Happening @ Michigan https://events.umich.edu/list/rss RSS Feed for Happening @ Michigan Events at the University of Michigan. BME PhD Defense: Steven M. Peterson (August 17, 2018 10:30am) https://events.umich.edu/event/53424 53424-13381393@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, August 17, 2018 10:30am
Location: Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Organized By: Biomedical Engineering

Humans must frequently adapt their posture to prevent loss of balance. Such balance control requires complex, precisely-timed coordination among sensory input, neural processing, and motor output. Despite its importance, our current understanding of cortical involvement during balance control remains limited by traditional neuroimaging methods, which are stationary and have poor time resolution. High-density electroencephalography (EEG), combined with independent component analysis, has become a promising tool for recording cortical dynamics during balance perturbations due to its portability and high temporal resolution. Additionally, recent improvements in immersive virtual reality headsets may provide new rehabilitative paradigms, but the effects of virtual reality on balance and cortical function remain poorly understood.

In my first study, I recorded high-density EEG from healthy, young adult subjects as they walked along a beam with and without virtual reality high heights exposure. While virtual high heights did induce stress, the use of virtual reality during the task increased performance errors and EEG measures of cognitive loading compared to real-world viewing without a headset. In my second study, I collected high-density EEG from healthy young adults as they walked along a treadmill-mounted balance beam to determine the effect of a transient visual perturbation on training in virtual reality. Subjects in the perturbations group improved comparably to those that trained without virtual reality, indicating that the perturbation helped subjects overcome the negative effects of virtual reality on motor learning. The perturbation primarily elicited a cognitive change. In my third study, healthy, young adult EEG was recorded during physical pull and visual rotation perturbations to tandem walking and tandem standing. I found similar electrocortical patterns for both perturbation types, but different cortical areas were involved for each. In my fourth study, I used a phantom head to validate EEG connectivity methods based on Granger causality in a real-world environment. In general, connectivity measures could determine the underlying connections, but many were susceptible to high-frequency false positives. Using data from my third study, my fifth study analyzed corticomuscular connectivity patterns following sensorimotor balance perturbations. I found strong occipito-parietal connections regardless of perturbation type, along with evidence of direct muscular control from the supplementary motor area during the standing perturbation response.

Taken together, the work presented in this dissertation greatly expands upon the current knowledge of cortical processing during sensorimotor balance perturbations and the effect of such perturbations on short-term motor learning, providing multiple avenues for future exploration.

CO-CHAIRS: Dr. Cynthia Chestek and Dr. Daniel P. Ferris

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Lecture / Discussion Mon, 06 Aug 2018 10:12:36 -0400 2018-08-17T10:30:00-04:00 2018-08-17T11:30:00-04:00 Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr Biomedical Engineering Lecture / Discussion BME
BME PhD Defense: Grant Hanada (August 17, 2018 1:30pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/53562 53562-13407924@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, August 17, 2018 1:30pm
Location: Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Organized By: Biomedical Engineering

Mobile brain and body imaging (MoBI) presents new and promising methods for moving traditional research studies out of a controlled laboratory and into the real world. Most current neuroimaging techniques require subjects to be stationary in laboratory settings because of both hardware and software limitations. Recent developments in mobile brain imaging have utilized Electroencephalography (EEG) in conjunction with advanced signal processing techniques such as Independent Component Analysis (ICA) to overcome these obstacles and study humans doing complex tasks in non-traditional environments. In my first study, I used high density EEG to examine the cortical dynamics of subjects walking on a split-belt treadmill with legs moving independently of each other at different speeds to investigate how humans adapt to novel perturbations. I found significantly increased low and high frequency spectral power across all sensorimotor and parietal neural sources during split-belt adaptation compared to normal walking, which provides insight into the brain areas and patterns used to accommodate locomotor adaptation. In my second study I combined multi-modal sensing and biometric devices including EEG, eye tracking, heart rate, accelerometers, and salivary cortisol into a portable setup that subjects wore indoors on a treadmill using virtual reality as well as outdoors in a public arboretum. Subjects walked for 1 hour each indoors and outdoors while completing a free viewing visual search oddball task in virtual reality and in real life. I reported on the methods for how to set this experiment up, synchronize all data, and standardize the data in order to make it usable as an open access dataset that has been made available to the public online. My third study used this data set to examine the P300 event-related potential response during both indoors in virtual reality and outdoors in the arboretum. I found a significantly increased P300 amplitude response across the centro-parietal electrodes that distinguished target flags from distractor flags during visual search for both indoor and outdoor environments. And finally, for my fourth study I used the same data set to look at the behavioral and neural correlates associated with gait dynamics when subjects walked indoors on a treadmill vs outdoors in variable terrain while also doing the visual search task. I found significant EEG power differences across multiple neural sources that showed increased spectral fluctuations throughout the gait cycle when subjects walked outdoors compared to indoors on a treadmill.

The collective studies in this dissertation present new ways of using mobile brain and body imaging devices to expand our knowledge of the neural dynamics involved in humans moving in complex ways and in variable environments outside of traditional laboratories.

DATE: Friday, August 17, 2018
TIME: 1:30 PM
LOCATION: General Motors Conference Room, Lurie Engineering Center (4th floor)
CO-CHAIRS: Dr. Cynthia Chestek and Dr. Daniel P. Ferris

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Lecture / Discussion Thu, 09 Aug 2018 09:24:16 -0400 2018-08-17T13:30:00-04:00 2018-08-17T14:30:00-04:00 Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr Biomedical Engineering Lecture / Discussion BME
New CoE PhD Student Trivia Night (August 20, 2018 11:00am) https://events.umich.edu/event/53940 53940-13502219@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Monday, August 20, 2018 11:00am
Location: Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Organized By: Engineering Office of Student Affairs

INFORMS at the University of Michigan invites all incoming College of Engineering PhD students to a trivia night on Wednesday, September 5, from 5:30-8:30 PM. Dinner will be provided.

This will be a great opportunity to meet other new PhD students across all CoE departments in a relaxed, fun atmosphere. We look forward to welcoming many new PhD students to campus.

Please register by August 31 (space is limited!).
Contact Adam VanDeusen (ajvandeu@umich.edu) or Thomas Chen (tyjchen@umich.edu) with any questions.

This event is supported by the College of Engineering Office of Student Affairs.

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Social / Informal Gathering Mon, 20 Aug 2018 11:50:51 -0400 2018-08-20T11:00:00-04:00 2018-08-20T12:00:00-04:00 Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr Engineering Office of Student Affairs Social / Informal Gathering Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
PhD Defense: Matthew Marcath (August 21, 2018 10:00am) https://events.umich.edu/event/53937 53937-13502210@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Tuesday, August 21, 2018 10:00am
Location: Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Organized By: Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences

Title: Measured and Simulated Prompt Fission Neutron and Photon Correlations

Chair: Prof. Sara Pozzi

An accurate understanding of fission is critical to characterization of special nuclear material (SNM) for nonproliferation and safeguards applications. Noninvasive and nondestructive techniques rely primarily on highly penetrating and relatively abundant fission emissions. Spontaneously and under particle interrogation, SNM emits neutrons and photons from fission, which are characteristic of the fissioning isotopes. Characteristic neutrons and photons are emitted from nuclear fission when a deformed, neutron-rich nucleus divides into two fragments that then de-excite. During de-excitation, neutrons are emitted first, followed by photons; this process gives rise to correlations. New, event-by-event, physics-based models, CGMF (Los Alamos National Laboratory) and FREYA (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory), predict correlations in prompt fission emissions. Current safeguards and nonproliferation systems do not utilize angular or multiplicity correlations. Little data exist to validate these models; correlated quantities have been measured only for 252Cf(sf). My work provides measured correlation data to validate models useful for future system design.

Previous correlation measurements have been limited by the acquisition challenges of a many-detector array and therefore have used simple detector systems. Additionally, few detection methods exist that are simultaneously efficient to neutrons and photons. In this work, I show a many-detector array of pulse-shape-discrimination-capable organic scintillators, sensitive to both fast neutrons and photons, to measure correlations in neutron energy, photon energy, multiplicity, and emission angle. This work is achieved through MCNPX-PoliMi simulations and through use of time-synchronized, high-throughput, multiple-digitizer acquisition systems. I measured the 240Pu(sf) neutron-neutron angular distribution and found it to be less anisotropic than the 252Cf(sf) neutrons. 240Pu(sf) and 252Cf(sf) neutron-neutron angular distribution simulation results indicate that fission models capture the general trend of neutron anisotropy. 252Cf(sf) and 240Pu(sf) experimental multiplicity results suggest weak neutron-photon competition during fragment de-excitation. The measured correlations were compared with MCNPX-PoliMi simulations using the built-in model and two new event-by- event fission models, CGMF and FREYA, which predict correlations in prompt emissions from fission. Simulation results from CGMF and FREYA predict a stronger negative correlation than the experiment result.

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Lecture / Discussion Mon, 20 Aug 2018 10:55:18 -0400 2018-08-21T10:00:00-04:00 2018-08-21T12:00:00-04:00 Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences Lecture / Discussion Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Understanding Taxes (September 11, 2018 3:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/54173 54173-13537252@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Tuesday, September 11, 2018 3:00pm
Location: Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Organized By: Engineering Office of Student Affairs

Learn the ins and outs of filing taxes as a graduate student-especially if you are filing quarterly. This workshop is primarily for domestic students. Sponsored by Rackham Graduate School and the CoE Office of Student Affairs.

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Workshop / Seminar Fri, 24 Aug 2018 10:29:02 -0400 2018-09-11T15:00:00-04:00 2018-09-11T17:00:00-04:00 Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr Engineering Office of Student Affairs Workshop / Seminar Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
METS Ice Cream Social (September 12, 2018 5:30pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/54976 54976-13660788@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, September 12, 2018 5:30pm
Location: Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Organized By: Michigan Engineering Transfer Support (METS)

Life is short. Eat dessert first! Stop by for a sweet treat and meet other engineering transfer students.

