Faculty News
Publications:
Dr. John Helveston (EMSE) wrote this recently published commentary piece: J. P. Helveston, “Why the US Trails the World in Electric Vehicles,” Issues in Science and Technology 37, no. 2 (Winter 2021).
Conferences & Presentations:
Dr. Samer Hamdar (CEE) and GW’s Transportation Program participated in the 2021 Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Meeting, held virtually over multiple weeks in January. During the meeting, Dr. Hamdar presided over the January 21 workshop “From Traffic Flow Modeling of Connected and Automated Vehicles to Transportation Guidelines, Policies, and Specifications: Lessons Learned and Opportunities Missed.” The workshop was organized by the ACP50(2) subcommittee, which was chaired by Dr. Hamdar. Also during the meeting, members of the GW Transportation Program presented two papers: 1) M. Haque and S. H. Hamdar, “The Impact of Bike Share Services in Disease Transmission: Numerical Exploration of the COVID 19 Spread in Washington DC Through Modeling and Sensitivity Analysis,” and 2) D. Pan, S. H. Hamdar, Y. Yuan, V. Knoop, W. Daamen, and A. Talebpour, “Automatic Video Detection and Tracking of Pedestrians and Cyclists: Exploratory Feasibility Analysis.”
Student News
Congratulations to GW’s Design, Build, Fly Team, which recently successfully completed two full empty-weight flights of its aircraft, Billy Ray Cyrus. Watch Billy Ray’s successful pitch and roll test. Design, Build, Fly (DBF) is one of the most prestigious student competitions for aerospace engineering departments of US and international universities. DBF is a great opportunity for university students to apply real-world aircraft design experience. Student teams design, fabricate, and demonstrate the flight capabilities of an unmanned, electric powered, radio-controlled aircraft that can best meet the competition’s specified mission profile. GW's Design, Build, Fly Team is organized through the GW student chapter of the American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).
Upcoming SEAS Events
BME Seminar: “Graduate Education's Role in Preparing Engineering PhD Students for Careers in Academia and Industry”
Speaker: Dr. Monica Cox, The Ohio State University
Wednesday, February 17
11:00 am – 12:00 pm (ET)
WebEx link
Environmental and Energy Management Institute Webinar: “Strategies for System Change and Tackling Wicked Problems”
Thursday, February 18
1:15 – 2:45 pm (ET)
Register
In this webinar, Dr. Bruce Hull, senior fellow at the Center for Leadership in Global Sustainability and author of a new book titled Leadership for Sustainability, will introduce a toolbox of strategies for tackling wicked sustainability problems. As the 2020 US election illustrated, our nation is so divided and dug in that we need new strategies for leadership, and sustainability professionals must apply strategies that extend their influence beyond their organizations to drive change in the cross-sector space where business, government, and nonprofit organizations intersect, and the most pressing sustainability challenges exist. Dr. Hull will present case studies that illustrate several of these tools, discuss the challenges and opportunities of being a systems change agent, and identify resources professionals can use to build their capacities as change agents. This webinar is free to the GW community. If you would like to attend but have a time conflict, registration will enable you to access recordings of these events.
ECE Seminar: “Approaches to Trojan Detection in Neural Networks”
Speaker: Dr. Peter Bajcsy, project lead, National Institute of Standards and Technology
Monday, February 22
10:00 am (ET)
WebEx link
This seminar will be hosted by Dr. Omur Ozel and will count toward ECE department colloquium requirements.
Environmental and Energy Management Institute Webinar: “Steering Societies Beyond GDP to the SDGs: Sixty Minutes with Hazel Henderson and Green Bank Founder Ken LaRoe”
Wednesday, February 24
1:15 – 2:15 pm (ET)
Register
This webinar will feature ecological economist and futurist Hazel Henderson and Green Bank executive Ken LaRoe. In 2009, Ken founded First Green Bank, the first bank of its kind to promote positive environmental and social responsibility while operating as a traditional community bank, and now is launching Climate First Bank, starting in St. Petersburg, as a full-service community bank on a mission to positively impact the triple bottom line: people, planet, and prosperity, introducing Values-Based Banking to an unserved community. This webinar is free to the GW community. If you would like to attend but have a time conflict, registration will enable you to access the recording of this event.
