# Seminar / Colloquium

## SystemX presents "Quantum Machine Learning: what is the buzz about?""

Topic:
Quantum Machine Learning: what is the buzz about?
Abstract / Description:

Machine Learning and its applications have significantly impacted how we live our lives and use technology to enhance it. Quantum computing has been one of the inevitable advances in technology that promises to take us into a new realm of computational power. This talk will be a broad general overview of what quantum computing power added to machine learning techniques could actually give us. The talk will provide a very non-technical introduction to quantum technologies and where it stands at the end of 2019 and similarly a very non technical overview of machine learning and AI. It will then describe a few example projects motivated by real problems in industry and possible approaches to solving them. The goal of the talk is to incite curiosity about the subjects, bust a few myths and hopefully leave the audience with more questions than answers.

Dr Rishiraj Pravahan is co-founder and Director of INQNET (Intelligent Quantum Networks and Technology) at the AT&T Foundry in Palo Alto and a visiting scientist at Caltech. Rishiraj has created a new model for corporate innovation through collaborative research and development between, industry, government and academia. His work is focused on building quantum networks and technologies and uses of Artificial Intelligence. Prior to joining AT&T, Rishiraj worked for the ATLAS experiment at CERN where he was part of the team that discovered the Higgs Boson. Rishiraj is also a passionate teacher and advocate for science through public talks and seminars in the US, Europe, India and Latin America. His technical interests involve, understanding core networks, privacy and security of data and computation, collection, storage and analysis of sensor data and making advances in the frontiers of statistics, machine learning and Artificial Intelligence.

Date and Time:
Thursday, December 5, 2019 - 4:30pm
Venue:
Gates B03

## ISL Colloquium presents "Implicit Regularization for Optimal Sparse Recovery"

Topic:
Implicit Regularization for Optimal Sparse Recovery
Abstract / Description:

Ridge regression is a fundamental paradigm in machine learning and statistics, and it has long been known to be closely connected to the implicit regularization properties of gradient descent methods, cf. early stopping. Over the past decade, this connection has sparked research into a variety of directions aimed at developing computationally efficiency estimators, including acceleration, mini-batching, averaging, sketching, sub-sampling, preconditioning, and decentralization. Sparse recovery is another cornerstone of modern statistics and learning frameworks. Yet, here the connection to implicit regularization is not as well developed. Most results in the literature only involve limit statements (holding at convergence, for infinitesimal step sizes), apply to regimes with no (or limited) noise, and do not focus on computational efficiency. In this talk, we address the following question: Can we establish an implicit regularization theory for gradient descent to yield optimal sparse recovery in noisy settings, achieving minimax rates with the same cost of reading the data? We will highlight the key ideas to obtain the first results in this direction, along with a few surprising findings.

Date and Time:
Friday, December 6, 2019 - 11:00am
Venue:
Packard 202

## OSA/SPIE, SPRC and Ginzton Lab present "Bringing computational reproducibility to your research collaborations"

Topic:
Bringing computational reproducibility to your research collaborations
Abstract / Description:

Computational analyses are playing an increasingly central role in research. However, many researchers have not received training in best practices and tools for reproducibly managing and sharing their code and data. This is a step-by-step, practical webinar on managing your research code and data for computationally reproducible collaboration. The webinar starts with some brief introductory information about computational reproducibility, but the bulk of the webinar is guided work with code and data. Participants move through best practices for organizing their files, automating their analyses, documentation, and submitting their code and data for publication.

Prerequisites: Participants should bring their own wifi-enabled laptop.

Audience: Researchers who use code in their research and wish to share it.

Workshop goals:
1. Learn best practices for file organization, documentation, automation, and dissemination.
2. Assess possible tools for managing code and data.
3. Build a collaborative workspace for your code and data on Code Ocean.

Date and Time:
Tuesday, December 3, 2019 - 3:45pm
Venue:
Y2E2 299

## OSA/SPIE, SPRC and Ginzton Lab present "Startups for "Dummies""

Topic:
Startups for "Dummies"
Abstract / Description:

RSVP by 5pm TUESDAY, DEC. 3

This talk will discuss maintaining funding for R&D in startups, large companies, and academia/government labs. This lunch seminar is part of a SOS/SPRC series on startups, entrepreneurship, and innovation in photonics focusing on formation/IPO of photonics startups, patents, IP protection and many more topics.

Date and Time:
Thursday, December 5, 2019 - 12:00pm
Venue:
Spilker 232

## SmartGrid Seminar presents "Intelligent Protection Schemes for Renewable Energy Integration"

Topic:
Intelligent Protection Schemes for Renewable Energy Integration
Abstract / Description:

By 2050, the costs of an average PV and wind plant are expected to fall by 71% and 58%, respectively. Meanwhile, batteries will further depress market prices, which in turn enable the deeper penetration of renewable energies like PV, wind, and electric vehicles (EVs). However, the transition on primary energy resources can be a double-edged sword. Problems such as protective relay is landing and fault detection, protective relay coordination under environmental uncertainty, topology recovery of secondary distribution networks, and EV charging station planning are critical to the security and resilience of the electric systems. This presentation describes several timely solutions to enable more secure and efficient grid operations by analyzing voluminous power system operation data. The aforementioned solutions include the multifunction intelligent relays, an environment-driven adaptive protection scheme, a transformer connectivity inferencing tool, and an EV charging station planning method. Several types of machine learning algorithms are developed in power systems to support renewable energy integration for sustainability.

Date and Time:
Thursday, November 21, 2019 - 1:30pm
Venue:
Y2E2 111

## EE 292X (CEE 292X) Battery Systems for Transportation and Grid Services - Panel Session, Future of battery systems and their applications

Topic:
Future of battery systems and their applications
Abstract / Description:

The panel will discuss future market and technology trends of battery systems and their applications in transportation and the grid. It will feature short presentations by the panelists followed by a Q&A period moderated by Abbas and Ram. The panelists will address future trends in battery technologies at the cell and pack levels and projections of key battery performance metrics, including energy density
power density, cost, degradation, and safety. They will also address questions such as: What are the projected requirements for grid and transportation applications? What technologies will dominate transportation applications? What technologies will dominate grid applications? Will secondary life become real? Will EV to grid become real? What are the challenges to be addressed? What should academia be working on?

PANELISTS:

Yi Cui
Professor,
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Stanford University

Robert Tietje
VP for E-Mobility
Volkswagen Group of America

Blake Richetta
Chairman and CEO
Sonnen

Date and Time:
Wednesday, December 4, 2019 - 3:00pm
Venue:
Skilling Auditorium

## ISL Colloquium and IT-Forum present "A Notion of Entropy for Sparse Marked Graphs and its Applications in Graphical Data Compression"

Topic:
A Notion of Entropy for Sparse Marked Graphs and its Applications in Graphical Data Compression
Abstract / Description:

Many modern data sources arising from social networks, biological data, etc. are best viewed as indexed by combinatorial structures such as graphs, rather than time series. The local weak limit theory for sparse graphs, also known as the objective method, due to Benjamini, Schramm, Aldous, Steele, Lyons and others, provides a framework which enables one to make sense of a stationary process indexed by graphs. The theory of time series is the engine driving an enormous range of applications in areas such as control theory, communications, information theory and signal processing. It is to be expected that a theory of stationary stochastic processes indexed by combinatorial structures, in particular graphs, would eventually have a similarly wide-ranging impact.

Employing the above framework, we introduce a notion of entropy for probability distributions on rooted graphs. This is a generalization of the notion of entropy introduced by Bordenave and Caputo to graphs which carry marks on their vertices and edges. Such marks can represent information on real-world data. For instance, in a social network graph where each node represents an individual and edges represent friendships, a vertex mark represents the type of an individual, while edge marks represent shared data between friends. The above notion of entropy can be considered as a natural counterpart for the Shannon entropy rate in the world of graphical data. We illustrate this by introducing a universal compression scheme for marked graphical data. Furthermore, we introduce an algorithm that can perform such a compression with low complexity.

This talk is based on joint work with Venkat Anantharam.

Date and Time:
Friday, December 6, 2019 - 1:15pm
Venue:
Packard 202

## SCIEN Colloquium and EE 292E present "How to Learn a Camera”

Topic:
Light Fields: From Shape Recovery to Sparse Reconstruction
Abstract / Description:

Traditionally, the image processing pipelines of consumer cameras have been carefully designed, hand-engineered systems. But treating an imaging pipeline as something to be learned instead of something to be engineered has the potential benefits of being faster, more accurate, and easier to tune. Relying on learning in this fashion presents a number of challenges, such as fidelity, fairness, and data collection, which can be addressed through careful consideration of neural network architectures as they relate to the physics of image formation. In this talk I'll be presenting recent work from Google's computational photography research team on using machine learning to replace traditional building blocks of a camera pipeline. I will present learning based solutions for the classic tasks of denoising, white balance, and tone mapping, each of which uses a bespoke ML architecture that is designed around the specific constraints and demands of each task. By designing learning-based solutions around the structure provided by optics and camera hardware, we are able to produce state-of-the-art solutions to these three tasks in terms of both accuracy and speed.

Date and Time:
Wednesday, December 4, 2019 - 4:30pm
Venue:
Packard 101

## SCIEN Colloquium and EE 292E present "Simulation Technologies for Image Systems Engineering"

Topic:
Simulation Technologies for Image Systems Engineering
Abstract / Description:

The use of imaging systems has grown enormously over the last several decades; these systems are an essential component in mobile communication, medicine, and automotive applications. As imaging applications have expanded the complexity of imaging systems hardware - from optics to electronics - has increased dramatically. The increased complexity makes software prototyping an essential tool for the design of novel systems and the evaluation of components. I will describe several simulations we created for image systems engineering applications: (a) designing cameras for autonomous vehicles [1], (b) simulating image encoding by the human eye and retina for image quality assessments [2], and (c) assessing the spatial sensitivity of CNNs for multiple applications [3]. This is a good moment to consider how academia and industry might cooperate to create an image systems simulation infrastructure that speeds the development of new systems for the many opportunities that will arise over the next few decades.

Date and Time:
Wednesday, November 20, 2019 - 4:30pm
Venue:
Packard 101

## SPECIAL SEMINAR: Deep Learning Training and Inference systems with Hyper-Scaled Precision

Topic:
Deep Learning Training and Inference systems with Hyper-Scaled Precision
Abstract / Description:

Over the past decade, Deep Learning has had a transformative impact on a wide spectrum of domains including speech, vision and NLP delivering highly accurate perception capabilities through the use of very deep and large models. In this talk, a suite of approximate computing techniques will be described that significantly reduce the computational burden of these Deep Learning tasks for both training and inference. Recent advancements will be presented that have successfully reduced the precision of training systems to 8-bits and the precision needed for inference down to 2-bits while fully preserving model accuracy - laying the ground work for a precision/sparsity/analog roadmap that could guide the industry over the next decade. Future trends and challenges in these approximate computing systems will also be discussed.

Date and Time:
Friday, November 22, 2019 - 1:30pm
Venue:
Gates 463A

## Applied Physics/Physics Colloquium presents “The Future of Particle Physics”

Topic:
The Future of Particle Physics
Abstract / Description:

High energy particle physics has the ambitious goals of uncovering the most fundamental constituents of reality and deciphering the rules by which those constituents interact, both today and in the first instants of the Big Bang. Our ability to construct higher and higher energy particle accelerators does not scale well with these ambitions, so progress here will increasingly depend on global collaboration and being smarter with the data that we have in hand.
Beyond colliders, the future of this field will increasingly rely on three other approaches that I will describe:
— Transformational advances in the sensitivities and capabilities of sensors to detect feebly interacting particles such as dark matter and neutrinos.
— Increasing our access to extreme environments provided by Nature, such as supernovae, black hole mergers, and the echoes of the Big Bang.
— Using theory to map fundamental questions seemingly out of experimental reach, e.g. the nature of quantum gravity and spacetime, into quantum systems and simulations that can be created and studied in the laboratory.

