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Axel Scherer	Feb 5th, 2013	Abstract & Bio
Abstract : "Nanofabricated Silicon Devices: From Nanosensors to Medical Implants" Advances in the silicon fabrication and the resulting miniaturization of devices have fueled the rapid evolution of microelectronic devices over the past decades. More recently, silicon has also emerged as an opto-electronic material, and its mechanical strength has found widespread use in mechanical devices. The manufacturability of high resolution silicon micro- and nanostructures is unparalleled, and the control over the precise geometry of silicon devices has followed the predictable path of Moore's law. In anticipation of the evolution of this trend, we will describe the opportunities of reducing the sizes of silicon devices to below 10nm to control mechanical, optical and electronic properties of silicon. We will show some examples of nanostructures with dimensions below 10nm not only in lateral dimensions, but also through 3-dimensional etching in all dimensions. This control will enable "geometric bandgap engineering", leading to many interesting devices with optical, electrical and mechanical opportunities. As the size of devices is reduced, it is possible to contemplate their integration within more complex integrated systems. During the second part of the presentation, the opportunities for such integrated systems will be explored. The combination of power supply, data communications and detectors enables us to contemplate microsystems for healthcare monitoring. Such systems, which could be implanted as neural probes or metabolic monitors, will enable the continuous wireless measurement within patients and may ultimately lead to a reduction in cost of our medical care. Bio : Axel Scherer is the Bernard A. Neches Professor of Electrical Engineering, Applied Physics and Physics at Caltech as well as a visiting professor at Dartmouth. He received his PhD in 1985, and after working in the Microstructures Research Group at Bellcore, he joined the Electrical Engineering option at Caltech in 1993. Professor Scherer's group now works on micro- and nanofabrication of optical, magnetic and fluidic devices. He has co-authored over 300 publications and holds over 70 patents in the fields of optoelectronics, microfluidics, and new nanofabrication techniques. Professor Scherer has co-founded three high-technology companies and built a state of the art cleanroom for advanced high-resolution lithography and pattern transfer at Caltech. He has pioneered microcavity lasers such as vertical cavity surface emitting lasers, microdisk lasers and photonic crystal lasers in many materials systems. Presently, his group works on integration of microfluidic chips with electronic, photonic and magnetic sensors. His group has also developed silicon nanophotonics and surface plasmon enhanced light emitting diodes, and has perfected the fabrication and characterization of ultra-small structures with sizes down to 2nm.

Sergio Verdú	Jan 29th, 2013	Abstract & Bio
Abstract : "Non-asymptotics in Information Theory" Traditional results on the fundamental limits of data compression and data transmission through noisy channels apply to the asymptotic regime as delay (or blocklength) goes to infinity. In this talk, I review our recent progress on the analysis of the fundamental limits as a function of blocklength, motivated by modern applications in which limited delay is a key design constraint. Going beyond traditional refinements to the fundamental asymptotic information theoretic limits, we investigate the backoff from capacity (in channel coding) and the overhead over entropy (in lossless compression) and the ratedistortion function (in lossy source coding) incurred by coding at a given blocklength. Requiring new proof techniques our approach has dual components: computable upper/lower bounds tight enough to reduce the uncertainty on the non-asymptotic fundamental limit to a level that is negligible compared to the gap to the long-blocklength asymptotics; and analytical approximations to the bounds that are accurate even for short blocklengths. Bio : Sergio Verdú has been on the Faculty of Princeton University since 1984. He teaches and conducts research in the Department of Electrical Engineering of the School of Engineering and Applied Science. A member of the Information Sciences and Systems group and the Program in Applied and Computational Mathematics, his research interests are in Information Theory, Data Compression and Transmission. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, he received the 2007 Claude E. Shannon Award, and the 2008 IEEE Richard W. Hamming Medal.

Asuman Ozdaglar	Jan 24th, 2013	Abstract & Bio
Abstract : "Systemic Risk in Networks" We provide a tractable framework for studying systemic risk in networks, focusing on economic and financial networks. We first analyze the emergence of systemic risk in a production economy with an input-output structure whereby shocks to some sectors spread to their downstream sectors and beyond. We show how the nature and magnitude of systemic risk relates to the network structure of the economy, isolating the impact of first and higher order interconnections. Contrary to a common conjecture, we show that rings and other sparse regular networks are robust (i.e. as robust as a complete network) to cascades and do not generate systemic risk. Instead, systemic risk is present when some sectors are disproportionately important in the supply economy. We then focus on interlinkages created by financial transactions (counterparty relations). We show that systemic risk in financial networks exhibits a form of phase transition as interbank connections increase. In particular, we demonstrate that as long as the magnitude and the number of negative shocks affecting financial institutions are sufficiently small, more “complete” interbank claims enhance the stability of the system. However, beyond a certain point, such interconnections start to serve as a mechanism for propagation of shocks and hence, lead to a more fragile financial system. Even in this more nonlinear financial network setting, our results thus show that the conjecture about the instability of rings is not generally true: rings are unstable when shocks are small, but it is more densely connected networks that are more unstable when shocks are large. Bio : Asu Ozdaglar received the B.S. degree in electrical engineering from the Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey, in 1996, and the S.M. and the Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering and computer science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, in 1998 and 2003, respectively. She is currently a professor in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She is also a member of the Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems and the Operations Research Center. Her research interests include optimization theory, with emphasis on nonlinear programming and convex analysis, game theory, with applications in communication, social, and economic networks, and distributed optimization and control. She is the co-author of the book entitled “Convex Analysis and Optimization” (Athena Scientific, 2003).

Costas Spanos	Nov 27th, 2012	Abstract & Bio Video
Abstract : "The Agile Building" Buildings consume about half of the world's energy, and about three quarters of the world's electricity, greatly contributing to global warming. The dramatic improvement of energy efficiency witin buildings is therefore a critical societal goal. Departing from traditional wisdom, we view the building as an agile, sentinent, complex dynamic system that delivers customized sequences of micro-environments to optimize comfort and productivity while minimizing its carbon footprint. During operation, such a self-optimizing building leverages pervasive sensing and information technology to realize and maintain tunable physical models, and to synthesize start-of-the-art knowledge about occupant needs and patterns, allowing optimal integration and management. This view introduces modern agile manufacturing principles in building operations, with activities such as process control, fault detection and classification, planning, forecasting and supply chain management when interacting with the grid, the utilities, and the environment. We will address this concept in the context of a newly established research program between UC Berkeley, Nanyang Technological University, National University of Singapore and Singapore's National Research Foundation. Bio : Costas J. Spanos received the EE Diploma from the National Technical University of Athens, Greece and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in ECE from Carnegie Mellon University. In 1988 he joined the Faculty at the department of EECS of the University of California at Berkeley, where he is now a Professor. He has served as Director of the Berkeley Microfabrication Laboratory, the Associate Dean for Research in the College of Engineering, and as the Chair of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences. He has published more than 200 referred articles, has received several best paper awards and has co-authored a textbook in semiconductor manufacturing. His research interests include the application of statistical analysis in the design and fabrication of integrated circuits, and the development and deployment of novel sensors and statistical data mining techniques for energy efficiency applications. In 2000 he was elected Fellow of the IEEE, and in 2009 he was appointed in the Andrew S. Grove Distinguished Professorship in the Department of EECS at UC Berkeley.

Ali Javey	Nov 13, 2012	Abstract Video
Abstract : "Artificial Electronic-Skin" In this talk, develoopment of large-area sensor networks on a skin-like substrate capable of spatial and temporal mapping of a wide range of stimuli is discussed. The Enabled electronic-skin (e-skin) presents a new class of smart materials which can be laminated on virtually any object while providing user interfacing with the external ambient at an unprecedented scale. The stimuli could include pressure (e.g., touch), temperature, strain (e.g., crack formation), light (imaging), and more. Recent advancements in semiconductor materials with unusual form factors, device architectures, and process technologies needed for obtaining the envisioned system will be discussed. Specifically, and example e-skin prototype with fully integrated electronic device components, tactile sensors and OLED display will be presented. Future incorporation of wireless components and energy sources will also be discussed. Bio : Professor Ali Javey received a Ph.D. degree in chemistry from Stanford University in 2005, and was a Junior Fellow of the Harvard Society of Fellows from 2005 to 2006. He then joined the faculty of the University of California at Berkeley whre he is currently an associate professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences. He is also a faculty scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley national Laboratory where he serves as the program leader of Electronic Materials (E-Mat). He is an associate editor of ACS Nano. He is the co-director of Berkeley Sensor and Actuator Center (BSAC), and Bay Area PV Consortium (BAPVC). Professor Javey's research interests encompass the fields of chemistry, materials science, and electrical engineering. His work focuses on the integration of nanoscale electronic materials for various technological applications, including novel nanoelectronics, flexible circuits and sensors, and energy generation and harvesting. He has received numerous awards including UC Berkeley Electrical Engineering Outstanding Teaching Award (2012); APEC Science Prize for Innovation, Research and Education (2011); Netexplorateur of the Year Award (2011); IEEE Nanotechnology Early Career Award (2010); Alfred P. Sloan Fellow (2010); Mohr Davidow Ventures Innovators Award (2010); National Academy of Sciences Award for Initiatives in Research (2009); Technology Review TR35 (2009); NSF Early CAREER Award (2008); U.S. Frontiers of Engineering by National Academy of Engineering (2008); and Peter Verhofstadt Fellowship from the Semiconductor Research Corporation (2003).

Philip Kim	Oct 22nd, 2012	Abstract Video
Abstract : "Toward Quantum Electronics Based on 2-Dimensional Materials and Beyond" The recent advent of atomically thin 2-dimensional materials (such as graphene, hexagonal boronitride, layered transition metal chalcogenides, and many strongly-correlated materials) has provided a new opportunity for studying quantum phenomena in low-dimensional systems, and utilizing them for novel electronic devices. In particular, graphene enables exploration of exotic transport effects in low-energy condensed matter systems with the potential for carbon-based device applications. In this presentation I will first discuss the quantum transport behavior discovered in graphene nanostructures with relation to device applications beyond CMOS. In particular, I will present quantum carrier collimation, which appears even at room temperature, employing graphene lateral heterojunctions. Then I will discuss the new type of material classes based on 2-dimensional van der Waals materials and their heterostructures, extending graphene-based research into quasi-3-dimensional systems. Bio : Professor Philip Kim received his B.S and M.A in physics at Seoul National University in 1990 and 1992, respectively. He received his Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Harvard University in 1999. He was Miller Postdoctoral Fellow in Physics from University of California, Berkeley during 1999-2001. In 2002, he joined in Department of Physics at Columbia University as a faculty member, where he is now Professor of Physics. Professor Kim is a world leading scientist in the area of materials research. His research area is experimental condensed matter physics with an emphasis on physical properties and applications of nanoscale low-dimensional materials. The focus of Professor Kim’s research is the mesoscopic investigation of transport phenomena, particularly, electric, thermal and thermoelectrical properties of low dimensional nanoscale materials. Professor Kim has published more than 100 well cited papers in professional journals. Professor Kim received numerous honors and awards including the Loeb Lecture, Harvard (2012); Dresden Barkhausen Award (2011); Yunker Lecture, Oregon State University, (2011); Scientist of the Year, Korean-American scientists and Engineers Association (2011); Proud Korean Award, Korean American Leadership Foundation (2011); Chapman Lecture, Rice University, (2009); IBM Faculty Award (2009); Ho-Am Science Prize (2008); American Physical Society Fellow (2007); Columbia University Distinguished Faculty Award (2007); Recipient Scientific American 50 (2006); National Science Foundation Faculty Career Award (2004)

Emery N. Brown, M.D., Ph.D.	Feb 16th, 2011	Abstract & Bio Video
Abstract : General anesthesia is a drug-induced, reversible condition comprised of five behavioral and physiological states: unconsciousness, amnesia (loss of memory), analgesia (loss of pain sensation), akinesia (immobility), and cardiovascular, respiratory and thermoregulatory stability with control of the stress response. The mechanisms by which anesthetic drugs induce the state of general anesthesia is considered one of the biggest mysteries of modern medicine. We have been using three experimental paradigms to study general anesthesia-induced loss of consciousness in humans: combined fMRI/EEG recordings, high-density EEG recordings and intracranial recordings. These studies are allowing us to establish precise neurophysiological, neuroanatomical and behavioral correlates of general anesthesia. We will discuss the relation between our findings and two other important altered states of arousal: sleep and coma. Our findings suggest that the state of general anesthesia is not as mysterious as currently believed.

Ali Hajimiri	April 18th (3pm), 2011	Abstract & Bio Video
Abstract : Today’s transistors have evolved rapidly from their ancestors to be faster, smaller, and “weaker,” while the die‐area of the typical chips housing them has been constantly increasing. The cut‐off wavelengths of integrated silicon transistors have now substantially exceeded the die sizes of the chips being fabricated with them. Combined with the ability to integrate billions of transistors on the same die, this size‐wavelength cross‐over has produced a unique opportunity for completely new architectures and topologies, which were previously impractical due the traditional partitioning of various blocks in conventional design. These holistic circuits combine electromagnetics, device physics, digital and analog circuits, and system architecture in one place and produces orders of magnitude improvement in performance over the existing solutions. These circuits leverage ideas of parallelism, reconfigurablility, concurrency, and stacking in more regular and periodic on‐chip structures that are more conducive to modern fabrication processes and novel design and optimization approaches. In this talk, we discuss some of these opportunities and their associated challenges in some detail through a few examples of how they can be used in practice.