Northeastern University College of Engineering

10 Advanced EndNote Features
2021-02-12 12:00 - 12:45 (America/New_York) | MA
Start your spring 2021 research off on the right foot with Northeastern University Library’s series of online workshops and webinars. In this workshop, learn how to use advanced EndNote features to manage citations for yourself or your research group.
Register here: bit.ly/citationmgmtworkshops

Getting Started with BibTeX
2021-02-11 12:00 - 12:45 (America/New_York)
Start your spring 2021 research off on the right foot with Northeastern University Library’s series of online workshops and webinars. In this workshop, learn how to use BibTeX to manage citations for yourself or your research group.
Register here: bit.ly/citationmgmtworkshops

Northeastern University-Seattle Virtual Engineering Info Session
2021-02-10 17:30 - 18:30 (America/Los_Angeles)
Join Seattle Campus Recruiter, Stephanie Curtiss, College of Engineering Recruiter, Marissa Brush, and current engineering student ambassador, Ramya Hebbar, to learn about advancing your engineering and technical career at our Virtual Engineering Info Session in Seattle. Studying at our South Lake Union campus in the heart of Seattle, Northeastern College of Engineering students have unique opportunities to pursue co-ops and learn from experts in the local industry.
Featured Programs:

MS in Information Systems: Includes a Non-STEM Bridge Pathway
MS in Data Analytics Engineering

Our virtual session will include:

The curriculum and career outlook for each program
Details about Northeastern’s top-tier co-op program
Open Q&A with staff and current engineering student

Register Today!

ChE Seminar: Organic Aqueous Flow Batteries for Massive Electrical Energy
2021-02-10 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York)
Michael J. Aziz
Gene and Tracy Sykes Professor of Materials and Energy Technologies, Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Harvard University
Organic Aqueous Flow Batteries for Massive Electrical Energy
Abstract
The ability to store large amounts of electrical energy is of increasing importance with the growing fraction of electricity generation from intermittent renewable sources such as wind and solar.
Flow batteries show promise because the designer can independently scale the power (electrode area) and energy (arbitrarily large storage volume) components of the system by maintaining all electro-active species in fluids. The wide-scale utilization of flow batteries is limited by the abundance and cost of these materials.
We have developed an approach to electricity storage in flow batteries using the aqueous redox chemistry of small, potentially inexpensive organic and organometallic molecules. This new approach may enable massive electrical energy storage at a greatly reduced cost.
Biography
Michael J. Aziz has been a member of the faculty at what is now the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences since he joined in 1986 and is now Gene and Tracy Sykes Professor of Materials and Energy Technologies. His recent research interests include novel materials and processes for energy technology and greenhouse gas mitigation. He is co-inventor of the organic aqueous flow battery and directs multi-investigator research programs on stationary electrical energy storage and porous electrodes. He is a Fellow of the APS, the MRS, and the AAAS and is the co-recipient of the 2019 Energy Frontiers Prize from Eni.
If you would like access to the virtual seminar, please contact a.ramsey@northeastern.edu

Origami with Graduate Women in Science and Engineering
2021-02-09 19:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York)
Join the Graduate Women in Science and Engineering for community time this Tuesday at 7 PM on MS Teams. We will be making some origami and chatting!