Aut. Qtr. Colloq. committee: R. Blandford (Chair), B. Feldman, A. Kapitulnik, B. Lev and V. Khemani

Location: Hewlett Teaching Center, Rm. 200

Date and Time:
Tuesday, November 19, 2019 - 4:30pm
Venue:
Hewlett 200

## Applied Physics/Physics Colloquium presents "The Physics and Astrophysics of Black Holes and Horizons"

Topic:
The Physics and Astrophysics of Black Holes and Horizons
Abstract / Description:

One of the most striking predictions of the general theory of relativity is the formation of black hole and cosmic horizons sequestering different regions of spacetime. In this talk we will overview recent theoretical and observational developments in this area. At the classical and quantum level, radiation plays an important role in observations and thought experiments. Hawking's result that black holes radiate raises serious puzzles, while its analogue in early universe cosmology yields a successful quantum theory of the origin of structure. The pursuit of a complete theory of quantum gravity has led to qualitatively new lessons about emergent spacetime structure in the presence of horizons. Turning to observations, the proposition that black holes with masses from three to ten billion times that of the sun are quite common in the universe grew from a conjecture to a conviction. Recent observations using the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, LIGO/VIRGO and the Event Horizon Telescope have validated general relativity and demonstrated how black holes are born, how they affect their surroundings and how they power the most luminous cosmic sources.

Aut. Qtr. Colloq. committee: R. Blandford (Chair), B. Feldman, A. Kapitulnik, B. Lev and V. Khemani
Location: Hewlett Teaching Center, Rm. 200

Date and Time:
Tuesday, November 12, 2019 - 4:30pm
Venue:
Hewlett 200

## Applied Physics/Physics Colloquium presents "Quantum gas microscopy of ultracold fermions in optical lattices"

Topic:
Quantum gas microscopy of ultracold fermions in optical lattices
Abstract / Description:

The normal state of high-temperature superconductors exhibits anomalous transport and spectral properties that are poorly understood. Cold atoms in optical lattices have been used to realize the celebrated Fermi-Hubbard model, widely believed to capture the essential physics of these materials. The recent development of fermionic quantum gas microscopes has enabled studying the normal state of Hubbard systems with single-site resolution. I will start by introducing the atomic platform and reviewing experiments that have been done on measuring spin and density correlations in half-filled systems [1]. Next, I will describe the development of a technique to measure microscopic diffusion, and hence resistivity, in doped Mott insulators. We have found that this resistivity exhibits a linear dependence on temperature and violates the Mott-Ioffe-Regel limit, two signatures of strange metallic behavior [2]. Finally, I will describe the development of angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) for Hubbard systems and its application to studying pseudogap physics in an attractive Hubbard system, setting the stage for future studies of the pseudogap regime in repulsive Hubbard systems [3].

[1] Parsons et. al., Science 353, 1253 (2016), Boll et. al., Science 353, 1257 (2016), Cheuk et. al., Science 353, 1260 (2016), Brown et. al., 357, 1385 (2017).
[2] Brown et. al., Science 363, 379 (2019).
[3] Brown et. al., Nature Physics, in press, arxiv:1903.05678 (2019).

Aut. Qtr. Colloq. committee: R. Blandford (Chair), B. Feldman, A. Kapitulnik, B. Lev and V. Khemani

Location: Hewlett Teaching Center, Rm. 200

Date and Time:
Tuesday, November 5, 2019 - 4:30pm
Venue:
Hewlett 200

## Applied Physics/Physics Colloquium presents "Tension between early and late universe measurements of H0: Hint of new physics?”

Topic:
Tension between early and late universe measurements of H0: Hint of new physics?
Abstract / Description:

In the past few years, a tension has emerged between the current expansion rate of the universe (H0) and the value predicted by early universe probes under the assumption of a standard LCDM cosmology. The tension is statistically significant: combinations of local probes are 4-6 sigma away from H0 as inferred by Planck, for example. Efforts to uncover systematic uncertainties are under way, but they have been unsuccessful so far. If the tension is real, most proposals to resolve it require changing the expansion history before recombination in a non-trivial way, possibly as a result of early dark energy, or sterile neutrinos. I will review measurements of H0, including the results of the well known methods based on the local distance ladder and on the cosmic microwave background. I will explain in detail the approach based on gravitational time delays, that have recently reached comparable precision, providing an independent verification of the tension. I will conclude by discussing the prospects of reaching sub-percent precision on multiple independent methods as a way to control systematics, and verify whether indeed this is the first hint of new physics beyond LCDM.

Aut. Qtr. Colloq. committee: R. Blandford (Chair), B. Feldman, A. Kapitulnik, B. Lev and V. Khemani

Location: Hewlett Teaching Center, Rm. 200

Date and Time:
Tuesday, October 29, 2019 - 4:30pm
Venue:
Hewlett 200

## Applied Physics/Physics Colloquium presents "Thermoelectric Hall effect and nonlinear Hall effect"

Topic:
Thermoelectric Hall effect and nonlinear Hall effect
Abstract / Description:

Studies of various types of Hall eﬀects have led to great advances in solid state physics. In this talk, I will describe two novel Hall phenomena. The first is thermoelectric Hall effect that describes the generation of a transverse electrical current under a temperature gradient. Under a quantizing magnetic field, thermoelectric Hall conductivity is proportional to thermal entropy which is strongly enhanced by Landau level degeneracy. This leads to an unbounded growth of the thermopower in three- dimensional Dirac/Weyl semimetals, a parametrically large thermoelectric figure of merit in quantum Hall systems at low temperature, and a new experimental way to study neutral collective modes in the fractional quantum Hall liquids.

Second, I will discuss a nonlinear Hall effect in nonmagnetic materials at zero magnetic field, where the transverse current depends quadratically on the applied electric field. This effect arises from anomalous velocity in a current-carrying state, driven by Berry curvature in inversion-breaking systems.

Aut. Qtr. Colloq. committee: R. Blandford (Chair), B. Feldman, A. Kapitulnik, B. Lev and V. Khemani
Location: Hewlett Teaching Center, Rm. 200

Date and Time:
Tuesday, October 22, 2019 - 4:30pm
Venue:
Hewlett 200

## Applied Physics/Physics Colloquium presents "Circuit QED: Quantum Sensing, Information Processing and Error Correction with Microwave Photons"

Topic:
Circuit QED: Quantum Sensing, Information Processing and Error Correction with Microwave Photons
Abstract / Description:

'Circuit quantum electrodynamics' is the theory of non-linear quantum optics extended to the study of microwave photons strongly interacting with 'artificial atoms' (Josephson junction qubits) embedded in superconducting electrical circuits. Recent remarkable theoretical and experimental progress in our ability to measure and manipulate the quantum states of individual microwave photons is leading to novel applications ranging from accelerating dark matter searches to quantum error correction that, for the first time in any technology, has successfully extended the lifetime of quantum information. This talk will present an elementary introduction to the basic concepts underlying circuit QED and describe several recent novel experiments demonstrating these new found capabilities.

Aut. Qtr. Colloq. committee: R. Blandford (Chair), B. Feldman, A. Kapitulnik, B. Lev and V. Khemani
Location: Hewlett Teaching Center, Rm. 200

Date and Time:
Tuesday, October 15, 2019 - 4:30pm
Venue:
Hewlett 200

## Applied Physics/Physics Colloquium presents "Quantum Sensing and Imaging with Diamond Spins"

Topic:
Quantum Sensing and Imaging with Diamond Spins
Abstract / Description:

Quantum sensors based on optically addressable solid-state spins are powerful tools that offer high sensitivity, nanoscale spatial resolution, and quantitative field information. The nitrogen vacancy (NV) center in diamond is the most advanced such sensor because of its robust, room-temperature coherence and its high sensitivity to a variety of fields: magnetic, electric, thermal, and strain. Here I discuss an NV-based imaging platform where we have incorporated an NV center into a scanning probe microscope and used it to image skyrmions, nanoscale topological spin textures. I also discuss recent experiments that utilize the NV center's sensitivity to fluctuating magnetic fields to image conductivity with nanoscale spatial resolution. A grand challenge to improving the spatial resolution and magnetic sensitivity of the NV is mitigating surface-induced quantum decoherence, which I will discuss in the second part of this talk. Decoherence at interfaces is a universal problem that affects many quantum technologies, but the microscopic origins are as yet unclear. Our studies guide the ongoing development of quantum control and materials control, pushing towards the ultimate goal of NV-based single nuclear spin imaging.

Aut. Qtr. Colloq. committee: R. Blandford (Chair), B. Feldman, A. Kapitulnik, B. Lev and V. Khemani
Location: Hewlett Teaching Center, Rm. 200

Date and Time:
Tuesday, October 8, 2019 - 4:30pm
Venue:
Hewlett 200

## Applied Physics/Physics Colloquium presents "Choreographing Quantum Spin Dynamics with Light"

Topic:
Choreographing Quantum Spin Dynamics with Light
Abstract / Description:

The power of quantum information lies in its capacity to be non-local, encoded in correlations among two, three, or many entangled particles. Yet our ability to produce, understand, and exploit such correlations is hampered by the fact that the interactions between particles and ordinarily local. I will report on experiments in which we use light to induce long-range interactions among cold atoms, with photons acting either as messengers or as a means of coupling to highly polarizable Rydberg states. The combination of optically programmable interactions with imaging of spin dynamics opens new opportunities in areas ranging from quantum-enhanced sensing to quantum simulation. As an illustrative example, I will touch on prospects for building and probing toy models for information scrambling in black holes.

Aut. Qtr. Colloq. committee: R. Blandford (Chair), B. Feldman, A. Kapitulnik, B. Lev and V. Khemani
Location: Hewlett Teaching Center, Rm. 200

Date and Time:
Tuesday, October 1, 2019 - 4:30pm
Venue:
Hewlett 200

## Applied Physics/Physics Colloquium presents "Earthquake and Tsunami Physics"

Topic:
Earthquake and Tsunami Physics
Abstract / Description:

Earthquakes are a familiar hazard to those of us in California. This talk explores our understanding of processes governing earthquake occurrence, starting from the basics of elasticity and friction and expanding to encompass behavior of fluid-saturated granular material in fault zones, geometric complexity of faults, shear heating and viscoelastic behavior of rocks, and fluid transport and pore fluid pressure evolution along fault zones. We'll examine why earthquakes are so unpredictable, how frictional sliding occurs without pervasively melting rocks, and some open questions regarding tsunami generation by offshore earthquakes. My group tackles these questions through development of continuum mechanics based models and computer simulations.

Date and Time:
Tuesday, September 24, 2019 - 4:30pm
Venue:
Hewlett 200

## Physical Sciences Approaches to Analyze Tumor-Associated ECM Dynamics

Topic:
Physical Sciences Approaches to Analyze Tumor-Associated ECM Dynamics
Abstract / Description:

Stanford Center for Cancer Systems Biology (CCSB) presents:

Claudia Fischbach-Teschl, PhD
Professor, Nancy E. and Peter C. Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering
Director, Cornell Center on the Physics of Cancer Metabolism Cornell University

"Physical Sciences Approaches to Analyze Tumor-Associated ECM Dynamics"

ABSTRACT:
Microenvironmental conditions contribute to the pathogenesis of cancer and include altered cellular composition, extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition, and mechanical cues. However, our understanding of the specific mechanisms by which these microenvironmental perturbations impact the development, progression, and therapy response of cancer is relatively limited. More intricate models are needed to better understand the complex biochemical and biophysical interactions that drive tumor initiation, growth, metastasis, metabolic adaptation, and immune evasion. The fields of biomaterials and tissue engineering provide increasingly sophisticated tools and strategies to recapitulate and monitor relevant properties of tumor-microenvironment interactions.

