples of morphological computation from our group ranging from theoretical models\, to simulations\, to real robot prototypes.  This will include demonstrations of how we can compute with an octopus inspired robot arm\, how we can understand spider webs as mechanical signal processing devices\, and how we can grow robot bodies to help us to learn faster. URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/fall-2023-grasp-sfi-helmut-hauser/ 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:20231011T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231011T131500 DTSTAMP:20260404T071208 CREATED:20230922T174416Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230922T174416Z UID:10007701-1697025600-1697030100@seasevents.nmsdev7.com SUMMARY:ASSET Seminar: "Towards Code-Aware Code Models" (Baishakhi Ray\, Columbia University) DESCRIPTION:ABSTRACT: \nThe past decade has seen unprecedented growth in Software Engineering— developers spend enormous time and effort to create new products. With such enormous growth comes the responsibility of producing and maintaining quality and robust software. In this talk\, I will discuss how AI can help develop quality products in different stages of the software development life cycle. In particular\, I will discuss how we can build AI models leveraging different static and dynamic code properties for source and binary code to automate diverse Software Engineering tasks\, including code generation\, bug finding\, security analysis\, etc. URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/asset-seminar-towards-code-aware-code-models-baishakhi-ray-columbia-university/ LOCATION:Levine 307\, 3330 Walnut Street\, Philadelphia\, PA\, 19104\, United States END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20231011T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231011T120000 DTSTAMP:20260404T071208 CREATED:20230921T131934Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230921T131934Z UID:10007700-1697018400-1697025600@seasevents.nmsdev7.com SUMMARY:BE Doctoral Dissertation Defense: "Investigating cell state plasticity at the gastroesophageal junction with lineage tracing in humans" (Rodrigo Gier) DESCRIPTION:The Department of Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania and Dr. Sydney Shaffer are pleased to announce the Doctoral Dissertation Defense of Rodrigo Gier.\n \n\nTitle: Investigating cell state plasticity at the gastroesophageal junction with lineage tracing in humans\n \nDate: October 11\, 2023\nTime: 10:00 am\nLocation: Reunion Auditorium\, John Morgan Building\n\nThe public is welcome to attend. URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/be-doctoral-dissertation-defense-investigating-cell-state-plasticity-at-the-gastroesophageal-junction-with-lineage-tracing-in-humans-rodrigo-gier/ LOCATION:JMB Reunion Auditorium\, 3620 Hamilton Walk\, 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:20231010T153000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231010T163000 DTSTAMP:20260404T071208 CREATED:20231002T185752Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231002T185752Z UID:10007719-1696951800-1696955400@seasevents.nmsdev7.com SUMMARY:CIS Seminar: "An Alternative View on AI: Collaborative Learning\, Incentives\, and Social Welfare" DESCRIPTION:Artificial intelligence (AI) has focused on a paradigm in which intelligence inheres in a single\, autonomous agent.  Social issues are entirely secondary in this paradigm.  When AI systems are deployed in social contexts\, however\, the overall design of such systems is often naive—a centralized entity provides services to passive agents and reaps the rewards.  Such a paradigm need not be the dominant paradigm for information technology.  In a broader framing\, agents are active\, they are cooperative\, and they wish to obtain value from their participation in learning-based systems.  Agents may supply data and other resources to the system\, only if it is in their interest to do so.  Critically\, intelligence inheres as much\nin the overall system as it does in individual agents\, be they humans or computers. This is a perspective that is familiar in the social sciences\, and a key theme in my work is that of bringing economics into contact with foundational issues in computing and data sciences.  I’ll emphasize some of the mathematical challenges that arise at this tripartite interface. URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/cis-seminar-an-alternative-view-on-ai-collaborative-learning-incentives-and-social-welfare-2/ 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:20231010T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231010T113000 DTSTAMP:20260404T071208 CREATED:20230912T133134Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230912T133134Z UID:10007689-1696932000-1696937400@seasevents.nmsdev7.com SUMMARY:MEAM Seminar: "Bringing Microrobots into Biomedicine" DESCRIPTION:Recent progress in diverse disciplines such as soft matter physics\, nanoparticle synthesis\, nanomedicine\, and microbiology has enabled rich opportunities for translation of small-scale robots into medical applications. These robotic systems are providing innovative\, high-precision\, therapeutic and diagnostic approaches for the treatment of diseases associated with microbial biofilms and are rapidly moving from proof-of-concept studies to translational biomedical applications using ex vivo and animal models. I highlight recent progress using directed nanoparticle assembly to create adaptive\, reconfigurable\, microrobotic systems capable of treating and removing microbial biofilms from topographically complex\, difficult-to-access sites. These methods for disruption rely on both chemical and mechanical activity\, using iron oxide nanoparticles with dual functionality: catalytic properties for generating reactive species on-site and magnetic properties for controlled assembly and physical removal. This approach could lead to autonomous\, multifunctional antibiofilm platforms to advance current treatment modalities and other fields contending with harmful biofilms on hard-to-reach surfaces. URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/meam-seminar-bringing-microrobots-into-biomedicine/ 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:20231006T140000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231006T150000 DTSTAMP:20260404T071208 CREATED:20230928T205210Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230928T205210Z UID:10007716-1696600800-1696604400@seasevents.nmsdev7.com SUMMARY:PICS Colloquium: "Wind\, Waves\, and Wakes: Large Eddy Simulation of Full-Scale Offshore Wind Farms under Realistic Atmospheric and Oceanic Conditions" DESCRIPTION:Ambitious targets on aggressive timelines have been heralded for the development of offshore wind energy in the United States\, especially in New Jersey with a target of 11 GW (nearly 2/3 of current generation) of offshore wind energy capacity by 2040. With these targets and timelines\, immense effort is required to minimize risk (financial risk\, energy system risk\, and environmental risk)\, and computational simulations of full-scale offshore wind farms under realistic atmospheric and oceanic conditions will be absolutely critical in siting\, operations\, forecasting\, and understanding potential climate impacts. Such computational simulations are exceptionally challenging due to the multi-physics\, multi-scale nature of the problem from the smallest scales of the waves and the turbulence to the multi-kilometer scales of the farms. As a result\, for full-scale farm simulations with Large Eddy Simulation (LES)\, much of the key physical phenomena will be unresolved. In this seminar\, our efforts toward full-scale farm simulations with LES will be discussed. Our computationally efficient wall-modeled LES framework combines an Actuator Disk Model for the wind turbines with a drag force-based model for the influence of the oceanic waves on the marine atmospheric boundary layer\, which avoids ad hoc parameterization of oceanic waves as a simple roughness but at no increased cost. Our wall-modeled framework is shown to be orders of magnitude less expensive than wall-resolved/wave-phase-resolved simulations without any loss in accuracy. Recent efforts have focused on extending our approach to oceanic wave spectra\, including a dynamic procedure to characterize completely unresolved waves\, and to swell. Finally\, using our framework\, the sensitivity of offshore wind farms to wave characteristics is assessed to demonstrate that the waves are a leading order influence on offshore wind farm performance. URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/pics-colloquium-wind-waves-and-wakes-large-eddy-simulation-of-full-scale-offshore-wind-farms-under-realistic-atmospheric-and-oceanic-conditions/ 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 END:VCALENDAR