IEEE Toronto Section

The Application of Optimization to Model Predictive Control
2016-07-04 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Toronto) | Room ENG 288, 245 Church St., Toronto
July 4, 2016 at 12:00 p.m. Dr. Ruth Milman, Assistant Professor at UOIT, will be presenting “The Application of Optimization to Model Predictive Control”.
Speaker: Dr. Ruth Milman
Assistant Professor – Department of Electrical, Computer and Software Engineering
Faculty Applied Science and Engineering, University of Ontario Institute of Technology
Day & Time: Monday, July 4, 2016
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Location: Room ENG 288
245 Church St., Toronto, ON, M5B 2K3
Contact: Dr. Maryam Davoudpour
Organizers: IEEE Women in Engineering (WIE), IEEE Magnetics Chapter, IEEE Instrumentation & Measurement/Robotics & Automation Joint Chapter and Computer Science Department Ryerson University
Abstract: Model predictive control (MPC) is the application of an optimal control scheme over a finite horizon. At each sample interval a cost function is minimized over a finite horizon and a resulting open loop controller is calculated. The control for the current sample interval is applied and the whole process is repeated at the next sample interval. By repeating the process at each sample interval, the resulting control scheme, which is technically open loop, inherits the benefits of a closed loop controller. These include some stability and robustness properties. By nature, MPC is computationally intensive and only makes sense when a there are constraints which must be enforced by the system. As would be expected, adding constraints into the system even further intensifies the computational requirements.
By nature, MPC is an optimal control strategy. If a true optimal control is computed when solving the minimization problem, then the solution is independent of the choice of the optimizer. It is only when time constraints force the need for suboptimal controls to be used that the actual algorithm plays a role in the quality of the resulting controller. Despite (or because of) this, the choice of optimization schemes plays a critical role in the real time application of MPC for a simple but important reason – the computational time it takes to solve for the optimal solution. MPC is a flexible framework which allows for control in the face of both linear or nonlinear systems, and can be applied to systems with either hard or soft constraints. How each problem is set up is critical to the choice of optimizer. These choices can drastically impact the computational effort which is required to solve for the resulting controller. As such, the choice and application of optimization schemes to MPC is of critical importance to the resulting performance of the systems.
Biography: Dr. Ruth Milman is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical, Computer and Software Engineering with the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology. She has been with UOIT since June 2007, where she works in the Department of Electrical and Software Engineering, focusing in the field of control theory. Her research interests include optimization and computationally efficient algorithms for model predictive control as well as the application of both linear and nonlinear MPC to autonomous systems. She has worked on path planning for robotic applications in environments with both moving and stationary obstacles. She has worked extensively in the areas of nonlinear and optimal control theory and has developed algorithms for computation of the optimization problem that underlies Model Predictive control. Prior to coming to UOIT she did post-doctoral research at the University of Toronto from 2005 to 2007.
Ruth Milman obtained her PhD in 2004 from the Systems Control Group in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at University of Toronto, Canada. Her dissertation focused on improving the speed and computational efficiency of a Linear Model Predictive Controller. As part of this she developed a novel algorithm for solving the quadratic programming subproblem in MPC. She obtained her MASC in 1997 from the Systems Control Group in the University of Toronto and her BASc (Honours) in Computer Engineering in 1995 from the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering at the University of Toronto.