These approaches not only bear tremendous potential to advance our current understanding of cancer, but are also increasingly explored for more clinically relevant drug testing. Indeed, combining patient-specific cells with engineered culture systems promises to enhance the predictive power of precision medicine pipelines. This talk will highlight specific examples of how the microenvironment regulates the highly dynamic nature of cancer and will outline opportunities and challenges of the field of tumor engineering.

Date and Time:
Thursday, May 23, 2019 - 2:30pm
Venue:
Clark Center - S360

## CS300 Seminar

Topic:
Abstract / Description:

Individuals of all genders invited to be a part of:
#StanfordToo: A Conversation about Sexual Harassment in Our Academic Spaces, where we will feature real stories of harassment at Stanford academic STEM in a conversation with Provost Drell, Dean Minor (SoM), and Dean Graham (SE3). We will have plenty of time for audience discussion on how we can take concrete action to dismantle this culture and actively work towards a more inclusive Stanford for everyone. While our emphasis is on STEM fields, we welcome and encourage participation from students, postdocs, staff, and faculty of all academic disciplines and backgrounds.

Date and Time:
Friday, April 19, 2019 - 3:30pm
Venue:
STLC 111

## John G. Linvill Distinguished Seminar on Electronic Systems Technology

Topic:
Internet of Things and Internet of Energy for Connecting at Any Time and Any Place
Abstract / Description:

In this presentation, I would like to discuss with you how to establish a sustainable and smart society through the internet of energy for connecting at any time and any place. I suspect that you have heard the phrase, "Internet of Energy" less often. The meaning of this phrase is simple. Because of a ubiquitous energy transmission system, you do not need to worry about a shortage of electric power. One of the most important items for establishing a sustainable society is [...]

"Inaugural Linvill Distinguished Seminar on Electronic Systems Technology," EE News, July 2018

Date and Time:
Monday, January 14, 2019 - 4:30pm
Venue:
Hewlett 200

## Special Seminar: Formal Methods meets Machine Learning: Explorations in Cyber-Physical Systems Design

Topic:
Formal Methods meets Machine Learning: Explorations in Cyber-Physical Systems Design
Abstract / Description:

Cyber-physical systems (CPS) are computational systems tightly integrated with physical processes. Examples include modern automobiles, fly-by-wire aircraft, software-controlled medical devices, robots, and many more. In recent times, these systems have exploded in complexity due to the growing amount of software and networking integrated into physical environments via real-time control loops, as well as the growing use of machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) techniques. At the same time, these systems must be designed with strong verifiable guarantees.

In this talk, I will describe our research explorations at the intersection of machine learning and formal methods that address some of the challenges in CPS design. First, I will describe how machine learning techniques can be blended with formal methods to address challenges in specification, design, and verification of industrial CPS. In particular, I will discuss the use of formal inductive synthesis --- algorithmic synthesis from examples with formal guarantees — for CPS design. Next, I will discuss how formal methods can be used to improve the level of assurance in systems that rely heavily on machine learning, such as autonomous vehicles using deep learning for perception. Both theory and industrial case studies will be discussed, with a special focus on the automotive domain. I will conclude with a brief discussion of the major remaining challenges posed by the use of machine learning and AI in CPS.

Date and Time:
Monday, December 4, 2017 - 4:00pm
Venue:
Gates 463A

## SpaceX's journey on the road to mars

Topic:
SpaceX's journey on the road to mars
Abstract / Description:

SSI will be hosting Gwynne Shotwell — President and COO of SpaceX — to discuss SpaceX's journey on the road to mars. The event will be on Wednesday Oct 11th from 7pm - 8pm in Dinkelspiel Auditorium. After the talk, there will be a Q&A session hosted by Steve Jurvetson from DFJ Venture Capital.

Claim your tickets now on eventbright

Date and Time:
Wednesday, October 11, 2017 - 7:00pm
Venue:
Dinkelspiel Auditorium

## CS Department Lecture Series (CS300)

Topic:
Faculty speak about their research to new PhD students
Abstract / Description:

Offered to incoming first-year PhD students in the Autumn quarter.

The seminar gives CS faculty the opportunity to speak about their research, which allows new CS PhD students the chance to learn about the professors and their research before permanently aligning.

4:30-5:15, Subhasish Mitra

5:15-6:00, Silvio Savarese

Date and Time:
Wednesday, December 7, 2016 - 4:30pm to 6:00pm
Venue:
200-305 Lane History Corner, Main Quad

## CS Department Lecture Series (CS300)

Topic:
Faculty speak about their research to new PhD students
Abstract / Description:

Offered to incoming first-year PhD students in the Autumn quarter.

The seminar gives CS faculty the opportunity to speak about their research, which allows new CS PhD students the chance to learn about the professors and their research before permanently aligning.

4:30-5:15, Phil Levis

5:15-6:00, Ron Fedkiw

Date and Time:
Monday, December 5, 2016 - 4:30pm to 6:00pm
Venue:
200-305 Lane History Corner, Main Quad

## CS Department Lecture Series (CS300)

Topic:
Faculty speak about their research to new PhD students
Abstract / Description:

Offered to incoming first-year PhD students in the Autumn quarter.

The seminar gives CS faculty the opportunity to speak about their research, which allows new CS PhD students the chance to learn about the professors and their research before permanently aligning.

4:30-5:15, Dan Boneh

5:15-6:00, Aaron Sidford

Date and Time:
Wednesday, November 30, 2016 - 4:30pm to 6:00pm
Venue:
200-305 Lane History Corner, Main Quad

## CS Department Lecture Series (CS300)

Topic:
Faculty speak about their research to new PhD students
Abstract / Description:

Offered to incoming first-year PhD students in the Autumn quarter.

The seminar gives CS faculty the opportunity to speak about their research, which allows new CS PhD students the chance to learn about the professors and their research before permanently aligning.

4:30-5:15, John Mitchell

5:15-6:00, James Zou

Date and Time:
Monday, November 28, 2016 - 4:30pm to 6:00pm
Venue:
200-305 Lane History Corner, Main Quad

## CS Department Lecture Series (CS300)

Topic:
Faculty speak about their research to new PhD students
Abstract / Description:

Offered to incoming first-year PhD students in the Autumn quarter.

The seminar gives CS faculty the opportunity to speak about their research, which allows new CS PhD students the chance to learn about the professors and their research before permanently aligning.

4:30-5:15, Emma Brunskill

5:15-6:00, Doug James

Date and Time:
Wednesday, November 16, 2016 - 4:30pm to 6:00pm
Venue:
200-305 Lane History Corner, Main Quad

## CS Department Lecture Series (CS300)

Topic:
Faculty speak about their research to new PhD students
Abstract / Description:

Offered to incoming first-year PhD students in the Autumn quarter.

The seminar gives CS faculty the opportunity to speak about their research, which allows new CS PhD students the chance to learn about the professors and their research before permanently aligning.

4:30-5:15, James Landay

5:15-6:00, Dan Jurafsky

Date and Time:
Monday, November 14, 2016 - 4:30pm to 6:00pm
Venue:
200-305 Lane History Corner, Main Quad

## EE380 Computer Systems Colloquium presents "A two part talk: (1) Thunderclap; (2) CHERI"

Topic:
A two part talk: (1) Thunderclap: A Research Platform for I/O Security; (2) CHERI: Capability Hardware-Enhanced RISC Instructions
Abstract / Description:

(1) Thunderclap: A Research Platform for I/O Security; (2) CHERI: Capability Hardware-Enhanced RISC Instructions This is a two-part talk on SRI's joint work with the UK University of Cambridge.

(1) The first part is based on a paper that is part of our CHERI hardware-software development projects

A. Theodore Markettos, Colin Rothwell, Brett F. Gutstein, Allison Pearce, Peter G. Neumann, Simon W. Moore, and Robert N. M. Watson, Thunderclap: Exploring Vulnerabilities in Operating-System IOMMU Protection via DMA from Untrustworthy Peripherals, Network and Distributed Systems Security (NDSS 2019), San Diego CA, 24-27 February 2019.
Direct Memory Access (DMA) attacks have been known for many years: DMA-enabled I/O peripherals have complete access to the state of a computer and can fully compromise it including reading and writing all of system memory. With the popularity of Thunderbolt 3 over USB Type-C and smart internal devices, opportunities for these attacks to be performed casually with only seconds of physical access to a computer have greatly broadened. In response, commodity hardware and operating-system (OS) vendors have incorporated support for Input-Output Memory Management Units (IOMMUs), which impose memory protection on DMA, and are widely believed to protect against DMA attacks. We investigate the state-of-the-art in IOMMU protection across OSes using a novel I/O-security research platform, and find that current protections fall short when faced with a functional network peripheral that uses its complex interactions with the OS for ill intent. We describe vulnerabilities in macOS, FreeBSD, and Linux, which notionally utilize IOMMUs to protect against DMA attackers. Windows uses the IOMMU only in limited cases. and it remains vulnerable. Using Thunderclap, an open-sourced FPGA research platform that we built, we explore new classes of OS vulnerability arising from inadequate use of the IOMMU. The complex vulnerability space for IOMMU-exposed shared memory available to DMA-enabled peripherals allows attackers to extract private data (sniffing cleartext VPN traffic) and hijack kernel control flow (launching a root shell) in seconds using devices such as USB-C projectors or power adapters. We have worked closely with OS vendors to remedy these vulnerability classes, and they have now shipped substantial feature improvements and mitigations as a result of our work. The paper and subsequent developments are at http://www.thunderclap.io.

(2) The second part of this talk is a summary of the ongoing CHERI (Capability Hardware-Enhanced RISC Instructions) hardware-software developments, which began in 2010. Several hardware prototype variants exist with full operating system and compiler support. Tech transfer is ongoing.

Date and Time:
Wednesday, November 6, 2019 - 4:30pm
Venue:
Shriram 104

## EE380 Computer Systems Colloquium presents "Locking the Web Open--a Call for a New, Decentralized Web"

Topic:
Locking the Web Open--a Call for a New, Decentralized Web
Abstract / Description:

Thirty years after the World Wide Web was created, can we now make it better? How can we ensure that our most important values: privacy, free speech, and open access to knowledge are enshrined in the code itself? In a provocative call to action, entrepreneur and Open Internet advocate, Brewster Kahle, challenges us to build a better, decentralized Web based on new distributed technologies. He lays out a path to creating a new Web that is reliable, private, but still fun—in order to lock the Web open for good.

Date and Time:
Wednesday, December 4, 2019 - 4:30pm
Venue:
Shriram 104

## EE380 Computer Systems Colloquium presents "Solving Cybersecurity As an Economic Problem"

Topic:
Solving Cybersecurity As an Economic Problem
Abstract / Description:

Conventional cybersecurity technologies have been deployed for decades, yet we hear of a major cyberattack seemingly weekly. What is going on? In this talk, Alex Gounares, CEO of Polyverse Corporation and former Technology Advisor to Bill Gates will explore the fundamental issues behind cyberattacks and discuss some radical new approaches to solving the cybersecurity challenge.

Date and Time:
Wednesday, November 20, 2019 - 4:30pm
Venue:
Shriram 104

## EE380 Computer Systems Colloquium presents "The Current State of Cybersecurity"

Topic:
The Current State of Cybersecurity
Abstract / Description:

Barracuda Networks, Inc. provides security, networking and data protection products based on appliances and cloud services. These solutions protect customers from cyberattacks via threat vectors including email, network, web application, web browsing and remote access. In this talk, Fleming Shi will examine the current state of Cybersecurity protection, share sample cases and explain how Barracuda protects against advanced persistent threats, phishing scams, and web application data breaches.

