Physical Sciences in Oncology Center PSOC@Penn Spring 2021 Webinar Series Mondays at 12:00 noon (EST) For webinar links, please contact manu@seas.upenn.edu.
Machine learning has led to powerful advances in robotics: deep learning for visual perception from raw images and deep reinforcement learning (RL) for learning controls from trial and error. Yet, these black-box techniques can often require large amounts of data, have results difficult to interpret, and fail catastrophically when dealing with out-of-distribution data. In this […]
Taming topological electronic phases is a fundamental challenge and an important milestone on the way towards novel electronic devices and topological quantum computation. Recent advances in fabrication techniques have made van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures one of the most active platforms for the experimental investigation of topological electronic phases in 2D. Moiré superlattices, which arise […]
Unlike the problem of safe task and motion planning in a completely known environment, the setting where the obstacles in a robot's workspace are not initially known and are incrementally revealed online has so far received little theoretical interest, with existing algorithms usually demanding constant deliberative replanning in the presence of unanticipated conditions. Moreover, even […]
Abstract: For successful integration of autonomous systems such as drones and self-driving cars in our day-to-day life, they must be able to quickly adapt to ever-changing environments, and actively reason about their safety and that of other users and autonomous systems around them. Even though control-theoretic approaches have been used for decades now for the […]
Across healthcare, science, and engineering, we increasingly employ machine learning (ML) to automate decision-making that, in turn, affects our lives in profound ways. However, ML can fail, with significant and long-lasting consequences. Reliably measuring such failures is the first step towards building robust and trustworthy learning machines. Consider algorithmic fairness, where widely-deployed fairness metrics can […]
Abstract Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are a versatile class of nanoporous materials synthesized in a “building-block” approach from inorganic nodes and organic linkers. By selecting appropriate building blocks, the structural and chemical properties of the resulting materials can be finely tuned, and this makes MOFs promising materials for applications such as gas storage, chemical separations, sensing, […]
Nanoparticles offer huge promise as drug delivery vehicles, though their translation to the clinic is hampered due to limited accumulation at target disease sites. To overcome this hurdle, we have employed colloidal layer-by-layer assembly to generate comprehensive nanoparticle libraries to study the role of chemical composition in nanoparticle targeting, trafficking, and uptake. In this seminar, […]
The Department of Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania and Dr. Arjun Raj are pleased to announce the Doctoral Dissertation Defense of Lauren Beck. Title: Uncovering Constraints on Organoid Morphologies Date: March 4, 2021 Time: 11:00 AM Zoom Link: https://upenn.zoom.us/j/94130810306 The public is welcome to attend via zoom.
The slowdown in transistor scaling and the end of Moore's law indicate a need to invest in new computing paradigms; specialized hardware devices, such as FPGAs and ASICs, are a promising solution as they can achieve high processing capabilities and energy efficiency. However, a major barrier to the global success of specialized computing is the […]
Abstract: Complex real-world environments continue to present significant challenges for fielding robotic teams, which often face expansive spatial scales, difficult and dynamic terrain, degraded environmental conditions, and severe communication constraints. Breakthrough technologies call for integrated solutions across autonomy, perception, networking, mobility, and human teaming thrusts. As such, the DARPA OFFSET program and the DARPA Subterranean […]
Machine learning techniques have been successful for processing complex information, and thus they have the potential to play an important role in data-driven decision-making and control. However, ensuring the reliability of these methods in feedback systems remains a challenge, since classic statistical and algorithmic guarantees do not always hold. In this talk, I will provide […]
Penn Graduate School of Education's Office of Student Services and Center for Professional Learning are excited to announce the Women of Color in Higher Education: Resilience and Empowerment Amidst Twin Pandemics Virtual Institute. This annual program is open to Penn Faculty, Staff, and Graduate Students who identify as a woman of color or non-binary person […]
Physical Sciences in Oncology Center PSOC@Penn Spring 2021 Webinar Series Mondays at 12:00 noon (EST) For webinar links, please contact manu@seas.upenn.edu.
