SSCS Distinguished Lecturer Prof. Mike Chen from USC will give a talk on high performance digital-to-analog converters. Speaker(s): Mike Shuo-Wei Chen, Virtual: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/287463

SSCS Distinguished Lecturer Prof. Mike Chen from USC will give a talk on high performance digital-to-analog converters. Speaker(s): Mike Shuo-Wei Chen, Virtual: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/287463

Abstract. Increasingly important Multi-Domain Operations entail multi-modal sensing which in turn, may require much effort to harness the information for exploitation. As a result, an upsurge in research interest in multi-modal fusion has emerged across industry, and in academia and government. Combining this multi-sensor information has been of particular interest in inference and target detection to enhance performance in challenging and adversarial environments. While fusion is strictly not new, a more principled approach has only recently been emerging on account of its ubiquitous need. The viability of these fusion approaches strongly hinges on the simultaneous functionality of all the sensors, limiting their efficacy in a real environment. The severity of this limitation is even more pronounced in unconstrained surveillance settings where the environmental conditions have a direct impact on the sensors, and close manual monitoring is difficult or even impractical. Partial sensor failure can hence cause a major drop in performance in a fusion system in the absence of a timely failure detection. We will describe in this talk a data driven approach to multimodal fusion, where optimal features for each sensor are selected from a hidden latent space among different modalities. This hidden space is learned via a generative network conditioned on individual sensor modalities. The hidden space, as an intrinsic structure, is then exploited as a palliative proxy for not only detecting damaged sensors, but for subsequently safeguarding the performance of the fused sensor system. Experimental results show that such an approach can make an inference system robust against noisy/damaged sensors, without requiring human intervention to inform the system about the damage. Co-sponsored by: IEEE SP Atlanta Chapter & IEEE AESS/GRSS Atlanta chapter Speaker(s): Dr. Hamid Krim, Virtual: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/284533

Abstract. Increasingly important Multi-Domain Operations entail multi-modal sensing which in turn, may require much effort to harness the information for exploitation. As a result, an upsurge in research interest in multi-modal fusion has emerged across industry, and in academia and government. Combining this multi-sensor information has been of particular interest in inference and target detection to enhance performance in challenging and adversarial environments. While fusion is strictly not new, a more principled approach has only recently been emerging on account of its ubiquitous need. The viability of these fusion approaches strongly hinges on the simultaneous functionality of all the sensors, limiting their efficacy in a real environment. The severity of this limitation is even more pronounced in unconstrained surveillance settings where the environmental conditions have a direct impact on the sensors, and close manual monitoring is difficult or even impractical. Partial sensor failure can hence cause a major drop in performance in a fusion system in the absence of a timely failure detection. We will describe in this talk a data driven approach to multimodal fusion, where optimal features for each sensor are selected from a hidden latent space among different modalities. This hidden space is learned via a generative network conditioned on individual sensor modalities. The hidden space, as an intrinsic structure, is then exploited as a palliative proxy for not only detecting damaged sensors, but for subsequently safeguarding the performance of the fused sensor system. Experimental results show that such an approach can make an inference system robust against noisy/damaged sensors, without requiring human intervention to inform the system about the damage. Co-sponsored by: IEEE SP Atlanta Chapter & IEEE AESS/GRSS Atlanta chapter Speaker(s): Dr. Hamid Krim, Virtual: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/284533

The Electron Devices Society (EDS), Northern Virginia/Washington Jt. Sections Chapters joined with The Nanotechology Council (NTC) are pleased to host an EDS Distinguished Lecture presented by Prof. Shimeng Yu, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology. Please register to receive the WebEx link the day before the event. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Analog multilevel memories are the enabling device technologies for hardware acceleration of neuro-inspired computing workloads. In this lecture, we will survey the landscape of the emerging non-volatile memories that could serve the synaptic weights with a focus on resistive and ferroelectric devices. We will highlight the key device properties that are required for on-chip inference and/or training of deep neural network (DNN) models. We will use a multi-bit RRAM test vehicle to characterize the variability/reliability at array-level for inference. Then we will introduce an end-to-end benchmark framework DNN+NeuroSim to that is interfaced with PyTorch to evaluate versatile device technologies for DNN inference. Hybrid precision synapse that combines non-volatile memories with volatile capacitor is also presented to achieve in-situ training accuracy that is comparable with software. We will also showcase the integration of RRAM with peripheral CMOS at 40nm for a complete compute-in-memory prototype chip. Future research directions will be discussed. Speaker(s): Prof. Shimeng Yu, Virtual: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/284899