Date and Time:
Wednesday, November 13, 2019 - 4:30pm
Venue:
Shriram 104

## EE380 Computer Systems Colloquium presents "Persistent and Unforgeable Watermarks for DeepNeural Networks"

Topic:
Persistent and Unforgeable Watermarks for DeepNeural Networks
Abstract / Description:

As deep learning classifiers continue to mature, model providers with sufficient data and computation resources are exploring approaches to monetize the development of increasingly powerful models. Licensing models is a promising approach, but requires a robust tool for owners to claim ownership of models, i.e. a watermark. Unfortunately, current watermarks are all vulnerable to piracy attacks, where attackers embed forged watermarks into a model to dispute ownership. We believe properties of persistence and piracy resistance are critical to watermarks, but are fundamentally at odds with the current way models are trained and tuned.

In this work, we propose two new training techniques (out-of-bound values and null-embedding) that provide persistence and limit the training of certain inputs into trained models. We then introduce wonder filters, a new primitive that embeds a persistent bit-sequence into a model, but only at initial training time. Wonder filters enable model owners to embed a bit-sequence generated from their private keys into a model at training time. Attackers cannot remove wonder filters via tuning, and cannot add their own filters to pretrained models. We provide analytical proofs of key properties, and experimentally validate them over a variety of tasks and models. Finally, we explore a number of adaptive counter-measures, and show our watermark remains robust.

Date and Time:
Wednesday, October 30, 2019 - 4:30pm
Venue:
Shriram 104

## EE380 Computer Systems Colloquium

Topic:
TBA
Abstract / Description:

TBA

Date and Time:
Wednesday, October 23, 2019 - 4:30pm
Venue:
Shriram 104

## EE380 Computer Systems Colloquium presents "Tales from the Risks Forum"

Topic:
Tales from the Risks Forum
Abstract / Description:

Peter G. Neumann has moderated the ACM Risks Forum (risks.org) since its inception in 1985. RISKS has reported and discussed a broad spectrum of problems in computer systems, misconceptions, and human failings over the years. In an unusual format for EE380, this session will revisit some of more memorable risks discovered and how they were mitigated. Live attendees will have an opportunity to share unpublished risks they have found, as time permits. (Please limit your proposed contribution to 3 PDF slides.)

Date and Time:
Wednesday, October 16, 2019 - 4:30pm
Venue:
Shriram 104

## EE380 Computer Systems Colloquium presents "Neural Networks on Chip Design from the User Perspective"

Topic:
Neural Networks on Chip Design from the User Perspective
Abstract / Description:

To apply neural networks to different applications, various customized hardware architectures are proposed in the past a few years to boost the energy efficiency of deep learning inference processing. Meanwhile, the possibilities of adopting emerging NVM (Non-Volatile Memory) technology for efficient learning systems, i.e., in-memory-computing, are also attractive for both academia and industry. We will briefly review our past effort on Deep learning Processing Unit (DPU) design on FPGA in Tsinghua and Deephi, and then talk about some features, i.e. interrupt and virtualization, we are trying to introduce into the accelerators from the user's perspective. Furthermore, we will also talk about the challenges for reliability and security issues in NN accelerators on both FPGA and NVM, and some preliminary solutions for now.

Date and Time:
Wednesday, October 9, 2019 - 4:30pm
Venue:
Shriram 104

## CANCELLED - SPECIAL SEMINAR: Recent Advances in Diagnosis and Error Correcting Codes

Topic:
CANCELLED -- a future date is being explored --
Abstract / Description:

Cancelled

This talk has been cancelled because EE380 requires a video of the presentation. The speakers talk includes unpublished ideas and results which can be disclosed to a small group but not to a large group over broadcast video.
Hopefully the talk will be rescheduled next week for a small live audience of specialists. Watch for an announcement if you are interested.

This presentation will highlight some of our recent research results in developing new diagnosis techniques as well as constructing new error correcting codes (ECC) well suited for emerging memory technologies. In particular, a fundamentally new approach for extracting diagnostic information from output response data highly compacted in multiple input signature registers (MISRs) will be described. This approach is based on symbolic canceling and can significantly increase the precision of error location information without requiring any additional hardware or data to be collected. Emerging memory technologies (e.g., phase change memories, spin transfer torque magnetic RAM, etc.) have new error mechanisms and higher error rates than traditional memories. New ECCs with more attractive decoding latency and complexity will be presented for addressing these reliability challenges.

Date and Time:
Wednesday, October 2, 2019 - 4:00pm
Venue:
Gates 415

## EE380 Computer Systems Colloquium presents MIPS Open

Topic:
MIPS Open
Abstract / Description:

During this session, the speakers will provide an overview of Wave Computing's MIPS Open initiative, including details on the program components, how they can be used to design edge SoCs, licensing terms, the design certification process, etc. Mr. Bemanian will also give a demonstration of how to use various program components for real-world example implementations.

Wave Computing released the first MIPS Open program components at the end of March, providing free access to the MIPS RISC architecture without license fees or royalties. The new MIPS Open online environment is live and immediately accessible at www.mipsopen.com. Specific components in the first program release include:

• MIPS Open Toolsi: Integrated Development Environment for embedded real-time operating systems and Linux-based systems for embedded products
• MIPS Open FPGAs: A complete training program including labs, SoC tutorials and sample (non-commercial) RTL code
• MIPS Open Cores: low power, low footprint microAptiv Microprocessor(MPU) and Microcontroller (MCU) cores targeted for embedded applications

Historical Note The MIPS Architecture and processor was originally developed in the Computer Systems Laboratory at Stanford by a team headed by John Hennessey. MIPS and the UC Berkeley developed SPARC archicture were quintessential RISC architectures: influential, popular, and heavily studied.

Date and Time:
Wednesday, May 1, 2019 - 4:30pm
Venue:
Shriram 104

## OSA/SPIE, SPRC and Ginzton Lab present "Bringing computational reproducibility to your research collaborations"

Topic:
Bringing computational reproducibility to your research collaborations
Abstract / Description:

Computational analyses are playing an increasingly central role in research. However, many researchers have not received training in best practices and tools for reproducibly managing and sharing their code and data. This is a step-by-step, practical webinar on managing your research code and data for computationally reproducible collaboration. The webinar starts with some brief introductory information about computational reproducibility, but the bulk of the webinar is guided work with code and data. Participants move through best practices for organizing their files, automating their analyses, documentation, and submitting their code and data for publication.

Prerequisites: Participants should bring their own wifi-enabled laptop.

Audience: Researchers who use code in their research and wish to share it.

Workshop goals:
1. Learn best practices for file organization, documentation, automation, and dissemination.
2. Assess possible tools for managing code and data.
3. Build a collaborative workspace for your code and data on Code Ocean.

Date and Time:
Tuesday, December 3, 2019 - 3:45pm
Venue:
Y2E2 299

## OSA/SPIE, SPRC and Ginzton Lab present "How the Intersection of Photonic Integrated Circuits, DSP, and Coherent Optics is Transforming Fiber Optic Networks"

Topic:
How the Intersection of Photonic Integrated Circuits, DSP, and Coherent Optics is Transforming Fiber Optic Networks
Abstract / Description:

Almost every decade there is a technological transformation of the communications network that results in a major step in scale and economic efficiency. Historically these disruptive forces include the EDFA, DWDM, Photonic Integration, First Generation of coherent technology in the optical realm and packet processing in the digital realm. It is my belief that we are on the cusp of a new revolution in optical networks fueled by the intersection of PICs, DSPs and Coherent optics. I will discuss the advancements to date and the revolution that is building.

Date and Time:
Tuesday, November 12, 2019 - 4:15pm
Venue:
Packard 101

## OSA/SPIE, SPRC and Ginzton Lab present "Hyperscale Data Center Applications of Optoelectronics"

Topic:
Hyperscale Data Center Applications of Optoelectronics
Abstract / Description:

From subsea fiber cables to short-reach switch interconnects, opto-electronics is a key technology for hyperscale data center networks. As performance requirements increase, photonics moves deeper into the network replacing copper for shorter distances. The next move for photonics is to distances of less than 3m for in-rack applications. This talk will describe how the scale of data-bandwidth growth has challenged what is possible with traditional networks and where the next opportunities for innovation lie.

Date and Time:
Wednesday, October 23, 2019 - 4:15pm
Venue:
Spilker 232

## AP483 & AMO Seminar presents "Non-Equilibrium Dynamics and Townes Solitons Formation in Two-Dimensional Bose Gases"

Topic:
Non-Equilibrium Dynamics and Townes Solitons Formation in Two-Dimensional Bose Gases
Abstract / Description:

#### AP 483 Optics and Electronics Seminar

Prof. Olav Solgaard, Organizer Fall 2019

#### AMO Seminar Sub-Series first Monday of each month)

Monica Schleier-Smith, Organizer Fall 2019

Date and Time:
Monday, December 2, 2019 - 4:00pm
Venue:
Spilker 232

## AP483 & AMO Seminar

Topic:
TBA
Abstract / Description:

#### AP 483 Optics and Electronics Seminar

Prof. Olav Solgaard, Organizer Fall 2019

#### AMO Seminar Sub-Series first Monday of each month)

Monica Schleier-Smith, Organizer Fall 2019

Date and Time:
Monday, November 18, 2019 - 4:00pm
Venue:
Spilker 232

## AP483 & AMO Seminar presents "Accelerated Scaling to Rapid Open-Air Fabrication of Durable Perovskite Solar Modules"

Topic:
Accelerated Scaling to Rapid Open-Air Fabrication of Durable Perovskite Solar Modules
Abstract / Description:

#### Organic-inorganic metal halide perovskites have seen a resurgence in interest due to unprecedented gains in power conversion efficiency (PCE). Perovskite solar cells, however, suffer from several stability challenges including thermomechanical reliability and moisture sensitivity, which are not competitive with the stability of c-Si modules that exhibit 25-service lifetimes.

We first review results from extensive studies involving an international collaboration on the inherent thermomechanical challenges for reliability of a wide range of planar and mesoporous perovskite solar cells including the role of perovskite and charge transport layer compositions. Trade-offs between efficiency and reliability, meaning maximal conversion efficiencies often come at the expense of mechanical reliability and long-term stability, are discussed.

We next consider accelerated scaling strategies to rapid open-air fabrication of durable perovskite solar modules with improved inherent perovskite and charge transport layer performance and thermal stability. We consider strategies to improve charge transport layers with a concomitant increase in device efficiency. Importantly, we demonstrate that mechanically robust perovskite films can be cured with an open-air atmospheric plasma discharge on large-scale substrates, and at linear deposition rates exceeding 4 cm/s with improved power conversion efficiency and open-circuit voltages.

#### AP 483 Optics and Electronics Seminar

Prof. Olav Solgaard, Organizer Fall 2019

#### AMO Seminar Sub-Series first Monday of each month)

Monica Schleier-Smith, Organizer Fall 2019

Date and Time:
Monday, November 11, 2019 - 4:00pm
Venue:
Spilker 232

## AP483 & AMO Seminar presents "New Ion Qubits"

Topic:
New Ion Qubits
Abstract / Description:

#### AP 483 Optics and Electronics Seminar

Prof. Olav Solgaard, Organizer Fall 2019

#### AMO Seminar Sub-Series first Monday of each month)

Monica Schleier-Smith, Organizer Fall 2019

Date and Time:
Monday, November 4, 2019 - 4:00pm
Venue:
Spilker 232

## SCIEN Colloquium and EE 292E present "How to Learn a Camera”

Topic:
Light Fields: From Shape Recovery to Sparse Reconstruction
Abstract / Description:

Traditionally, the image processing pipelines of consumer cameras have been carefully designed, hand-engineered systems. But treating an imaging pipeline as something to be learned instead of something to be engineered has the potential benefits of being faster, more accurate, and easier to tune. Relying on learning in this fashion presents a number of challenges, such as fidelity, fairness, and data collection, which can be addressed through careful consideration of neural network architectures as they relate to the physics of image formation. In this talk I'll be presenting recent work from Google's computational photography research team on using machine learning to replace traditional building blocks of a camera pipeline. I will present learning based solutions for the classic tasks of denoising, white balance, and tone mapping, each of which uses a bespoke ML architecture that is designed around the specific constraints and demands of each task. By designing learning-based solutions around the structure provided by optics and camera hardware, we are able to produce state-of-the-art solutions to these three tasks in terms of both accuracy and speed.

