Abstract: Introduce the graduate seminar series and welcome students.
Speaker Bio: Biography: Sarika Khushalani Solanki received B.E. and M.E. degrees from India in 1998 and 2000 respectively. She received Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Mississippi State University, USA in 2006. She is currently an Associate Professor in Lane Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering at West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, since August 2009. Prior to that, she worked for Open Systems International Inc, Minneapolis, MN as a Senior Engineer for three years. She has served as reviewer in National Science Foundation and Department of Energy and is past president of IEEE Distribution Systems Analysis Subcommittee and IEEE Career Promotion and Workforce Development Subcommittee and is editor of Transactions in Smart Grid. She is a recipient of Honda Fellowship award and NSF Career Award. Her research interests are Smart Grid, Power Distribution System, computer applications in power system analysis and power system control.
Speaker: Martin Dunlap
Date: September 9th, 2024
Time: 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Place: AER 135
Abstract: He will introduce the services and resources available through the WVU Libraries. These library resources may be critical to your graduate research.
Speaker Bio: He joined WVU in 1998 and has spent 10+ years working in the swamps of Florida as an environmental consultant. Since then he has worked in libraries first in Cleveland, Ohio and then here at WVU in various capacities. He recently got promoted to be the Engineering Librarian at WVU.
Speaker: WVU IT
Date: NA
Time: NA
Place: At your desk
Abstract: There is an online plagiarism tutorial at https://wvu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6W3rGjsAaEenYgd
Here are the steps:
View videos.
Take a self-test.
Repeat steps for each module.
Take the Plagiarism Avoidance Test.
How do you progress through this tutorial?
View videos or read material in a module. Take a self-test after reading and viewing materials in a module. This self-test is for practice and taking it will open the next module. Repeat steps for each module, five modules in all. After viewing / reading the material in each module and taking the self-tests, take the Plagiarism Avoidance Test.
Speaker: Carlos Busso
Date: October 7
Time: 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Place: AER135 and https://wvu.zoom.us/j/9188836315
Abstract: The almost unlimited multimedia content available on video-sharing websites has opened new challenges and opportunities for building robust multimodal solutions. This seminar will describe our novel multimodal architectures that (1) are robust to missing modalities, (2) can identify noisy or less discriminative features, and (3) can leverage unlabeled data. First, we present a strategy that effectively combines auxiliary networks, a transformer architecture, and an optimized training mechanism for handling missing features. This problem is relevant since it is expected that during inference the multimodal system will face cases with missing features due to noise or occlusion. We implement this approach for audiovisual emotion recognition achieving state-of-the-art performance. Second, we present a multimodal framework for dealing with scenarios characterized by noisy or less discriminative features. This situation is commonly observed in audiovisual automatic speech recognition (AV-ASR) with clean speech, where the performance often drops compared to a speech-only solution due to the variability of visual features. The proposed approach is a deep learning solution with a gating layer that diminishes the effect of noisy or uninformative visual features, keeping only useful information. The approach improves, or at least, maintains performance when visual features are used. Third, we discuss alternative strategies to leverage unlabeled multimodal data. A promising approach is to use multimodal pretext tasks that are carefully designed to learn better representations for predicting a given task, leveraging the relationship between acoustic and facial features. Another approach is using multimodal ladder networks where intermediate representations are predicted across modalities using lateral connections. These models offer principled solutions to increase the generalization and robustness of common speech-processing tasks when using multimodal architectures.
Speaker Bio: Carlos Busso is an incoming Professor of the Language Technologies Institute at Carnegie Mellon University. He is currently a Professor at the University of Texas at Dallas’s Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, where he is also the director of the Multimodal Signal Processing (MSP) Laboratory. His research interest is in human-centered multimodal machine intelligence and application, with a focus on the broad areas of speech processing, affective computing, and machine learning methods for multimodal processing. He has worked on speech emotion recognition, multimodal behavior modeling for socially interactive agents, and robust multimodal speech processing. He is a recipient of an NSF CAREER Award. In 2014, he received the ICMI Ten-Year Technical Impact Award. His students received the 2015 third prize IEEE ITSS Best Dissertation Award (N. Li), and the 2024 AAAC Student Dissertation Award (W.C. Lin). He also received the Hewlett Packard Best Paper Award at the IEEE ICME 2011 (with J. Jain), and the Best Paper Award at the AAAC ACII 2017 (with Yannakakis and Cowie). He received the Best of IEEE Transactions on Affective Computing Paper Collection in 2021 (with R. Lotfian) and the Best Paper Award from IEEE Transactions on Affective Computing in 2022 (with Yannakakis and Cowie). In 2023, he received the Distinguished Alumni Award in the Mid-Career/Academia category by the Signal and Image Processing Institute (SIPI) at the University of Southern California. He received in 2023 the ACM ICMI Community Service Award. He is currently serving as an associate editor of the IEEE Transactions on Affective Computing and as a member of the IEEE Speech and Language Processing Technical Committee (2024-2027). He is a member of AAAC and a senior member of ACM. He is an IEEE Fellow, and ISCA Fellow.
Speaker: Arun Ross
Date: October 14
Time: 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Place: https://wvu.zoom.us/j/9188836315
Abstract: Biometrics is the science of recognizing individuals based on their physical and behavioral attributes such as fingerprints, face, iris, voice and gait. The past decade has witnessed tremendous progress in this field, including the deployment of biometric solutions in diverse applications such as border security, national ID cards, amusement parks, access control, and smartphones. At the same time, the paradigm of deep learning using deep neural networks is rapidly changing the landscape of biometrics. Despite these advancements, biometric systems have to contend with a number of challenges related to deep fakes, spoof attacks, and personal privacy. This talk will highlight some of the recent progress made in the field of biometrics; present our lab’s work on topics such as detecting physical and digital attacks, enhancing personal privacy, and generating synthetic biometric data; and discuss some of the challenges that have to be solved in order to deepen society’s trust in biometric technology.
Speaker Bio: Arun Ross is the Martin J. Vanderploeg Endowed Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Michigan State University, and the Site Director of NSF’s Center for Identification Technology Research (CITeR). He conducts research on the topic of biometrics, privacy, computer vision and deep learning. He is a recipient of the JK Aggarwal Prize (2014) and the Young Biometrics Investigator Award (2013) from the International Association of Pattern Recognition for his contributions to the field of Pattern Recognition and Biometrics. He was designated a Kavli Fellow by the US National Academy of Sciences by virtue of his presentation at the 2006 Kavli Frontiers of Science Symposia. Ross is also a recipient of the NSF CAREER Award. Ross has advocated for the responsible use of biometrics in multiple forums including the NATO Advanced Research Workshop on Identity and Security in Switzerland in 2018. He testified as an expert panelist in an event organized by the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee at the UN Headquarters in 2013. In June 2022, he testified at the US House Science, Space, and Technology Committee on the topic of Biometrics and Personal Privacy. He is a co-author of the monograph “Handbook of Multibiometrics” and the textbook “Introduction to Biometrics”.
Speaker: Farshid Naseri
Date: October 21
Time: 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Place: https://wvu.zoom.us/j/9188836315
Abstract: In this talk, we’ll explore the fascinating complexity of lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles (EVs). These systems are nonlinear, time-varying, and degrade over time, making their modeling a significant challenge. Traditional approaches rely on model-based techniques, but as battery behavior constantly shifts, accurate predictions become difficult. This is where we introduce an innovative approach that combines AI with model-driven methods to enhance the accuracy of battery state predictions. This hybrid approach leverages AI to identify patterns and trends in battery behavior that traditional models may overlook, allowing for more effective monitoring and management of battery health. Such advancements are critical not only for prolonging battery life but also for enhancing the efficiency and safety of EVs. I'll also provide a brief overview of key EU-funded projects and the broader European research landscape on battery technologies, showcasing how Europe is investing in this crucial field. Additionally, we’ll discuss hardware-in-the-loop prototyping, which plays a vital role in developing and refining battery management software—from data generation and modeling to software development, integration, testing, and final prototyping.
Speaker Bio: Farshid Naseri is a Ph.D. expert in vehicular and storage technologies, currently serving as a postdoctoral researcher at Aalborg University (AAU Energy), Denmark. He received the B.S.E.E. in Control Engineering from Shiraz University of Technology (SUTECH) in 2013 and the M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Electrical Power Engineering from Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran in 2015 and 2019, respectively. In recent years, he has contributed to several large national and European R&D projects focused on development of high-performance battery and power electronics systems for electric vehicles including DeepBMS, HELIOS, HEROES, and iBattMan. He has received several prestigious awards in recognition of his groundbreaking research and innovation in electric vehicle technologies, including the EU’s flagship Marie Curie Fellowship and the INEF Excellence Award. His research interests encompass electric vehicles, battery systems, control systems, and power electronic systems design. Dr. Naseri is an active member of the IEEE Young Professionals, IEEE Vehicular Technology Society, and IEEE Industrial Electronics Society, where he has served as an organizer, reviewer, and contributor to several IEEE conferences and journals. Additionally, he is a board member of the Vehicle Engineering Section in Machines and has guest-edited for several journals, including Batteries.
Speaker: Craig Watson
Date: Monday, November 4, 2024
Time: 5:00 PM
Place: AER 135
Abstract: I plan to give a short overview of the NIST Biometric Technology Evaluation Programs. The overview will highlight work NIST has done in developing metrics, methods, and reporting technical capabilities of biometric algorithms for face, fingerprint, and iris modalities. I will follow the overview with a deeper dive into the Face Recognition Program and Contactless Fingerprint work.
Bio: Craig Watson is the Manager of the Image Group at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and has been at NIST for 33 years. During his time with NIST, he has been engaged in numerous initiatives to improve biometric technologies. This includes extensive work to develop fingerprint testing datasets, fingerprint image compression, and slap fingerprint segmentation (SlapSeg). Additionally, he has expertise with biometric technology evaluations, including the Fingerprint Vendor Technology Evaluation (FpVTE), Proprietary Fingerprint Testing (PFT), and Minutiae Interoperability Exchange Test (MINEX). He has been part of teams that have received a Department of Commerce Gold Medal Award (2003) and a Department of Commerce Silver Medal Award (2014) for their work related to biometric technologies.
Speaker: Tim Crumbley
Date: Monday, November 11, 2024
Time: 5:00 PM
Place: Zoom-https://wvu.zoom.us/j/9188836315
Abstract:This talk, led by Mr. Tim Crumbley, explores the critical role of Software Assurance in ensuring that software is free from vulnerabilities—both intentional and accidental—throughout its lifecycle. Aimed at professionals and students in software engineering, particularly within the aerospace sector, the presentation will highlight NASA's comprehensive approach to software assurance and safety. Attendees will gain insights into NASA's definitions, activities, and requirements for implementing systematic software assurance, safety protocols, and Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) for software created or maintained by NASA. The NASA Software Assurance and Software Safety Standard serves as a foundation for consistently executing these activities throughout the software lifecycle. The discussion will cover key steps and practices used by NASA to perform software assurance, identify safety-critical software applications, applicable safety-critical software requirements, common software defects, and areas within the software engineering lifecycle that require greater focus. Participants will also have the opportunity to engage in discussions on the practical applications of these concepts in the space industry, including potential career paths in this vital field.
Bio:Mr. Tim Crumbley serves as the Software Assurance (SA) technical fellow and works with center organizations to establish the agency-level SA procedures, policies, training, and requirements for NASA. The main objective of SA is to ensure that the processes, procedures, and products used to produce and sustain the software conform to all requirements and standards specified to govern those processes, procedures, and products. Mr. Crumbley has over 37 years of experience working in the NASA software engineering community. His responsibilities have included establishing and maintaining NASA software engineering and management policies and requirements, teaching NASA software engineering classes, and providing guidance to effectively meet the scientific and technical objectives of software products developed under NASA funding. Mr. Crumbley served as the deputy technical fellow for software engineering, the program executive for software engineering, the chair of the NASA Software Working Group, the chair of NASA Software and Systems Capability Leadership Teams, the NASA member of the Capability Maturity Model Integration Client Advisory Board, and the NASA member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers USA Technical Advisory Group for ISO/IECJTC1 Steering Committee 7. Before supporting Headquarters, Crumbley served Marshall Space Flight Center in numerous capacities, including division chief for the Marshall Avionics Systems Division, division chief for the Marshall Data Systems and Software Division, and as the agency’s software engineering Technical Authority. Mr. Crumbley has managed numerous government-led, software-developed projects and participated in contractor-produced, mission-critical, real-time embedded software development projects. He is from Huntsville, Alabama, and received both his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering and master’s degree in computer science from the University of Alabama.
Speaker: Dr. Shikhar Pandey
Date: Monday, November 18, 2024
Time: 5:00 PM
Place: Zoom-https://wvu.zoom.us/j/9188836315
Abstract: : In the past decade, the global shift towards addressing climate change has highlighted the electric grid as a critical enabler in achieving net-zero emissions. Electrification demands from sectors like transportation and buildings rely heavily on a resilient, reliable grid—especially as extreme weather events, such as wildfires and hurricanes, increasingly challenge its stability. Ensuring continuous power during these events is crucial, both for maintaining infrastructure and minimizing disruption to daily life.As a result, stakeholders across governments, utilities, and regulatory bodies are focusing more than ever on policies and initiatives to enhance grid resiliency. However, a fundamental question arises: how do we effectively measure grid resiliency? Developing metrics that assess the grid's ability to withstand and recover from extreme weather events is essential to ensure progress. This talk will introduce a comprehensive resiliency metric framework, designed to evaluate the grid's performance in adverse weather conditions. The metrics fall under two categories: System Performance, which assesses the grid's ability to endure extreme events, and Operational Performance, measuring its recovery capacity. Through this framework, we can better understand, measure, and enhance the resilience of our electric distribution grid.
Bio: Shikhar Pandey holds a bachelor’s in electrical engineering from NIT Patna, India, and a master’s and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Washington State University Pullman. He is pursuing an MBA from Chicago Booth School of Business in Finance, Strategic Management, and Entrepreneurship. Currently, he serves as Sr. Manager of DER Planning and Engineering at Commonwealth Edison (ComEd). He is the Chair of the IEEE Distribution Resiliency Taskforce, Co-Chair of the IEEE Grid Flexibility Taskforce, and Technology Lead for the IEEE Industry Technical Support Leadership Committee (ITSLC).