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Social / Informal Gathering Tue, 11 Sep 2018 11:17:02 -0400 2018-09-12T17:30:00-04:00 2018-09-12T19:00:00-04:00 Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr Michigan Engineering Transfer Support (METS) Social / Informal Gathering IC Social
Healthcare Engineering & Patient Safety Symposium (September 17, 2018 5:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/54997 54997-13663008@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Monday, September 17, 2018 5:00pm
Location: Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Organized By: U-M Industrial & Operations Engineering

Join us to learn more about how the Center for Healthcare Engineering and Patient Safety (CHEPS) is improving the safety and quality of healthcare delivery by identifying, fostering, and promoting collaborative projects across the University.

The symposium will feature refreshments, posters from researchers across the university and beyond, as well as networking.

Posters will represent collaborations between:
College of Engineering
Medical School
School of Public Health
School of Nursing
Michigan Medicine
and more...

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Conference / Symposium Fri, 07 Sep 2018 13:25:56 -0400 2018-09-17T17:00:00-04:00 2018-09-17T19:30:00-04:00 Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr U-M Industrial & Operations Engineering Conference / Symposium Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
ECE Innovator Program: Presentations and Reception (September 21, 2018 3:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/55516 55516-13750144@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, September 21, 2018 3:00pm
Location: Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Organized By: Electrical and Computer Engineering

You are invited to attend a special event organized to recognize the three finalists of the inaugural 2018 ECE Innovator Program and to present the first 2018 ECE Innovator with $75,000 to help launch their commercialization effort on a technology developed through their research in ECE.

The “ECE Innovator Program” is aimed at inspiring and facilitating the commercialization of research conducted in ECE by providing financial support to a team of entrepreneurs with both technical and product management skills. ECE has long been a hub of top-notch research and significant innovation and commercialization of intellectual property. This new program is made possible through a donation by an ECE alumnus Rick Bolander, Managing Director and co-founder of Gabriel Venture Partners and eLab Ventures, who has been a successful serial entrepreneur himself. ECE has matched this generous donation to fund and launch this new program.

A panel of experts reviewed nine proposals submitted by ECE researchers, and selected three finalists. The finalists will present their proposed innovation and commercialization plan to the panel of experts and the public on September 21, 2018. The panel will then select the 2018 ECE Innovator.

The three finalist projects and proposing teams are:

Self-Powered IoT for Smart Manufacturing and Transportation (ActiveMEMS)
Dr. Ethem Erkan Aktakka

Advanced Wireless Technology
Ms. Avish Kosari, Dr. Armin Jam, Professor David Wentzloff

Large-Scale Ultra-thin Doped Silver Film for Flexible Transparent Electrodes
Mr. Yongbum Park, Mr. Chengang Ji, Professor Jay Guo

In addition, one of the nine proposers will present a short summary of their commercialization plan:

Small Precision Affordable Rotation Sensors (SPARS)
Dr. Jae Yoong Cho, Prof. Khalil Najafi


Program:

3:00pm: Introductions and Information about the program
3:15pm: Presentations by Finalist teams showcasing their groundbreaking technology
4:30pm: Closed Judges Panel Meeting to select the 2018 ECE Innovator
5:00pm: Announcement of 2018 ECE Innovator, and Reception

Panel of Experts:

Rick Bolander, Managing Director and co-founder of Gabriel Venture Partners and eLab Ventures

David Brophy, Professor and Director, Office for the Study of Private Equity Finance, Ross Business School, University of Michigan

Jonathan Fay, Dixon and Carol Doll Executive Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship, University of Michigan

Joseph A. Heanue, President and CEO, Triple Ring Technologies

Mingyan Liu, Peter and Evelyn Fuss Chair of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Michigan

Khalil Najafi, Schlumberger Professor of Engineering, ECE, University of Michigan
Bryce Pilz, Director of Licensing, U-M Office of Tech Transfer, University of Michigan

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Other Mon, 17 Sep 2018 15:17:27 -0400 2018-09-21T15:00:00-04:00 2018-09-21T18:00:00-04:00 Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr Electrical and Computer Engineering Other ECE Innovator Program
Time Management for Busy People (September 26, 2018 12:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/54176 54176-13537254@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, September 26, 2018 12:00pm
Location: Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Organized By: Engineering Office of Student Affairs

This workshop will describe several useful strategies to be a more productive writer, researcher and scholar. The interactive workshop will provide opportunities to think about and discuss your time management strategies with others, and help you find the most effective and efficient work flow practices.

Free lunch!

College of Engineering graduate students are invited to register by 9/20, at https://goo.gl/forms/WwE18mLCkczJxkaN2.

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Workshop / Seminar Fri, 24 Aug 2018 10:46:06 -0400 2018-09-26T12:00:00-04:00 2018-09-26T13:30:00-04:00 Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr Engineering Office of Student Affairs Workshop / Seminar Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Your Professional Brand: The Secrets to Building a Brand for Career Success (October 4, 2018 10:00am) https://events.umich.edu/event/54177 54177-13537256@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, October 4, 2018 10:00am
Location: Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Organized By: Engineering Office of Student Affairs

Believe it or not, our appearance, communication style and how we interact with others impacts how we’re perceived and whether we succeed. This perception is our brand. In this interactive workshop, participants will learn strategies that successful leaders use to build brands that… ✓ Earn respect and credibility ✓ Stand out from the competition ✓ Promote skills, talents and expertise ✓ Build a strong leadership presence and reputation. This highly-rated workshop has helped thousands of leaders across the nation build competitive brands. It’s fun, hands on and full of practical tactics used by career expert and three-time author, Jocelyn Giangrande to help clients shine. Participants look forward to gaining useful strategies with opportunities to practice, develop and apply lessons through engaging activities and discussions. Build your brand today for what you want tomorrow!

College of Engineering graduate students are invited to register by 10/2, at https://goo.gl/forms/wmwoW49IrEkGmtN13.

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Workshop / Seminar Fri, 24 Aug 2018 10:41:30 -0400 2018-10-04T10:00:00-04:00 2018-10-04T11:30:00-04:00 Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr Engineering Office of Student Affairs Workshop / Seminar Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
North Campus Sustainability Hour I (October 4, 2018 12:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/56278 56278-13871681@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, October 4, 2018 12:00pm
Location: Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Organized By: Tau Beta Pi

Come enjoy lunch while learning more about sustainability!

When: Thu. Oct. 04, 2018 noon–1 p.m.
Where: Johnson Rooms of the Lurie Building (on campus)

Sponsored by Tau Beta Pi.

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Presentation Wed, 03 Oct 2018 14:39:23 -0400 2018-10-04T12:00:00-04:00 2018-10-04T13:00:00-04:00 Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr Tau Beta Pi Presentation Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Story of Self Workshop (October 10, 2018 11:00am) https://events.umich.edu/event/56168 56168-13841821@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, October 10, 2018 11:00am
Location: Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Organized By: Engaging Scientists in Policy and Advocacy

JC Kibbey hosts a workshop where scientists will learn the importance of personal narratives to make compelling arguments to non-scientists. This event will be held at two locations, one on central campus, another on north campus. Event is an hour long, and will start at 11:00 am (North Campus) and at 1:00 pm (Central Campus). Lunch will be provided. RSVP: https://goo.gl/forms/sEzIv4jA64Sz6cZA3

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Workshop / Seminar Tue, 02 Oct 2018 11:12:39 -0400 2018-10-10T11:00:00-04:00 2018-10-10T12:00:00-04:00 Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr Engaging Scientists in Policy and Advocacy Workshop / Seminar JC Kibbey
Introduction To Science Policy (Panel Event) (October 11, 2018 12:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/56195 56195-13855647@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, October 11, 2018 12:00pm
Location: Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Organized By: Graduate Society of Women Engineers

GradSWE and MESWN are inviting students to attend this science policy panel event featuring Dr. Joy Rohde (associate professor of Ford school of public policy at UM), Kristina Ko (Senior Director of Federal Relations for Research), and Rachel Kirpes (PhD candidate at the department of Chemistry at University of Michigan).

The panel will be focused on introducing science and public policy, its impact on graduate student’s daily life, research, and funding, career paths in science and public policy and introducing more resources.

Questions are highly welcome. Lunch will be provided.

If interested, please RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/introduction-to-science-policy-panel-event-registration-50676262064

Please contact "Dhanya Abraham" and "Maryam Akram" at dmabe@umich.edu and akramrym@umich.edu if you have any questions.

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Workshop / Seminar Mon, 01 Oct 2018 21:57:40 -0400 2018-10-11T12:00:00-04:00 2018-10-11T13:00:00-04:00 Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr Graduate Society of Women Engineers Workshop / Seminar Science Policy
MESWN Coffee and Book Club (October 19, 2018 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/55704 55704-13772812@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, October 19, 2018 4:00pm
Location: Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Organized By: Michigan Earth Science Women's Network

MESWN (Michigan Earth Science Women's Network) is very happy to start a book club aimed at professional development of women from all disciplines. Book for Fall 2018 - Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg. We will be meeting twice this semester to discuss sections of the book. Let us share our insights on this awesome book over snacks and coffee! The first meeting (Oct 19th) will cover chapters 1-4 and the second meeting (Nov 16th) will cover chapters 4-8.

RSVP is required - https://goo.gl/forms/p1804cxvb9D1k9222
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/events/1830299247065578/

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Lecture / Discussion Thu, 20 Sep 2018 01:01:08 -0400 2018-10-19T16:00:00-04:00 2018-10-19T17:00:00-04:00 Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr Michigan Earth Science Women's Network Lecture / Discussion MESWN logo
North Campus Sustainability Hour II (October 24, 2018 12:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/56279 56279-13871682@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, October 24, 2018 12:00pm
Location: Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Organized By: Tau Beta Pi

Come enjoy lunch while learning more about sustainability!

When: Wed. Oct. 24, 2018 noon–1 p.m.
Where: Johnson Rooms in Lurie Building (on campus)

Sponsored by Tau Beta Pi.