Date and Time:
Wednesday, December 4, 2019 - 4:30pm
Venue:
Packard 101

## SCIEN Colloquium and EE 292E present "Simulation Technologies for Image Systems Engineering"

Topic:
Simulation Technologies for Image Systems Engineering
Abstract / Description:

The use of imaging systems has grown enormously over the last several decades; these systems are an essential component in mobile communication, medicine, and automotive applications. As imaging applications have expanded the complexity of imaging systems hardware - from optics to electronics - has increased dramatically. The increased complexity makes software prototyping an essential tool for the design of novel systems and the evaluation of components. I will describe several simulations we created for image systems engineering applications: (a) designing cameras for autonomous vehicles [1], (b) simulating image encoding by the human eye and retina for image quality assessments [2], and (c) assessing the spatial sensitivity of CNNs for multiple applications [3]. This is a good moment to consider how academia and industry might cooperate to create an image systems simulation infrastructure that speeds the development of new systems for the many opportunities that will arise over the next few decades.

Date and Time:
Wednesday, November 20, 2019 - 4:30pm
Venue:
Packard 101

## SCIEN Research Initiatives

Topic:
various research initiatives
Abstract / Description:

Each year the Stanford Center for Image Systems Engineering (SCIEN) holds an annual meeting for its' Industry Affiliate Member companies. The talks introduce new Stanford faculty who are advancing imaging science and technology. The poster presentations introduce postdoctoral researchers and graduate students who are working in computational imaging with expertise in image systems engineering, including optics, sensors, processing, machine learning, displays and human perception.

Please see the details on SCIEN website.

Date and Time:
Friday, December 6, 2019 - 1:30pm
Venue:
Packard 101 and Atrium

## SCIEN and EE292E present "Light field and wavefront phase acquisition"

Topic:
Light field and wavefront phase acquisition
Abstract / Description:

Light fields can be understood as the knowledge of the intensity and direction of each ray. But the light field does not contain the diffraction effects. The wavefront phase measurement does allow an approach to the measurement of these effects. The wavefront phase sensors are fundamental in any Adaptive Optics (AO) system, both in Astronomy and Ophthalmology. With AO it is possible to correct the images degraded by the atmospheric turbulence in large telescopes or sharply improve the retina images of the human eye. In fact, the wavefront phase is proportional to the refractive index changes, that is, it serves to detect structure in transparent objects. The same data acquired by a plenoptic sensor can be used to obtain the tomographic distribution of the atmosphere over the telescope, but also to detect transparent biological tissue, such as the neuronal one, in microscopes and without needing chemical markers. In this talk we will explain how to use the wavefront phase sensors as a complement to the acquisition of the light field, and we will show direct applications in fields as disparate as computational imaging (SEBI camera: real-time Full-HD single lens light field camera), silicon metrology (one-shot subnanometer accuracy on silicon wafers), and ophthalmology (wow!).

Demo following the talk: Wooptix presents the first light field video camera using a single adaptive optics lens; no resolution killing micro lens array. The light field video is processed live using a high end PC graphic card and displayed in HD resolution on a 3D display (no head worn glasses) using the 2D all-in-focus image coupled with a depth map generated using the focal stack. The demo consist of a small handheld video camera with adaptive optics, a PC for instant light field video processing, and a 3D display for live viewing of our light field video.

Date and Time:
Wednesday, November 13, 2019 - 4:30pm
Venue:
Packard 101

## SCIEN Colloquium and EE 292E present "Fluorescence Lifetime Techniques in Clinical Interventions"

Topic:
Fluorescence Lifetime Techniques in Clinical Interventions
Abstract / Description:

This presentation overviews fluorescence lifetime spectroscopy and imaging techniques for label-free in vivo characterization of biological tissues. Emphasis is placed on recently developed devices and methods enabling real-time characterization and diagnosis of diseased tissues during clinical interventions. I will present studies conducted in animal models and human patients demonstrating the ability of these techniques to provide rapid in-situ evaluation of tissue biochemistry and their potential to guide surgical and intravascular procedures. Current results demonstrate that intrinsic fluorescence can provide useful contrast for the diagnosis of vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques, intraoperative delineation of brain tumors and head and neck tumors. Finally, I will present results from the first-in-human study that shows the potential of a multispectral fluorescence lifetime method for image-guided augmented reality in trans-oral robotic surgery (TORS).

Date and Time:
Wednesday, October 23, 2019 - 4:30pm
Venue:
Packard 101

## SCIEN presents "A proposed range compensating lens for non-imaging active optical systems"

Topic:
A proposed range compensating lens for non-imaging active optical systems
Abstract / Description:

In many active optical systems where the light is supplied such as a range finder or optical radar (LiDAR), there is a possibility that the detector (pixel) can be destroyed if significant signal is returned or at the very least blinded for a period of time. This is because the designer struggles with the "one over range squared" loss which can amount to significant attenuation in the return signal given the range requirements. When pushing the range limit requirement, the sensor is in need of a large dynamic range detector and/or some form of detector protection when the target is quite close. This work proposes a lens that attempts to compensate for range signal loss passively and instantaneously by combining lens elements in parallel rather than in series as is typically done [Mudge Appl. Opt. 58, (2019)]. The proposed lens is relatively simple and compensates for range albeit not perfectly. Additionally, a discussion is provided to implement this approach along with a variety of examples of a range compensating lens [Phenis et al. Proc. of SPIE, 11125, (2019)]. These designs cover techniques and include some of the penalties incurred.

Date and Time:
Wednesday, October 30, 2019 - 4:30pm
Venue:
Packard 101

## SCIEN presents "Light Fields: From Shape Recovery to Sparse Reconstruction"

Topic:
Light Fields: From Shape Recovery to Sparse Reconstruction
Abstract / Description:

The availability of academic and commercial light field camera systems has spurred significant research into the use of light fields and multi-view imagery in computer vision and computer graphics. In this talk, we discuss our results over the past few years, focusing on a few themes. First, we describe our work on a unified formulation of shape from light field cameras, combining cues such as defocus, correspondence, and shading. Then, we go beyond photoconsistency, addressing non-Lambertian objects, occlusions, and an SVBRDF-invariant shape recovery algorithm. Finally, we show that advances in machine learning can be used to interpolate light fields from very sparse angular samples, in the limit a single 2D image, and create light field videos from sparse temporal samples. We also discuss recent work on combining machine learning with plenoptic sampling theory to create virtual explorations of real scenes from a very sparse set of input images captured on a handheld mobile phone.

Date and Time:
Wednesday, November 6, 2019 - 4:30pm
Venue:
Packard 101

## SCIEN presents " Optical 3D scanning in a X-ray microscope"

Topic:
Optical 3D scanning in a X-ray microscope
Abstract / Description:

The Zeiss Group develops, produces and distributes measuring technology, microscopes, medical technology, eyeglass lenses, camera and cinema lenses, binoculars and semiconductor manufacturing equipment. In this talk, I will present a novel webcam based optical 3D scanning method that allows independent surface mesh generation inside X-ray microscopes. These surface models can be used for collision avoidance and improved ease of use.

Date and Time:
Wednesday, October 16, 2019 - 4:30pm
Venue:
Packard 101

## SCIEN presents "Training academy for autonomous vehicles and mobile robots"

Topic:
Training academy for autonomous vehicles and mobile robots
Abstract / Description:

Autonomous mobile robots (e.g., self-driving cars, delivery trucks) are emerging and reshaping the world. However, there is one critical problem blocking the entire industry: how can mobile robots drive safely and naturally in the complex 3D world, and how do we know? In this talk, I will discuss our solution, called "training academy", to the aforementioned problem. We apply 3D vision, deep learning, and reinforcement learning techniques to generate real-world, high-fidelity driving scenarios and train the autonomous systems to develop human-like intelligence in a simulated environment.

Date and Time:
Wednesday, October 9, 2019 - 4:30pm
Venue:
Packard 101

## SCIEN presents "Inverse Rendering for Realistic Computer Graphics"

Topic:
Inverse Rendering for Realistic Computer Graphics
Abstract / Description:

Rendering refers to a process of creating digital images of an object or a scene from 3D data using computers and algorithms. Inverse rendering is the inverse process of rendering, i.e., reconstructing 3D data from 2D images. The 3D data to be recovered can be 3D geometry, reflectance of a surface, camera viewpoints, or lighting conditions.
In this talk, we will discuss three inverse rendering problems. First, inverse rendering using flash photography captures 3D geometry and reflectance of a static object using a single camera and a flashlight attached to the camera. An alternating and iterative optimization framework is proposed to jointly solve for several unknown properties. Second, inverse rendering at microscale reconstructs 3D normals and reflectance of a surface at microscale. A specially designed acquisition system, as well as an inverse rendering algorithm for microscale material appearance, are proposed. Lastly, inverse rendering for human hair describes a novel 3D reconstruction algorithm for modeling high-quality human hair geometry. We hope that our work on these advanced inverse rendering problems boosts hyper-realism in computer graphics

Date and Time:
Wednesday, October 2, 2019 - 4:30pm
Venue:
Packard 101

## SmartGrid Seminar presents "Intelligent Protection Schemes for Renewable Energy Integration"

Topic:
Intelligent Protection Schemes for Renewable Energy Integration
Abstract / Description:

By 2050, the costs of an average PV and wind plant are expected to fall by 71% and 58%, respectively. Meanwhile, batteries will further depress market prices, which in turn enable the deeper penetration of renewable energies like PV, wind, and electric vehicles (EVs). However, the transition on primary energy resources can be a double-edged sword. Problems such as protective relay is landing and fault detection, protective relay coordination under environmental uncertainty, topology recovery of secondary distribution networks, and EV charging station planning are critical to the security and resilience of the electric systems. This presentation describes several timely solutions to enable more secure and efficient grid operations by analyzing voluminous power system operation data. The aforementioned solutions include the multifunction intelligent relays, an environment-driven adaptive protection scheme, a transformer connectivity inferencing tool, and an EV charging station planning method. Several types of machine learning algorithms are developed in power systems to support renewable energy integration for sustainability.

Date and Time:
Thursday, November 21, 2019 - 1:30pm
Venue:
Y2E2 111

## EE 292X (CEE 292X) Battery Systems for Transportation and Grid Services - Poster Session

Topic:
Student Poster Session, EE 292X (CEE 292X)
Abstract / Description:

### Project poster session spanning a very broad range of topics from battery technology and modeling to applications to transportation and the grid.

You are welcome to come and meet our students and learn about their amazing work.

List of EE/CEE 292X projects:
1. Voltage sensing separator for battery fast charging
2. Equivalent circuit models for lithium ion batteries under EV drive cycles
3. Machine learning based models for lithium ion batteries
4. Characterizing error in linear battery dynamics model
5. Homogenized thermal runaway model in Li-ion cells
6. Battery pack design for thermal runaway prevention
7. Smart lithium ion battery pack for small-scale UAV applications
8. Battery-aware intelligence for autonomous robot navigation
9. Battery modeling to optimize range and cycle life for electric aircraft
10. Mileage prediction based on driving profiles
11. Data-driven system modeling of Stanford EV buses
12. Empirical trends in energy consumption of electric buses
13. Quantifying load impact from autonomous electric TNC fleets
14. Data-driven placement of charging station locations
15. Charging station locations via agent based simulation
16. Battery design for resilient decentralized wastewater treatment
17. Low cost, temperature robust batteries for farm applications
18. Battery charge controller for small scale off-grid wind
19. Techno-economic feasibility of a hybrid storage system for a university campus
20. Distributed vs grid scale storage systems for future EV charging stations
21. Ancillary services with vehicle to grid charging
22. Quantifying 2nd life EV battery value for grid applications

Date and Time:
Thursday, December 5, 2019 - 3:30pm
Venue:
Packard Atrium

## Q-Farm & Geballe Laboratory for Advanced Materials (GLAM) special seminar: "Operator Growth, Chaos, Complexity, and Hydrodynamics"

Topic:
Operator Growth, Chaos, Complexity, and Hydrodynamics
Abstract / Description:

The emergence of ergodic behavior in quantum systems is an old puzzle. Quantum mechanical time-evolution is local and unitary, but many quantum systems are successfully described by irreversible hydrodynamics. I will present a hypothesis for how operators grow in strongly-interacting many-body systems and thence give rise to hydrodynamics. The hypothesis states that the Lanczos coefficients in the continued fraction expansion of the Green's function growth linearly with a "universal growth rate" $\alpha$ in chaotic quantum systems.

