IEEE Pioneer Branch will be hosting a social field trip to the SF Exploratorium! With tons of hands-on exhibits, club members will get the chance to interact with science and have fun like never before! Must be an IEEE member and 18+ to participate. 

This exciting student event welcomes any IEEE member, student, or engineer to come get involved and see a display of IEEE student work from the past year! This event is open to all schools' participation with an email to the hosts or signup via the QR code. The event will have allotted time slots to display students' IoT arcade games as well as time for an RC competition. For parking permits at Cal Poly Pomona, please fill out the signup form and ensure that the appropriate steps are taken to get a parking pass.

Dive into the exciting world of holographic-type communications with Prof. Filip De Turck, an expert in network management and holographic-type technologies. This talk will explore the evolution of video streaming and the shift towards network softwarization, highlighting volumetric media's potential through practical examples. With his extensive background and over 750 publications, Prof. De Turck will address the challenges and opportunities in this field, aiming to inspire collaborative research. Join us for insights into the next-gen communication technologies.

Abstract:

This talk will give an overview of video streaming technologies over telecommunication networks while also taking the important evolution towards network softwarizaton into account.

The importance and the opportunities provided by volumetric media delivery will be outlined by means of several examples.

The most appropriate approach for volumetric media delivery and the various challenges and techniques will be highlighted next.

Finally, an overview of research challenges and opportunities will be presented to stimulate further collaborative research.

Short bio:

Dr. Filip De Turck is a professor at the Department of Information Technology (Intec) of Ghent University and Imec, Belgium, with expertise in communication software, network resource management, adaptive multimedia service delivery, and next-generation video delivery platforms. In this research area, he is involved in and successfully completed many research projects with industry and academia, served as Chair of the IEEE Technical Committee on Network Operations and Management (CNOM), former chair of the Future Internet Cluster of the European Commission, is on the TPC of many international network and service management conferences and workshops and serves in the Editorial Board of several network and service management journals. Prof. Filip De Turck regularly organizes international workshops on the above-mentioned topics, served as Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Transactions on Network and Service Management (TNSM), and steering committee member of the IEEE/IFIP Network Operations and Management Symposium (NOMS), the IFIP/IEEE Integrated Network Management (IM) Symposium, the IEEE Conference on Network Softwarization (IEEE NetSoft) and the IFIP/IEEE Conference on Network and Service Management (CNSM). He also served as chair of the IEEE SDN Initiative Conference Committee, which coordinates initiative IEEE events and conferences on Softwarized Networks. Prof. Filip De Turck was named a Fellow of the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) for outstanding technical contributions to network resource management and adaptive service delivery and serves as a ComSoc Distinguished Lecturer. He is currently (co-)author of over 750 publications. He received the IEEE ComSoc Dan Stokesberry Award 2021 for particularly distinguished technical contributions to the growth of the network operations and service management field.

At the time of the meeting, join us at https://simnet.zoom.us/j/98358057643?pwd=MjloQnBONWdtR1BiZVMwNU9DLzBPZz09

Or on the Zoom App
Meeting ID: 98358057643
Passcode:  MjloQnBONWdtR1BiZVMwNU9DLzBPZz09

Join us in touring Vision Aerials facility and see what it would be like to have a career in their field.

Join us for a session on Smart Cities Copenhagen. Find out why Copenhagen is one of the top Smart Cities on the planet. Smart water, smart mobility, smart medicine, and Smart Buildings.

 

Join us in touring Wavelength Electronics facilities and see what it would be like to have a career in their field.

Despite the widespread proliferation of neural networks, the mechanisms through which they operate so successfully are not well understood.  In this talk, we will first explore empirical and theoretical investigations into neural network training and generalization and what they can tell us about why deep learning works.  Then, we will examine a recent line of work on algorithm learning.  While neural networks typically excel at pattern matching tasks, we consider whether neural networks can learn algorithms that scale to problem instances orders of magnitude larger than those seen during training.

April Richland Section ExCom meeting.

Pizza will be available at 5:45PM with business starting at 6PM.

Please join us at Round Table Pizza at 1435 George Washington Way, Richland, WA 99352

Venture into the exciting world of Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) with a fun kit from Hackerboxes.