ECE Seminar: David M. Rosen
2021-02-09 15:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York)
Title: Provably Sound Perception for Reliable Autonomy
David M. Rosen
Location: Zoom Link
Abstract: Machine perception — the ability to construct accurate models of the world from raw sensor data — is an essential capability for mobile robots, supporting such fundamental functions as planning, navigation, and control. However, the development of algorithms for robotic perception that are both *practical* and *reliable* presents a formidable challenge: such methods must be capable of solving complex estimation tasks in real-time on resource-limited mobile platforms, while remaining robust to challenges such as sensor noise, uncertain or misspecified perceptual models, and potentially contaminated measurements. In this talk, I show how one can meet these challenges through the design of practical perception methods that are both *computationally efficient* and *provably sound*, focusing on the foundational problem of spatial perception. I begin with a brief introduction to pose-graph optimization (PGO): this problem lies at the core of many fundamental spatial perception tasks (including robotic mapping, sensor network localization, and 3D visual reconstruction), but is high-dimensional and nonconvex, and therefore challenging to solve in general. Nevertheless, I show how one can leverage convex relaxation to efficiently recover *exact, certifiably optimal* PGO solutions in a noise regime that encompasses most practical robotics and computer vision applications. Our algorithm, SE-Sync, is the first practical method provably capable of recovering correct (globally optimal) PGO solutions. Next, I address the design of machine learning methods for spatial perception, focusing on the fundamental problem of rotation estimation. I show that topological obstructions can actually prevent deep neural networks (DNNs) employing common rotation parameterizations (e.g. quaternions) from learning to estimate widely-dispersed rotation targets, as is required in (for example) object pose estimation. I then describe a novel parameterization of 3D rotations that overcomes this obstruction, and that supports an explicit notion of uncertainty in our DNNs’ predictions. Experiments confirm that (as predicted by theory) DNNs employing this representation achieve superior accuracy and reliability when applied to object pose estimation, and that their predicted uncertainties enable the reliable identification of out-of-distribution test examples (including corrupted inputs). Finally, I will conclude with a discussion of future directions that aim to unify provably sound estimation and learning methods, thereby enabling the creation of perception systems with both the *robustness* and *adaptability* necessary to support reliable long-term autonomy in the real world.
Speaker Bio: David M. Rosen is a postdoctoral associate in the Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His research addresses the design of practical provably robust methods for machine perception, using a combination of tools from optimization, geometry, algebra, and probabilistic inference. He holds the degrees of BS in Mathematics from the California Institute of Technology (2008), MA in Mathematics from the University of Texas at Austin (2010), and ScD in Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Prior to joining LIDS, he was a Research Scientist at Oculus Research (now Facebook Reality Labs) in Seattle.His work has been recognized with a Best Paper Award at the 2016 International Workshop on the Algorithmic Foundations of Robotics, an RSS Pioneer Award at Robotics: Science and Systems 2019, and a Best Student Paper Award at Robotics: Science and Systems 2020.

Galante Event: Info Session
2021-02-09 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York)
The Galante Engineering Business Program is holding an Info Session on February 9th from 2:00-3:00pm via Zoom.
Northeastern University’s Galante Engineering Business Program offers a progressive opportunity for engineering students to complement their technical engineering education with business skills by earning a graduate certificate in engineering business. Galante is founded on the values of student engagement and leadership to strengthen interpersonal and professional skills. Integrating an engineering education with a business background allows students to perfect their communication, leadership, and teamwork capabilities. Please RSVP to the Info Session.
Please feel free to reach out with any questions Galante@northeastern.edu or visit the Galante Website to learn more.

Experiential Learning: Northeastern Co-op and Career Services - Civil and Environmental Engineering
2021-02-08 10:00 - 11:00 (America/New_York)
The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Northeastern University is pleased to present to you the third installment in our Graduate Programs in Civil and Environmental Engineering Webinar Series.

This webinar, titled Experiential Learning: Northeastern Co-op and Career Services, will introduce you to the cornerstone of the educational experience at Northeastern: our premier Cooperative Education (Co-op) program. Co-op is an educational model whereby students alternate periods of academic study and full-time employment to gain hands-on, professional experience in their field of interest, and build personal connections and contacts.

Graduate Programs in Civil and Environmental Engineering Webinar 3: Experiential Learning: Northeastern Co-op and Career Services

Thursday, February 8, 2021

10:00 – 11:00 AM EST

Register Here

Hosted by Civil and Environmental Engineering Associate Co-op Coordinator Cheryl Arruda, this webinar will help you understand:

What is co-op for MS students? How is co-op different than an internship?
Where can I go on co-op?
Who can participate in Co-op, and what is the process like for international students?
What is available in Northeastern’s Career Services office, frequently ranked #1 in the US?
Hear experiences from current MS students about their co-ops, and ask your questions.
And more!

Located in Boston, Massachusetts, New England’s largest city, Northeastern University is a wonderful place to study and live. Our city is home to world-class entertainment, restaurants, and sporting venues, a diverse and dynamic economy, and a thriving community of academic institutions.

Apply now!

This webinar content will be useful for both those who have already applied and those still considering applying. An application fee waiver code for those who have not yet applied will be included. Check the deadlines for applying for graduate study.