Lolita Jackson, Eng ’89, has had distinguished careers in both finance and government. She currently serves as Special Advisor for Climate Policy & Programs in the NYC Mayor’s office and is also lead for the administration regarding global work on divestment and climate finance. In this talk she will describe how climate science has informed […]
Soft elastic solids, such as elastomers and hydrogels, are used in many practical applications ranging from adhesives to biocompatible scaffolds for tissue engineering. Biological cells and tissues have very similar mechanical properties as those of soft materials. Such solids undergo large deformations and can respond to forces such as interfacial tension, gravity, and residual stresses […]
Complex oxides are fascinating material systems exhibiting a diverse set of electrical, magnetic, and thermal properties. In particular, ferroelectric oxides with an electrically switchable polarization and large dielectric and piezoelectric responses are considered as critical components for next-generation low-power logic devices, non-volatile memories, and nanoscale sensors and actuators, etc. Recent advances in thin-film synthesis techniques […]
The efficient use of electrical energy is a foundation of modern society. Power electronics is at the core of electrical energy conversion and greatly impacts a system’s size, performance, and cost. High-performance miniaturized power electronics can be a key enabling technology for many emerging applications, such as electric vehicles (EV), medical devices, and soft- and […]
Coupled with powerful function approximators such as deep neural networks, reinforcement learning (RL) achieves tremendous empirical successes. However, its theoretical understandings lag behind. In particular, it remains unclear how to provably attain the optimal policy with a finite regret or sample complexity. In this talk, we will present the two sides of the same coin, […]
Physical Sciences in Oncology Center (PSOC@Penn) Spring 2021 Webinar Series. For webinar link, contact manu@seas.upenn.edu.
Abstract: Perceptions of digital technology have grown increasingly cynical over the last decade, fueled by crises from the Snowden leaks to Cambridge Analytica to disinformation campaigns. Critical thinking about who is accommodated and who is excluded by mainstream technology is crucial for living up to promises of technology as empowering, but what do these reflections […]
The financial and environmental cost of turbulence is staggering: manage to quell turbulence in the thin boundary layers on the surface of a commercial airliner and you could almost halve the total aerodynamic drag, dramatically cutting fuel burn, emissions and cost of operation. Yet systems-level tools to model scale interactions or control turbulence remain relatively […]
Surpassing the fundamental limits that govern all electromagnetic structures, such as reciprocity and the delay-bandwidth-size limit, will have a transformative impact on all applications based on electromagnetic circuits and systems. For instance, violating principles of reciprocity enables non-reciprocal components such as isolators and circulators, which find application in full-duplex wireless radios, radar, bio-medical imaging, and […]
Video is becoming a core medium for communicating a wide range of content, including educational lectures, vlogs, and how-to tutorials. While videos are engaging and informative, they lack the familiar and useful affordances of text for browsing, skimming, and flexibly transforming information. This severely limits who can interact with video content and how they can […]
On Wednesday, March 17 at 12:00 PICS will host an alumni spotlight featuring Xiaoguai Li, an alumni of Celia Reina’s group. Xiaoguai is currently employed as a Quantitative Modeler/Data Scientist at JPMorgan Chase & Co. Xiaoguai will share what she has learned since graduation and what advice she can offer to current students.
This event will be on Zoom. Please click the link below to join the meeting: https://upenn.zoom.us/j/95642827861
Abstract: The field of robotics has evolved over the past few decades. We’ve seen robots progress from the automation of repetitive tasks in manufacturing to the autonomy of mobilizing in unstructured environments to the cooperation of swarm robots that are centralized or decentralized. These abilities have required advances in robotic hardware, modeling, and artificial intelligence. […]
With the rapid development of fast Li-ion conductors, the major bottleneck for all-solid-state Li-ion batteries lies at the high interfacial resistance and Li dendrite growth. These problems require a fundamental understanding of the interfaces, where charge transfer reactions occur and electrochemistry, physics, and solid mechanics are coupled. This talk will focus on the new mechanistic […]
Scaling up next-generation photonic systems in a resource-efficient manner is a ubiquitous challenge for quantum technologies such as quantum networks, quantum simulation and computation, and for classical technologies such as photonic neural networks, LiDAR and communications. From a fundamental perspective, high-dimensional lattices hold promise for realizing and manipulating exotic states of light and matter, complementing […]
This event will be on Zoom. Please click the link below to join the meeting: https://upenn.zoom.us/j/92797952475
Abstract: The digitization of practically everything coupled with advances in machine learning, the automation of knowledge work, and advanced robotics promises a future with democratized use of machines and wide-spread use of AI, robots and customization. While the last 60 years have defined the field of industrial robots, and empowered hard bodied robots to execute […]
This event will be on Zoom. Please click the link below to join the meeting: https://upenn.zoom.us/j/95250449284
Representative Houlahan will speak about how her experiences as a former teacher and engineer have shaped her priorities and work in Congress, and about the importance of STEM work/jobs across all sectors of society. Zoom Webinar Link Passcode: 130891
Physical Sciences in Oncology Center PSOC@Penn Spring 2021 Webinar Series Mondays at 12:00 noon (EST) For webinar links, please contact manu@seas.upenn.edu.