Fee includes the kit, which is available for pickup from the IEEE booth at the Del Mar Electronics and Manufacturing Show on 24 April 2024. Show opens at 1000 am. Registration for the show is free. 

Would you like to solder your kit at the show? Space is available from 1000 - 1200 24 April 2024 and is reserved separately from registering for the kit.

If you prefer to build it at home, you can pick up the kit from the booth and take it with you. Everyone is welcome at the IEEE booth, even if you are not building a kit. 

Photograph of the kit contents is below:

The SFBAC (combined Santa Clara Valley, San Francisco, & Oakland/East Bay) IEEE Power Electronics Society (PELS) is very excited and honored to have Dr. Katherine Kim, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering at National Taiwan University, to speak on the topic of “Photovoltaic Differential Power Processing for Efficiency and Reliability”

Additional event details can be found below.

Registration is FREE TO ALL!!!

SFBAC PELS WEBSITE LINK: http://ewh.ieee.org/r6/scv/pels/index.html

Abstract:

In photovoltaic (PV) systems connected to the AC power grid, traditional approaches employing series-connected PV panels with a single central converter often suffer from reduced efficiency and reliability due to partial shading or mismatch of PV cell characteristics. To address these challenges, the concept of differential power processing (DPP) converters has emerged, enabling independent maximum power point tracking (MPPT) of each PV panel while mitigating power loss under mismatched conditions. Various DPP system configurations are introduced and their advantages and trade-offs discussed. Additionally, recent research comparing bidirectional flyback and split-inductor boost converter topologies for PV-to-bus DPP systems is presented. Experimental results demonstrate a converter efficiency improvement of 14.7% over traditional flyback converters, offering promising avenues for enhancing the efficiency and reliability of PV systems.

About the Speaker:

Dr. Katherine A. Kim received the B.S. degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) from the Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering in 2007. She received the M.S. degree and Ph.D. degree in ECE from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2011 and 2014, respectively. She was an Assistant Professor of ECE at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan, South Korea, from 2014-2018. Since 2019, she has been an Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering at National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan. She received the IEEE PELS Award for Achievements in Power Electronics Education in 2022, the Richard M. Bass Outstanding Young Power Electronics Engineer Award from IEEE PELS in 2019, and recognition as an Innovator Under 35 for the Asia Pacific Region by the MIT Technology Review in 2020. She is currently the IEEE PELS Vice President for Global Relations for 2024-2025.

Abstract:

USB Type-C™ connector was introduced in 2014.  Apple’s iPhone 15 adopted it in 2023.   Where USB-C™ connector will be going from here? This talk will cover the basics of USB-C connector and USB Power Delivery (USB PD) specification including the latest update, particularly for using USB-C for battery charging and power applications. We will discuss the potential trend that utilizes the latest Extended Power Range (EPR) features enabling higher power transmission over a USB-C cable up to 240W (DC)

The annual Del Mar Electronics and Manufacturing Show will be held at the Del Mar Fair and Exposition Center. 

The IEEE Consultants' Network of San Diego and the San Diego IEEE Section will both be hosting booths.  The San Diego chapter of IEEE Women in Engineering will be joining us as well.

A  number of IEEE members will be presenting on a variety of topics at the show.  Check out the schedule of speakers for interesting topics.

Come to the show and stop by the IEEE booth's to visit when you are there.  Register for the show today.

2nd Induction for qualified students

Today’s images arise from many sources: digital cameras, film photo scans, photo editing software, generative artificial intelligence, and combinations thereof. These technological innovations allow us to produce novel new imagery and even new knowledge derived from our media assets, but at the same time, they can confuse and even deceive us. The problematic credibility of media assets online is ubiquitously understood by all, but the complexity of the problem is understood by few.  Old buzz words such as ‘fake news’ and new ones such as ‘AIGC’ and ‘deep fakes’ allow us to label the problem, but not characterize the nuances inherent in judging the credibility of the images we consume daily, or the implications of the context within which we consume them, to take advantage of the beneficial outcomes of modern digital media production technologies while lessening the negative outcomes, we need to know if and how we can trust the media assets we encounter online.