Global Health Innovation Summit 2021
2021-02-06 09:00 - 2021-02-07 15:00 (America/New_York)
Innovators for Global Health at NU is hosting a Global Health Innovation Summit on February 6th-7th. Throughout the event, students will compete in teams to innovatively solve problems in public health related to racial and ethnic disparities. The two-day event will be packed with panels and workshops that allow students to work closely with professionals from different sectors of public health. Be sure to register before February 4th; spots are limited!
For more information and to register, visit https://ighnortheastern.wixsite.com/ghis

Getting Started with RefWorks
2021-02-04 15:00 - 15:45 (America/New_York)
Start your spring 2021 research off on the right foot with Northeastern University Library’s series of online workshops and webinars. In this workshop, learn how to use RefWorks to manage citations for yourself or your research group.
Register here: bit.ly/citationmgmtworkshops

Getting Started with Mendeley
2021-02-03 15:00 - 15:45 (America/New_York)
Start your spring 2021 research off on the right foot with Northeastern University Library’s series of online workshops and webinars. In this workshop, learn how to use Mendeley to manage citations for yourself or your research group.
Register here: bit.ly/citationmgmtworkshops

Getting Started with EndNote for Windows
2021-02-03 12:00 - 12:45 (America/New_York)
Start your spring 2021 research off on the right foot with Northeastern University Library’s series of online workshops and webinars. In this workshop, learn how to use EndNote for Windows to manage citations for yourself or your research group.
Register here: bit.ly/citationmgmtworkshops

Getting Started with EndNote for Mac
2021-02-01 12:00 - 12:45 (America/New_York)
Start your spring 2021 research off on the right foot with Northeastern University Library’s series of online workshops and webinars. In this workshop, learn how to use EndNote for Mac to manage citations for yourself or your research group.
Register here: bit.ly/citationmgmtworkshops

ECE PhD Proposal Review: Sadjad Asghari Esfeden
2021-01-29 15:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York)
PhD Proposal Review: SpatioTemporal Prediction of Object Handover for Human Robot Collaboration
Sadjad Asghari Esfeden
Location: Zoom Link
Abstract: Predicting human behaviour in video is one of the challenging problems in computer vision. In order for robots to be able to interact with humans they need to understand human intent. We study the problem of object handover, where a robot tries to follow its collaborator’s movement as well as the object of interest to grasp the object in a human-like behavior. Therefore, the robot should predict a moving object’s time and location of handover. We propose a computer vision based algorithm to help robot understand its environment, detect, track, and predict object and human motions during the task of handover. The perception system enables robot to move towards the locus of handover before it occurs, and refine its motion when there is a change in human intention.

ECE Seminar: Dr. Yi Li
2021-01-29 11:15 - 12:45 (America/New_York)
Seminar Title: Coherent Information Processing with Onchip Hybrid Magnonics
Location: Zoom Link
Abstract: Hybrid dynamic systems have recently attracted great attention due to their applications in quantum computing, communications, and sensing. In particular, they provide a new paradigm for combining platforms and devices that can perform different tasks such as storing, processing, and transmitting coherent states. In this talk, I will discuss the potential in quantum information processing brought by magnon—the collective excitations of magnetization. Magnons exhibit a few key features making them highly competitive in quantum information processing, namely their strong coupling to microwave photons, their extraordinary tunability and flexibility for chip-based circuit integration, as well as their excellent compatibility for coupling with various dynamic media such as mechanical excitations and optical photons for coherent quantum transduction. In the first part, I will demonstrate strong coupling between magnons and microwave photons by integrating magnetic devices with coplanar superconducting resonators on Si substrate. The on-chip integration of such superconducting hybrid magnonic circuits provides great flexibility in circuit design, device scalability as well as being extended to the circuit quantum electrodynamics for qubit controls. In the second part, I will cultivate the dynamic interaction between magnons and excitations with far different frequencies, such as mechanical excitations and optical photons, for advanced sensing of magnetic excitations. The device level coupling between diverse excitations suggest a compelling candidate of magnons for building a universal coherent transducer in bridging different quantum systems for extended functionality.
Speaker Bio: Dr. Yi Li is currently a postdoc in the Superconductivity and Magnetism Group at Argonne National Laboratory. He has obtained his B.S. degree in Physics from Peking University (2009) and his Ph.D. degree in Materials Science & Engineering from Columbia University (2015). Prior to Argonne he has been a postdoc at CEA Saclay in France for two years (2015-2017). Yi Li’s research focuses on building hybrid quantum magnonic circuits based on microwave superconducting circuits and magnetic devices for their applications in quantum information processing. Yi was the recipient of the Postdoctoral Performance Awards (2020) at Argonne National Laboratory and the IEEE Chicago “Distinguished R&D” Award (2020) for his pioneering work on magnon-photon coupling in superconducting resonator for Quantum Information Science. For more information about his work please visit: https://sites.google.com/view/prc1988.