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Presentation Tue, 16 Oct 2018 15:57:27 -0400 2018-10-24T12:00:00-04:00 2018-10-24T13:00:00-04:00 Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr Tau Beta Pi Presentation Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
PhD Defense: Ciara Sivels (October 24, 2018 2:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/56989 56989-14059374@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, October 24, 2018 2:00pm
Location: Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Organized By: Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences

Title: Development of an Advanced Radioxenon Detector for Nuclear Explosion Monitoring

Chair: Sara Pozzi

Abstract: The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty was opened for signature in 1996 and seeks to ban nuclear weapons testing worldwide. The International Monitoring System (IMS) was established to verify treaty compliance, and consists of four technologies: seismic, infrasound, hydroacoustic, and radionuclide. The radionuclide component of the IMS conducts atmospheric monitoring to identify radioactive particles and gases associated with nuclear testing, such as radioxenon. As a noble gas, the radioxenon produced in an underground nuclear explosion can be released into the atmosphere, for subsequent detection by the IMS. Radioxenon is also produced by fission-based civilian processes, such as nuclear reactors and medical isotope production facilities, requiring discrimination between these sources. The focus of this work is to improve the resolution and sensitivity of radioxenon monitoring systems.

Radioxenon is measured using beta-gamma coincidence techniques, typically with scintillating plastic and NaI(Tl) detectors; however, the poor energy resolution of the plastic results in isotopic interference, complicating the analysis. Additionally, radon emits decay energies that interfere with those from radioxenon, requiring complex gas- processing systems to filter it from the sample. Furthermore, radioxenon diffuses into the plastic detectors, which increases the background of subsequent measurements; this phenomenon is known as the memory effect. To mitigate these issues, this thesis demonstrated 1) an anticoincidence analysis method to better identify metastable isotopes, 2) a validated MCNPX-PoliMi simulation tool to analyze new detector systems and produce training spectra for analysis testing, and 3) a prototype radioxenon detector system based on stilbene.

Stilbene cell prototypes have been developed, tested, and compared with a traditional plastic scintillator cell. The results show that the stilbene cell has similar response to the plastic cell with an improved energy resolution, full-width at half-maximum decreased by 2.2 keV at 129 keV. The stilbene cell is capable of pulse shape discrimination allowing for radon mitigation through alpha identification. The analysis presented reduced the minimum detectable concentration of Xe-135 by 1% and could be used for environmental monitoring. The stilbene cell was shown to have 0.043% residual activity compared to 4.5% residual activity for the plastic cell, demonstrating significantly improved memory effect. The results presented in the thesis allow for better identification of metastable isotopes, improved simulation techniques, and improved detection sensitivity which could lead to improved source discrimination strengthening the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty verification regime.

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Lecture / Discussion Mon, 22 Oct 2018 13:37:01 -0400 2018-10-24T14:00:00-04:00 2018-10-24T16:00:00-04:00 Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences Lecture / Discussion Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
From Discrete Event Systems to Discreet Event Systems (Professorship Recognition Talk and Reception) (November 1, 2018 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/56722 56722-13969938@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, November 1, 2018 4:00pm
Location: Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Organized By: Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

On the occasion of being named N. Harris McClamroch Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Prof. Lafortune will give a brief talk followed by a reception.

Stéphane Lafortune is an international leader in discrete event systems (DES). His research in DES includes include multiple problem domains: modeling, diagnosis, control, optimization, and applications to computer and software systems.

Recently, his research has been focused on cyber-physical and networked systems, cybersecurity, and privacy. Applications include software systems, automated manufacturing systems, communication networks, document processing systems, process control systems, and transportation systems.

Lafortune is a Fellow of the IEEE (1999) and of the International Federation of Automatic Control (2017). He received the Presidential Young Investigator Award from the National Science Foundation in 1990 and the Axelby Outstanding Paper Award from the Control Systems Society of the IEEE in 1994 (for a paper co-authored with S.-L. Chung and F. Lin) and in 2001 (for a paper co-authored with G. Barrett).

He co-authored, with Christos Cassandras, the textbook Introduction to Discrete Event Systems (2nd Edition, Springer, 2008). He has served as Editor-in-Chief of the journal Discrete Event Dynamic Systems: Theory and Applications since 2015.

Lafortune obtained his degrees from École Polytechnique de Montréal (B.Eng), McGill University (M.Eng), and the University of California at Berkeley (PhD), all in electrical engineering. He joined Michigan in 1986.

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Lecture / Discussion Fri, 12 Oct 2018 13:25:38 -0400 2018-11-01T16:00:00-04:00 2018-11-01T17:00:00-04:00 Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Lecture / Discussion Stéphane Lafortune
North Campus Sustainability Hour III (November 6, 2018 12:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/56280 56280-13871683@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Tuesday, November 6, 2018 12:00pm
Location: Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Organized By: Tau Beta Pi

Come enjoy lunch while learning more about sustainability!

When: Tue. Nov. 06, 2018 noon–1 p.m.
Where: Johnson Rooms in Lurie Building (on campus)

Sponsored by Tau Beta Pi.

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Presentation Tue, 16 Oct 2018 15:58:00 -0400 2018-11-06T12:00:00-05:00 2018-11-06T13:00:00-05:00 Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr Tau Beta Pi Presentation Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Construction Annual Research Symposium (November 8, 2018 9:30am) https://events.umich.edu/event/57327 57327-14155507@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, November 8, 2018 9:30am
Location: Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Organized By: Civil and Environmental Engineering

The annual construction research symposium is an excellent opportunity for engineering students to learn about ongoing research projects in the construction field. Students will have a chance to meet industry partners, and view previous CEE 530 projects. Lunch will be provided.

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Conference / Symposium Fri, 02 Nov 2018 09:55:16 -0400 2018-11-08T09:30:00-05:00 2018-11-08T11:30:00-05:00 Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr Civil and Environmental Engineering Conference / Symposium construction
New Perspectives on the Piano Movers' Problem (November 8, 2018 1:30pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/57370 57370-14182265@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, November 8, 2018 1:30pm
Location: Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Organized By: Michigan Robotics

In 1979, Schwartz and Sharir introduced the Piano Movers' Problem --- move a piano in a cluttered home from start to goal without bumping into obstacles --- as a formalism for robot motion planning, spawning generations of research on graph search, trajectory optimization and randomized algorithms. Now, motion planning is a technology. But yet, surprisingly, there are several fundamental questions unanswered. In this talk, I will address two of them. The first, is a unifying formalism for search called LazySP [winner of the Best Paper Award at ICAPS 2018], that provides a single meta-algorithm capable of expressing several search algorithms like A*, Lazy A*, bidirectional A*, effortlessly. This formalism enables a surprisingly easy answer to a question that has been open for decades: is there an edge-optimal A* algorithm? The second is a formal connection between motion planning and machine learning, via Bayesian Active Learning [NIPS 2017, IJCAI 2018], which sets up an efficient algorithm for balancing exploration and exploitation for searching for shortest paths over graphs while exploiting the history of previous problems encountered.

Siddhartha Srinivasa is the Boeing Endowed Professor at The Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering at the University of Washington, and an IEEE Fellow. He is a full-stack roboticist, with the goal of enabling robots to perform complex manipulation tasks under uncertainty and clutter, with and around people. To this end, he founded the Personal Robotics Lab in 2005. He was a PI on the Quality of Life Technologies NSF ERC, DARPA ARM-S and the DARPA Robotics Challenge, has built several robots (HERB, ADA, CHIMP), and has written software frameworks (OpenRAVE, DART) and best-paper award winning algorithms (CBiRRT, CHOMP, BIT*, Legibility, LazySP) used extensively by roboticists around the world. Sidd received a B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras in 1999, and a PhD in 2005 from the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University. He played badminton and tennis for IIT Madras, captained the CMU squash team, and lately runs competitively.

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Workshop / Seminar Mon, 05 Nov 2018 08:18:04 -0500 2018-11-08T13:30:00-05:00 2018-11-08T14:30:00-05:00 Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr Michigan Robotics Workshop / Seminar Siddhartha
GradSWE Fall Networking Mixer (November 13, 2018 11:30am) https://events.umich.edu/event/57284 57284-14148798@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Tuesday, November 13, 2018 11:30am
Location: Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Organized By: Graduate Society of Women Engineers

Join GradSWE for its tri-annual Networking Mixer where you will be able to interact with professors and post-docs from the College of Engineering! This is a great opportunity to get insight from faculty. We'll be seating attendees at tables based on career and grad school related discussion topics. These topics will be selected on the registration form. Lunch will be provided! RSVP is required: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/gradswe-fall-networking-mixer-registration-51620358883.

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Workshop / Seminar Thu, 01 Nov 2018 12:50:01 -0400 2018-11-13T11:30:00-05:00 2018-11-13T12:30:00-05:00 Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr Graduate Society of Women Engineers Workshop / Seminar Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
MESWN Coffee and Book Club (November 16, 2018 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/55704 55704-13772813@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, November 16, 2018 4:00pm
Location: Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Organized By: Michigan Earth Science Women's Network

MESWN (Michigan Earth Science Women's Network) is very happy to start a book club aimed at professional development of women from all disciplines. Book for Fall 2018 - Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg. We will be meeting twice this semester to discuss sections of the book. Let us share our insights on this awesome book over snacks and coffee! The first meeting (Oct 19th) will cover chapters 1-4 and the second meeting (Nov 16th) will cover chapters 4-8.

RSVP is required - https://goo.gl/forms/p1804cxvb9D1k9222
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/events/1830299247065578/

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Lecture / Discussion Thu, 20 Sep 2018 01:01:08 -0400 2018-11-16T16:00:00-05:00 2018-11-16T17:00:00-05:00 Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr Michigan Earth Science Women's Network Lecture / Discussion MESWN logo
Overcoming Perfectionism (November 27, 2018 12:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/54179 54179-13537257@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Tuesday, November 27, 2018 12:00pm
Location: Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Organized By: Engineering Office of Student Affairs

Many college students believe that in order to be successful, they must strive to be perfect, and later suffer the consequences in this impossible pursuit. In this workshop, we will discuss the differences between a perfectionistic, and success-oriented mindset. We will look at strategies for overcoming perfectionism and you will walk away with an array of coping tools.

