Faculty News
Research:
On January 28, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued Patent No. US 10,547,681 B2 to Dr. Tian Lan (ECE) and his colleagues for “Functional Caching in Erasure Coded Storage.” Dr. Jerry Comanescu at GW's Technology Commercialization Office facilitated the prosecution of the patent application.
Dr. Ekundayo Shittu (EMSE) is a co-principal investigator on a one-year, $25,000 grant from Duke Energy Innovation Fund for the project “Co-location of sustainability goals: Assessing potential synergies between ecological restoration, climate resilience and renewable energy at the Capital Partners Solar Project.” In 2014, GW and Duke Energy brokered a landmark deal to establish three solar farms in North Carolina to provide GW access to renewable energy. The deal, named “Capital Partners Solar Project (CPSP),” was the largest non-utility solar PV power purchase agreement in the U.S., and the first of its kind for a university. The objectives of this study are to gather baseline data on the CPSP sites and synthesize existing research on renewable energy projects that are integrating conservation and climate mitigation. This will inform opportunities to reduce the ecological footprint of the CPSP sites while also promoting climate resilience. Dr. Ginger Allington (Geography) is the lead principal investigator.
Publications:
Dr. Martha Pardavi-Horvath (ECE) is a contributor to the 2nd Edition of Magnetic Nano- and Microwires: Design, Synthesis, Properties and Applications, which is now in distribution. The book is published by Elsevier.
Conferences and Presentations:
During January 2-8, Dr. Kausik Sarkar (MAE) paid an invited short visit to the Department of Power Engineering at Jadavpur University, India. While there, he gave the invited talk “Microbubbles, nanoparticles and cells: Imaging, diagnostics and therapy” at the university’s Department of Mechanical Engineering. His visit came under the RUSA 2.0 Research Network scheme to initiate collaboration in the area of modeling and diagnostics of dispersed phase flows.
On January 30, Dr. Mahdi Imani (ECE) gave an invited talk titled “Practical Bayesian Learning and Decision Making: Scalability, Explainability and Reliability” at The Boeing Company.
SEAS Events Re-cap
SEAS and GW Law co-hosted a workshop on community solar projects on February 7 in the Lehman Auditorium. The workshop shed light on the market potential for the adoption of community solar, particularly on accessibility by low and middle income households who have traditionally been unable to access solar power either because of their low income brackets or because they do not have the rooftop to accommodate solar panels. The workshop illuminated an array of multifaceted issues ranging from the absence of standardization, to an assortment of policies, limitations, and complexities of financial mechanisms, to inter-connectivity challenges and the need for consumer education. More than 40 people attended from the community solar ecosystem, including stakeholders from utilities, multifamily housing developers, policymakers, energy financial advisors, investment managers, and academics. The investigating team from GW includes Ms. Donna Attanasio (Law), Mr. Scott Sklar (Solar Institute and EEMI), Dr. Saniya LeBlanc (MAE), Dr. Payman Dehghanian (ECE), and Dr. Ekundayo Shittu (EMSE). EMSE graduate student and researcher on the project, Dor Hirsh Bar Gai (EMSE), and Erica Wortham (GWIC) organized the workshop. The workshop was the third in a trilogy of activities in the project funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
SEAS Computing Facility
MATLAB Workshops: The SEAS Computing Facility (SEASCF) will hold five MATLAB workshops this semester. The workshops will be held in Tompkins 406 from 12:00 to 2:00 pm on the following dates:
- Sunday, February 23: Figures & 3D Plotting
- Sunday, March 1: Linear Equation & ODE Solving
- Sunday, March 8: Image Processing and Toolboxes
MATLAB Office Hours: SEAS CF will also hold MATLAB open office hours throughout the Spring semester in Tompkins 406. Office hours are: Sundays (2:00 – 4:00 pm), Tuesdays (6:00 – 10:00 pm), and Fridays (1:00 – 5:00 pm). Please email us to schedule a tutoring appointment. The workshops and tutoring will be hosted by SEAS senior Emilie Lemieux. MATLAB and many other helpful programs are available to be downloaded onto any personal computer. For a complete list of applications, please visit the SEAS Computing Facility website.
Upcoming SEAS Events
Python and Jupyter Study Hall Sessions
Every Tuesday and Thursday throughout the semester
6:00 – 8:00 pm
Academic Commons (Gelman Library, 2nd floor)
All students are welcome to visit the study hall sessions to get help with Python and Jupyter. These sessions were set up to support courses (MAE 1117 and MAE 2117) in engineering computations, but they are open to all SEAS students who want help with computational assignments or projects.
CS Lecture: “From Football Field to Battlefield: Accelerated Training in Mixed Reality”
Speaker: Jordan Higgins, U.Group
Thursday, February 13
3:30 – 4:30 pm
Corcoran Hall, Room 103 (725 21st Street, NW)
This is a special topic lecture for the CSCI 6907 Augmented and Virtual Reality course. To attend, please RSVP to Dr. Hurriyet Ok by February 12.
Valentine's Day Themed Make-a-Thing: Open Studio @ GW Innovation Center
Friday, February 14
12:00 – 6:00 pm
Tompkins Hall, M06
CS Lecture: “Blockchain Technologies and Applications Concept, Initiatives, Status, Problems, and Potential Solutions”
Speaker: Dr. Sead Muftic, CEO, BIX® System Corporation
Wednesday, February 19
4:30 – 6:00 pm
SEH, B1270
This is a special topic lecture for the CSCI 6548: E-Commerce Security course. To attend, please RSVP to Dr. Hurriyet Ok by February 18.
Women in Engineering Panel: “The World Beyond College: What it's Really Like to Be a Female Engineer”
Wednesday, February 19
6:00 – 8:00 pm
SEH, Lehman Auditorium
RSVP
What is it really like to be a female engineer once you graduate? You’ll have a wonderful opportunity to learn all about it from our panel of experts, who will describe the challenges and opportunities in their careers, as well as a personal reflection on what it takes to succeed. Come and enjoy an engaging discussion with plenty of time allowed for your own questions and a networking reception following the one-hour panel discussion. Read about our panelists. Contact WiE if you have any questions.
CSPRI Talk: “Leveraging the Cloud to Automate Threat Detection, Hunting and Mitigation Using Frameworks Like the NIST CSF and MITRE ATT&CK”
Speaker: Darren House, WWPS Specialty SA – Security, Amazon
Thursday, February 20
12:00 pm (An informal lunch will be served)
SEH, 2990
RSVP for lunch
MAE Seminar: “Towards Building a Robust Computational Framework and Software Engineering Process for Simulations of Multiphysics and Multiscale Problems”
Speaker: Dr. Lucy Zhang, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Thursday, February 20
2:00 pm
SEH, 2000
CS Lecture: “Using Virtual Reality to Visualize Disasters, Climate, and Extreme Weather Impacts”
Speaker: Shayna Skolnik, Navteca / NASA Headquarters Disaster Applications Group
Thursday, February 27
4:30 – 6:00 pm
Corcoran Hall, Room 103
This is a special topic lecture for the CSCI 6907 Augmented and Virtual Reality course. To attend, please RSVP to Dr. Hurriyet Ok by February 26.
GW AIAA: “A Panel Discussion on Climate Change: Engineering and Policy Issues”
Thursday, February 27
6:00 – 7:00 pm (Panel)
7:00 – 7:30 pm (Food, refreshments, and networking)
SEH, Lehman Auditorium
RSVP
Join AIAA for this E-Week discussion featuring esteemed panelists who are leading voices in addressing climate change from NASA, Earthrise Alliance, and Resources for the Future. Potential topics include the emerging policy and engineering landscape of climate change, and the economic incentives of solving climate change.
BME Seminar: “iPSC-Derived Engineered Micro-Heart Muscle to Study the Relationship between Cardiomyopathy-Genotypes, Mechanical Loading and Arrhythmia”
Speaker: Dr. Nathaniel Huebsch, Washington University in St. Louis
Wednesday, March 11
11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Marvin Center, Room 301
Entrepreneurship News & Events
2020 GW NVC Round 2 Workshop: Developing a feasibility analysis that will get you through to the next round of the NVC
Tuesday, February 11
5:30 – 7:00 pm
GW I+E Lab (2000 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, 7th Floor)
Register
As part of the 2020 GW New Venture Competition, this workshop will help teams develop a feasibility analysis suited to the track they are competing in (Technology Ventures, Social Ventures, or New Ventures). Teams that are moving forward to the second round of the 2020 GW New Venture Competition and looking for help with their application should attend this workshop. The Feasibility Analysis is a critical part of the round two submission to the competition.
Pitch’n in the Kitchen: Pitch | Listen | Connect
Wednesday, February 12
5:00 – 6:30 pm
GW I+E Lab (2000 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, 7th Floor)
Register
Do you have an idea? Want to talk through your idea or technology with the community of entrepreneurs at GW? Need a co-founder or a teammate? Pitch'n in the Kitchen is right for you. It’s a casual, intimate pitch event at which you can pitch your idea (no matter the stage) to your fellow peers and professional entrepreneurs from around campus in an actual open kitchen. Why a kitchen? That's the place where things get made and new ideas are discovered.
2020 GW NVC Mentor Mingle
Thursday, February 13
6:00 – 8:00 pm
GW I+E Lab (2000 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, 7th Floor)
Register
Do you want guidance on how to get your startup up and running? Want to connect with former and current investors who can mentor you on your pitch? Want to find a mentor to help you in the 2020 GW New Venture Competition? Join us for an evening of networking and matching with mentors who can help guide you in your business journey.
2020 GW Startup Career & Internship Fair
Wednesday, February 19
12:00 – 2:30 pm
Marvin Center, Grand Ballroom
GW Registration
Non-GW Registration
Do you want to gain experience working with some of DC's top startups? Don't miss out on the largest gathering of startup employers in the DC area! The Startup Career & Internship Fair is a big event where some of the hottest startups along with hundreds of the most entrepreneurial students from the greater DC area gather to network for future internships and job opportunities.
Easy Financials for Startups Workshop
Thursday, February 20
5:30 – 7:00 pm
GW I+E Lab
Register
Entrepreneurs are often stumped as to why investors expect financial projections for new startups even before the product is built and while the market is still being defined. Join us for an engaging workshop that will help student entrepreneurs and other innovators learn how to not only understand what it means to put together a startup's financial projections but also how to present this data in a way that will help you land more investments!
Creating a Business Model Canvas for Startups Workshop
Tuesday, February 25
5:30 – 7:00 pm
GW I+E Lab
Register
Originally created by Alex Osterwalder, the Business Model Canvas (BMC) is a strategic management and entrepreneurial tool. It gives you the structure of a business plan without the overhead and the improvisation of a "back of the napkin" sketch. Join us for a hands-on workshop that will include a brief overview of the BMC, along with details about the nine key elements of a startup venture.
External Events
Data Carpentry Workshop
Tuesday and Wednesday, February 11 and 12
9:00 am – 4:30 pm
Register
The Data Carpentry workshop will cover: 1) data organization and wrangling with spreadsheets; 2) cleaning data efficiently with OpenRefine; and 3) data analysis and visualization with R and RStudio. The workshop models a data management and analysis workflow that a social science researcher might use, and is open to anyone interested in these topics. Participants must register ahead of time and attend for both days: February 11 and February 12. The course is aimed at GW graduate students, faculty, and other researchers. (Advanced undergraduates are also welcome.) You don't need to have any previous knowledge of the tools that will be presented at the workshop. The workshop is hosted by GW Libraries and is free to any GW-affiliated participant (including CTSI-CN members).
IDDP Event: “2020: A Disinformation Preview”
Speaker: Craig Silverman
Tuesday, February 18
3:00 – 4:00 pm
Lindner Family Commons, 1957 E Street, NW
More information
Drawing on more than a decade of experience researching and reporting on online influence and manipulation campaigns, Craig Silverman will reveal the threats we can expect, and highlight how journalists, researchers, and the public can rise to meet the challenge. Mr. Silverman is an award-winning journalist and author and one of the world's leading experts on online misinformation, fake news, and content verification. He is the media editor of BuzzFeed News, where he leads a global beat covering platforms, online misinformation, and media manipulation. This event is hosted by the Institute for Data, Democracy, and Politics.
Virtual Career Fair
Thursday, February 20
12:00 – 3:00 pm
Register
Are you looking for a paid STEM internship opportunity? If so, this event is for you! The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education is hosting a virtual career fair to highlight the paid internships, fellowships, and research associate programs available to college students and recent graduates at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the largest U.S. Department of Energy science and energy laboratory!
GW's STEM + Health Career Connection Fair
Friday, February 28
1:00 – 3:00 pm
Marvin Center
GW's STEM + Health Career Connection Fair is an excellent opportunity for undergraduate students to connect with potential employers from clinical research and science to biotech, engineering, and public health. Register on Handshake for the Fair and for the GW STEM+Health Symposium: Forecasting Professional Futures in Science, Technology, & Healthcare, held before the Fair, from 9:00 am to noon.
Save the Date: GW Research Showcase
Tuesday, April 7
Charles E. Smith Center (600 22nd Street, NW)
The abstract submission form is open, and the deadline to apply is Monday, March 2. Find out more about the showcase.
Human Resources News
Please visit this week's HR Corner, where HR manager Marion Flythe-Inman shares the most recent GW HR news and updates regarding:
- A new benefit available beginning July 2020
- GW Buff and Blue Day
- SEAS staffing updates
- New SEAS employment opportunities
- Benefits reminders