ECE Seminar: Dr. Xufeng Zhang
2021-01-28 14:10 - 15:30 (America/New_York)
Seminar Title: Advancing Quantum Information Science With Hybrid Cavity Magnonics
Location: Zoom Link
Abstract: With recent demonstration of quantum computers and quantum communication, quantum technologies have started to change our world in an unprecedented way. To fully explore the power of quantum information science and technology, it is critical to further combine discrete quantum elements and build distributed quantum networks. However, this poses significant technical challenges because the quantum coherence can be easily destroyed as the weak quantum signal propagates across different systems. In this talk, I will show that magnons — the collective excitations of magnetization — provide a promising solution for efficiently transducing quantum information among different systems while preserving the delicate quantum coherence. Specifically, cavity magnonics can be conveniently hybridized with other physical platforms that operate in the microwave, mechanical and optical domains because of its exceptional compatibilities with them. Moreover, thanks to the large spin density in our magnonic system, the interactions between magnons and the information carriers used in other systems (such as photons and phonons) are drastically boosted, providing elevated protection for the signal coherence. Most importantly, the excellent tunability of magnons permits unparalleled manipulation for the signal transduction. Therefore, high-fidelity magnon-based signal transduction can be achieved. I will finish the talk by describing opportunities and our efforts toward quantum operations and on-chip integration of hybrid cavity magnonics.
Speaker Bio: Dr. Xufeng Zhang has been working as an assistant scientist at the Center for Nanoscale Materials, Argonne National Laboratory, and CASE fellow of the University of Chicago since 2018. Dr. Zhang received his Ph.D. in Engineering from Yale University in 2016, where he worked on hybrid magnonic devices in Prof. Hong Tang’s group. He is the winner of the Henry Prentiss Becton Graduate Prize for his exceptional graduate research at Yale University. After graduation he joined Argonne National Laboratory as the Nikola-Tesla postdoctoral fellow. His research interests include hybrid quantum devices, magnon spintronics, integrated photonics, nanomechanics, and high frequency devices.

ECE Seminar: Seungmoon Song
2021-01-28 12:30 - 13:30 (America/New_York)
Seminar Title: Toward predictive simulation of human movement – for assistive devices and rehabilitation treatment
Location: Zoom Link
Abstract: I will present my research towards predictive simulations of human movement for assistive devices and rehabilitation treatment. First, I will talk about a neuromechanical control model based on simple reflexes. The model can generate diverse locomotion behaviors, react to perturbations similarly to humans, and explain why walking performance declines with age. However, as the model was focused on low-level motor control primarily for steady locomotion behaviors, extending and verifying the model for more complex movements and reactions is necessary for producing reliable predictions for novel scenarios. In the later part, I will present recent projects on conducting a human experiment with gait assistive exoskeletons and using deep reinforcement learning to developing complex control models. In the experimental study, we found using human-in-the-loop optimization that it is possible to substantially increase self-selected walking speed with ankle exoskeletons. Regarding deep reinforcement learning, we organized the Learn to Move competition, where participants developed controllers for a human musculoskeletal simulation model. The competition has been organized at the NeurIPS conference since 2017 and has attracted over 1300 teams from around the world. At last, I will discuss my plan of incorporating rigorous experimental validations and advanced computational techniques toward neuromechanical models that could change the way we design rehabilitation treatment and study human movement.
Speaker Bio: Seungmoon Song is a postdoctoral researcher in the Mechanical Engineering Department of Stanford University. He is also a recipient of an NIH K99 award and the lead organizer of the NeurIPS: Learn to Move competition. His research focuses on modeling the neuromechanics of human movement and applying it to rehabilitation and robotics. As a postdoc, he is working on improving human walking performance with exoskeleton assistance using human-in-the-loop optimization. During his Ph.D. at the Robotics Institute of Carnegie Mellon University, he proposed a reflex-based control model that could explain various aspects of human locomotion including diverse locomotion behaviors of healthy adults, responses to unexpected disturbances, and performance degradation in aging.