In this discussion we will shine a light on the socio-technological nature of image credibility, considering the technological landscape of image generation and the human factors involved in ascertaining trustworthiness of images. We will then turn our attention to the advances being made in combatting the seemingly intractable and ever-increasing tsunami of uncertain online imagery. In particular, we will review a soon to be released JPEG ISO standard designed to support trust in images: JPEG Trust (ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 29/WG 1), which provides a comprehensive framework for individuals, organizations, and governing institutions interested in establishing an environment of trust for the media that they use and share online.

Speaker Bio

Sabrina Caldwell is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Computing at the Australian National University. She teaches and researches in the areas of human-centered computing, web development and design and bioinspired computing.  She is co-chair of JPEG Trust and a member of the Australian Chapter of Creative Commons.

IEEE Hawaii WIE ExCom monthly meeting to discuss future events and initiatives.

Join our Phoenix IEEE Section and support your fellow IEEE'ers for Science Stories In partnership with NPR’s The Story Collider for a GROWN-UP Night of Science and Fellowship (age restriction of 21+ only). You *MUST* register directly with the AZ Science Center, but once you are at the event you will see familiar IEEE friends : ) Registering with VTools doesn't guarantee your spot!!!

The following are details from the AZ Science Center:

If you love podcasts, live storytelling, science and craft cocktails—this special edition Science With a TWIST is not one to be missed! In partnership with The Story Collider, join Arizona Science Center for an evening filled with real, personal science stories from Arizonans during this LIVE storytelling show. The evening will begin with happy hour exploring the Center’s galleries, then will move into the Center’s Irene P. Flinn Giant Screen Theater for the LIVE storytelling show portion of the evening.

This special edition Science With a TWIST includes general admission into Arizona Science Center, OceanXperience and live show. Cocktails will be available for purchase.

Hybrid Event Details

Are you involved with Computer Game Development? Do you know of staff or students at academic institutions who are?  If so, please share this information on this event with them so they can attend this year's Competition.  The top 10 of this year's entries of the games' first stage  submitted will compete and be judged by professionals from the Computer Game Development industry. 

Building on the success of last year's competition, this year's is also being held in a Hybrid format! We'll be in-person at Chapman University, and virtually via Twitch (while the teams present to the judges via Discord).

The IEEE GameSIG Intercollegiate Game [Developers] Competition, now in its twelfth year, is an educational outreach project of IEEE GameSIG (which is part of the Orange County IEEE Computer Society, but does not geographically limit competing teams). The purpose of this event is to help students develop and demonstrate their skills at game design, development and promotion. They are challenged to show off a playable level of a game, live, in front of an audience of experienced game industry personnel and guests (which we are hoping you will join).  The Computer Society Publication Office produced a 9 minute Youtube video about a previous live Competition/Showcase which is available at 2013 IEEE Intercollegiate Game Showcase.

The competition typically attracts 30 to 50 entries, from which the top ten are chosen to present their work to the "live" audience and judges. Three primary awards are given, plus a series of special awards for unique achievements. These special awards are different each year based on the nature of what the developers are showing.  Their is also a People's Choice Award voted on by those attending in person or virtually.  More details on the competition can be found at GameSIGshowcase.org.

This year's showcase will be hosted from the Chapman University, Orande CA, and held Online via Twitch.

The Twitch stream will start at 1:00 PM (PT) and end by 5:30 PM (PT).Registered individuals will receive reminders about the Showcase as we get closer to the event, with the Twitch link provided the night before the Showcase.  The Twitch stream will be public.

Suggested donation is .00 for in-person attendance; there is no charge for virtual attendance, or for in person students , the under-employed, judges, staff and invited guests.

• For those qualifying for free attendance, select "Get Tickets", the number of tickets and then "Check out".
• For credit card sponsorship and support or donations, payment can be found as ticketing options at registration check-out.
• For sponsorship payments, we'll contact you to acknowledge and verify processing. If unsure, please contact us.
  Support in check-form are preferred to avoid processing fees.
• For inquiries and larger sponsorship or support, contact us for more information at gamesigshowcase@gmail.com.