Environmental and Energy Management Institute Webinar: “Sixty Minutes with Europe's Top Climate Action Official, Mauro Petriccione”
Friday, February 26
11:30 am – 12:30 pm (ET)
Register
Mauro Petriccione is the director general for climate action, in charge of overseeing the European Green Deal. He is the highest-ranking European civil servant dealing with climate, and he has 33 years of experience at the European Commission, where he has held various positions covering trade and commerce. Ambassador Andras Simonyi will discuss with Mr. Petriccione the European Green Deal and related climate issues. If you would like to attend but have a time conflict, registration will enable you to access the recording of this event.
BME Seminar: “Human iPSC-based Microphysiological Systems for Disease Modeling, Drug Screening and Space Biology”
Speaker: Dr. Deok-Ho Kim, Johns Hopkins University
Wednesday, March 3
11:00 am – 12:00 pm (ET)
WebEx link
CS Lecture: “The Magic of Immersive AR Experiences”
Speaker: David Thompson, creative director and co-founder of Balti Virtual
Thursday, March 11
5:00 – 6:00 pm (ET)
Online lecture
David Thompson, creative director of Balti Virtual (BV), will give a brief overview of where the industry is today and what the future holds for this technology, and he will present some of the work on BV's new AR Platform HypARlinks. HypARlinks can be used for AR entertainment, e-commerce, education, and more! David will explore the challenges of building content for the different file formats needed for AR, discuss the pipeline involved, demonstrate the easy process for creating a HypARlink, and showcase some of Balti Virtual's latest work. This event is a special topic lecture for the Course CSCI 6907 Augmented and Virtual Reality. To attend, please RSVP to Dr. Hurriyet Ok by March 10.
BME Seminar: “High-density EEG, Robotic Lower Limb Exoskeletons, and Bionic Prostheses”
Speaker: Dr. Daniel Ferris, University of Florida
Wednesday, April 7
11:00 am – 12:00 pm (ET)
WebEx link
Entrepreneurship News & Events
GW Innovation Center Events
GWIC Spring 2021—We’re OPEN!
Bring your ideas and questions to the Innovation Center. We are here to help you with a range of expertise, from 3D modeling to equitable venture plans and human-centered design.
M06 Virtual Hours
Mondays 6:00 – 7:00 pm (ET) and Wednesdays 1:00 – 2:00 pm (ET)
GWIC student fellows, Phoenix Price, Isabelle Carney, and Jamie Horowitz, will host virtual office hours to assist in making, design, and social impact project development.
Virtual Mentor Hours with Innovation Center Co-directors
Fridays 12:00 – 1:30 pm (ET): GWIC Founder and SEAS Chief Evangelist, Annamaria Konya Tannon
Thursdays, 1:00 – 2:00 pm (ET): GWIC Co-director, Erica Cusi Wortham
For details and links, please visit the GWIC Events Page and Instagram @gwinnovationcenter.
GW Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Events:
Easy Financials for Startups Workshop
Guest Speaker: Andrew Levy
Tuesday, February 16
5:30 – 7:00 pm
Register (A virtual room link will be sent to you later.)
Entrepreneurs need to understand that financial projections are important for raising capital and gauging the timing of when follow-on investment may be needed, and also to acknowledge the founder’s responsibility to be accountable to that plan. 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 and teach you the value of running your company by the numbers!
Introduction to Lean Innovation Session
Friday, February 19
1:00 – 3:30 pm (ET)
Register (A virtual room link will be sent to you later.)
Do you hope to solve a global problem, start a new business, develop a new product, or simply have an idea? We’re inviting the entire GW community to attend a half-day introductory workshop to learn how savvy innovators start the process. This workshop is offered the third Friday of each month.
Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Speaker Series: “The Merging of Health Devices and Technology into Business and Entrepreneurship”
Speakers: Dr. Feng Tian of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati; and Dr. Igor Efimov (BME)
Saturday, February 20
2:00 – 3:15 pm (ET)
Register
Are you curious about what a medical device patent is and how it works? Do you want to better understand what it takes for an entrepreneur to commercialize a medical device? Join Feng Tian, a medical device patent attorney, and Dr. Igor Efimov, founder of implantable cardioversion and defibrillation device company Cardialen and co-founder of catheter technology company NuSera Biosystems, who will discuss how he has been able to make a mark in the cardiovascular device market.
Business Model Canvas Workshop
Monday, February 22
5:00 – 6:00 pm (ET)
Register (A virtual room link will be sent to you later.)