Power flow control techniques have been practiced, from using inductors, capacitors, transformers and load tap changers in the earlier days of electrical engineering to power electronics-based solutions in recent years. Even though the costs and complexities of the available solutions vary widely, the basic underlying theory of power flow control is still the same as it always has been. The question is which solution one should employ. The answer depends on knowing what the true need is. The power industry’s pressing need for the most economical ways to transfer bulk power along a desired path may be met by building new transmission lines, which is a long and costly process. Alternately, it may be quicker and cheaper to utilize the existing transmission lines more efficiently. The key is to identify the underutilized transmission lines and harness their dormant capacity to increase the power flows to the lines’ thermal limits. The presentation is designed to provide the basic principles of power flow control theory, an overview of the most commonly used power flow controllers, and future trends. The audience will hear from an expert who actually designed and commissioned a number of power electronics-based FACTS controllers since their inception in the 1990s Speaker(s): Kalyan K. Sen, PhD, PE, MBA, IEEE Fellow, Virtual: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/282280

Power flow control techniques have been practiced, from using inductors, capacitors, transformers and load tap changers in the earlier days of electrical engineering to power electronics-based solutions in recent years. Even though the costs and complexities of the available solutions vary widely, the basic underlying theory of power flow control is still the same as it always has been. The question is which solution one should employ. The answer depends on knowing what the true need is. The power industry’s pressing need for the most economical ways to transfer bulk power along a desired path may be met by building new transmission lines, which is a long and costly process. Alternately, it may be quicker and cheaper to utilize the existing transmission lines more efficiently. The key is to identify the underutilized transmission lines and harness their dormant capacity to increase the power flows to the lines’ thermal limits. The presentation is designed to provide the basic principles of power flow control theory, an overview of the most commonly used power flow controllers, and future trends. The audience will hear from an expert who actually designed and commissioned a number of power electronics-based FACTS controllers since their inception in the 1990s Speaker(s): Kalyan K. Sen, PhD, PE, MBA, IEEE Fellow, Virtual: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/282280

Speaker: Prof. Rachel Oliver, Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge Abstract: A quantum light source is a device that can generate one single photon – or an entangled pair of photons - on demand. Whilst a single photon emitter would be pretty useless as a car headlight or bedside lamp, these devices are in increasing demand for new developments in optical communication which might exploit fundamental principles of quantum physics to achieve data security. Linear optical quantum computation, precision optical measurement and even random number generation also present potential applications opportunities for such light sources. However, many of the most mature quantum light sources operate at temperatures only accessible using liquid helium, at best inconvenient and at worst prohibitive for applications. Exploiting nitride semiconductors allows device concepts developed in the more conventional arsenide semiconductor family to be applied, but whilst arsenide devices are limited to cryogenic temperatures, nitride devices can operate at temperatures accessible using on-chip, Peltier cooling, and in some cases even at room temperature. Unfortunately, working with these less mature semiconductors has its pitfalls: high densities of defects and the impact of internal electric fields can limit device performance. For example, the wavelength of emission from nitride single photon emitters wanders with time, which is not compatible with applications which demand resonance of the emitter with a cavity or (more stringently) the emission of indistinguishable photons. Nitrides crystals grown in unusual orientations can overcome these challenges whilst maintaining good temperature stability, providing new opportunities for real-world quantum technologies. Bio: Professor Rachel Oliver is Director of the Cambridge Centre for Gallium Nitride. She leads research projects across the full range of the Centre’s activities, and her personal passion is understanding how the small scale structure of nitride materials effects the performance and properties of devices. She uses expertise in microscopy and materials growth to lead the development of new nanoscale nitride structures which will provide new functionality to the devices of the future. She is also passionate about communicating science to the general public and hence widening participation in science by under-represented groups, particularly women. Dr. Oliver is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering. Virtual: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/285280