Competition details are available at: http://gamesigshowcase.org/

Prof Mary (Missy) Cummings (Director of the Mason Autonomy and Robotics Center (MARC) at George Mason University, USA) will present "Self-Driving Cars: The Good, the Bad & the Ugly" at 6pm (UTC+1) / 1pm EDT on 30 April '24. Click here to convert to your local time

IEEE UK and Ireland SSIT Chapter and SSIT IST-Africa SIGHT are cooperating with a number of IEEE OUs including: New Jersey Coast Section SIGHT; New Jersey Coast IM/Computer Joint Chapter;  IEEE Region 1; IEEE Region 2;  Vancouver Section Jt. Chapter,TEM14/PC26/E25/SIT30; North Jersey Section SSIT Chapter; Susquehanna Section Computer Chapter; Southeast Michigan Section  Vehicular Technology Chapter; Phoenix Section Computer Chapter;  Vancouver Section Jt Transportation Chapter, UK and Ireland Computational Intelligence Chapter; UK and Ireland Computer Society Chapter, UK and Ireland Vehicular Technology Chapter and UK and Ireland Oceanic Engineering Chapter to organise this SSIT Lecture as a joint Webinar on 30 April '24. 

Registration

IEEE and SSIT Members as well as non-IEEE Members are invited to Register and participate. 
IEEE Members should include their IEEE Membership Number when registering.

Access to online Meeting

Registered participants will be provided with the link prior to the event.

Guest Lecture Focus
Self-driving cars have been a dream from almost the time the automobile was invented. With the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), this dream has seemingly become reality with driverless commercial operations already taking place in a handful of cities around the world. However, the recent tragic accident involving a pedestrian and a Cruise self-driving car, as well as a number of high-profile Tesla crashes, raise the possibility that such 
systems may not actually be as capable as envisioned, and questions have arisen about their safety both nationally and internationally. Given these concerns, it is important to step back and analyze both the actual safety records of these vehicles and just why AI is struggling to operate safely under all conditions in autonomous vehicles.

This lecture will highlight the strengths and weaknesses of AI in self-driving cars, as well as in all safety-critical applications, and lay out a roadmap for safe integration of these technologies on public roadways.

BUSS’24 is a two-day, in-person event — May 2-3, 2024 at SEMI Hdqtrs, Silicon Valley, CA USA  Visit www.ieee-buss.org

We are living in the era of heterogenous integration driven by fast, efficient and big data computing resources at our fingertips. The mega-monolithic silicon chip is a thing of the past, replaced with 3D heterogenous integration of chiplets onto a platform made of an organic build-up substrate. Volume manufacturers of build-up substrates are entirely based in Asia, leaving a desert in the US. Volume build-up substrates used by major IDMs are manufactured in Asian countries including Taiwan, Japan and China.
However, there are multiple activities starting up in the US, and this is why a gathering of the US players is important. This symposium is geared for all those involved in the supply chain of build-up substrates in the US, as well as users. As the US Congress debates H.R. 3249, the Protecting Circuit Boards and Substrates (PCBS) Act, this Symposium is an opportunity for all build-up substrate players to meet, network and cohesively work with funding agencies who will be invited to this symposium to focus on onshoring build-up substrate production and utilization.

Join us for a fascinating event right in the heart of one of the planet’s areas most affected by the effects of climate change: Alaska! You will learn about climate change induced impacts, indigenous experience, state of the art local research programs, remote sensing, land and oceanic field studies, and new and developing technologies for transitioning energy systems. You will debate with your colleagues ways to prioritize technology development to address challenges caused by the changing Arctic ecosystem. You will become part of a growing expert community dedicated to building IEEE technology roadmaps to return our planet to sustainability.

Check-in Thursday, May 2. Meetings Friday and Saturday, May 3-4. Check-out Sunday, May 5.

The Lakefront Anchorage Hotel, Anchorage Alaska

IEEE has secured a block of rooms at The Lakefront Anchorage Hotel . To book your room, please use this IEEE Room Block Link . The room block extends from check-in on Wednesday 5/1 to check-out on Monday 5/6, at a rate of 9 per night. Additional nights can be requested at the same rate. Credit card information will be requested but no payment applied until you check out.

The hotel is located at 4800 Spenard Road, Anchorage, Alaska. Free airport shuttle is provided by the hotel. Meals and snacks on Thursday evening, Friday morning and lunch, Saturday all day, and Sunday breakfast are provided by IEEE. Friday evening is free time for you to explore the area, with free hotel shuttles available to take you to dinner downtown Anchorage.