Lunch provided!

CoE graduate students are invited to register by 11/19, at https://goo.gl/forms/iyQvTTqDhRSxJlMx2.

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Workshop / Seminar Fri, 24 Aug 2018 10:44:21 -0400 2018-11-27T12:00:00-05:00 2018-11-27T13:30:00-05:00 Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr Engineering Office of Student Affairs Workshop / Seminar Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
North Campus Sustainability Hour IV (November 29, 2018 12:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/56281 56281-13871684@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, November 29, 2018 12:00pm
Location: Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Organized By: Tau Beta Pi

Come enjoy lunch while learning more about sustainability!

When: Thu. Nov. 29, 2018 noon–1 p.m.
Where: Johnson Rooms in Lurie Building (on campus)

Sponsored by Tau Beta Pi.

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Presentation Tue, 16 Oct 2018 15:58:19 -0400 2018-11-29T12:00:00-05:00 2018-11-29T13:00:00-05:00 Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr Tau Beta Pi Presentation Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
North Campus Sustainability Hour V (December 12, 2018 12:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/56282 56282-13871685@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, December 12, 2018 12:00pm
Location: Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Organized By: Tau Beta Pi

Come enjoy lunch while learning more about sustainability!

When: Wed. Dec. 12, 2018 noon–1 p.m.
Where: Johnson Rooms in Lurie Building (on campus)

Sponsored by Tau Beta Pi.

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Presentation Fri, 07 Dec 2018 12:06:14 -0500 2018-12-12T12:00:00-05:00 2018-12-12T13:00:00-05:00 Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr Tau Beta Pi Presentation Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
PhD Defense: Xiang Liu (December 18, 2018 9:30am) https://events.umich.edu/event/56059 56059-13823425@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Tuesday, December 18, 2018 9:30am
Location: Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Organized By: U-M Industrial & Operations Engineering

CANDIDATE: Xiang Li

TITLE OF DISSERTATION: Operations Research Models for Reducing Hospital Readmissions

CHAIR: Mariel Lavieri

________________________________________

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Lecture / Discussion Wed, 26 Sep 2018 14:53:04 -0400 2018-12-18T09:30:00-05:00 2018-12-18T11:30:00-05:00 Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr U-M Industrial & Operations Engineering Lecture / Discussion photo of xiang liu
Robotics Seminar - Marine Robotics: Planning, Decision Making, and Learning (February 8, 2019 3:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/58740 58740-14551049@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, February 8, 2019 3:00pm
Location: Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Organized By: Michigan Robotics

Underwater gliders, propeller-driven submersibles, and other marine robots are increasingly being tasked with gathering information (e.g., in environmental monitoring, offshore inspection, and coastal surveillance scenarios). However, in most of these scenarios, human operators must carefully plan the mission to ensure completion of the task. Strict human oversight not only makes such deployments expensive and time consuming but also makes some tasks impossible due to the requirement for heavy cognitive loads or reliable communication between the operator and the vehicle. We can mitigate these limitations by making the robotic information gatherers semi-autonomous, where the human provides high-level input to the system and the vehicle fills in the details on how to execute the plan. In this talk, I will show how a general framework that unifies information theoretic optimization and physical motion planning makes semi-autonomous information gathering feasible in marine environments. I will leverage techniques from stochastic motion planning, adaptive decision making, and deep learning to provide scalable solutions in a diverse set of applications such as underwater inspection, ocean search, and ecological monitoring. The techniques discussed here make it possible for autonomous marine robots to “go where no one has gone before,” allowing for information gathering in environments previously outside the reach of human divers.

Geoff Hollinger is an Assistant Professor in the Collaborative Robotics and Intelligent Systems (CoRIS) Institute at Oregon State University. His current research interests are in adaptive information gathering, distributed coordination, and learning for autonomous robotic systems. He has previously held research positions at the University of Southern California, Intel Research Pittsburgh, University of Pennsylvania’s GRASP Laboratory, and NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. He received his Ph.D. (2010) and M.S. (2007) in Robotics from Carnegie Mellon University and his B.S. in General Engineering along with his B.A. in Philosophy from Swarthmore College (2005). He is a recipient of the 2017 Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Program (YIP) award.

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Workshop / Seminar Thu, 17 Jan 2019 08:42:24 -0500 2019-02-08T15:00:00-05:00 2019-02-08T16:30:00-05:00 Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr Michigan Robotics Workshop / Seminar currents
CRLT Players -- Cuts: Responding to Student Climate Concerns (February 11, 2019 1:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/58447 58447-14500278@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Monday, February 11, 2019 1:00pm
Location: Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Organized By: CRLT-Engin

Though many universities aspire to cultivate a climate that is welcoming to the members of their diverse student, faculty, and staff bodies, we know that the lived experiences of many in our communities don't always align with these aspirations. In this CRLT Players session, participants will think together about the many forces that shape campus climate and work towards developing or refining a skill set that will allow them to respond productively and compassionately to individuals who have negative experiences of climate at their universities.

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Performance Wed, 12 Dec 2018 10:51:10 -0500 2019-02-11T13:00:00-05:00 2019-02-11T15:00:00-05:00 Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr CRLT-Engin Performance Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Faculty Panel: Instructional Technology in the Engineering Classroom (February 12, 2019 10:30am) https://events.umich.edu/event/58448 58448-14500279@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Tuesday, February 12, 2019 10:30am
Location: Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Organized By: CRLT-Engin

College of Engineering faculty present their experiences with a range of instructional tools. Presenters include Marcus Darden (EECS) speaking about Gradescope and Robin Fowler (TC) discussing Speedgrader.

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Workshop / Seminar Wed, 12 Dec 2018 10:53:16 -0500 2019-02-12T10:30:00-05:00 2019-02-12T12:00:00-05:00 Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr CRLT-Engin Workshop / Seminar Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
MLK, Jr. Luncheon I (February 13, 2019 11:30am) https://events.umich.edu/event/61028 61028-15022672@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, February 13, 2019 11:30am
Location: Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Organized By: Tau Beta Pi

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Luncheon series seeks to promote a culture of inclusion, while helping encourage attendees to continue their development as a "whole person" rather than simply as an "engineer". This luncheon will have speakers from a student organization called WeListen to talk about bridging the political divide through conversation and an EECS professor, Fred Terry, to talk about the importance of DEI in engineering education.

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Social / Informal Gathering Mon, 11 Feb 2019 01:25:04 -0500 2019-02-13T11:30:00-05:00 2019-02-13T13:00:00-05:00 Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr Tau Beta Pi Social / Informal Gathering Luncheon
Saving for your Future (February 20, 2019 12:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/58789 58789-14717518@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, February 20, 2019 12:00pm
Location: Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Organized By: Engineering Office of Student Affairs

This workshop is for College of Engineering graduate students. It is sponsored by the CoE Office of Student Affairs. Registration is required by 2/14 at https://goo.gl/forms/3FEzvSu4dg5KwSYa2. For information, email ajrose@umich.edu.

Lunch provided!

Description – having a clear plan for both short-term and long-term savings is an essential part of building wealth. This workshop will provide you with the fundamentals of how to get started with a savings strategy and tips to build and sustain your accounts. A member of UMCU’s wealth management team will also be on hand to cover the basics of personal investing and saving for retirement. Core topics:

· The three (3) core categories of personal savings accounts

· Understanding investing options (401K’s, IRAs, Stocks, Bonds, Mutual Funds)

· The basics of Social Security

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Workshop / Seminar Mon, 07 Jan 2019 10:38:19 -0500 2019-02-20T12:00:00-05:00 2019-02-20T13:30:00-05:00 Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr Engineering Office of Student Affairs Workshop / Seminar Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Dissertation Defense: Advanced Predictive Control Strategies for More Electric Aircraft (February 21, 2019 10:00am) https://events.umich.edu/event/61053 61053-15024938@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, February 21, 2019 10:00am
Location: Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Organized By: Aerospace Engineering

William Dunham

Dissertation Committee:
Professor Ilya Kolmanovsky (co-chair)
Associate Professor Anouck Girard (co-chair)
Dr Brandon Hencey, Air Force Research Laboratory
Professor Jing Sun, Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering (Cognate)

Presentation Info:
February 21st, 2019
GM Conference Room, Lurie Engineering Center

Next generation aircraft designs are incorporating more extensive electrical distributions that cover a broader range of applications, increasing the power levels to be met and the complexity of their operation. The expansion of the electrical grid cascades out into the engine, where the generators extract power from. This dissertation develops advanced predictive control strategies that account for the interactions between the subsystems in order to enable the potential benefits of a More Electric Aircraft (MEA), such as improved efficiency and reliability.

First, models representing the engine and power subsystems of the MEA, including their interactions, are developed. The control objective in this MEA system is to actuate the engine and power subsystem inputs to satisfy demands for thrust and power loads while enforcing constraints on compressor surge
and bus voltage deviations.

Second, model predictive control (MPC) strategies incorporating disturbance rejection, coordination between the subsystems, and anticipation of the changes in the power loads are shown to be effective in the MEA.

Third, a Distributed MPC is formulated that accounts for separately developed subsystems through controller privacy and differences in update rates.

Finally, a Scenario Based MPC is proposed to handle stochastic transitions in the thrust and power load references.

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Presentation Mon, 11 Feb 2019 11:54:16 -0500 2019-02-21T10:00:00-05:00 2019-02-21T11:30:00-05:00 Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr Aerospace Engineering Presentation will
Problematic Team Dynamics (February 22, 2019 2:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/58449 58449-14500280@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, February 22, 2019 2:00pm
Location: Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Organized By: CRLT-Engin

How can instructors handle conflicts within teams? What are the range of intervention strategies that instructors might use? In this interactive session, participants will discuss their experiences using teams, brainstorm strategies for handling problematic teams, and gain insights from their colleagues and educational research.

