CHE Seminar: Fancy new materials are not ALWAYS the answer ... until they are: A case study in how ENGINEERING intuition might have saved anion exchange membrane fuel cells

Thursday, March 4, 2021; 10:35 a.m.
via Zoom
Speaker: William E. Mustain from University of South Carolina

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Hosted by: Lisa Haines,  luv1@psu.edu

CSE Colloquium: Fine-grained Approximation Algorithms for String Similarity

Friday, March 5, 2021; 12:30 p.m.
Zoom
Speaker: Debarati Das from Basic Algorithms Research Copenhagen

Zoom Information: Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://psu.zoom.us/j/97464641322?pwd=eUNsTFhUZnFVR1dudnNkUHowcnBqUT09 Password: 489880 

Or iPhone one-tap (US Toll): +13017158592,97464641322# or +13126266799,97464641322# 

Or Telephone: Dial: +1 301 715 8592 (US Toll) +1 312 626 6799 (US Toll) +1 646 876 9923 (US Toll) +1 253 215 8782 (US Toll) +1 346 248 7799 (US Toll) +1 669 900 6833 (US Toll) Meeting ID: 974 6464 1322 Password: 489880 International numbers available: https://psu.zoom.us/u/aeFaW83LAx 

ABSTRACT: Recent years have seen a surge of methods for analyzing the complexity landscape within the polynomial-time regime. Through the lens of fine-grained complexity, we are able to classify which problems are unlikely to have faster solutions than currently known under some strong complexity assumptions like Strong Exponential Time Hypothesis (SETH), All-Pairs Shortest Path (APSP), Orthogonal Vectors (OV), 3-SUM, etc. 

Approximation algorithms are useful for escaping these hardness barriers. In this talk, I will discuss the recent advances in fine-grained approximation algorithms with a special focus on problems related to string similarity. I will also explain the algorithm computing a constant approximation of edit distance in truly sub-quadratic time. 

BIOGRAPHY: Debarati is a postdoctoral researcher at Basic Algorithms Research Copenhagen (BARC) hosted by Prof. Mikkel Thorup. 

Prior to this, she completed her PhD. from the Computer Science Institute of Charles University, Prague under the guidance of Prof. Michal Koucky. Her work '' Approximating Edit Distance within Constant Factor in Truly Sub-Quadratic Time'' won the best paper award at FOCS 2018. 

Her research interest lies in theoretical computer science with a special focus on fine-grained complexity, string algorithms, randomized algorithms, clustering algorithms and graph algorithms. 

Hosted by: Antonio Blanca,  azb1015@psu.edu

EE Colloquium: Motion as an Information Signal in Physical Human-Robot Interaction

Friday, March 5, 2021; 1:25 p.m.
Zoom
Speaker: Katie Fitzsimons from Penn State Mechanical Engineering

Abstract: Robotics and haptics have the potential to enhance human performance and learning as well as provide unique insight into neuromotor function through sensing and quantification of human motion. At the same time, human behavior can inform the development of control strategies for complex tasks and human-robot interactions. The methods used for evaluation of motion greatly influences our ability to recognize the effects of assistance and training from a statistical standpoint, but more importantly, the mathematical structure imposed by unique measures of motion quality has significant impact on the algorithmic tools that are available to manage the interactions between robots and humans. This presentation will discuss alternatives to traditional measures of motion (e.g., energy or error) for quantifying motion quality and synthesizing controls during physical human-robot interaction.

Biography: Katie Fitzsimons received a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan State University in 2013, an MS in Mechanical Engineering from Northwestern University in 2017, and a PhD from Northwestern in 2020. Dr. Fitzsimons’ research interests lie at the interaction between humans and autonomous systems at both the level of an individual human-robot pair and the broader exchange between the fields of human motion analysis and robotic control. She was awarded the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship in 2014 as an undergraduate and was awarded the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship in 2016. Dr. Fitzsimons joined the Mechanical Engineering Department at Penn State this past January. Further information about her lab can be found on the Human-Centered Robotics Lab Website: https://sites.psu.edu/fitz/

Hosted by: Minghui Zhu,  muz16@psu.edu

CEE Seminar Series: Megan Konar

Wednesday, March 10, 2021; 4:00 p.m.
Online (Registration Required)
Speaker: Megan Konar from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Konar will be delivering two "mini-talks" in her seminar, with a small Q&A session in between. The abstract for each can be found below. Registration is required.