Originally created by Alex Osterwalder, the Business Model Canvas (BMC) is a strategic management and entrepreneurial tool. Join us for an interactive, virtual workshop that will help students through a brief overview of the BMC, along with details about the nine key elements of a startup venture.
External Events
IDDP Tech Policy Webinar Series: “Regulating Digital Platforms”
Wednesday, February 17
1:00 pm (ET)
Register
As the Biden administration and the new Congress begin to grapple with how to bring transparency and accountability to massive digital platforms like Facebook, Google, TikTok, and Twitter, they may seek ideas and guidance from other countries and jurisdictions where regulatory work has been moving more rapidly. This panel, hosted by GW’s Institute for Data, Democracy, and Politics, brings together leading experts on platform accountability measures around the world and will bring a distinctly international perspective to how we think about addressing online harms, including disinformation, manipulative advertising, incitement, and more.
GW Undergraduate Series: “Climate Crisis: An Exhibition in-development at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum”
Thursday, March 4
3:00 – 4:00 pm (ET)
Register (Students must register in advance using their GW email address. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.)
To invoke the word “crisis” is to stake out a strong position in presenting the topic of climate change and its increasing impacts on life on our home planet. In the face of such destabilizing change, what actions might we take, whether at global or local scales? What conceptual tools might we need? What responsibilities do we have to fellow humans and to the planet? In particular, what responsibilities does the Smithsonian have as one of our nation’s preeminent science and cultural institutions in presenting this topic to diverse national and international audiences? This presentation will bring you into the exhibit team’s work, our choices, and the special place of exhibitions in stimulating public dialogue on a vital contemporary issue. Dr. Martin Collins, curator of the National Air and Space Museum’s Department of Space History, will present. Dr. Rachel Riedner, associate dean of undergraduate studies, will moderate the discussion. This session is part of the GW Undergraduate Series, “Can't Get to DC Museums, Historical Sites, and Political Institutions? We will bring them to you!”
GW Research Showcase (formerly GW Research Days)
Monday, April 12 – Friday, April 16
Presenting at GW Research Showcase is a résumé-worthy opportunity for students to receive feedback on their projects, hone their presentation skills, and compete for prizes. This year’s event will be held virtually. All students and trainees are invited to submit their abstracts, which are due by 11:55 pm on Tuesday, March 2.
WOWTALKS:
The WOWTALK (What’s Our Work) Series brings together colleagues and students from disciplines associated with GW's Science and Engineering Hall—and related fields—to present new research and share ideas. These short talks (15 minutes each) are designed to introduce members of the GW community to current and exciting research projects, to initiate discussion, collaborate, share expertise, and promote research performed in the SEH and at GW. Students are welcome to attend. All WOWTALK sessions will be held via Zoom.
WOWTALK XXI
Wednesday, March 3
4:00 pm
Zoom link will be made available later
Speakers:
Zhenyu Li - Biomedical Engineering
Dale Lupu - The End of the Story Matters: Implementing supportive (palliative) care for people with kidney disease
Mark Reeves - Physics
WOWTALK XXII
Wednesday, April 7
4:00 pm
Zoom link will be made available later
Speakers:
Dwight Kravitz - Psychological and Brain Sciences
David Nagel - Electrical and Computer Engineering
Diana Pardo Pedraza - Anthropology
GW Career Center Events & Services:
Virtual coaching appointments available: Make your appointment with Dr. Merrill, the STEM industry coach. If you need tips on the virtual job search or virtual Interviewing or would like to work on your career strategy, spruce up your resume, or land an internship, make a virtual coaching appointment with her in Handshake or email her for more information.
Technical interview preparation: If you have a technical interview coming up, sign-up for the new technical interview slots in Handshake! See tips for technical interviews in Handshake Article # 18641, Technical Interview Tips.
BioCapital Life Sciences Virtual Career Fair
Thursday, February 18
9:00 am – 3:00 pm (ET)
Register
This fair will connect graduate and undergraduate students with the life sciences industry for related career positions and to create awareness of the job opportunities available.
GW Virtual Internship Fair
Friday, February 26
1:00 – 4:00 pm (ET)
Register
GW's Virtual Internship Fair is an opportunity for SEAS students and alumni looking for traditional and micro internships or fellowships to connect one-on-one with hiring organizations.