What can physical-layer security do for you?
2016-07-04 13:00 - 14:00 | Room ENG LG21, 245 Church St., Toronto
July 4, 2016 at 1:00 p.m. Matthieu Bloch, Associate Professor at Georgia Institute of Technology, will be presenting “What can physical-layer security do for you?”.
Speaker: Matthieu Bloch
Associate Professor, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Georgia Institute of Technology
Day & Time: Monday, July 4, 2016
1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Location: Room ENG LG21
245 Church St., Toronto, ON, M5B 2K3
All are welcome – No registration necessary
Abstract: The conventional approach to ensure confidential communications relies on public-key/private-key protocols, which operate on error-free data after the physical-layer has been established. While the effectiveness of this approach in traditional settings is unquestionable, new systems are emerging where treating confidentiality as an overlay feature of top of reliability may not be the most appropriate solution. In particular, modern wireless networks, which comprise heterogeneous nodes with limited computational and energy resources, would benefit from the integration by design of confidentiality in the physical-layer, especially if this can be done in a cost-effective way. In this talk, we will provide a perspective on what physical-layer security can realistically do for wireless communication systems. Our objective will be not only to review the challenges faced by physical-layer security but also to present some of our recent research activities in the areas of information theory, coding theory, and wireless systems that suggest potential solutions to overcome these challenges.
Biography: Matthieu Bloch is an Associate Professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He received the Engineering degree from Supélec, Gif-sur-Yvette, France, the M.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, in 2003, the Ph.D. degree in Engineering Science from the Université de Franche-Comté, Besançon, France, in 2006, and the Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2008. In 2008-2009, he was a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN. Since July 2009, Dr. Bloch has been on the faculty of the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and from 2009 to 2013 Dr. Bloch was based at Georgia Tech Lorraine. His research interests are in the areas of information theory, error-control coding, wireless communications, and cryptography. Dr. Bloch is a member of the IEEE and has served on the organizing committee of several international conferences; he was the chair of the Online Committee of the IEEE Information Theory Society from 2011 to 2014. He is the co-recipient of the IEEE Communications Society and IEEE Information Theory Society 2011 Joint Paper Award and the co-author of the textbook Physical-Layer Security: From Information Theory to Security Engineering published by Cambridge University Press.

Finding Common Ground: Channel Analysis and Receiver Models for Diffusive Molecular Communication
2016-07-27 13:00 - 14:00
July 27, 2016 at 1:00 p.m. Adam Noel, Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Ottawa, will be presenting “Finding Common Ground: Channel Analysis and Receiver Models for Diffusive Molecular Communication”.
Speaker: Dr. Adam Noel
Postdoctoral Fellow
University of Ottawa
Day & Time: Wednesday, July 27, 2016
1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Location: Room BA 1200
40 St. George Street, Toronto, M5S 2E4
Contact: Eman Hammad
Abstract: Diffusive molecular communication (MC) is a promising strategy for the transfer of information in synthetic networks of “small” devices (on the scale of living cells or smaller). If such devices could communicate, then it would potentially enable applications such as cooperative diagnostics in medicine, bottom-up fabrication in manufacturing, and sensitive environmental monitoring. Results in this domain can also contribute to our understanding of diffusive signaling in natural biological systems and the diseases that develop when the signaling malfunctions. Diffusion based MC for synthetic networks faces challenges such as infinite inter-symbol interference and constrained computational resources in “simple” transceivers, but also interesting opportunities such as the possibility to manipulate the channel response via chemical means. This presentation highlights our contributions to the modeling and analysis of diffusion-based MC systems, including derivations of the channel impulse response and the development of simulation tools. We describe our recent work to find a unifying analytical framework for the two most common but distinct receiver models, where molecules are either absorbed by the receiver surface or passively diffuse through it. We also discuss some of our on-going work to bridge the gap between the realism of existing analytical models and the availability of relevant experimental data.
Biography: Adam Noel is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Ottawa. His Ph.D. and postdoctoral work are on the study of molecular communication, where he has focused on channel modeling, system design, and simulation methods. He has received the support of NSERC Postgraduate Scholarships and is currently holding an NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship. He also received a Best Paper Award at IEEE ICC 2016. Dr. Noel received the B.Eng. degree in Electrical Engineering in 2009 from Memorial University in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, and both the M.A.Sc. degree in Electrical Engineering and the Ph.D. degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of British Columbia in 2011 and 2015, respectively. In 2013 he was a Visiting Scientist at the Institute for Digital Communication at Friedrich-Alexander-University in Erlangen, Germany.