CommuniTEA Time
2021-01-28 11:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York)
Graduate Women in Science and Engineering is hosting CommuniTEA time on Thursday, 1/29 at 11 AM EST. Come chit chat with us and sip on your favorite mid-morning beverage. Join the virtual sipping circle at bit.ly/gwisetea. See you there!
Join our email list at bit.ly/GWISEJoin and our MS Teams at bit.ly/GWISETeam

CILS Film Screening: Picture A Scientist
2021-01-28 - 2021-01-30
The Institute for Chemical Imaging of Living Systems (CILS) is hosting a virtual screening of Picture A Scientist. This award-winning documentary draws attention to the challenges facing women and minority scientists.
Register for the screening through the following link: https://forms.gle/SNQjrFQQt5zYduMk7
The showing will be the start of monthly learning events hosted by CILS where new imaging modalities or microscopic techniques that are available through CILS will be highlighted and explained. View the CILS facilities.
Stay tuned for a panel discussion hosted by the Department of Chemistry about the film.

AIX Seminar
2021-01-27 15:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York)
Please join us for our first AIX Seminar.
Location: Zoom Link
Seminar 1 title: Allostasis and Interoception: Brain-Body Interactions and Implications for Robotics
Speakers: Dr. Karen Quigley, Northeastern University, and Dr. Erin Reilly, Veteran Affairs
Abstract: For much of the history of psychology, sensation, perception, action, emotion, and cognition were studied as if they were separate, biologically-defined faculties — they are not. A prominent current neuroscientific perspective (and variants thereof) suggest that a brain runs an internal, predictive model or simulation of itself in the world. This model supports all functions achieved by a brain, and in this view, predictions constitute the internal model. Our lab has marshaled neuroanatomical evidence that predictions arise from visceromotor control regions in the brain to support anticipated action and other metabolically-costly functions such as learning. Collectively, these anticipatory regulatory processes are called allostasis. Allostasis is the major task of a brain, which utilizes 20% of the energetic budget of a human. A brain also requires a body, which is the effector by which the brain supports maintenance of its own energetic needs. The internal model also is modified by prediction error arising from unanticipated inputs from both exteroceptive (e.g., vision) and interoceptive (e.g., viscerosensory) sources. Interoceptive sensations provide critical information to the brain about the status of the body, enabling motor and visceromotor actions that can most efficiently support the brain’s energetic needs. Understanding these biological realities can bring new ideas to both the design of robots, and also to our understanding of how to optimize humans-robot interactions.

Seminar 2 title: Improving Interaction using Intelligence
Speaker: Dr. Jaime Ruiz, University of Florida
Abstract: Adding intelligence to user interfaces provides unique opportunities to improve the way users interact with computing systems. In this talk, I will give a broad overview of the types of projects undertaken by may lab. I will also highlight several projects that aim to use neration of multimodal interfaces.

ECE Seminar: Dr. Jun Xiao
2021-01-27 13:00 - 14:20 (America/New_York)
Seminar Title: 2D Materials For Next-Generation Information Technology: From Functional Material Miniaturization To Energy-Efficient Phase Engineering
Location: Zoom Link
Abstract: The emergence of artificial intelligence and 5G technology is transforming our world with novel applications such as the Internet of Things, smart manufacturing, and AI-empowered medical care. However, this information revolution sets a massive demand for information capacity and energy supply. Such a big challenge urges innovations in device engineering and its material building blocks to boost information capacity and reduce energy consumption. In this talk, I will focus on the exciting progress of the emergent 2D layered materials and their device engineering in this direction. First, I will introduce our discovery of intrinsic 2D out-of-plane ferroelectricity in semiconducting In2Se3, which holds great promise for ferroelectric device miniaturization. I will then present our electrostatic doping control innovation as a new energy-efficient mechanism for structural phase engineering in layered materials. I will further show how we utilize such technology to invent the non-volatile Berry curvature memory, a new type of energy-efficient quantum devices. Inspired by these findings and techniques, I will also briefly discuss the exciting future opportunities of leveraging the structure-property relationship and light-matter interactions in layered quantum materials and devices to boost the translation of novel quantum notions into technological advantages for energy-efficient neuromorphic computing, robust quantum processing, and biosensing.
Speaker Bio: Dr. Jun Xiao is a postdoctoral scholar working with Prof. Aaron Lindenberg in the Department of Materials Science & Engineering and Prof. Tony Heinz in the Department of Applied Physics at Stanford University. He earned his Ph.D. in Applied Science and Technology from UC Berkeley (2018) under Prof. Xiang Zhang’s supervision. His research experience and interests focus on leveraging quantum materials and devices for energy-efficient neuromorphic engineering, robust quantum computing, THz sensing, and high-throughput manufacturing.