Speaker: Prof. Rachel Oliver, Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge Abstract: A quantum light source is a device that can generate one single photon – or an entangled pair of photons - on demand. Whilst a single photon emitter would be pretty useless as a car headlight or bedside lamp, these devices are in increasing demand for new developments in optical communication which might exploit fundamental principles of quantum physics to achieve data security. Linear optical quantum computation, precision optical measurement and even random number generation also present potential applications opportunities for such light sources. However, many of the most mature quantum light sources operate at temperatures only accessible using liquid helium, at best inconvenient and at worst prohibitive for applications. Exploiting nitride semiconductors allows device concepts developed in the more conventional arsenide semiconductor family to be applied, but whilst arsenide devices are limited to cryogenic temperatures, nitride devices can operate at temperatures accessible using on-chip, Peltier cooling, and in some cases even at room temperature. Unfortunately, working with these less mature semiconductors has its pitfalls: high densities of defects and the impact of internal electric fields can limit device performance. For example, the wavelength of emission from nitride single photon emitters wanders with time, which is not compatible with applications which demand resonance of the emitter with a cavity or (more stringently) the emission of indistinguishable photons. Nitrides crystals grown in unusual orientations can overcome these challenges whilst maintaining good temperature stability, providing new opportunities for real-world quantum technologies. Bio: Professor Rachel Oliver is Director of the Cambridge Centre for Gallium Nitride. She leads research projects across the full range of the Centre’s activities, and her personal passion is understanding how the small scale structure of nitride materials effects the performance and properties of devices. She uses expertise in microscopy and materials growth to lead the development of new nanoscale nitride structures which will provide new functionality to the devices of the future. She is also passionate about communicating science to the general public and hence widening participation in science by under-represented groups, particularly women. Dr. Oliver is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering. Virtual: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/285280

You are invited to join us for a virtual lunch and learning at the IEEE Industry Applications Society - Atlanta Chapter meeting. Virtual Meeting Cost: Free (Open to IEEE Members, Non-Members, and Students) Speaker(s): Joe Campa, Agenda: Meeting Starts: 12:00 Noon ATLANTA, Georgia, United States, Virtual: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/286012

You are invited to join us for lunch and learning at the IEEE Industry Applications Society - Atlanta Chapter meeting. In-person Meeting Cost: Free (Limited to 15 people with valid IEEE membership) Speaker(s): Joe Campa, Agenda: Registration: 11:30 AM Meeting Starts: 12:00 Noon Critical Components, Inc., 120 Interstate North Pkwy SE, Suite 305, Atlanta, Georgia, United States, 30339, Virtual: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/286009

Smart assistive environments adapt to the needs and preferences of disabled or elderly users who need help with the activities of daily living. However, the needs and requests of users vary greatly, both due to personal preferences and type of disability. As handcrafting an environment is prohibitively expensive, in recent years significant research was done in systems that use machine learning to create a predictive model of the user. Machine learning, however, typically requires large amounts of data. A stand-alone smart environment, however, only has access to the data collected from its user since it was deployed. A possible solution is to perform centralized, cloud-based learning by pooling the training data collected from multiple users. However, uploading data collected from the personal habits of elderly and disabled users create significant security and privacy concerns. In this talk, we investigate the type of data sharing necessary for learning user models in smart environments and propose several novel considerations. We point out that data sharing is only ethical if the user derives a benefit from it. This implies that the decision to share data must be periodically revisited, it is not a commitment extending indefinitely in the future. We study the data sharing decisions made by users under several machine learning frameworks: local, cloud, and federated learning. We show that most users only benefit from data sharing for a limited interval after the deployment of the system. We also investigate machine learning techniques that predict whether the user will benefit from sharing the data before the data is shared. Co-sponsored by: Tamseel Mahmood - syed.tamseel@ieee.org Speaker(s): Dr. Damla Turgut, Agenda: Bio: Dr. Turgut is Charles Millican Professor of Computer Science at the University of Central Florida (UCF). She is the co-director of the AI Things Laboratory. She held visiting researcher positions at the University of Rome ``La Sapienza'', Imperial College of London, and KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden. Her research interests include wireless ad hoc, sensor, underwater, vehicular, and social networks, edge/cloud computing, smart cities, smart grids, IoT-enabled healthcare and augmented reality, as well as considerations of privacy in the Internet of Things. Dr. Turgut serves on several editorial boards and program committees of prestigious ACM and IEEE journals and conferences. Her most recent honors include the NCWIT 2021 Mentoring Award for Undergraduate Research (MAUR), the UCF Research Incentive Award, and the UCF Women of Distinction Award. Since 2019, she serves as the N2Women Board Co-Chair where she co-leads the activities of the N2Women Board in supporting female researchers in the fields of networking and communications. She is an IEEE ComSoc Distinguished Lecturer, IEEE Senior Member, and the Chair-Elect of the IEEE Technical Committee on Computer Communications (TCCC). Virtual: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/286611