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Workshop / Seminar Wed, 12 Dec 2018 10:54:43 -0500 2019-02-22T14:00:00-05:00 2019-02-22T15:30:00-05:00 Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr CRLT-Engin Workshop / Seminar Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
The Science of Learning (March 11, 2019 3:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/58445 58445-15063364@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Monday, March 11, 2019 3:00pm
Location: Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Organized By: CRLT-Engin

In this workshop, we will summarize key findings on how people learn, and connect them to practical implications for teaching. Through interactive activities based on the science of learning, participants will investigate teaching strategies they can use to optimize learning for all of their students.

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Workshop / Seminar Fri, 15 Feb 2019 16:39:12 -0500 2019-03-11T15:00:00-04:00 2019-03-11T16:30:00-04:00 Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr CRLT-Engin Workshop / Seminar Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
PhD Defense: Lauren Steimle (March 11, 2019 3:30pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/61590 61590-15150266@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Monday, March 11, 2019 3:30pm
Location: Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Organized By: U-M Industrial & Operations Engineering

CANDIDATE: Lauren Steimle

CHAIR(s): Brian Denton

TITLE OF DISSERTATION: Stochastic Dynamic Optimization Under Ambiguity

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Lecture / Discussion Mon, 25 Feb 2019 11:49:30 -0500 2019-03-11T15:30:00-04:00 2019-03-11T17:30:00-04:00 Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr U-M Industrial & Operations Engineering Lecture / Discussion Lauren Steimle
PhD Defense: Weidong Chen (March 14, 2019 3:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/61587 61587-15150261@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, March 14, 2019 3:00pm
Location: Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Organized By: U-M Industrial & Operations Engineering

CANDIDATE: Weidong Chen

PLACE: 1210 LEC (Lurie Engineering Center)

CHAIR(s): Cong Shi, Izak Duenyas

TITLE OF DISSERTATION: Online Learning Algorithms for Stochastic Inventory and Queueing Systems

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Lecture / Discussion Mon, 25 Feb 2019 11:54:37 -0500 2019-03-14T15:00:00-04:00 2019-03-14T17:00:00-04:00 Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr U-M Industrial & Operations Engineering Lecture / Discussion Weidong Chen
U-M Ann Arbor Accreditation Town Hall (March 14, 2019 4:30pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/61902 61902-15232584@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, March 14, 2019 4:30pm
Location: Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Organized By: Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs

The Office of the Provost and the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching (CRLT) are hosting town halls for faculty, students, and staff to provide input on U-M Ann Arbor’s assurance argument for the 2020 accreditation by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). This town hall session is about institutional mission and integrity. RSVP is requested and light refreshments will be provided. Participants are encouraged to bring a laptop, table, or other digital device. Please visit accreditation.umich.edu for more information.

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Meeting Wed, 06 Mar 2019 15:03:35 -0500 2019-03-14T16:30:00-04:00 2019-03-14T18:00:00-04:00 Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Meeting Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Defense Dissertation: Performance Characterization of a Low Power Magnetic Nozzle (March 18, 2019 3:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/61791 61791-15186435@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Monday, March 18, 2019 3:00pm
Location: Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Organized By: Aerospace Engineering

Timothy Collard

Committee:
Dr. Alec Gallimore, Co-Chair
Dr. Benjamin Jorns, Co-Chair
Dr. John Foster, Cognate Member
Dr. Mark Kushner, Member
Dr. Justin Little, University of Washington, Member

The thrust and efficiency performance of low-power magnetic nozzles is analytically and experimentally investigated. The inherent advantages of these devices, including the electrodeless design and the potential to be propellant-agnostic, coupled with the potential to efficiently accelerate the propellant makes low-power magnetic nozzles attractive propulsion options for small satellites. A theoretical model was developed to predict low-power magnetic nozzle performance and identify fundamental differences in operation between these devices and their higher power counterparts.

An experiment was designed to inform the theoretical model to provide insight into the fundamental plasma dynamics within a low-power magnetic nozzle. This test article consisted of a reconfigurable inductively-coupled plasma source and an electromagnet. Electrostatic probes and laser induced fluorescence are used to measure the plasma properties throughout the plume. By coupling the experimental results with the theoretical framework two novel effects that reduce device performance are identified: $1$) neutral-collisional effects impedes ion acceleration and $2$) non-uniform power deposition degrades source and divergence efficiency. These effects arise from the low input power and the thruster design parameters. Experimental characterization of a reconfigured test article demonstrates that performance can be recovered by accounting for these two effects when designing the thruster and selecting the operating parameters.

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Presentation Fri, 01 Mar 2019 08:38:31 -0500 2019-03-18T15:00:00-04:00 2019-03-18T17:00:00-04:00 Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr Aerospace Engineering Presentation tim
PhD Defense: Crystal Green (March 19, 2019 10:00am) https://events.umich.edu/event/62197 62197-15311072@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Tuesday, March 19, 2019 10:00am
Location: Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Organized By: Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences

Title: Automated Deformable Mapping Methods to Relate Corresponding Lesions in 3D X-ray and 3D Ultrasound Breast Images

Co-Chair: Prof. Mitchell Goodsitt
Co-Chair: Prof. Alex Bielajew

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Lecture / Discussion Fri, 15 Mar 2019 16:20:02 -0400 2019-03-19T10:00:00-04:00 2019-03-19T12:00:00-04:00 Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences Lecture / Discussion Crystal Green PhD defense flyer
PhD Defense: Bennett Williams (March 20, 2019 3:30pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/62264 62264-15337502@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, March 20, 2019 3:30pm
Location: Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Organized By: Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences

Title: Applications of Principal Component Analysis for Position-Sensitive Semiconductor Detectors

Chair: Professor Zhong He

Abstract: Although the landscape of nuclear safeguards changes as new technologies emerge, gamma-ray spectroscopy remains a fundamental component of nuclear material detection and monitoring protocols. Systems that feature pixelated, large- volume CdZnTe detectors provide a viable option for gamma-ray spectrometers owing to their portability, room-temperature operation, imaging capabilities and high-performance energy resolution. Despite recent advances in data acquisition technology, CdZnTe detector systems fail to achieve comparable energy resolution to the industry-leading performance provided by high-purity germanium detectors. This limits the utility of CdZnTe systems in gamma-ray spectroscopy, as the confidence intervals of analyses pertinent to nuclear safeguards depend heavily on energy resolution.

In order to address this deficiency in CdZnTe detector technology, a fundamentally new approach for calibrating energy is proposed. Conventional calibration methods for position-sensitive semiconductor detectors rely heavily on theoretical models. Despite years of extensive study on charge transport properties in position-sensitive semiconductor detectors, the underlying models introduce systematic error in the energy reconstruction process. Under the proposed framework, predictive models are constructed via principal component analysis in an attempt to reduce the reliance on theoretical models and human intuition.

This work provides a practitioner's account of how one can leverage information extracted by principal component analysis to improve energy resolution for position-sensitive semiconductor detectors. This methodology is adapted to address unique challenges presented by a variety of events observed in position-sensitive detectors. For the detectors used in this work, single-pixel, two- pixel and three-pixel event energy resolution at 662 keV improve by approximately 10\% relative to the leading alternative. The proposed calibration procedure is generalized to accommodate event reconstruction for gamma-rays in the entire dynamic range.

Energy calibration via principal component analysis is intended to provide a practical alternative to conventional techniques. Calibration requirements and computational time are monitored closely to ensure that the application of the proposed technique does not become overly burdensome. Calibration measurements based on principal component analysis require no more time or data than conventional methods. The processing time per detection event is significantly reduced compared to computationally-intensive alternatives under this framework, enabling the processing speed necessary for a wide variety of nuclear safeguards applications.

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Lecture / Discussion Mon, 18 Mar 2019 15:21:16 -0400 2019-03-20T15:30:00-04:00 2019-03-20T17:30:00-04:00 Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences Lecture / Discussion Bennett Williams PhD Defense flyer
Acoustic Methods for Histotripsy Feedback (March 21, 2019 9:30am) https://events.umich.edu/event/62025 62025-15276099@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, March 21, 2019 9:30am
Location: Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Organized By: Biomedical Engineering

Histotripsy is a therapeutic ultrasound modality that employs clouds of inertial cavitation to noninvasively destroy unwanted tissue. Histotripsy systems are, traditionally, transmit-only systems incapable of receiving ultrasound. For guidance, an ultrasound imaging probe is placed in the center of a histotripsy array. On B-mode ultrasound imaging, the region of tissue destruction appears as a hypoechoic zone after a substantial amount of treatment has occurred. However, this level of histotripsy feedback is insufficient for several reasons. First, histotripsy treatments occur in a 3D space, yet B-mode imaging is 2D. While 3D ultrasound imaging exists, the large footprint of 3D probes would occupy a substantial portion of the acoustic window for therapy. Second, histotripsy-treated lesions only appear hypoechoic on B-mode after a substantial amount of treatment has occurred resulting in poor sensitivity. Developing receive-capable histotripsy arrays would enable a multitude of feedback mechanisms. The overall objective of this dissertation is to develop receive-capable histotripsy systems and new feedback mechanisms enabled by this technology that improve histotripsy treatment efficacy and patient outcomes.

In the first part of this dissertation, the technical details associated with the development of receive-capable histotripsy systems are discussed. First, the challenges of designing highly-parallelized data acquisition systems that are capable of operating over a high dynamic range are outlined and solutions are proposed. Next, the various stages of prototypes that were developed are explored. Finally, two fully-functional receive-capable histotripsy systems are described in detail: a retrofit system that can enable receive-capability for any existing histotripsy system, and a new histotripsy system that incorporates receiver electronics in with high-voltage drivers.