ECE Seminar: Dr. Subhanshu Gupta
2021-01-26 13:00 - 14:20 (America/New_York)
Seminar Title: The Coming Together of Silicon Circuits and AI for Next Generation Wireless Communications, IOT, and Quantum Applications
Location: Zoom Link
Abstract: The ubiquity of silicon-based devices around us have paved the way for fast communications, personalized healthcare, and terabits/sec computing unthinkable few decades ago. The question of what’s next for silicon-based circuits and systems gets interesting with the end (or as some say, slowing) of technology scaling but the emphasis on wireless infrastructure, internet-of-things, and quantum computing leveraging advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) has brought forward several new fundamental challenges. This talk will harness recent research in silicon-based circuits and systems and AI to bridge the fundamental gap in the underlying physics of large-scale wireless communications and cryogenics harmoniously with the outside environment. The first part of the talk will present reconfigurable spatial signal processors for large-scale antenna arrays that can achieve unprecedented resolution both in near-field and far-field. Introducing discretetime delay compensating techniques with large range-to-resolution ratios and AI-optimized radio frontend solutions, we will demonstrate high data-rates with wide modulated bandwidths suited to 5G/Beyond-5G wireless communications. The second part of the talk will present AI optimizers to solve practical issues in well-known high-speed and high-resolution superconducting/quantum circuits for the first time. We will look into the design of an energy-efficient and low-latency optimizer that greatly reduces the calibration time and enabling heterogeneous cryogenic platforms coupling speed and energy-efficiency of Josephson Junctions with area-efficiency of CMOS. The third part of the talk will present silicon-based systems-on-chip that enables large-scale IoT networks combining advances in self powered radios with energy harvesters tapping into the surrounding environments. We will conclude this talk with custom integrated cryoelectronics and multi-antenna testbeds for modeling and design of high-speed cryoelectronic processors and spatial signal processors with diverse spatial functions such as beam training and RFI cancellation for future quantum computing and distributed antenna arrays of tomorrow.
Speaker Bio: Dr. Subhanshu Gupta received the B.E. degree from the National Institute of Technology (NIT) at Tiruchirappalli, Tiruchirappalli, India, in 2002, and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA, in 2006 and 2010, respectively. He is currently an Assistant Professor of electrical engineering and computer science with Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA. He has held industrial positions at Maxlinear (Irvine, CA) where he worked on wideband transceivers for SATCOM and infrastructure applications. Subhanshu is a recipient of the National Science Foundation CAREER Award in 2020, the Department of Defense DURIP award in 2021, and the Cisco Faculty Research Award in 2017. He and his group has also been nominated and awarded multiple student awards including Analog Devices Outstanding Student Designer Award in 2008, the IEEE RFIC Symposium Best Student Paper Award (third place in 2011 and nominee in 2020), and the IEEE Applied Superconductivity Conference (nominee in 2020). Subhanshu serves as an Associate Editor for the IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems – I for the term 2020-21 and also served as a guest editor for IEEE Design & Test of Computers in 2019. His research interests include large-scale phased arrays and wideband transceivers, low-power time-domain circuits and systems, and statistical hardware optimization for next-generation wireless communications, internet-of-things, and quantum applications.