High-frequency power electronics progresses along three major branches: PWM converters, switched-capacitor converters, and resonant converters. PWM converters have been the workhorse for most power conversion applications today. However, their bulky magnetics limit further power density improvement. Switched-capacitor converters do not need magnetics, but poor voltage regulation prevents them from a wide adoption. Resonant converters have penetrated some applications, but they are not ready to replace the PWM converters for high-power applications due to their high RMS voltage/current. Researchers in the community have searched for new solutions with better efficiency, regulation, and power density. As a result, there has been increased intertwining and interactions among these branches. The UCI Power Electronics Laboratory has been working at the confluence of PWM, resonant, and switched-capacitor converters for >7 years. During this time, we have invented several new switched-capacitor converters and resonant switched-capacitor converters. Recently, we made a breakthrough in a general “PWM-like” control/modulation method applicable to most resonant switched-capacitor converters to achieve full range voltage regulation with only a 2X frequency swing and only one small inductor (nano-henry scale without DC bias). This new generation of power converters has the potential to replace a wide array of conventional PWM converters and dramatically reduce magnetic components or eliminate the bulky magnetics overall in fully-integrated power-chips. This lecture reports our discoveries at the confluence of these major power electronics branches. Speaker(s): Keyue Ma Smedley, Atlanta, Georgia, United States, Virtual: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/287725

PWM converters have been the workhorse for most power conversion applications today. However, their bulky magnetics limit further power density improvement. Over the years, researchers recognized that switched-capacitor converters do not need magnetics, but poor voltage regulation prevents them from wide adoption. Resonant converters have penetrated some applications, but they are not ready to replace the PWM converters for high-power applications due to their high RMS voltage/current and limited regulation capability. Researchers in the community have been searching for new solutions with better efficiency, regulation, and power density at the confluence of PWM, resonant, and switching-capacitor converters. The UCI (UC Irvine) Power Electronics Laboratory has dedicated its effort to this search for the last seven years. We have discovered several new switched-capacitor converters and resonant switched-capacitor converters. Recently, we made a breakthrough to realize full-range voltage regulation of resonant switched capacitor converters with one small inductor. In this speech, Dr. Smedley will present a general “PWM-like” control method for resonant switched-capacitor converters with only a 2X frequency swing and only one small inductor (nano-henry scale without DC bias). This new generation of power converters can replace a wide array of conventional PWM converters, dramatically reduce magnetic components, and eventually eliminate the bulky magnetics overall in fully integrated power chips. Speaker(s): Keyue Ma Smedley, Atlanta, Georgia, United States, Virtual: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/287725

Bimonthly Administrative Meeting IMPORTANT: Virtual Meeting (call-in only). Call-in information: IEEE Atlanta Section ExCom/AdCom Meeting Tuesday, November 30, 2021 6:30 PM | (UTC-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada) | 1 hr 30 mins Join WebEx meeting https://ieeemeetings.webex.com/ieeemeetings/j.php?MTID=m920aa5793d52595ee9c94ac1f9637a32 Meeting number: 2538 743 9323 Meeting password: Za3nqYA7hn9 Join from a video system or application Dial 25387439323@ieeemeetings.webex.com You can also dial 173.243.2.68 and enter your meeting number. To dial from an IEEE Video Conference System: *1 2538 743 9323 Tap to join from a mobile device (attendees only) +1-415-655-0002,,25387439323## United States Toll 1-855-282-6330,,25387439323## United States Toll Free Join by phone +1-415-655-0002 United States Toll 1-855-282-6330 United States Toll Free Global call-in numbers | Toll-free calling restrictions Agenda: 6:00 Dinner 6:30 Meeting Room: 5th Floor Board Room, Bldg: GTRI Conference Center, 250 14th St NW, Atlanta, Georgia, United States, 30318, Virtual: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/283890

Bimonthly Administrative Meeting IMPORTANT: We are determining whether to hold this ExCom/AdCom as a hybrid meeting or call-in only. Call-in information: TBD Agenda: 6:00 Dinner (TBD) 6:30 Meeting Room: 5th Floor Board Room, Bldg: GTRI Conference Center, 250 14th St NW, Atlanta, Georgia, United States, 30318, Virtual: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/283890