I will describe the extensive analytical and numerical evidence for this hypothesis, as well as three of its consequences. (1) Operator growth can diagnose free, integrable, and chaotic dynamics. (2) The growth rate --- an experimental observable --- gives rise to a quantity called the "K-complexity". The K-complexity quantifies the "amount of chaos" in any quantum system, and reduces to the Lyapunov exponent in semiclassical limits. (3) Assuming the hypothesis, one can accurately compute diffusion coefficients and other hydrodynamical data with minimal computational effort.

This talk is based on arXiv: 1812.08657.

Date and Time:
Wednesday, November 20, 2019 - 3:00pm
Venue:
McCullough Building Room 335

## Bits and Watts meets Buts and Whats: New York State's Policy to Remake the Grid

Topic:
New York State's Policy to Remake the Grid
Abstract / Description:

In developing the 20th century grid, George Westinghouse and Nikola Tesla did not design an architecture for distributed or renewable resources. To decarbonize the grid--and to electrify transportation and heating--requires exactly that: a remaking of the grid to accommodate these resources. While doing so will require some new technology solutions, this seminar will explore how existing policy has inhibited innovation in the regulated power sector, and more important, will give an update on New York State's Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) policy, a market-based approach to build the smart grid.

Date and Time:
Monday, November 11, 2019 - 4:30pm
Venue:
NVIDIA Auditorium

## Smart Grid Seminar presents "Finding a Balance: Regulation and Grid Performance"

Topic:
Finding a Balance: Regulation and Grid Performance
Abstract / Description:

What is driving our electric power industry to improve performance? How do we, as an industry, make sure we are performing to our customers' expectations? In today's power systems, every technology employed, trend established, and policy or standard implemented, should be done so with the best interests of the customer in mind. The utility sector is economically immense and vast in geographic scope, and it combines ownership, management, and regulation in complex ways to achieve reliable energy service. This lecture provides a broad view on energy market regulation in the US, including a rulemaking process and landmark orders. It addition, it explores how improving bulk power system performance through technology, data, and policies will benefit the customers of electric power.

Date and Time:
Thursday, October 31, 2019 - 1:30pm
Venue:
Y2E2 111

## Smart Grid Seminar welcomes Jessica Bain

Topic:
TBA - date subject to change
Abstract / Description:

We invite you to join us in this quarter's Stanford Smart Grid Seminar. The theme of the seminar series is on smart grids and energy systems, scheduled for Thursdays, and with speakers from academic institutions and industry. The seminar room is Room 111 in Y2E2 Building.

The speakers are renowned scholars or industry experts in power and energy systems. We believe they will bring novel insights and fruitful discussions to Stanford. This seminar is offered as a 1 unit seminar course, CEE 272T/EE292T. Interested students can take this seminar course for credit by completing a project based on the topics presented in this course. Please discuss with the faculty in charge before signing up for credit.

Smart Grid Seminar Organization Team:

• Ram Rajagopal, Associate Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering, and Electrical Engineering
• Liang Min, Managing Director, Bits and Watts Initiative
• Chin-Woo Tan, Director, Stanford Smart Grid Lab
• Mohammad Rasouli, Postdoctoral Scholar, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Date and Time:
Thursday, November 14, 2019 - 1:30pm
Venue:
Y2E2 111

## Smart Grid Seminar: Vehicle Grid Integration

Topic:
Vehicle Grid Integration
Abstract / Description:

Vehicle Grid Integration (VGI) is the umbrella-concept that encompasses managed charging of electric vehicles (V1G) as well as vehicle-to-grid (V2G) solutions. As more electric vehicles hit the road inCalifornia, PG&E has been leading industry efforts to better clarify and articulate the scope, need, and value of VGI. This talk provides an overview of PG&E's activities in the VGI space, focusing on a recently developed market framework that identifies hundreds of potential VGI use-cases and help quantify their value. Dr. Farhat will also share findings from two of PG&E's VGI pilots: the ChargeForward pilot in collaboration with BMW North America, and the School Bus Renewable Integration pilot with PittsburghUnified School District.

We invite you to join us in this quarter's Stanford Smart Grid Seminar. The theme of the seminar series is on smart grids and energy systems, scheduled for Thursdays, and with speakers from academic institutions and industry. The seminar room is Room 111 in Y2E2 Building.

The speakers are renowned scholars or industry experts in power and energy systems. We believe they will bring novel insights and fruitful discussions to Stanford. This seminar is offered as a 1 unit seminar course, CEE 272T/EE292T. Interested students can take this seminar course for credit by completing a project based on the topics presented in this course. Please discuss with the faculty in charge before signing up for credit.

Smart Grid Seminar Organization Team:

• Ram Rajagopal, Associate Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering, and Electrical Engineering
• Liang Min, Managing Director, Bits and Watts Initiative
• Chin-Woo Tan, Director, Stanford Smart Grid Lab
• Mohammad Rasouli, Postdoctoral Scholar, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Date and Time:
Thursday, November 7, 2019 - 1:30pm
Venue:
Y2E2 111

## Smart Grid Seminar: Safety-Constrained Learning Algorithms for Demand Management

Topic:
Safety-Constrained Learning Algorithms for Demand Management
Abstract / Description:

In the first part of the talk, we study the problem of designing optimal control actions (e.g., real-time prices) for demand management in power distribution systems given unknown customer response functions. Without exact response information or a market mechanism that extracts this information from customers, the design of demand management initiatives can present economic uncertainty and grid reliability concerns for the aggregator. This highlights the need for safety-constrained learning heuristics that can be applied in power and more broadly safety-critical systems. We showcase "safety-aware" bandit heuristics for designing control actions that constrain the probability of violation of power grid constraints during the learning process. We then highlight the effect of such safety constraints on the growth of regret for special classes of stochastic bandit optimization problems.

In the second part of the talk, we consider the problem of joint routing, battery charging, and pricing problem faced by a profit-maximizing transportation service provider that operates a fleet of autonomous electric vehicles. To accommodate for the time-varying nature of trip demands, renewable energy availability, and electricity prices, a dynamic pricing and control policy is required. We highlight several such policies, including one trained through deep reinforcement learning to develop a near-optimal policy. We also determine the optimal static policy to serve as a baseline for comparison with our dynamic policy and for determining the capacity region of the system. While the static policy provides important insights on optimal pricing and fleet management, we showcase how in a real dynamic setting, it is inefficient to utilize a static policy.

We invite you to join us in this quarter's Stanford Smart Grid Seminar. The theme of the seminar series is on smart grids and energy systems, scheduled for Thursdays, and with speakers from academic institutions and industry. The seminar room is Room 111 in Y2E2 Building.

The speakers are renowned scholars or industry experts in power and energy systems. We believe they will bring novel insights and fruitful discussions to Stanford. This seminar is offered as a 1 unit seminar course, CEE 272T/EE292T. Interested students can take this seminar course for credit by completing a project based on the topics presented in this course. Please discuss with the faculty in charge before signing up for credit.

Smart Grid Seminar Organization Team:

• Ram Rajagopal, Associate Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering, and Electrical Engineering
• Liang Min, Managing Director, Bits and Watts Initiative
• Chin-Woo Tan, Director, Stanford Smart Grid Lab
• Mohammad Rasouli, Postdoctoral Scholar, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Date and Time:
Thursday, October 24, 2019 - 1:30pm
Venue:
Y2E2 111

## Smart Grid Seminar: Real World AI Applications at Scale

Topic:
Real World AI Applications at Scale
Abstract / Description:

Artificial intelligence (AI) may be the key to unlocking humanity's problem-solving capabilities but engaging with AI is not necessarily intuitive. Industrial enterprises find it difficult to understand how specific AI advances can be applied to their organizations and how to begin integrating AI technology at scale. Starting to work with AI is no different than with any other technology: Understand the problem you are trying to solve, understand the capabilities of the technology, and reconcile the two. We distilled the steps from our application of AI across a variety of real-world projects. To make the steps tangible, we will deepdive into one: Google data center energy efficiency. Google wanted to reduce the energy consumed by its data centers while maintaining a temperature that was safe for operations. The team started this project with one of Google's newest, most optimized data centers. This provided a data-rich environment with the most up-to-date sensors and equipment, which helped baseline performance (and later measure impact). The result was an AI system that achieved 30% reduction in energy consumption while continuing to operate the data center in a safe, effective manner. The benefit was clear: Google reduced its data center energy consumption, environmental impact, and bottomline cost while improving the efficiency of the system. Google is now looking to expand the scale and application of this technology.

We invite you to join us in this quarter's Stanford Smart Grid Seminar. The theme of the seminar series is on smart grids and energy systems, scheduled for Thursdays, and with speakers from academic institutions and industry. The seminar room is Room 111 in Y2E2 Building.

The speakers are renowned scholars or industry experts in power and energy systems. We believe they will bring novel insights and fruitful discussions to Stanford. This seminar is offered as a 1 unit seminar course, CEE 272T/EE292T. Interested students can take this seminar course for credit by completing a project based on the topics presented in this course. Please discuss with the faculty in charge before signing up for credit.

Smart Grid Seminar Organization Team:

• Ram Rajagopal, Associate Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering, and Electrical Engineering
• Liang Min, Managing Director, Bits and Watts Initiative
• Chin-Woo Tan, Director, Stanford Smart Grid Lab
• Mohammad Rasouli, Postdoctoral Scholar, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Date and Time:
Thursday, October 3, 2019 - 1:30pm
Venue:
Y2E2 111

## Smart Grid Seminar: Utility Work on DER Integration

Topic:
Utility Work on DER Integration
Abstract / Description:

We invite you to join us in this quarter's Stanford Smart Grid Seminar. The theme of the seminar series is on smart grids and energy systems, scheduled for Thursdays, and with speakers from academic institutions and industry. The seminar room is Room 111 in Y2E2 Building.

The speakers are renowned scholars or industry experts in power and energy systems. We believe they will bring novel insights and fruitful discussions to Stanford. This seminar is offered as a 1 unit seminar course, CEE 272T/EE292T. Interested students can take this seminar course for credit by completing a project based on the topics presented in this course. Please discuss with the faculty in charge before signing up for credit.

Smart Grid Seminar Organization Team:

• Ram Rajagopal, Associate Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering, and Electrical Engineering
• Liang Min, Managing Director, Bits and Watts Initiative
• Chin-Woo Tan, Director, Stanford Smart Grid Lab
• Mohammad Rasouli, Postdoctoral Scholar, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Date and Time:
Thursday, September 26, 2019 - 1:30pm
Venue:
Y2E2 111

## Stanford's NetSeminar

Topic:
Abstract / Description:

Individuals of all genders invited to be a part of:
#StanfordToo: A Conversation about Sexual Harassment in Our Academic Spaces, where we will feature real stories of harassment at Stanford academic STEM in a conversation with Provost Drell, Dean Minor (SoM), and Dean Graham (SE3). We will have plenty of time for audience discussion on how we can take concrete action to dismantle this culture and actively work towards a more inclusive Stanford for everyone. While our emphasis is on STEM fields, we welcome and encourage participation from students, postdocs, staff, and faculty of all academic disciplines and backgrounds.