In the second part of this dissertation, several feedback methods for monitoring the extent and progression of histotripsy treatment are discussed. In particular, a new feedback method is investigated, which uses the cavitation collapse time to monitor tissue damage. Upon initiation of a histotripsy bubble cloud, a series of shockwaves are emitted during its initial expansion. Once the bubble cloud expands to a maximum radius, it begins to collapse inward on itself, and, during the final stage of collapse, another shockwave is released. Using a receive-capable histotripsy array, these shockwaves can be acquired thus allowing for a measurement of the overall lifespan of the bubble cloud. This acoustic measurement is optically validated using a high-speed camera. It was found that this lifespan, defined by the cavitation collapse time, correlates directly with the extent of histotripsy treatment. Ex vivo bovine liver samples were treated, and it was found that the change in collapse time directly correlates with hepatocyte destruction.

In the final part of this dissertation, a receive-capable histotripsy system was used to implement acoustic aberration correction. Natural heterogeneities of tissue can result in upwards of 10% variation of sound speed throughout the acoustic path of propagation for histotripsy. These sound speed variations result in acoustic aberrations that significantly defocus histotripsy pulses through phase aberration and result in lowered focal pressure and treatment efficacy in vivo. By using a receive-capable histotripsy system to acquire the expansion shockwave construct from the initial expansion of the histotripsy bubble cloud, time reversal acoustics was implemented to correct for these acoustic aberrations and refocus subsequent histotripsy pulses. Using this method, over 20% of lost pressure due to phase aberration is recovered, and the histotripsy system power required to induce cavitation was reduced by approximately 31.5%.

Chair: Zhen Xu

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Presentation Fri, 15 Mar 2019 15:28:12 -0400 2019-03-21T09:30:00-04:00 2019-03-21T10:30:00-04:00 Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr Biomedical Engineering Presentation Biomedical Engineering
GradSWE Winter Networking Mixer (March 28, 2019 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/61960 61960-15247912@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, March 28, 2019 4:00pm
Location: Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Organized By: Graduate Society of Women Engineers

Join GradSWE for its Winter Networking Mixer where you will be able to interact with faculty from the College of Engineering and industry professionals! We will have professors and industry/national laboratory representatives from organizations including Exponent, Hines, and Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab to lead discussions during the event. We'll be seating attendees at tables based on career and grad school related discussion topics. Light refreshments will be provided!

RSVP required at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/gradswe-winter-networking-mixer-registration-57951349045

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Lecture / Discussion Fri, 08 Mar 2019 10:27:38 -0500 2019-03-28T16:00:00-04:00 2019-03-28T17:00:00-04:00 Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr Graduate Society of Women Engineers Lecture / Discussion Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Dissertation Defense: Towards Automated, Metric-Conforming, Mesh Generation: An Optimization Framework for Adaptive, High-Order, Finite-Element Methods (March 29, 2019 12:30pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/61792 61792-15186436@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, March 29, 2019 12:30pm
Location: Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Organized By: Aerospace Engineering

Devina P. Sanjaya

Presentation Info:
Date: March 29, 2019
Time: 12:30 PM
Location: Johnson Room, Lurie Engineering Center

Dissertation Committee Names:
Chair: Assoc. Prof. Krzysztof J. Fidkowski
Cognate Member: Assoc. Prof. Eric Johnsen

Members:
Prof. Joaquim R. R. A. Martins
Dr. Scott M. Murman, NASA Ames Research Center
Dr. Marian Nemec, NASA Ames Research Center

Abstract:
Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has joined the wind tunnel and flight test as a critical aircraft design tool. However, despite decades of development and its prevalent use in industry, CFD is still not yet mature. Indeed, the question on whether a mesh is sufficiently fine or is of good enough quality to achieve the desired accuracy and robustness remains difficult to answer to this day. The root of the problem is the reliance on user’s experience to determine the regions where mesh resolution is necessary, a task that is not trivial. This dissertation aims to tackle this problem.

Given a discretization method and an output (e.g., lift or drag), our algorithm places the element’s vertices and high-order nodes in a fully-automated manner. A Riemannian metric field is used to encode the element’s shape and size and to combine several adaptation methods. The mesh is generated in two stages: 1) generate a linear, metric-conforming mesh, and 2) solve an optimization problem to incorporate the high-order information. Unlike the current meshing practice, the high-order nodes can be clustered as long as the element remains valid. With only marginal increase in computational cost and no additional software complexities, the final mesh reduces error by at least a factor of two.

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Presentation Fri, 01 Mar 2019 08:42:53 -0500 2019-03-29T12:30:00-04:00 2019-03-29T14:30:00-04:00 Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr Aerospace Engineering Presentation sanjaya
Restoring Fine Motor Prosthetic Hand Control Via Peripheral Neural Technology (March 29, 2019 1:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/62286 62286-15344248@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, March 29, 2019 1:00pm
Location: Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Organized By: Biomedical Engineering

Losing a limb can drastically alter a person’s way of life, and in some cases, brings great financial and emotional burdens. In particular, upper-limb amputations means losing the ability to do many daily activities that are normally simple with intact hands. Prosthesis technology has significantly advanced in the past decade to replicate the mechanical complexity of the human hand. However, current commercial user-to-prosthesis interfaces fail to provide users with full intuitive control over the many functionalities advanced prosthetic hands can offer. Research in developing new interfaces for better motor control has been on the rise, focusing on tapping directly into the peripheral nervous system. The aim of this work is to characterize and validate the properties of a novel peripheral interface called the Regenerative Peripheral Nerve Interface (RPNI) to improve fine motor skills for prosthetic hand control.

The first study characterizes the use of RPNI signals for continuous hand control in non-human primates. In two rhesus macaques, we were able to reconstruct continuous finger movement offline with an average correlation of ρ = 0.87 and root mean squared error (RMSE) of 0.12 between actual and predicted position across both macaques. During real-time control, neural control performance was slightly slower but maintained an average target hit success rate of 96.70% compared to physical hand control. The results presented in this study demonstrate an important step in exploring the RPNI’s potential capabilities to provide patients with more naturalistic control of their prosthetic limbs.

The second study presents the viability of the RPNI in humans who have suffered from upper-limb amputations. In three participants with transradial amputations, ultrasound demonstrated strong contractions of P1 and P2’s median RPNIs during flexion of the phantom thumb, and ulnar RPNI contractions during small finger flexion. In P1, the median RPNI and ulnar RPNIs produced signals with a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of 4.62 and 3.80, respectively. In P2, the median RPNI and ulnar RPNI had an average SNR of 107 and 35.9, respectively, while P3’s median RPNI and ulnar RPNIs had an average SNR of 22.3 and 19.4, respectively. This study provides evidence that the transected peripheral nerves have reinnervated the RPNI muscle grafts allowing RPNIs to transduce and amplify efferent motor action potentials during volitional individual finger movements.

The final study characterizes the capabilities of RPNI signals to predict continuous finger position in human subjects. Two participants, P2 and P3, successfully hit targets during a center-out target task with 92.4 ± 2.3% accuracy, controlling RPNI-driven one DOF finger movements. Comparably, non-RPNI driven finger movement had similar accuracy and performance. Without recalibrating parameter coefficients, no decreasing trend in motor performance was seen for all one DOF finger control across 300 days for P2 and 40 days for P3, suggesting that RPNIs can generate robust control signals from day to day. Lastly, using RPNI-driven control, P2 and P3 successfully manipulated a two DOF virtual and physical thumb with 96.4 ± 2.5% accuracy. This study demonstrates that RPNIs are capable of robust continuous control of one DOF finger movements and also capable of providing two DOF thumb movements. RPNIs may be a viable option to advance peripheral nerve interfaces into clinical reality and enhance neuroprosthetic technology for people with limb loss.

Chair: Cynthia Chestek

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Presentation Tue, 19 Mar 2019 09:32:44 -0400 2019-03-29T13:00:00-04:00 2019-03-29T14:00:00-04:00 Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr Biomedical Engineering Presentation Biomedical Engineering
Robotics Seminar - Tools for Orbital Stabilization of Underactuated Mechanical Systems (April 2, 2019 12:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/61884 61884-15230340@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Tuesday, April 2, 2019 12:00pm
Location: Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Organized By: Michigan Robotics

Anton Shiriaev, Professor, Engineering Cybernetics, Norwegian University of Science and Technology will give a seminar titled, "Analytic and Computational Tools for Orbital Stabilization of Behaviors of Underactuated Mechanical Systems."

One of great advantages of model-based approaches in robotics is a possibility to separate the task of motion and trajectory planning from the task of a synthesis of feedback controller for stabilizing the preplanned behavior. This is quite different from the way humans learn motions where searches (trials) for new behaviors are embodied and accompanied by feedback actions. The talk will provide a discussion of the second assignment (feedback controller design) for the case when a feedback controller is requested to ensure a Poincare (or the same orbital) stability of a forced periodic solution of a nonlinear dynamical system. Geometric interpretations of the problem settings motivate introducing specific coordinates (transverse to the motion and along the motion) that help in defining math concepts and computational tools necessary for solving the stabilization task for smooth or hybrid nonlinear systems. The development is illustrated by examples of controlling gaits of walking robots and hand manipulations of passive objects with one or several passive degrees of freedom.

Refreshments will be served.

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Workshop / Seminar Wed, 06 Mar 2019 08:43:07 -0500 2019-04-02T12:00:00-04:00 2019-04-02T13:00:00-04:00 Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr Michigan Robotics Workshop / Seminar walking model
GRIN Board Game Night (April 3, 2019 6:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/62452 62452-15366333@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, April 3, 2019 6:00pm
Location: Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Organized By: Rackham Graduate School

Join us for an evening of board games and fun! Pizza and non-alcoholic beverages will be served. Hosted by Graduate Rackham International.
Pre-registration is required at https://myumi.ch/65B0m.
This event is part of Graduate and Professional Student Appreciation Week.

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Social / Informal Gathering Fri, 22 Mar 2019 18:16:24 -0400 2019-04-03T18:00:00-04:00 2019-04-03T20:00:00-04:00 Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr Rackham Graduate School Social / Informal Gathering Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Writing a Purpose Statement (April 9, 2019 12:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/62289 62289-15344252@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Tuesday, April 9, 2019 12:00pm
Location: Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Organized By: Engineering Office of Student Affairs

Many people commit to a purpose or a mission statement of a company they might work for, shop at, or go to, but many people do not have a purpose of their own. A part of authentic leadership is committing to a purpose that helps us to deepen our impact. Your purpose springs from your identity and is the essence of who you are. To figure out who you are in such a world, let alone “be nobody but yourself,” is indeed hard work. This workshop will help you uncover what your ultimate purpose is and learn how to commit to it in times of uncertainty. This workshop is powered by the Sanger Leadership Center.