Abstract #1: Food flows between counties in the United States
Food consumption and production are separated in space through flows of food along complex supply chains. These food supply chains are critical to our food security, making it important to evaluate them. However, detailed spatial information on food flows within countries is rare. The goal of this talk is to estimate food flows between all county pairs within the United States. To do this, Konar develops the Food Flow Model, a data-driven methodology to estimate spatially explicit food flows. The Food Flow Model integrates machine learning, network properties, production and consumption statistics, mass balance constraints, and linear programming. Specifically, Konar downscales empirical information on food flows between 132 Freight Analysis Framework locations (17,292 potential links) to the 3,142 counties and county-equivalents of the United States (9,869,022 potential links). Subnational food flow estimates can be used in future work to improve our understanding of vulnerabilities within a national food supply chain, determine critical infrastructures, and enable spatially detailed footprint assessments.

Abstract #2. A complex network framework for the efficiency and resilience trade-off in food trade
Global food trade is crucial for food security and availability. Trade is typically optimized to promote efficiency, whereas resilience is increasingly being recognized as another important objective. However, it is not clear if prioritizing resilience comes at the expense of efficiency or if the two objectives can be promoted simultaneously. Konar develops a complex network framework to assess the relationship between resilience and efficiency of food trade for the last half century. There is a competitive relationship between efficiency and resilience when only network topology is considered. However, a cooperative relationship between efficiency and resilience exists when the intensity of trade connections is accounted for. Policy makers can use this framework to evaluate the relationship between efficiency and resilience in critical supply chains.

Biography: Megan Konar is an associate professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Konar's research focuses on the intersection of water, food, and trade. Her research is interdisciplinary and draws from hydrology, environmental science, and economics. Konar received a doctoral degree in civil and environmental engineering from Princeton University in 2012, a master's degree in water science, policy and management from Oxford University in 2005, and a bachelor's degree in conservation and resource studies from UC Berkeley in 2002. She was recently awarded the National Science Foundation CAREER Award and Early Career Award from AGU Hydrologic Sciences.

Registration is required.

Hosted by: Tim Schley,  tps5592@psu.edu

EE Colloquium: TBD

Friday, March 12, 2021; 1:25 p.m.
Zoom
Speaker: Jan Petrich from Penn State Applied Research Lab

Hosted by: Minghui Zhu,  muz16@psu.edu

Radar remote sensing: From tracking free electrons to bees

Wednesday, March 10, 2021; 3:35 - 4:25 p.m. ET
via Zoom
Speaker: Julio Urbina from Penn State

Abstract: EM theory has allowed engineers and scientists to create and develop an array of applications through the discovery of many fundamental aspects of nature. It is the pillar for current technologies encompassing the entire electromagnetic spectrum. EM applications have paved the way

for the larger humanitarian impacts such as enabling space travel, communication across vast distances, security, health, and increasing access to information for people all over the world. One instrument that emerged as a practical device out of EM theory is a radar sensor. Over the years, radars have evolved from classical analog systems to the most current software-defined radar technologies in monostatic, bistatic, and multi-static deployments as well as power consumption and size miniaturization. This paper addresses in detail methods used to design conventional radar systems for classical remote sensing of targets located in the far-field of the EM sources as well as non-conventional radar systems that are needed to study targets located in the near field of EM sources.

Bio: Dr. Julio Urbina received his BSEE degree from Universidad Nacional de Ingenieria, Lima, Peru, in 1990, and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois in 1996 and 2002, respectively. He has worked at Jicamarca Radio Observatory, Arecibo Observatory, and University of Arkansas. He is an Associate Professor in Penn State. His research is in electromagnetics, digital systems and space instrumentation, cognitive radars, software-defined radio, drones, harmonic radars, reconfigurable instrumentation, and radio wave propagation. In 2011, Dr. Urbina received the National Science Foundation CAREER award for his research on Cognitive Radar systems to study plasma instabilities. In 2015, Dr. Urbina received the Fulbright Scholar Award from the Department of State.

For Zoom information and password, please contact Lisa Spicer at lms8@psu.edu

Hosted by: Lisa Spicer,  lms8@psu.edu

Fostering Student Sense of Belonging: An Equity Imperative for Higher Education

Tuesday, March 9, 2021; 3:35 p.m. (EST)
via Zoom (Email sps5072@psu.edu for details)
Speaker: Dr. Royel M. Johnson from Penn State, Dept. of Education Policy Studies & African American Studies

ABSTRACT:  This talk highlights the importance of incorporating attention to students’ sense of belonging into institutional reforms to address inequities in college experience and outcomes. In addition to defining the concept of sense of belonging, the session opens space to identify institutional policies, practices, and processes that can be adapted and adopted to facilitate students’ connectedness to campus.