Registration is open until April 21, or, for in-person attendance, until all slots fill-up (maximum: 30 participants). Don’t delay registering to secure your spot! You may participate in-person or remotely each day as needed to fit your schedule. Please fill out the registrations form(s) below according to your choice(s). For example, you may register in person for one day and remotely for another day, or in-person for the entire workshop, or remotely for the entire workshop:

Monthly YP ExCom meeting. 

May 7, 2024 START TIME 6:30 pm

Zoom Only 

Please join us for a QUICK (1 hr) IEEE PHX SECTION May 2024 EXECUTIVE OPERATIONS & COMMUNICATIONS MEETING (EXCOM)

Purpose:

IEEE PHX Section Executive Operations & Communications Meeting (ExCom) February.  In this meeting we will discuss the PHX Section’s overall 2023 Goals, Strategy & starting calendar.  We will also discuss and move forward with the Section's old & new business including events, volunteer needs.  IEEE Student Chair/Leads, PHX-based IEEE Society Chair/Leads & PHX-base Affinity Leads are expected to attend or send a delegate, however any IEEE Member is welcomed.

Agenda 
Chair Reports
   - Schedule Updates
  -Upcoming events
New Officers Intro and Call for open volunteer positions

Discover How Chat GPT Can Transform Your Job Search!

Did you know that only 24% of Americans harness the power of Chat GPT? Surprisingly, this tool is most popular among the 18-24 age group. However, many users disengage within just 7 minutes of interaction.

In 2024, leveraging Chat GPT for your job search holds incredible potential. Elizabeth's presentation offers innovative strategies to maximize this tool's effectiveness in your quest for employment. Join us to explore expert tips, unconventional methods, and tailored prompts that will revolutionize your approach to job hunting.

     HALF-DAY SEMINAR MAY 9:  WiFi/UWB

IEEE Spokane is proud to co-sponsor an educational and comprehensive Half-Day Seminar on WiFi and Ultra-Wideband (UWB) Technologies – a no-cost event, including a complimentary lunch, co-sponsored by the Rohde-Schwarz Corporation and IEEE Spokane.   

Founded 90 years ago, Rohde-Schwarz has expanded worldwide over time, today including innovative divisions ranging from electronic test and measurement equipment to quantum computing to cyber-security.

This event, presented by Rohde-Schwarz experts, will first explore current developments in two key areas of today’s wireless communication, WiFi and UWB, and will then address unique specialized use cases for the two technologies.  Device testing topics will also be included -- and the event will conclude with a useful hands-on session in WiFi and UWB testing.

>> NOTE: Parking is free at the Spokane Public Library (SPL) Liberty Park Branch event location.

Although unique potentials of terahertz waves for chemical identification, material characterization, biological sensing, and medical imaging have been recognized for quite a while, the relatively poor performance, higher costs, and bulky nature of current terahertz systems continue to impede their deployment in field settings. In this talk, I will describe some of our recent results on developing fundamentally new terahertz electronic/optoelectronic components and imaging/spectrometry architectures to mitigate performance limitations of existing terahertz systems. In specific, I will introduce new designs of high-performance photoconductive terahertz sources that utilize plasmonic nanoantennas to offer terahertz radiation at record-high power levels of several milliwatts – demonstrating more than three orders of magnitude increase compared to the state of the art. I will describe that the unique capabilities of these plasmonic nanoantennas can be further extended to develop terahertz detectors and heterodyne spectrometers with quantum-level detection sensitivities over a broad terahertz bandwidth at room temperatures, which has not been possible through existing technologies. To achieve this significant performance improvement, plasmonic antennas and device architectures are optimized for operation at telecommunication wavelengths, where very high power, narrow linewidth, wavelength tunable, compact and cost-effective optical sources are commercially available. Therefore, our results pave the way to compact and low-cost terahertz sources, detectors, and spectrometers that could offer numerous opportunities for e.g., medical imaging and diagnostics, atmospheric sensing, pharmaceutical quality control, and security screening systems. And finally, I will briefly highlight our research activities on development of new types of high-performance terahertz passive components (e.g., modulators, tunable filters, and beam deflectors) based on novel reconfigurable meta-films.  