Join us as we engage a panel of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion leaders on how BIPOC and other marginalized students can effectively navigate the job search to find their career fit in a workplace where they can flourish. Panelists will also discuss DEI efforts at their companies. Please register on Handshake and you will receive […]
Turbidity currents are sediment-laden turbulent shear flows that run over a sloping bed, submerged beneath a deep layer of quiescent ambient fluid, driven by the excess hydrostatic pressure. As the current travels downslope, the flow interacts with the ambient fluid layer above through entrainment at the interface. In this process, the ambient fluid is continuously […]
Following Dean Kumar’s presentation, participants will break off into small groups to reflect on this topic and share their experiences as part of the overall discourse. The symposium finale will include a virtual tour of the Penn Innovation Center spotlighting female entrepreneurs at Penn.
Data volumes are growing exponentially, fueled by an increased number of automated processes such as sensors and devices. Meanwhile, the computational power available for processing this data – as well as analysts’ ability to interpret it – remain limited. As a result, database systems must evolve to address these new bottlenecks in analytics. In my […]
Abstract Bacterial motility is central to processes in agriculture, the environment, and medicine. While motility is typically studied in homogeneous environments, many bacterial habitats—e.g., soils, sediments, and biological gels/tissues—are heterogeneous porous media. Here, we use studies of E. coli in transparent 3D porous media to demonstrate how confinement in a heterogenous medium fundamentally alters motility. In particular, […]
Abstract: Robotics is playing an increasing role in many domains, and advanced robots will eventually be applied in a variety of ways as partners to a range of users including factory workers, logistics personnel, and first responders to name a few. End-users and stakeholders are calling for developments that enable teaming of humans with robots. […]
This event will be on Zoom. Please click the link below to join the meeting: https://upenn.zoom.us/j/96863538457
This event will be on Zoom. Please click the link below to join the meeting: https://upenn.zoom.us/j/96561474476
Macromolecular self-assembly has evolved to become an important and valuable tool for bottom-up patterning and fabrication at the nanometer scale. From block copolymer lithography to nanocrystal superlattices to biomolecular assemblies, bottom-up patterning is reaching an unprecedent level of control over complex patterns at the nanoscale with an increasing degree of precision. There is no question […]
Across the globe, physicists in academia and industry alike are competing to be the first to build a scalable universal quantum computer. Amongst the multitudes of quantum computing architectures, solid-state quantum processors based on spins in silicon are emerging as a strong contender. Silicon is an ideal material to host spin qubits: it supports long […]
From factories to households, we envision a future where robots can work safely and efficiently alongside humans. For robots to truly be adopted in such dynamic environments, we must i) minimize human effort while communicating and transferring tasks to robots; ii) endow robots with the capabilities of adapting to changes in the environment, in the […]
Abstract: Machine learning accelerated catalyst discovery efforts has seen much progress in the last few years. Datasets of computational calculations have improved, models to connect surface structure with electronic structure or adsorption energies have gotten more sophisticated, and active learning exploration strategies are becoming routine in discovery efforts. However, there are several large challenges that […]
Join Panelists from Penn Law, Wharton MBA, Perelman SOM, & Annenberg for the Queer in Grad School: Roundtable discussion. Penn Law Lambda, Wharton out for Business, Penn Med Pride, and the Annenberg School of Communication will be speaking about being queer in grad school. The event will take place on Friday March 26th from 2:00 […]
Natives At Penn (NAP) has pulled together a small program with a few local singers and dancers for a virtual pow wow experience, including some helpful education. Come and listen to some live singing AND dance if you feel the urge. (: You must register to get the Zoom link : http://bit.ly/NAPpowwow2021
CAPS x USABE: Self-Care Sunday Date: Sunday, March 28th Time: 3:00 - 4:00 PM EST Want to enjoy a relaxing afternoon of self-care and wellness activities? Join USABE on Sunday, March 28th for a joint student-faculty wellness workshop! During this session led by a CAPS expert, students and faculty will engage in interactive activities related […]
Physical Sciences in Oncology Center PSOC@Penn Spring 2021 Webinar Series Mondays at 12:00 noon (EST) For webinar links, please contact manu@seas.upenn.edu.