BIOGRAPHY:  Royel M. Johnson is on the faculty in the Department of Educational Policy Studies and African American Studies at Pennsylvania State University, where he is also a research associate at the Center for the Study of Higher Education. His research interests broadly focus on issues related to educational access, equity, and student success, especially as they are shaped by social identities and systems of oppression. He has published over 40 academic publications that appear in a wide range of scholarly and practitioner-focused outlets such as Urban Education, Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, and Journal of College Student Development. For his early career accomplishments, ACPA–College Educators International honored him with its Emerging Scholar Award in 2020.

Hosted by: Serena Sidwell,  sps5072@psu.edu

CHE Seminar: Cells, viscoelasticity and tissue adhesives

Tuesday, March 16, 2021; 10:35 a.m.
via Zoom
Speaker: David J. Mooney from Harvard University (SEAS)

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Hosted by: Lisa Haines,  luv1@psu.edu

CHE Seminar: Information storage and access: From DNA data storage to neuroepigenetics

Thursday, March 18, 2021; 10:35 a.m.
via Zoom
Speaker: Albert J. Keung from North Carolina State University

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Hosted by: Lisa Haines,  luv1@psu.edu

EE Colloquium: TBD

Friday, March 19, 2021; 1:25 p.m.
Zoom
Speaker: Sze Zheng Yong from Arizona State University

Hosted by: Minghui Zhu,  muz16@psu.edu

Soft tissue mechanics modeling based on hyperelasticity

Wednesday, March 17, 2021; 3:35 - 4:25 p.m. ET
via Zoom
Speaker: Thomas J. Pence from Michigan State University

Abstract: Mechanics thinking certainly goes way back to the earliest reasoning about how the world works. Archimedes’ law of the lever remains fundamental to all students of mechanical engineering as codified in equilibrium moment balance as learned in statics and strength of materials, and angular momentum balance as learned in dynamics. As students continue in their studies, the question of mechanical response for different types of materials assumes increasing importance. Idealized material classes are posited, response ranges are codified, and failure modes identified. This gives rise to various material theories, and those theories that seem to work well eventually make their way into the engineer’s toolkit via, for example, finite element codes. Describing the behavior of complicated materials requires specialized tools. Living soft biological tissue is among the most complicated of materials. It is highly deformable and typically porous. It grows and remodels and is difficult to isolate as a ``free body” because, to remain healthy, it must inherently be part of an open system. This talk will focus on the role of nonlinear elasticity theory (hyperelasticity) in the mechanics modeling of soft tissue. Because of potentially large deformation, linear elasticity is limited in its ability to describe soft tissue response (although it is undeniably important for many aspects). Classical nonlinear elasticity (so called rubber elasticity) is the next logical upgrade, but it typically must be generalized in a variety of ways in order to address issues such as: inflammation (swelling), fibrous microstructure (collagen, elastin), rate effects (viscous behavior), growth and remodeling. Examples will be drawn especially from the presenter’s modeling treatments of swelling edema and collagen turnover. Organ systems that have been considered in this vein include the trachea and the cervix.

Bio:  Tom Pence is a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Michigan State University which is where he earned his undergraduate degree. His graduate work in applied mechanics was at Caltech, and his postdocs were at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Paris.  He has held sabbatical appointments as a visiting professor at the University of Rome and Glasgow University. His research is in continuum mechanics and nonlinear elasticity as it pertains to material modeling, with a current focus on soft biological tissue. He serves on the editorial boards of several journals, including the Journal of Elasticity, and the International Journal of Solids and Structures. He is currently serving a term as a member of the U. S. National Committee for Theoretical and Applied Mechanics.

For Zoom information and password, please contact Lisa Spicer at lms8@psu.edu

Hosted by: Lisa Spicer,  lms8@psu.edu

Women Advancing River Research: Petra Döll

Wednesday, March 24, 2021; 11:00 a.m.
Online (Registration required)
Speaker: Petra Döll from Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany

Abstract: 

Multi-variable ensemble-based parameter and uncertainty estimation for a global hydrological model
Quantitative global-scale estimates of water flows and storage dynamics on the continents is required for understanding the Earth system as a whole and for supporting a sustainable management of water, food and energy in a globalized world. Global hydrological modeling has served these by combining a multitude of (model input) data with process understanding. However, it has not yet benefitted optimally from in-situ and remotely sensed observations of model output variables (e.g., streamflow, water storage, snow cover, open water area).  A flexible calibration (i.e. parameter estimation) and data assimilation methodology for global hydrological models is necessary to fully exploit observational data of multiple output variables but has not yet been developed. I present a first ensemble approach for multi-variable calibration of the global hydrological model WaterGAP that takes into account observation uncertainties and provides estimates of model output uncertainty.