Registration is required by 4/4, at: https://goo.gl/forms/1jfl8uOPq6OuxaiB3

Sponsored by the CoE Office of Student Affairs. Please direct any questions to ajrose@umich.edu.

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Workshop / Seminar Tue, 19 Mar 2019 11:27:49 -0400 2019-04-09T12:00:00-04:00 2019-04-09T13:30:00-04:00 Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr Engineering Office of Student Affairs Workshop / Seminar Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
ChE GradExpo 2019: Explore Graduate Studies in Chemical Engineering (April 12, 2019 9:00am) https://events.umich.edu/event/52197 52197-12528871@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, April 12, 2019 9:00am
Location: Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Organized By: Chemical Engineering

** Applications are currently closed at this time. **

Students from all institutions are invited to apply to apply for ChE GradExpo 2019: Explore Graduate Studies in Chemical Engineering.

What Is It?
ChE GradExpo is an immersive 1-day workshop at the University of Michigan that gives undergraduate sophomores and juniors in the United States exclusive access to outstanding faculty and graduate students, who will help participants decode the graduate school application process and discover the opportunities that a chemical engineering graduate degree can unlock. Non-U-M participants will receive travel awards.

Event Details:
Who: A one-day workshop for sophomores and juniors considering graduate school
When: 9 am-5 pm EST on Friday, April 12, 2019
Where: The University of Michigan-Ann Arbor campus (Lurie Engineering Center and the North Campus Research Complex)
Cost: Non-U-M participants will receive travel awards

Workshop Highlights:
- "Life as a PhD student" – Q&A panel with current graduate students
- In-lab presentations of current research
- Lunch with faculty and graduate students
- “Academia vs. Industry” – Q&A panels with current faculty and industry partners
- Clinic on "How to Prepare a Strong Graduate School Application"
- Opportunity to receive one-on-one feedback from faculty on your application

How Much Does It Cost?
There are no program costs for selected student participants, and meals are included. Students traveling to Ann Arbor will receive a travel award to cover travel-related expenses.

How to Apply
Complete an online questionnaire, and upload your resume and unofficial transcript online.

When Are Applications Due?
Applications are currently closed.

For more information or questions, contact Andrej Lenert, assistant professor of chemical engineering, at alenert@umich.edu.

To learn more about the University of Michigan Chemical Engineering graduate program, contact Susan Hamlin at hamlins@umich.edu or (734) 763-1148.

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Workshop / Seminar Wed, 16 Jan 2019 14:31:19 -0500 2019-04-12T09:00:00-04:00 2019-04-12T17:00:00-04:00 Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr Chemical Engineering Workshop / Seminar Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
"Relationship Goals" Workshop with SAPAC (April 17, 2019 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/63171 63171-15585188@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, April 17, 2019 4:00pm
Location: Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Organized By: Engineering Office of Student Affairs

April is sexual assault awareness month! GradSWE and M-ESWN are hosting a workshop on "Relationship Goals" provided by SAPAC (Sexual assault prevention and awareness center). The workshop covers:

Talking about your "Top 5 Relationship Moments" what did those look, feel, and sound like?

What are your ideal/common ground/dealbreakers in a relationship?

What is assertive communication and how do you communicate what you want/need in a relationship with someone?

Some scenario/partner practice on how to do that!

Food will be provided. RSVP is required.

Contact: Kanchan Swaroop at kanchan@umich.edu and Maryam Akram at akramrym@umich.edu

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Workshop / Seminar Tue, 16 Apr 2019 07:57:50 -0400 2019-04-17T16:00:00-04:00 2019-04-17T17:30:00-04:00 Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr Engineering Office of Student Affairs Workshop / Seminar Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Robotics Seminar - Fast computations of multi-contact behaviors: models and learning (May 1, 2019 2:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/63303 63303-15634621@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, May 1, 2019 2:00pm
Location: Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Organized By: Michigan Robotics

Ludovic Righetti leads the Machines in Motion Laboratory, where his research focuses on the planning and control of movements for autonomous robots, with a special emphasis on legged locomotion and manipulation. He is more broadly interested in questions at the intersection of decision making, automatic control, optimization, applied dynamical systems and machine learning and their application to physical systems.

Righetti studied at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (Switzerland) where he received an engineering diploma in Computer Science (eq. M.Sc.) in 2004 and a Doctorate in Science in 2008 under the supervision of Professor Auke Ijspeert. Between March 2009 and August 2012, he was a postdoctoral fellow at the Computational Learning and Motor Control Lab with Professor Stefan Schaal (University of Southern California). In September 2012 he started the Movement Generation and Control Group at the Max-Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Tübingen, Germany where he became a W2 Independent Research Group Leader in September 2015. He moved to New York University in September 2017.

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Lecture / Discussion Mon, 22 Apr 2019 09:05:21 -0400 2019-05-01T14:00:00-04:00 2019-05-01T15:00:00-04:00 Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr Michigan Robotics Lecture / Discussion bipedal robot
Defense Dissertation: Extreme Events in Turbulent Combustion (May 2, 2019 1:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/63426 63426-15694061@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, May 2, 2019 1:00pm
Location: Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Organized By: Aerospace Engineering

Malik Hassanaly

Committee:
Prof. Venkat Raman (Chair)
Prof. Krishna Garikipati (Cognate)
Prof. Karthik Duraisamy (Member)
Prof. Mirko Gamba (Member)

Presentation Info:
Date: May 2nd, 2019
Time: 1:00 PM
Location: General Motors Room, Lurie Engineering Center

The design of reliable combustors is a crucial aspect of propulsion and energy production applications: a faulty combustor could cost human lives and millions (if not billions) of dollars. In practice, it is unreasonable to expect all devices to be extensively tested for all operating conditions that they will experience. The set of possible conditions is large, and the state of the device itself can evolve during its lifetime. Yet, deviations from normal behavior, or extreme events, should be appropriately accounted for during the design and the operation of the combustor.


In this work, a theoretical approach for the prediction of extreme events is presented. A classification of failures is proposed, and predictive questions that pertain to the failures are identified. This framework guides the work done in this thesis and is tailored to pave the way of future developments that are not addressed here.


The presentation will focus on the Lyapunov analysis, as it will be argued that it is a valuable tool that can be used to characterize the dynamics of the systems of interest. The Lyapunov analysis will be extensively presented, its numerical convergence examined in the context of fluid dynamics, and will then be applied to two systems of interest for turbulent combustion: a homogeneous isotropic turbulent flow and a partially premixed turbulent flame.

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Presentation Mon, 29 Apr 2019 12:02:37 -0400 2019-05-02T13:00:00-04:00 2019-05-02T15:00:00-04:00 Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr Aerospace Engineering Presentation malik
PhD Defense: Selman Mujovic (May 3, 2019 3:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/63461 63461-15710555@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, May 3, 2019 3:00pm
Location: Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Organized By: Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences

Title: The Plasma Water Reactor: A Geometric Approach to Scale Discharges for Water Treatment

Chair: Prof. John Foster

Abstract: Pollution, overdevelopment, population growth, and climate change excessively stress our freshwater quantity and quality. Conventional water treatment systems are poorly adapting to the presence of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs). CECs are: persistent, prevalent, recalcitrant, irregularly monitored, and potentially toxic at low concentrations. The inability to identify and assess CECs prior to entering the environment requires robust treatment technologies, particularly advanced oxidation processes (AOPs). AOPs are established disinfection methods that can remove CECs by producing hydroxyl radicals (•OH) in situ. Usually combinations of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), ozone (O3), and ultraviolet (UV) light, traditional AOPs can significantly contribute to the cost of water.

Plasma interacting with liquid water can generate additional AOPs and transient radicals in solution while eliminating consumables and conversion efficiencies. Subsequently, in principle, plasma-based AOPs should be considerably cheaper and more effective than conventional AOPs. Although the plasma-water interface can facilitate vital kinetics through various pathways, approaches to date fail to scale-up due to limited oxidant transport. In this work, the Plasma Water Reactor (PWR) is proposed as a scalable high-throughput system that advantageously uses flowing water to enhance plasma formation and propagation. The PWR utilizes a close-packed lattice of water jets to mimic packed bed dielectric barrier discharges where water streams serve as the dielectric media.

The PWR was assessed in pure or single-CEC-spiked distilled water matrices. Pulser parametric kinetic studies were performed by measuring power and species concentrations while varying the pulse voltage, width, and frequency. In exclusively distilled water, H2O2 and O3 were measured for different combinations of pulser parameters. Though the pulser was power- limited, the PWR revealed relevant oxidant concentrations and variations in [H2O2]/[O3] based on chemical probes. For a given set of pulser parameters that corresponded to high oxidant dose, methylene blue, methyl tert-butyl ether, and 1,4-dioxane were decomposed. These indicator compounds demonstrated effective flow rates on the order of 0.1—0.75 gal/min for 90% removal. Since 1,4-dioxane exhibited the slowest destruction, the PWR was optimized using this compound. In addition to 1,4-dioxane, two transformation products, formate and acetate, and a plasma byproduct, nitrate, were measured. For three different pulser configurations, 1,4-dioxane kinetics were analyzed and the PWR achieved at least 0.5-log reduction, which implies sufficient oxidation. 1,4-dioxane decay displayed different order of reaction rates and real-time oxidant measurements confirmed [H2O2]/[O3] spanned several orders of magnitude. Thus, the PWR demonstrated the ability to vary kinetics.