In structural materials engineering, we often aim to create materials that are simultaneously strong, tough and lightweight- a combination classically considered mutually exclusive. Biogenic composite materials such as bone exhibit a combination of these properties exceeding that of their constituents, a feat generally credited to their hierarchal structure, down to the nanoscale. In this talk, […]
Recent advances in nanofabrication technology have allowed for the realization of ultra-low loss nanophotonic waveguides and is opening up exciting opportunities for next-generation nonlinear photonic circuits with higher integration density, advanced functionalities, and ultralow energy consumption. Those features are critical for advancing photonic technologies in both classical and quantum domains. In this talk, I will […]
Today, there is a huge interest in sensing technologies that can sense people and monitor their health. Yet, existing solutions require people to wear different sensors and devices on their bodies. In contrast, my research uses wireless signals to sense people without any physical contact. Wireless signals, which have been traditionally used for data communication, […]
How much information flows through a system? This fundamental question is at the heart of communication complexity. Techniques from this field have turned out to be immensely powerful and fairly universal tools to understand the power of different kinds of algorithms. In this talk, I will describe new methods that I have developed to analyze […]
Abstract Glycosylation is a common and complex post-translational modification that is orchestrated in all mammalian cells. Glycan structures thus formed either absolutely control or fine-tune various biological processes. These include the half-life of biologics in circulation, the rates of leukocyte-endothelial cell adhesion interaction during inflammation, tumorigenesis and the kinetics of cancer metastasis. The pattern of […]
Abstract: Innovations in hardware and control have created a new class of orthoses or exoskeletons to augment and assist human movement. These designs enable forces and torques to be applied to nearly any segment of the body. However, predicting how an individual will adapt their movement in response to external assistance remains incredibly challenging. These […]
Reaction-diffusion processes are versatile, yet underexplored methods for manufacturing that provide unique opportunities to control the spatial properties of materials, achieving order through broken symmetry. The mathematical formalism and derivation of equations coupling reaction and diffusion were presented in the seminal paper by Alan Turing , which describes how random fluctuations can drive the emergence […]
Quantum technologies have the potential to revolutionize sensing, communication, and computation. To realize this potential, it will be necessary to scale the size and complexity of engineered quantum systems by several orders of magnitude, without sacrificing coherence or fidelity. Trapped ion qubits provide unparalleled coherence and are a leading platform for current small-scale quantum technology […]
Software bugs are pervasive in modern software. As software is integrated into increasingly many aspects of our lives, these bugs have increasingly severe consequences, both from a security (e.g. Cloudbleed, Heartbleed, Shellshock) and cost standpoint. Fuzzing refers to a set of techniques that automatically find bug-triggering inputs by sending many random-looking inputs to the program […]
It is becoming more difficult and expensive to continue developing internal combustion engine (ICE) powered vehicles to meet the increasingly tight emissions goals addressing global climate change. Over the last few years, automobile manufacturers have been turning their attention toward electrification as the most practical and cost-effective way of providing personal transportation options that will […]
Autonomous vehicles (AVs) are already driving on public roads around the US; however, their rate of deployment far outpaces quality assurance and regulatory efforts. Consequently, even the most elementary tasks, such as automated lanekeeping, have not been certified for safety, and operations are constrained to narrow domains. First, due to the limitations of worst-case analysis […]
Abstract: The presence of particles such as dust and pollen affect cloud microphysics significantly through their effect on the state of water. These particles can hinder or accelerate the liquid-to-solid transition of water, and also affect the ice polymorph formed in the clouds. This indirectly cloud reflectivity, cloud lifetime, and precipitation rates. While a predominant […]