Biography: 

Petra Döll earned a Master in Geology from the University of Colorado, Boulder, in 1987, a doctorate from the Technical University of Berlin in 1996 and a habilitation from the University of Kassel in 2002. She has been a Professor of Hydrology at Goethe University Frankfurt since 2003. She was lead author of two IPCC assessment reports. In 2019, she was awarded the Henry Darcy Medal of the European Geosciences Union. Her two research foci are 1) global-scale modeling of water resources and use under the impact of global change and 2) methods for transdisciplinary research and participatory processes.

Lecture begins at 11 a.m. U.S. Eastern time (New York) and will be followed by a question and answer session. Registration is required.

Hosted by: Tim Schley,  tps5592@psu.edu

EE Colloquium: TBD

Friday, March 26, 2021; 1:25 p.m.
Zoom
Speaker: Mehrdad Mahdavi from Penn State School of EECS

Hosted by: Minghui Zhu,  muz16@psu.edu

Peridynamic models for fracture and damage in heterogeneous materials

Wednesday, March 24, 2021; 3:35 - 4:25 p.m. ET
via Zoom
Speaker: Florin Bobaru from University of Nebraska at Lincoln

Abstract: In this talk I will give an overview of peridynamic (nonlocal) models that have been shown to be very useful in predicting and allowing us to better understand some complex phenomena like fracture, damage, and corrosion. Peridynamic models are particular types of nonlocal models that avoid using spatial derivatives to describe the phenomenon, and, instead, employ integrals making it easy to simulate autonomous evolution of discontinuities, such as cracks in a domain, and autonomous localization of damage into fracture lines. I will focus on some new models for heterogeneous materials that employ nonlocality and stochasticity to predict failure in materials with microstructure, with only minimal information. Nonlocality and stochasticity, in this case, allows us to side-step costly multi-scale modeling, effectively incorporating relevant information about the microstructure and correctly predicting its role on crack growth and failure. I will discuss reasons behind the success of the peridynamic integro-differential formulations in simulating dynamic and quasi-static brittle fracture or corrosion degradation and point out some open problems and potential future applications of peridynamic models.

Bio: Florin Bobaru is currently Professor and Hergenrader Distinguished Scholar of Mechanical and Materials Engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He received his B.S. (1995) and M.S (1997) degrees in Mathematics and Mechanics from the University of Bucharest, Romania, and his Ph.D. (2001) degree in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics from Cornell University. Prof. Bobaru is one of the first contributors to peridynamic modelling of fracture and damage and served as the main editor of the “Handbook of Peridynamic Modeling” (2016). He has published extensively on peridynamic modelling of dynamic brittle fracture, fracture in composites, corrosion damage, and thermomechanical fracture. A new book on “Corrosion Damage and Corrosion-Assisted Fracture”, co-authored with Prof. Ziguang Chen and Siavash Jafarzadeh, will be published by Elsevier in 2021.

For Zoom information and password, please contact Lisa Spicer at lms8@psu.edu

Hosted by: Lisa Spicer,  lms8@psu.edu

Lessons from 15 Years of Medical Robotics Research

Tuesday, March 23, 2021; 3:35 p.m. (EST)
via Zoom (Email sps5072@psu.edu for details)
Speaker: Dr. Carl Nelson from University of Nebraska-Lincoln

ABSTRACT:  The field of robotics has had a resurgence over the past 2 decades, seeing new sub-fields and application areas emerge.  One important application area is medical robotics, where the convergence of engineering and medical knowledge can be applied quite fruitfully.  In this talk, examples of projects spanning the last 15 years are summarized, including surgical and rehabilitation robotics.  With the benefit of hindsight on these projects, several lessons or guidelines for effective innovation in medical robotics are offered.

BIOGRAPHY:  Dr. Carl Nelson is a professor in the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he has worked since 2005.  Prior to that, he received the MS and PhD degrees from Purdue University and the BS degree from the University of Oklahoma, all in mechanical engineering.  His research interests include robotics, mechanical design, and medical robots and devices.

Hosted by: Serena Sidwell,  sps5072@psu.edu