Date and Time:
Friday, April 19, 2019 - 3:30pm
Venue:
STLC 111

## John G. Linvill Distinguished Seminar on Electronic Systems Technology

Topic:
Internet of Things and Internet of Energy for Connecting at Any Time and Any Place
Abstract / Description:

In this presentation, I would like to discuss with you how to establish a sustainable and smart society through the internet of energy for connecting at any time and any place. I suspect that you have heard the phrase, "Internet of Energy" less often. The meaning of this phrase is simple. Because of a ubiquitous energy transmission system, you do not need to worry about a shortage of electric power. One of the most important items for establishing a sustainable society is [...]

"Inaugural Linvill Distinguished Seminar on Electronic Systems Technology," EE News, July 2018

Date and Time:
Monday, January 14, 2019 - 4:30pm
Venue:
Hewlett 200

## Claude E. Shannon's 100th Birthday

Topic:
Centennial year of the 'Father of the Information Age'
Abstract / Description:

From UCLA Shannon Centennial Celebration website:

Claude Shannon was an American mathematician, electrical engineer, and cryptographer known as "the father of information theory". Shannon founded information theory and is perhaps equally well known for founding both digital computer and digital circuit design theory. Shannon also laid the foundations of cryptography and did basic work on code breaking and secure telecommunications.

Events taking place around the world are listed at IEEE Information Theory Society.

Date and Time:
Saturday, April 30, 2016 - 12:00pm
Venue:
N/A

## NetSeminar

Topic:
BlindBox: Deep Packet Inspection over Encrypted Traffic
Abstract / Description:

SIGCOMM 2015, Joint work with: Justine Sherry, Chang Lan, and Sylvia Ratnasamy

Many network middleboxes perform deep packet inspection (DPI), a set of useful tasks which examine packet payloads. These tasks include intrusion detection (IDS), exfiltration detection, and parental filtering. However, a long-standing issue is that once packets are sent over HTTPS, middleboxes can no longer accomplish their tasks because the payloads are encrypted. Hence, one is faced with the choice of only one of two desirable properties: the functionality of middleboxes and the privacy of encryption.

We propose BlindBox, the first system that simultaneously provides both of these properties. The approach of BlindBox is to perform the deep-packet inspection directly on the encrypted traffic. BlindBox realizes this approach through a new protocol and new encryption schemes. We demonstrate that BlindBox enables applications such as IDS, exfiltration detection and parental filtering, and supports real rulesets from both open-source and industrial DPI systems. We implemented BlindBox and showed that it is practical for settings with long-lived HTTPS connections. Moreover, its core encryption scheme is 3-6 orders of magnitude faster than existing relevant cryptographic schemes.

Date and Time:
Wednesday, November 11, 2015 - 12:15pm to 1:30pm
Venue:
Packard 202

## NetSeminar

Topic:
Precise localization and high throughput backscatter using WiFi signals
Abstract / Description:

Indoor localization holds great promise to enable applications like location-based advertising, indoor navigation, inventory monitoring and management. SpotFi is an accurate indoor localization system that can be deployed on commodity WiFi infrastructure. SpotFi only uses information that is already exposed by WiFi chips and does not require any hardware or firmware changes, yet achieves the same accuracy as state-of-the-art localization systems.

We then talk about BackFi, a novel communication system that enables high throughput, long range communication between very low power backscatter IoT sensors and WiFi APs using ambient WiFi transmissions as the excitation signal. We show via prototypes and experiments that it is possible to achieve communication rates of up to 5 Mbps at a range of 1 m and 1 Mbps at a range of 5 meters. Such performance is an order to three orders of magnitude better than the best known prior WiFi backscatter system.

Date and Time:
Thursday, October 15, 2015 - 12:15pm to 1:30pm
Venue:
Gates 104

## NetSeminar

Topic:
TBA
Abstract / Description:

TBA

Date and Time:
Thursday, December 3, 2015 - 12:15pm to 1:30pm
Venue:
Gates 104

## NetSeminar

Topic:
BlindBox: Deep Packet Inspection over Encrypted Traffic
Abstract / Description:

SIGCOMM 2015, Joint work with: Justine Sherry, Chang Lan, and Sylvia Ratnasamy

Many network middleboxes perform deep packet inspection (DPI), a set of useful tasks which examine packet payloads. These tasks include intrusion detection (IDS), exfiltration detection, and parental filtering. However, a long-standing issue is that once packets are sent over HTTPS, middleboxes can no longer accomplish their tasks because the payloads are encrypted. Hence, one is faced with the choice of only one of two desirable properties: the functionality of middleboxes and the privacy of encryption.

We propose BlindBox, the first system that simultaneously provides both of these properties. The approach of BlindBox is to perform the deep-packet inspection directly on the encrypted traffic. BlindBox realizes this approach through a new protocol and new encryption schemes. We demonstrate that BlindBox enables applications such as IDS, exfiltration detection and parental filtering, and supports real rulesets from both open-source and industrial DPI systems. We implemented BlindBox and showed that it is practical for settings with long-lived HTTPS connections. Moreover, its core encryption scheme is 3-6 orders of magnitude faster than existing relevant cryptographic schemes.

Date and Time:
Wednesday, October 7, 2015 - 12:15pm to 1:30pm
Venue:
AllenX Auditorium

## Statistics Department Seminar welcomes Jonathan Taylor

Topic:
Inference after selection through a black box
Abstract / Description:

We consider the problem of inference for parameters selected for reporting only after some algorithm, the canonical example being inference for model parameters after a model selection procedure. The conditional correction for selection requires knowledge of how the selection is affected by changes in the underlying data, and a fair amount of effort has gone into describing this selection explicitly.

In this work, we assume 1) we have have access, in silico, to the selection algorithm itself and 2) for parameters of interest, the data input into the algorithm satisfies (pre-selection) a central limit theorem jointly with an estimator of our parameter of interest. Under these assumptions, we recast the problem into a statistical learning problem which can be fit with off-the-shelf models for binary regression. We consider two examples previously out of reach of this conditional approach: stability selection and inference after multiple runs of something like Model-X knockoffs.

Time permitting, we relate this work with a tool (in development) for executable preregistered reports with valid inference with selection.

Date and Time:
Tuesday, November 19, 2019 - 4:30pm
Venue:
Sequoia Hall Room 115

## Statistics Department Seminar presents "Reliable predictions? Equitable treatment? Some recent progress in predictive inference"

Topic:
Reliable predictions? Equitable treatment? Some recent progress in predictive inference
Abstract / Description:

Recent progress in machine learning (ML) provides us with many potentially effective tools to learn from datasets of ever increasing sizes and make useful predictions. How do we know that these tools can be trusted in critical and high-sensitivity systems? If a learning algorithm predicts the GPA of a prospective college applicant, what guarantees do I have concerning the accuracy of this prediction? How do we know that it is not biased against certain groups of applicants? This talk introduces statistical ideas to ensure that the learned models satisfy some crucial properties, especially reliability and fairness (in the sense that the models need to apply to individuals in an equitable manner). To achieve these important objectives, we shall not "open up the black box" and try understanding its underpinnings. Rather we discuss broad methodologies — conformal inference, quantile regression, the Jackknife+ — that can be wrapped around any black box to produce results that can be trusted and are equitable.

Date and Time:
Tuesday, November 12, 2019 - 4:30pm
Venue:
Sequoia Hall Room 115

## Statistics Department Seminar presents "Imputation and causal inference in genomics"

Topic:
Imputation and causal inference in genomics
Abstract / Description:

Genomic data can be complex, large, noisy and sparse. Here I will discuss two problems we have worked on. The first problem deals with the highly sparse data from single-cell experiments of gene expression. These data contain a large number of zeros (> 80%); many of these zeros are missing values rather than no expression. Underlying these data are complex regulatory relationships among genes, as well as potentially many cell types with different gene expression profiles. We took a deep learning approach and designed imputation methods based on autoencoders. We generated synthetic data using real singlecell data to evaluate the performance, although the theoretical properties of autoencoders for imputation are yet to be understood.

The second problem deals with causal inference: can we learn the biological mechanism directly from genomic data? For example, which genes regulate which other genes? And which genes are targeted by drugs? Genetic variation makes this inference possible (under certain assumptions), as it provides randomization among the individuals: this is known as the principle of Mendelian randomization in genetic epidemiology. We extended the interpretation of this principle to capture more causal relationships. We also developed an algorithm for learning causal graphs based on the PC algorithm, a classical algorithm in computer science for inferring directed acyclic graphs.

Date and Time:
Tuesday, November 5, 2019 - 4:30pm
Venue:
Sequoia Hall Room 115

## Probability BONUS SEMINAR welcomes Assaf Naor

Topic:
TBA
Abstract / Description:

Abstract TBA - check stats website for updates, https://statistics.stanford.edu/events/probability-seminar

Date and Time:
Friday, December 6, 2019 - 4:00pm
Venue:
Sequoia Hall Room 200

## Probability Seminar presents "Outliers in the spectrum for products of independent random matrices"

Topic:
Outliers in the spectrum for products of independent random matrices
Abstract / Description:

For fixed positive integers m, we consider the product of m independent n by n random matrices with iid entries as in the limit as n tends to infinity. Under suitable assumptions on the entries of each matrix, it is known that the limiting empirical distribution of the eigenvalues is described by the mth power of the circular law. Moreover, this same limiting distribution continues to hold if each iid random matrix is additively perturbed by a bounded rank deterministic error. However, the bounded rank perturbations may create one or more outlier eigenvalues. We describe the asymptotic location of the outlier eigenvalues, which extends a result of Terence Tao for the case of a single iid matrix. Our methods also allow us to consider several other types of perturbations, including multiplicative perturbations.

This is joint work with Natalie Coston and Sean O'Rourke.

Date and Time:
Monday, November 18, 2019 - 4:00pm
Venue:
Sequoia Hall Room 200

## Probability Seminar BONUS SEMINAR

Topic:
TBA
Abstract / Description:

Liouville quantum gravity (LQG) is in some sense the canonical model of a two-dimensional Riemannian manifold and is defined using the (formal) metric tensor
eγh(z)(dx2 + dy2) where h is an instance of some form of the Gaussian free field and γ ∈ (0, 2) is a parameter. This expression does not make literal sense since h is a distribution and not a function, so cannot be exponentiated. Previously, the associated metric (distance function) was constructed only in the special case γ = p 8/3 in joint work with Sheffield. In this talk, we will show how to associate with LQG a canonical conformally covariant metric for all γ ∈ (0, 2). It is obtained as a limit of certain approximations which were recently shown to be tight by Ding, Dub´edat, Dunlap and Falconet. This is based on joint work with Ewain Gwynne.

Abstract TBA - check stats website for updates, https://statistics.stanford.edu/events/probability-seminar

Date and Time:
Monday, November 11, 2019 - 4:30pm
Venue:
Sequoia Hall Room 200

## Probability Seminar presents "Geometric law for numbers of returns until a hazard"

Topic:
Geometric law for numbers of returns until a hazard
Abstract / Description:

For a ψ-mixing sequence of identically distributed random variables X0, X1, X2, . . . and pairs of shrinking disjoint sets VN , WN , N = 1, 2, . . . , we count the number NN of returns to VN by the sequence until its first arrival to WN (hazard time). Let µ be the distribution of X0. It turns out that if µ(VN ), µ(WN ) → 0 as N → ∞ with the same speed then NN tends in distribution to a geometric random variable. A somewhat different setup deals with a ψ− or φ-mixing stationary process with a countable state space A where for a fixed pair of sequences ξ, η ∈ AN we count the number Nξ,η(n, m) of i's for which (Xi, Xi+1, . . . , Xi+n−1) coincides with (ξ0, ξ1, . . . , ξn−1) until the first j for which (Xj , Xj+1, . . . , Xj+m−1) coincides with (η0, η1, . . . , ηn−1). It turns out that for almost all pairs ξ, η if ratios of probabilities of cylinder sets [ξ0, . . . , ξn−1] and [η0, . . . , ηm(n)−1] converges as n, m(n) → ∞, then Nξ,η(n, m(n)) tends in distribution to a geometric random variable. Motivations, connections, and several generalizations of these results will be discussed as well.