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Lecture / Discussion Wed, 01 May 2019 15:01:03 -0400 2019-05-03T15:00:00-04:00 2019-05-03T17:00:00-04:00 Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences Lecture / Discussion flyer for Selman Mujovic PhD Defense
MORE Mentoring Plan Workshop (May 10, 2019 10:30am) https://events.umich.edu/event/61062 61062-15027189@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, May 10, 2019 10:30am
Location: Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Organized By: Rackham Graduate School

This workshop helps to enhance the mentoring relationship between the student and research faculty mentor/advisor. During the workshop, students and faculty will have the opportunity to develop a Mentoring Plan, a two-way agreement about goals, needs, and expectations; it is co-written by the student and research faculty mentor/advisor. It is an excellent way to establish and support mentor-mentee relationships.
Because this program aims to enhance the mentoring relationship, mentors and students are expected to attend the workshop together. If a faculty member has attended a MORE workshop for faculty in the past, and is familiar with the MORE mentoring plan template, they may choose to attend the last portion of the workshop only (plan to arrive at 11:50 a.m.). Lunch is provided. This workshop has an optional informal meeting time to finish working on the mentoring plan from 12:30 to 1:00 p.m.
Pre-registration is required of both the faculty and student at myumi.ch/a0MbZ.

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Workshop / Seminar Mon, 11 Feb 2019 12:17:01 -0500 2019-05-10T10:30:00-04:00 2019-05-10T12:30:00-04:00 Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr Rackham Graduate School Workshop / Seminar Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Robotics PhD Defense: Ross Hartley (May 10, 2019 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/63476 63476-15718784@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, May 10, 2019 4:00pm
Location: Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Organized By: Michigan Robotics

Ross is a PhD student working on biped robot control and is advised by Professor Jessy Grizzle. He received a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. His research interests include control systems, legged robots, and computer vision.

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Presentation Thu, 09 May 2019 06:35:37 -0400 2019-05-10T16:00:00-04:00 2019-05-10T18:00:00-04:00 Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr Michigan Robotics Presentation ross with MARLO
PhD Defense: Xiao Wu (May 16, 2019 12:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/63698 63698-15824937@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, May 16, 2019 12:00pm
Location: Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Organized By: Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences

Title: Tritium Control and Mitigation for Advanced Nuclear Reactors

Chair: Prof. Xiaodong Sun

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Presentation Wed, 15 May 2019 17:34:19 -0400 2019-05-16T12:00:00-04:00 2019-05-16T14:00:00-04:00 Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences Presentation Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Defense Dissertation: Flexible Piezoelectric Nanocomposite Energy Harvester for Extreme Temperature Applications (May 17, 2019 3:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/63618 63618-15816690@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, May 17, 2019 3:00pm
Location: Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Organized By: Aerospace Engineering

Alireza Nafari

Doctoral Committee:

Professor Henry A. Sodano, Chair
Professor Daniel J. Inman
Associate Professor Veera Sundararaghavan
Assistant Professor John Huron

Event Information:
Friday, May 17th 3:00 PM
General Motors Conference Hall, Lurie Engineering Center

Piezoelectric materials are currently among the most promising building blocks for sensing, actuation and energy harvesting systems. However, these materials are limited in many applications due to their lack of machinability as well as their inability to conform to curved surfaces. One method to mitigate this issue is through additive manufacturing (direct printing) of piezoelectric nanocomposites, where piezoelectric nanomaterials are embedded in a polymer matrix. With the advent of additive manufacturing it is now possible to realize 3D print nanocomposites with tailored microstructure.
A primary objective of this study is to develop and experimentally validate micromechanical and finite element models that allow the study of the electroelastic properties of a 3D printed nanocomposite containing piezoelectric inclusions. Furthermore, the dependence of these properties on geometrical features such as aspect ratio and active phase alignment are investigated. This dissertation presents a novel approach for harvesting ambient mechanical energy at extreme environments. Many miniature electronic sensors and actuators in aerospace applications risk breakdown due to their operation in extreme temperature conditions, as cooling and protecting them prove to be challenging due to space and weight limitations. Therefore, as a second objective of this investigation, a flexible energy harvester capable of withstanding extreme temperatures (< 250 °C) is developed using a 3D printing approach that can provide useful electrical energy from ambient vibrations. The research presented in this dissertation can provide a robust tool for the analysis and design of two phase piezoelectric nanocomposite energy harvesters able to operate under a spectrum of conditions ranging from ambient to extreme temperatures.

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Presentation Tue, 14 May 2019 12:44:16 -0400 2019-05-17T15:00:00-04:00 Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr Aerospace Engineering Presentation ali
An Entrepreneurial Mindset: Supercharge your career in academia, industry or startups (June 19, 2019 12:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/63906 63906-15985741@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, June 19, 2019 12:00pm
Location: Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Organized By: Engineering Office of Student Affairs

Lunch provided!

An Entrepreneurial Mindset has been shown to be critical for career resilience whether you are in academia, industry, or even government.  Research indicates that there are six behavioral components:  Opportunity Identification, Being Technologically Savvy, Willing to Experiment, Managing Risk, Building Relationships, and Persevering.  Come learn about each of these and how they might apply in your career.  Also learn about opportunities to learn more through the classes and programming offered by the Center for Entrepreneurship in the College of Engineering.

Registration is required by 6/13, at: https://forms.gle/po3V2hinu7B3JGuQ9. Questions may be directed to ajrose@umich.edu.

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Workshop / Seminar Tue, 04 Jun 2019 07:53:39 -0400 2019-06-19T12:00:00-04:00 2019-06-19T13:30:00-04:00 Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr Engineering Office of Student Affairs Workshop / Seminar Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Ph.D. Defense: Karlo A. Malaga (July 18, 2019 9:00am) https://events.umich.edu/event/64315 64315-16314268@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, July 18, 2019 9:00am
Location: Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Organized By: Biomedical Engineering

Department of Biomedical Engineering Final Oral Examination

Karlo A. Malaga

Finite Element Electrode and Individual Patient Modeling to Optimize Restorative Neuroengineering

Parkinson disease (PD) and essential tremor (ET) are the most common neurological movement disorders among adults. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an established surgical treatment for both conditions that involves implanting electrodes in the brain and then applying electrical stimulation. Despite the clinical effectiveness of DBS, its underlying mechanisms remain unclear. As DBS advances into a viable treatment for other conditions, it has become important to address the fundamental principles behind the procedure, specifically the spatial extent of stimulation. Furthermore, as DBS moves toward the adoption of closed-loop stimulation paradigms, an increased understanding of how neural recordings are affected by different biological factors is also key. Broadly, the work presented in this dissertation utilizes finite element electrode and individual patient modeling in an effort to help improve established procedures within neural stimulation and recording for restorative neuroengineering applications.

The therapeutic benefit of DBS is strongly dependent on the spatial distribution of the stimulation-induced electric field relative to the individual neuroanatomy of the patient undergoing treatment. To maximize symptom suppression while minimizing side effects, accurate predictions of the spread of stimulation in the brain are essential. Due to the inherent difficulty in measuring the electric field in vivo, computational models have been used to visualize and quantify the spatial extent of neural activation, termed the volume of tissue activated (VTA). The VTA is a stimulation parameter-dependent metric that can be used to predict clinical outcomes and optimize stimulation parameters. The clinical utility of these models hinges on their ability to make meaningful and accurate predictions. Significant efforts have gone towards validating VTA predictions with experimental and clinical data. Computational models have also been developed to increase understanding of neural recordings and how they are affected by different factors. These models employ many of the same tools used in VTA modeling, such as finite element analysis.

Tissue activation modeling continues to grow more complex. Models can now incorporate detailed neuroanatomy, heterogeneous and anisotropic tissue properties, explicit representation of the DBS lead and electrode-tissue interface, and clinically determined stimulation parameters. Each of these modeling advancements have been made in an effort to tailor DBS models to individual patients. However, there is still room for improvement when it comes to creating fully individualized models. For example, deep brain structures are typically derived from a brain atlas, translated, rotated, and scaled to best fit the anatomy of the patient. Anisotropic tissue properties, derived from diffusion tensor (DT) imaging, are also typically atlas-based. Since most atlases are based on a single subject, there is a limitation in how representative one can be to a patient population, especially one that is in a diseased state. To accurately characterize the VTA on an individual basis, model components should be derived from a single source (the patient).

The objective of this dissertation is two-fold: (1) to characterize the spatial extent of stimulation associated with therapeutic outcome and side effects in DBS for PD and ET by developing atlas-independent, fully individualized DT-based VTA models; (2) to investigate the effects of gliosis and the electrode-tissue interface on single-unit recording quality by developing a data-driven neural recording model. The significance of the work presented here is in the individualized modeling framework that it provides. As insight regarding stimulation spread in the brain increases, the techniques described here can be applied to other conditions to inform novel stimulation strategies and help bridge the gap between model-based evidence and clinical practice.

Date: Thursday, July 18, 2019
Time: 9:00 AM
Location: General Motors Conference Room, Lurie Engineering Center
Chair: Parag Patil

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Lecture / Discussion Mon, 15 Jul 2019 10:05:40 -0400 2019-07-18T09:00:00-04:00 2019-07-18T10:00:00-04:00 Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr Biomedical Engineering Lecture / Discussion BME Defense
Making a First Impression Workshop (August 6, 2019 11:00am) https://events.umich.edu/event/64314 64314-16314266@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Tuesday, August 6, 2019 11:00am
Location: Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr
Organized By: Engineering Office of Student Affairs

Lunch Provided!

Description: Making a strong first impression is vital in the interview process. How you present yourself can help your chances of securing the internship or job you want. Come to this workshop to learn techniques that make you appear confident and powerful. Through exercises and discussion, we will explore what you can do to make a strong impression.

Registration is required by 8/4, at https://forms.gle/8rErJkzb2NVxqnJUA.

Sponsored by the CoE Office of Student Affairs. For questions, please email ajrose@umich.edu.

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Workshop / Seminar Mon, 15 Jul 2019 09:57:34 -0400 2019-08-06T11:00:00-04:00 2019-08-06T12:00:00-04:00 Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr Engineering Office of Student Affairs Workshop / Seminar Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr