Inside Our ProgramProgram Events
Events
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May17
EVENT DETAILS
lessFriday / CS Seminar
May 17th / 12:00 PM
Hybrid / Mudd 3514Speaker
Stephen Xia, Northwestern UniversityTalk Title
Actuating Humans and Drones Towards Smarter and Efficient Built EnvironmentsAbstract
We spend 90% of our time in our homes and buildings, which consume 75% of the electricity and greenhouse gas emissions. Optimizing the control of building resources is critical for realizing greener built environments that are convenient, comfortable, and energy efficient. Traditionally, solutions have centered around tuning three classes of knobs: heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), lighting, and appliances. In this talk, I will discuss several lines of work for realizing two unconventional resources that our buildings can interact with and, more importantly, “actuate” to achieve greater improvements in comfort, health, automation, and energy efficiency: humans and drones. Specifically, I will discuss how we can significantly improve energy savings, comfort, and health of occupants by adding a single knob: “recommending” occupants to move locations. Next, I will discuss ongoing work towards enabling drones as another unconventional resource that our environments can actuate alongside more traditional building appliances. Finally, I will conclude with a discussion on future directions and open challenges for optimizing future buildings and smart cities with humans, drones, and other robotics.Biography
Stephen Xia is an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Northwestern University. His research lies at the intersection between systems, embedded machine learning, and signal processing, spanning areas in mobile and embedded computing, Internet-of-Things, cyber-physical systems, artificial intelligence, and smart health. His work focuses on realizing truly intelligent and autonomous environments by embedding and utilizing compute, perception, actuation, storage, and networking resources commonly found all around us. Stephen’s research has been highlighted by many popular media outlets, including Mashable, Fast Company, and Gizmodo, and has received various distinctions including multiple Best Demo Awards, Best Presentation Awards, and a Best Paper Award. Prior to Northwestern, Stephen received his Ph.D. in 2022 from Columbia University and his B.S. in 2016 from Rice University, all in Electrical Engineering.Research Area/Interests
mobile and embedded systems, IoT, cyber-physical systems, smart healthZoom: https://northwestern.zoom.us/j/96554537462?pwd=ZUNlSnpweEp5VHQ2emxYRC85c0ZGZz09
TIME Friday, May 17, 2024 at 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
LOCATION 3514, Mudd Hall ( formerly Seeley G. Mudd Library) map it
CONTACT Wynante R Charles wynante.charles@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR Department of Computer Science (CS)
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May22
EVENT DETAILS
lessWednesday / CS Distinguished Lecture
May 22nd / 12:00 PM
Hybrid / Mudd 3514Speaker
Brenda Darden Wilkerson, AnitaB.orgTalk Title
The Power of One: Who is Missing In Tech?Abstract
AnitaB.org President and CEO Brenda Darden Wilkerson illustrates the conspicuous absence of women and non-binary individuals in key tech roles, questioning why these voices are often missing from crucial discussions and decision-making processes. She advocates fervently for their inclusion not only as consumers but as creators within the tech landscape, underscoring the detrimental effects of their underrepresentation through examples like biased AI systems and flawed medical devices. Wilkerson also champions the urgency of achieving gender parity in the tech industry, a goal projected to take an unsettling 132 years according to current estimates. With a deep sense of purpose, Wilkerson delves into the essence of humanity that AnitaB.org strives to embody, emphasizing the organization's commitment to understanding and addressing the distinct challenges faced by historically minoritized communities. She concludes by highlighting the critical importance of community and collaboration in overcoming societal challenges, inspiring her listeners to engage actively in creating a more equitable and diverse technological future.Biography
Brenda Darden Wilkerson is a prominent figure in the tech industry, renowned for her dedication to promoting computer science education for all. She is the current President and CEO of AnitaB.org, a global nonprofit organization that works to connect and empower women and non-binary people in technology, with a vision of intersectional gender equity and pay parity in the tech ecosystem.
With over 30 years of experience in the technology industry, Brenda is a vocal advocate for diversity and inclusion in the field. She is a recognized leader in the movement to make computer science education accessible to all, regardless of gender, race, or socioeconomic background.
Prior to joining AnitaB.org, she spent 11 years managing computer science and information technology for Chicago Public Schools (CPS). In 2008, while she was still at CPS, she founded the groundbreaking Computer Science for All program, which aims to maximize the potential of every student through a computer science education defined by equity, empowerment, and opportunity. Also, during that time, Brenda founded the Chicago chapter of Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA). Through her efforts, she connected with educators and industry leaders to raise awareness about the importance of computer science education and the need to increase access to those opportunities.
In 2016, Brenda was appointed by President Barack Obama to the White House’s Tech Inclusion Task Force, where she worked with other experts to create strategies for increasing diversity and inclusion in the tech industry. She was also a driving force behind the launch of the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT), which seeks to increase the participation of girls and women in computing.
As the leader of AnitaB.org, Brenda has continued to influence technology equity on a global scale. Under her leadership, the organization has expanded its reach to include programs that support women and non-binary technologists at all stages of their careers, including mentorship, leadership development, and advocacy.
Brenda’s contributions to the field of technology education have been recognized with numerous awards and accolades, including the 2017 Computer Science Education Week Champion of Change Award from the White House and the 2019 Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) Lifetime Achievement Award. She is a passionate advocate for access, opportunity, and social justice in the tech industry, and her work continues to inspire and empower women, non-binary people, and historically excluded groups in technology.
Brenda was named to the 2023 Forbes 50 Over 50 list for Impact. The third annual list is a collection of founders, innovators, and creators and is divided into four broad categories – Innovation, Impact, Investment, and Lifestyle. The women on the 50 Over 50 Impact list are leading the charge for a better world.
Most recently, Brenda was selected as one of five honorees for the 2024 SXSW Community Service Awards.Research Area/Interests
Emerging Tech, Cybersecurity, AI SafetyZoom: TBA
TIME Wednesday, May 22, 2024 at 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
LOCATION 3514, Mudd Hall ( formerly Seeley G. Mudd Library) map it
CONTACT Wynante R Charles wynante.charles@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR Department of Computer Science (CS)
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May29
EVENT DETAILS
lessWednesday / CS Distinguished Lecture
May 29th / 12:00 PM
Hybrid / Mudd 3514Speaker
Ken ReganTalk Title
Cheating Detection and Cognitive Modeling At ChessAbstract
The "Fidelity" model of human move-choice at chess resembles utility-based predictive models that gauge risk and forecast consumer behavior. The events are possible moves in a series of chess positions; the utilities are the values of those moves given by strong chess-playing programs; the parameters are player skill indicators; and the outputs give projections and confidence intervals for various aggregate statistics. The outputs are employed by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) and various national federations to help arbitrate allegations of players cheating with strong computer programs in human-only matches. The model also promotes general research on human decision making, in real competitive settings where evaluation metrics such as the Elo rating system are robust and long established.
The talk will present some applications, including how results give positive feedback on the security of competitions. Then it will address matters of the "replication crisis" and general conduct of science as employed in forecasting. How can we tell the line between results indicating human psychological phenomena and artifacts of the model's construction and graininess? What cross-validations and simple sanity checks are there for its conclusions on cheating and other matters of human development? This will open to general Q&A.
*Some of this work is joint with the late Guy Haworth of the University of Reading (UK) and with my PhD graduate Tamal Biswas (RKMVERI in Kolkata, India) and reflects discussions with other students in graduate seminars. Computational resources are provided by the Department of CSE and the UB Center for Computational Research (CCR).
Biography
Kenneth W. Regan is a full professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University at Buffalo. He has worked in Computational Complexity Theory since obtaining his B.A. in 1981 from Princeton University and his doctorate in 1986 from Oxford University, where he was a Marshall Scholar. He co-writes Richard Lipton's popular weblog "Gödel’s Lost Letter and P=NP" and has written with Lipton a textbook on quantum computing for MIT Press. He is an International Master at chess and conducts a second major research program on human decision-making (at chess). Regan has been consulted in major international chess-cheating cases since 2011 and was a charter member in 2013 of the precursor to the International Chess Federation's Fair Play Commission, for which he now consults. He is married with two children.Research Area/Interests
TBAZoom: TBA
TIME Wednesday, May 29, 2024 at 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
LOCATION 3514, Mudd Hall ( formerly Seeley G. Mudd Library) map it
CONTACT Wynante R Charles wynante.charles@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR Department of Computer Science (CS)
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May30
EVENT DETAILS
lessTBA
TIME Thursday, May 30, 2024 at 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
LOCATION 3514, Mudd Hall ( formerly Seeley G. Mudd Library) map it
CONTACT Wynante R Charles wynante.charles@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR Department of Computer Science (CS)
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May30
EVENT DETAILS
lessYou are invited to our annual CS End of the Year Awards & Ice Cream Social! Held on Thursday, May 30th on the 1st floor lobby of Mudd and awards will begin at 3pm. If you are interested in attending, please be sure to RSVP by following this link https://shorturl.at/elpRW.
TIME Thursday, May 30, 2024 at 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
LOCATION 1st Floor Lobby, Mudd Hall ( formerly Seeley G. Mudd Library) map it
CONTACT Wynante R Charles wynante.charles@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR Department of Computer Science (CS)