 In the first part of the meeting, Dr. Zhang will cover the senior elevation process (why becoming senior, senior member requirements, application process, how to find references and prepare application materials,  etc.) and

in the second part,  Dr. Tan will cover the Fellow program.  

Under Don’s leadership, the IEEE Fellow Committee has planned a full implementation of the BoD approved improvements, particularly specific measures for geographical and technical diversity measures and DE&I. The IEEE fellow grade is a prestigious recognition by the IEEE Board of Directors to a single individual for his or her technical accomplishments and contributions impacting society at large. It commands global acclaim and is a prestigious honor eagerly pursued by individuals worldwide. How do you answer the question then:Am I qualified to be considered for an IEEE fellow, particularly, as a member from industry? What is the best way to prepare a nomination package? This talk by Dr. Tan will provide a unique perspective from an IEEE Fellow Committee Immediate Past Chair's viewpoint. It aims to demystify the fellow nomination and evaluation process. He will discuss on recent fellow statistics (Particularly those for Region 6 and San Diego Section), nomination package preparation, contribution category selection, references, endorsements, and qualification matrix details. A few samples from past successful nominations will be presented and discussed as well.

EXCOM Meeting

In October 2020, the government of Japan committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. In October 2021, they announced a goal of reaching a renewable energy sources (RES) ratio of approximately 36-38% by 2030. Achieving these targets through national research and development projects is accompanied by high expectations, with a solid emphasis on overcoming grid constraints and maintaining system stability to utilize RES as the primary power source.

One of these projects is a New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) initiative called "Future-generation Power Network Stabilization Technology Development for Utilization of Renewable Energy As the Major Power Source (STREAM)." This project aims to develop technologies for practical applications of inverter-based resources (IBRs) with synthetic inertia and the motor-driven synchronous generator (M-G sets) powered by RES as countermeasures against low inertia and short-circuit capacity reduction and to verify these effects.

This webinar showcases 1)the current status and future goals of RES integration in Japan, 2) technical challenges in power system stability (grid constraints) for achieving the aforementioned goals, and 3)an overview and preliminary results of the STREAM Project.

SusTech is hosting talks on Sustainability topics.

“Harnessing AI for Product Lifecycle Intelligence”

with Neil D’Souza, CEO and founder of Makersite, Stuttgart, Germany

Date/Time: May 21, 2024

Discover the transformative power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in revolutionizing product lifecycle management and sustainable manufacturing practices. This webinar, featuring Neil D’Souza, CEO of Makersite, will explore AI’s role in fostering smarter decision-making, optimizing resources, reducing waste, and amplifying the value proposition of products through eco-design. With sustainability reporting demands set to increase exponentially, learn how integrating AI can offer businesses critical competitive advantages and support the urgent need for comprehensive environmental data governance. Join us to gain actionable insights into achieving efficiency and innovation in a rapidly evolving market.

IEEE Hawaii WIE ExCom monthly meeting to discuss future events and initiatives.

Emotional Intelligence is one of the human power skills that is more in demand today than ever.  Leaders that excel at EQ are going to be the ones most sought after and indispensable in organizations.  In this talk we will

• Build a clear understanding of the Emotional Intelligence Model
• Help you to understand your responses and how your mindset and emotions have an impact

EXCOM Meeting

This event will be available live at SEMI, as well as over Zoom. Get to SEMI by 6:30pm to network – and enjoy great pizza and refreshments! All attendees MUST register using the Eventbrite form (see link).

Netflix’s journey in enhancing its machine learning capabilities led to the creation of Axion, a revolutionary fact store that is designed to optimize the quality and accessibility of data for machine learning algorithms. This talk will delve into the evolution of Axion, highlighting its critical role in advancing Netflix’s recommendation systems. It will also explore the challenges faced in managing and utilizing large-scale data, and how Axion’s innovative architecture addresses these challenges.

You will gain insights into the technical intricacies of Axion, including its four main components: (1) the fact-logging client, (2) ETL (extract, transform, load), (3) the query client, and (4) the data quality infrastructure. You will learn about the unique approaches employed by Axion for data logging, transformation, and querying that ensure efficient and reliable data access for its sophisticated machine learning architecture.