ECE Seminar: Kris Dorsey
2021-01-25 12:30 - 13:30 (America/New_York)
Seminar Title: Challenges and opportunities in design in tunable, soft mechanical sensors.
Location: Zoom Link
Abstract: Physically-soft mechanical sensors are poised to unlock exciting new applications in wearable devices, robotics, and human-machine interfaces. Typically with these sensors, tuning their properties through the device geometry is a challenge. A promising development in soft mechanical sensors is hierarchically-patterned structures within the sensor, which enables both deformation selectivity and the ability to tune, and potentially reconfigure, sensing properties. Dorsey will discuss challenges and recent work related to designing and fabricating hierarchically-patterned sensors, including origami-patterned sensors. Dorsey will also present work in enhancing the stability and mechanical selectivity of stretchable sensors, and discuss applications for such sensors in wearable healthcare applications and soft robotics.
Speaker Bio:
Kris Dorsey is an assistant professor of engineering in the Picker Engineering Program at Smith College. She was a President’s Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of California, Berkeley and University of California, San Diego. Dr. Dorsey graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering and earned her Bachelors of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Olin College. She founded The MicroSMITHie Lab at Smith College to investigate micro- and miniature-scale sensor design and to prepare undergraduates for graduate study in engineering. Her current research interests include novel morphology soft sensors, stability concerns for soft-material sensors, and sensors for soft robots and wearable medical devices.  Dr. Dorsey has co-authored several publications on hyper–elastic strain sensors, novel soft lithography processes, and the stability of gas chemical sensors. In 2019, she received the NSF CAREER award.

5th Annual Multicultural Mixer
2021-01-22 18:00 (America/New_York)
This year’s theme is “Moving the Dream Forward” in honor and celebration of MLK Day (1/18). Registration is currently live. We are trying to reach current and new graduate students (those starting Winter/Spring ’21), faculty, staff, and alumni within the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) community to be apart of this amazing event. We have so many surprises in store and we can’t wait to share them with all of you.
Register

Galante Event: Career Paths Are Rarely Linear, Follow Your Passion
2021-01-21 18:00 - 19:30 (America/New_York)
Join the Galante Program on Thursday, January 21st at Career Paths Are Rarely Linear, Follow your Passion! Chris Willis ’82, former Partner at Impala Asset Management, will cover his extensive background in engineering and finance. Chris has experience working on Wall Street in equity analysis and eventually transitioned to the investing side of business. He retired in 2016, only to return to the investment business for a couple of years and is running his own fund Exothermic Global.
Please RSVP. We hope to see you at this virtual event!

ECE Seminar: Mojtaba Sharifi
2021-01-21 15:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York)
Seminar Title: Research Background and Experience in Medical Robotics,Human-Robot Interaction, and Collaborative/Assistive Devices
Location: Zoom Link
Abstract: In this talk, Mojtaba Sharifi will go over the research projects he has done in the field of Medical Robotics, Human-Robot Interaction (HRI), and Collaborative/Assistive Robotics during the past ten years. His presentation is organized in three sections, which cover his research achievements chronologically from his MSc to the current Postdoc position. The first one is devoted to his main research area during the MSc and Ph.D. programs on the “Control of HRI: Medical Robotic and Tele-Robotic Systems”. After that, he will touch upon his recent contribution made on the “Interaction Learning and Autonomy for Collaborative Robots and Assistive Exoskeletons”, during the postdoctoral research. The last part of this presentation is dedicated to his past and ongoing projects on the “Human Musculoskeletal Modeling & Soft Exoskeletons for Safe HRI”, for biomedical applications. Throughout this presentation, the theoretical and experimental aspects of these studies will be elaborated on.
Biography: Mojtaba Sharifi received the B.Sc. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran, in 2010 and the M.Sc. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran, in 2012. He conducted a collaborative project in the Telerobotic and Biorobotic Systems Lab of the University of Alberta, Canada, from 2015 to 2016 as a visiting doctoral researcher. Then, he earned a Ph.D. degree in the School of Mechanical Engineering at Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran, in 2017. Mojtaba also performed an interdisciplinary research project on the design and fabrication of new soft robotic actuators in 2019 as a research associate at the University College London, UK. He has published more than 40 papers and chapters in high-quality journals, conferences, and books on his interdisciplinary theoretical-experimental research. His research interests include the design and implementation of autonomous control systems, physical human-robot interaction (pHRI), medical robotics (rehabilitation, surgery, and imaging), control of musculoskeletal systems, impedance control and learning, haptics, collaborative– and tele-robotics, soft robotics, wearable, and assistive mechatronic systems (exoskeleton and prosthesis). Mojtaba is the recipient of a postdoctoral fellowship award, working at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Canada. He is now investigating new autonomous control policies employing adaptive learning rules for the Central Pattern Generation (CPG) to update and personalize the human locomotion, which is to be tracked by a lower-limb powered exoskeleton with optimized torque and FES inputs. He is also leading a project that aims to design, fabricate, and implement soft robotic systems for safely assisting people with upper-limb weakness.

ECE Seminar: Paolo Santi
2021-01-21 11:30 - 12:30 (America/New_York)
Seminar Title: IoT: An Enabling Technology for Designing Better Cities
Location: Zoom Link
Abstract: IoT is rapidly evolving into an enabling technology with countless potential applications. In this seminar, we will explore how IoT technology can help in the design of better cities, starting from the re-design of city systems and infrastructures (mobility, power grid, etc.) based on large- scale data acquisition. We will highlight the challenges related to systems where real-time actuation is a need, as well as those related to design problems where actuation occurs on a longer time scale, such as urban infrastructure planning. We will then show how IoT technology can be used also to gain a deeper understanding of how humans interact with existing urban systems. This deeper comprehension of human behavior is key to design systems that are not only “algorithmically” efficient, but that also conform to fundamental human behavioral patterns.
Bio: Paolo Santi is Principal Research Scientist at MIT Senseable City Lab and Research Director at the Istituto di Informatica e Telematica, CNR, Pisa, Italy. Dr. Santi holds a “Laurea” degree and the PhD in computer science from the University of Pisa, Italy. Dr. Santi is a member of the IEEE Computer Society and has recently been recognized as
Distinguished Scientist by the Association for Computing Machinery. His research interest is in the modeling and analysis of complex systems ranging from wireless multi hop
networks to sensor and vehicular networks and, more recently, smart mobility and intelligent transportation systems. In these fields, he has contributed more than 160 scientific papers and two books.

Innovative Solutions to Fight Ocean Pollution
2021-01-21 09:00 - 10:30 (America/New_York)
18 billion pounds of plastic enter our oceans each year, a harrowing fact that only accounts for a portion of our planet’s pollution crisis. Northeastern innovators are tackling this problem to create sustainable solutions for cleaner oceans. Bureo Inc, an emerging B-Corp, has created a program to recycle fishing nets into a NetPlus™ material, used in products by Patagonia and other partner companies.
Join the conversation to fight plastic pollution with Ben Kneppers, E’07, co-founder and COO of Bureo Inc., and Maarten Eenkema van Dijk, E’14, MS’15, operations manager for Van Dyk Recycling Solutions.

This event is complimentary but registration is required.

Register

Dialogue of Civilizations Fair
2021-01-20 17:30 - 19:30 (America/New_York)
The Dialogue of Civilizations (DOC) Fair is an opportunity for students to learn more about Northeastern’s signature faculty-led summer programs! Faculty member will be available via Zoom for questions and conversation. Representatives from Student Financial Services, the Honors Office, and GEO will also be available for any questions you may have. These are the opportunities for College of Engineering students:

Discovering Turkish Cultural Values and Engineering Economy Principles (Istanbul, Turkey) – Mohammad Dehghani
International Applications of Fluid Mechanics (Panama City, Panama) – Carlos Hidrovo Chavez
Process Safety and Chemical Engineering in Spain (Tarragona, Spain) – Ron Willey
Sustainable Urban Transportation (Delft, Netherlands) – Peter Furth
Sustainable Waste Management: Resource Recovery & Environmental Protection (Cagliari, Italy) – Annalisa Onnis-Hayden
Technical Innovation and Product Prototyping (San Jose, California) – Bala Maheswaran
Timber/Masonry Technology, Design and Architectural Practices in Northern Italy (Trieste, Italy) – Luca Caracoglia
Virtual – Sustainable Energy in 21st Century Brazil (Sao Paulo, Brazil) – Courtney Pfluger

Introduction to Citation Management Tools
2021-01-20 12:00 - 12:45 (America/New_York)
Start your spring 2021 research off on the right foot with Northeastern University Library’s series of online workshops and webinars. In this workshop, learn the basics of how to manage citations for yourself or your research group.
Register here: bit.ly/citationmgmtworkshops