Date and Time:
Monday, November 11, 2019 - 3:15pm
Venue:
Sequoia Hall Room 200

## Probability Seminar presents "Combinatorial anti-concentration inequalities"

Topic:
Combinatorial anti-concentration inequalities
Abstract / Description:

Consider a degree-d polynomial f(ξ1, . . . , ξn) of independent Bernoulli random variables. What can be said about the concentration of f on any single value? This generalises the classical Littlewood–Offord problem, which asks the same question for linear polynomials. In this talk we discuss a few recent results in this area, focusing on combinatorial aspects.

This is joint work with Jacob Fox and Lisa Sauermann.

Date and Time:
Monday, November 4, 2019 - 4:00pm
Venue:
Sequoia Hall Room 200

## Workshop in Biostatistics: Models and Algorithms for Understanding Neural and Behavioral Data

Topic:
Models and Algorithms for Understanding Neural and Behavioral Data
Abstract / Description:

The trend in neural recording capabilities is clear: we can record orders of magnitude more neurons now than we could only a few years ago, and technological advances do not seem to be slowing. Coupled with rich behavioral measurements, genetic sequencing, and connectomics, these datasets offer unprecedented opportunities to learn how neural circuits function. But they also pose serious modeling and algorithmic challenges. How do we develop probabilistic models for such heterogeneous data? How do we design models that are flexible enough to capture complex spatial and temporal patterns, yet interpretable enough to provide new insight? How do we construct algorithms to efficiently and reliably fit these models? I will present some of our recent work on recurrent switching linear dynamical systems and corresponding Bayesian inference algorithms that aim to overcome these challenges, and I will show how these methods can help us gain insight into complex neural and behavioral data.

Date and Time:
Thursday, October 24, 2019 - 1:30pm
Venue:
Medical School Office Building Room x303

## Statistics Seminar presents "Robustness meets algorithms"

Topic:
"Robustness meets algorithms"
Abstract / Description:

In every corner of machine learning and statistics, there is a need for estimators that work not just in an idealized model but even when their assumptions are violated. Unfortunately, in high-dimensions, being provably robust and efficiently computable are often at odds with each other.

In this talk, we give the first efficient algorithm for estimating the parameters of a highdimensional Gaussian which is able to tolerate a constant fraction of corruptions that is independent of the dimension. Prior to our work, all known estimators either needed time exponential in the dimension to compute, or could tolerate only an inverse polynomial fraction of corruptions. Not only does our algorithm bridge the gap between robustness and algorithms, it turns out to be highly practical in a variety of settings.

Date and Time:
Tuesday, October 22, 2019 - 4:30pm
Venue:
McCullough Building Room 115

## SystemX presents "Quantum Machine Learning: what is the buzz about?""

Topic:
Quantum Machine Learning: what is the buzz about?
Abstract / Description:

Machine Learning and its applications have significantly impacted how we live our lives and use technology to enhance it. Quantum computing has been one of the inevitable advances in technology that promises to take us into a new realm of computational power. This talk will be a broad general overview of what quantum computing power added to machine learning techniques could actually give us. The talk will provide a very non-technical introduction to quantum technologies and where it stands at the end of 2019 and similarly a very non technical overview of machine learning and AI. It will then describe a few example projects motivated by real problems in industry and possible approaches to solving them. The goal of the talk is to incite curiosity about the subjects, bust a few myths and hopefully leave the audience with more questions than answers.

Dr Rishiraj Pravahan is co-founder and Director of INQNET (Intelligent Quantum Networks and Technology) at the AT&T Foundry in Palo Alto and a visiting scientist at Caltech. Rishiraj has created a new model for corporate innovation through collaborative research and development between, industry, government and academia. His work is focused on building quantum networks and technologies and uses of Artificial Intelligence. Prior to joining AT&T, Rishiraj worked for the ATLAS experiment at CERN where he was part of the team that discovered the Higgs Boson. Rishiraj is also a passionate teacher and advocate for science through public talks and seminars in the US, Europe, India and Latin America. His technical interests involve, understanding core networks, privacy and security of data and computation, collection, storage and analysis of sensor data and making advances in the frontiers of statistics, machine learning and Artificial Intelligence.

Date and Time:
Thursday, December 5, 2019 - 4:30pm
Venue:
Gates B03

## SystemX presents "Future of Robotics & AI"

Topic:
Future of Robotics & AI
Abstract / Description:

Humans have long been fantasizing about robots that will do all the work for them. Sci-fi movies & books are full of references to Robots as companions, employees, security guard or murderers. We as a species are fascinated at the same time afraid of creating an Artificial Intelligence that can replace us in workforce and in life. But over the past century, all things we feared about technology have taught us that we evolve faster than we think we can and adopt to the technology and increase our productivity multifold. Over the past decade the ultimate dream of robots in home and robots doing everything for us is coming to fruition. Let's explore the technological breakthrough and the disruption it will cause, changing life for us as we know it.

Date and Time:
Thursday, November 14, 2019 - 4:30pm
Venue:
Gates B03

## SystemX BONUS LECTURE: Road to a commercial quantum network — where we are today

Topic:
Road to a commercial quantum network — where we are today
Abstract / Description:

Quantum technology started to emerge out of the labs and into the interest of industrial corporations over the past 5 years. However, the road to a commercial quantum product remains elusive. In this talk, Yewon Gim will give the status of quantum networks as an emerging technology in the connectivity market. She will describe why the quantum network is an exciting technology and what are the main challenges that lie ahead to realize a commercial quantum network in both technology and quantum community point of view.

Date and Time:
Tuesday, November 12, 2019 - 4:30pm
Venue:
Packard 202

## SystemX presents "The Evolution of Data in the Enterprise"

Topic:
The Evolution of Data in the Enterprise
Abstract / Description:

Enterprises across the globe are on a mission to enhance customer experience and streamline business operations by leveraging data. This mission, which is often referred to as Digital Transformation, is an existential imperative. Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce.com refers to digital transformation as "the fourth industrial revolution", and John Chambers, former CEO of Cisco Systems, predicts that 40% of large companies will go out of business because they cannot keep pace during the digital transformation. Advanced analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning hold great promise to help drive competitive advantage and growth in business, but realizing the potential of these methods, remains a significant challenge without true analytics agility and the ability to operate with data at scale. This talk will focus on real-world challenges that companies face, and have to overcome, as they strive to transform their business through data. We will discuss some of the advances in enterprise data operations and orchestration (EDO2) that are enabling companies to achieve the analytics scale and agility that they need for successful transformation. We will also discuss some of the challenges that remain and are of urgent importance to enterprises on the path.

Date and Time:
Thursday, November 7, 2019 - 4:30pm
Venue:
Gates B03

## SystemX presents "From Quantum Computing to Venture Capital"

Topic:
From Quantum Computing to Venture Capital
Abstract / Description:

The journey from academia to startups and venture capital is exciting. This talk will cover transitions between these domains and dive into opportunities in each for technology and science oriented students.

Date and Time:
Monday, October 28, 2019 - 4:30pm
Venue:
Gates B03

## SystemX presents The Principles for Building Moonshots

Topic:
The Principles for Building Moonshots
Abstract / Description:

Since the very beginning, X (formerly Google X) has had a single mission: to invent and launch "moonshot" technologies — like energy kites, balloon-powered internet, all-electric deliver drones, and self-driving cars — that we think could make the world a radically better place. Our "Rapid Evaluation" team, led by Phil Watson, is responsible for identifying, investigating, and evaluating these potential moonshots. In this talk, Phil will share what he's learned about finding and shaping promising new moonshots along their journey from outlandish, high-risk ideas into projects that just might have a shot at making it into the real world — and making a difference in the big picture challenges facing society.

Date and Time:
Thursday, October 24, 2019 - 4:30pm
Venue:
Gates B03

## BONUS LECTURE: Clover the Rover and Anakin Sandwalker: lessons in project management from the Utah dessert

Topic:
BONUS LECTURE: Clover the Rover and Anakin Sandwalker: lessons in project management from the Utah dessert
Abstract / Description:

What makes a successful engineering team? Why makes a fun engineering team? How can the two be combined? Following the adventures (and misadventures) of the the Stanford team competing in the University Rover Challenge, the talk will cover how to go about starting a multi person design project, how testing can be approached and we delve into some of the technical details of the two robots.

Date and Time:
Tuesday, October 22, 2019 - 4:30pm
Venue:
Packard 202

## SystemX November Conference - SAVE THE DATE

Topic:
SystemX November Conference - Nov. 19-21, 2019
Abstract / Description:

SystemX November Conference - Nov. 19-21, 2019

***Preliminary session lineup - please check the SystemX calendar for event details.

Date and Time:
Tuesday, November 19, 2019 (All day) to Thursday, November 21, 2019 (All day)
Venue:
Li Ka Shing Center

## SystemX presents "Superconducting and Photonic Transducers via Millimeter-Wave Quantum Channels"

Topic:
Superconducting and Photonic Transducers via Millimeter-Wave Quantum Channels
Abstract / Description:

Quantum transduction is the manipulation coherent quantum states at the boundaries of quantum systems, and it lies at the heart of engineering these "systems" into networks, sensors or computers. Coherent transduction of quantum states between microwave and optical frequencies is an essential component of many emerging quantum information science (QIS) applications, as it provides an effective way for linking the classical and quantum world or transporting information on macroscopic scales. The performance of quantum systems that require microwave-optical transduction in practical applications will be determined by the achievable data rates and fidelity in transferring quantum information between these two extreme wavelengths. Unfortunately, direct transduction from microwave to optical frequencies is inherently dissipative, leading to thermal losses which limit the achievable performance of microwave quantum sensors and circuits operating at millikelvin (mK) temperatures. To overcome this limitation, a fundamentally new approach is needed.

Rather than direct transduction to optical frequencies, we are utilizing the mm-wave regime as an intermediate state in a two-step transduction scheme. Our "quantum bus" would perform the microwave to mm-wave transduction with a superconducting resonator at mK temperatures before transporting the photon and its quantum information to higher temperatures and potentially being up-converted into the optical range. Converting to mm-wave frequencies can be achieved with much lower dissipation, and even at these intermediate photon energies coherence can be maintained at elevated temperatures. While optical links are the best solution for long-range massively-parallel networks, low-loss mm-wave photonics would also allow preservation of quantum information at room temperature for a simpler network at laboratory scales.

Date and Time:
Thursday, October 10, 2019 - 4:30pm
Venue:
Gates B03

## SystemX presents "Engineering the World’s Smallest Spacecraft"

Topic:
Engineering the World’s Smallest Spacecraft
Abstract / Description:

Rapid miniaturization of electronic devices, driven in recent years by the emergence of smartphones, has made many of the key components needed onboard aerospace systems available in very small, low-cost, and light-weight packages. This trend is behind the growing popularity of small consumer “drones,” as well as the recent emergence of the “ChipSat” concept – centimeter-scale spacecraft built with the same parts and processes used in the consumer electronics industry. This talk will focus on pushing the limits of size, mass, and capability in space systems. I will discuss the technical challenges associated with building and flying satellites at this size scale, along with several ongoing flight projects, including the crowd-funded KickSat missions to deploy over one hundred Sprite spacecraft in low-Earth orbit. I will also share some recent work on the Breakthrough Starshot project, which has the goal of sending small spacecraft to our nearest neighboring stars in the coming decades.

Date and Time:
Thursday, October 3, 2019 - 4:30pm
Venue:
Gates B03