Abstract: Cities worldwide are transitioning quickly towards a low-carbon environment, high quality of living, and resource-efficient economy. Artificial Intelligence of Things (IoT) is a combination of Artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) to enable autonomous decision-making, data analytics, and system optimization. This talk will share our experiences on AIoT for smart cities. The first work is called Green IoT, which provides artificial intelligence and open data for sustainable city development. In this work, we developed an intelligent IoT system for air pollution monitoring in Uppsala, Sweden. The second work, called Smart Water Auditing, uses IoT and machine learning to provide insights into how much water is consumed in different domestic use categories. It aims to reduce water consumption and raise awareness of people's water consumption habits. This talk will present our AIoT system designs, machine learning algorithms, implementation, and experimental results in Hong Kong and Sweden.

Bio: Dr. Edith C.H. Ngai is an Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the University of Hong Kong. Before joining HKU in 2020, she was an Associate Professor in the Department of Information Technology at Uppsala University, Sweden. Her research interests include IoT, edge intelligence, smart cities, and smart health. Her co-authored papers received a Best Paper Award in QShine 2023 and Best Paper Runner-Up Awards in ACM/IEEE IPSN 2013 and IEEE IWQoS 2010. She was an Area Editor of IEEE Internet of Things Journal from 2020 to 2022. She is an Associate Editor in IEEE Transactions of Mobile Computing and IEEE Transactions of Industrial Informatics. She has been a TPC co-chair in IEEE SmartCity 2015, IEEE GreenCom 2022, and IEEE/ACM IWQoS 2024. She was a project leader of the "Green IoT" in Sweden, which was named on IVA's 100 List by the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences in 2020. She received a Meta Policy Research Award in Asia Pacific in 2022. She is a Distinguished Lecturer in the IEEE Communication Society from 2023 to 2024.

                                  
HKU IoT Lab: https://www.eee.hku.hk/~iotlab/
                            

At the time of the event, go to https://simnet.zoom.us/j/91698723639?pwd=M05JeHAzUWlYRmVXTDdheEhzamQyUT09
Or on the Zoom app
Meeting ID: 91698723639
Meeting Passcode: M05JeHAzUWlYRmVXTDdheEhzamQyUT09

*Hybrid event but in-person attendance encouraged - opportunity to meet and greet the distinguished lecturer as well as local IEEE ExCom members!  

With the prosperity of edge computing, massive users and devices at the network edge are more actively involved in the networks, pushing the information collection, computation, storage, and communications more towards end users. In these more decentralized systems, how to enable efficient and trustworthy interactions among different parties becomes an essential issue. 

Blockchain has been considered as a promising approach to facilitate the establishment of decentralized trustworthy computing systems with non-repudiated information records. For example, Bitcoin has attracted wide attention as a secure and decentralized platform to enable peer-to-peer exchanges of digital currency. Ethereum then generalizes blockchain as a state machine and enables smart contracts, a piece of code that can support complex logic and be self-executed when certain conditions are met. Such generalization enables blockchain to potentially serve as a computing infrastructure and opens new opportunities for blockchain to facilitate secure and decentralized interactions among any parties without making high trust assumptions about them.

In this talk, we will discuss some key characteristics of blockchain and a few promising applications of blockchain that can facilitate security and trust among multiple parties. Some examples include designing a secure and efficient multi-signature scheme to facilitate multi-party approval process on Fabric, an enterprise blockchain platform; applying blockchain to secure software updates for resource-constrained IoT networks; and to facilitate fair trading in transactive energy market.

This dynamic session uses case studies drawn from the IEEE community to explore effective strategies to address the challenges of mandated office returns, including employee resistance, attrition, quiet quitting, and maintaining diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). We'll dissect the nuanced dynamics of resistance, from overt opposition to subtler forms, and examine attrition trends that see employees seeking new opportunities in response to return mandates. The phenomenon of quiet quitting, characterized by minimal employee engagement, prompts a reevaluation of engagement and inclusivity strategies. A critical focus will be the impact of return policies on DEI efforts, particularly on underrepresented groups who may prefer remote work due to various socio-economic factors. This session offers actionable insights and best practices to navigate these challenges, fostering a thriving and inclusive post-pandemic workplace. All attendees will have an opportunity to receive a complimentary copy of the speaker's best-selling book on which this talk is based, called Returning to the Office and Leading Hybrid and Remote Teams.