Artificially Intelligent Imaging (AI2): System to Circuit to Device Level Implementations of Smart CMOS Imaging, A Generalized Approach for Non-Application Specific Intelligence Design (NAS-ID)
2016-08-11 13:00 - 14:00 | Room ENGLG 05 George Vari Engineering Building
August 11, 2016 at 1:00 p.m. Dr. Faycal Saffih, Department of Electrical Engineering, UAE University, will be presenting “Artificially Intelligent Imaging (AI2): System to Circuit to Device Level Implementations of Smart CMOS Imaging, A Generalized Approach for Non-Application Specific Intelligence Design (NAS-ID)”.
Speaker: Dr. Faycal Saffih
Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering
UAE University
Day & Time: Thursday, August 11, 2016
1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Location: Room ENGLG 05
George Vari Engineering Building
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Ryerson University
Contact: Dimitri Androutsos
Abstract: In this talk we will present the development of intelligence (vs intelligent) implementations from top-down and bottom-up approaches and from Electrical engineering design and Biological Biomimicry to Solid-state Physics prediction. Smart CMOS imaging is the application of choice where these multi-disciplinary studies interacts to suggest a novel approach for research to design intelligent devices needed in a verity of advanced technological devices and systems for a variety of applications such as biomedical and renewables systems and devices to name a few.
Biography: Dr. Fayçal Saffih (IEEE Member since 2000) received the B.Sc. (with Best Honors) degree in Solid-State Physics from the University of Sétif-1, Sétif, Algeria, in 1996, the M.Sc. degree in Digital Neural networks from Physics Department, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 1998, and the Ph.D. degree in Smart CMOS Imaging from Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada. Taking a decade journey between academia and industry, Dr. Saffih enriched his experience multidimensionally spanning Microelectronics from devices up-to systems, and industry from R&D department to Entrepreneurship start-up, all of which from West USA (OR) to Singapore’s prestigious A*star Agency for Science, Technology and Research. Recently, Dr. Saffih endeavored into renewable energy research and business starting from Stanford certification in 2013 and currently undertaking an Online program from Renewables Academy (RENAC), Germany Dr. Faycal Saffih is currently an assistant professor at the Electrical Engineering Department of the UAE University and a regular visiting scholar at the University of Waterloo, University of Alberta among others. His research is on intelligence extraction and implementation on devices and systems particularly smart CMOS image sensors.

Sparsity Constrained Estimation Using Spike and Slab Priors
2016-08-12 11:00 - 12:00 | Room BA 7129 (tentatively) Bahen Centre for Information Technology
August 12, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. Prof. Vishal Monga, Associate Professor at Pennsylvania State University, will be presenting “Sparsity Constrained Estimation Using Spike and Slab Priors”.
Speaker: Prof. Vishal Monga
Associate Professor, Pennsylvania State University, University Park
Day & Time: Friday August 12th, 2016
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Location: Room BA 7129 (tentatively)
Bahen Centre for Information Technology
40 St George St, Toronto, ON M5S 2E4
Contact: Eman Hammad
Abstract: We address sparse signal, i.e. image recovery in a Bayesian estimation framework where sparsity is enforced on reconstruction coefficients via probabilistic priors. In particular, we focus on the popular spike and slab prior which is considered the gold standard in the statistics literature. The optimization problem resulting from this model has broad applicability in recovery, regression and classification problems and is known to be a hard non-convex problem whose existing solutions involve simplifying assumptions and/or relaxations. We propose an approach called Iterative Convex Refinement (ICR) that aims to solve the aforementioned optimization problem directly allowing for greater generality in the sparse structure. Essentially, ICR solves a sequence of convex optimization problems such that sequence of solutions converges to a sub-optimal solution of the original hard optimization problem. Applications will be considered in image classification as well as image reconstruction.
Biography: Vishal Monga is a tenured Associate Professor in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the Pennsylvania State University in University Park, PA. He was with Xerox Research from 2005-2009 and his doctoral work in Electrical Engineering was completed at the University of Texas, Austin in Aug 2005. His research interests are in computational imaging, statistical signal processing and convex optimization approaches to estimation problems. Prof. Monga is an elected member of the Editorial Board of the IEEE Transactions on Image Processing and the IEEE Signal Processing Letters. Prof. Monga is a recipient of the US National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER award. Four of his papers have won best paper or Top 10 percent awards at IEEE Signal Processing conferences. He is a 2016 recipient of Joel and Ruth Spira Foundation Teaching Excellence award. He holds 40 US patents.

Time-varying Nonlinear Models of Human Heartbeat Dynamics
2016-08-12 12:00 - 13:00
August 12, 2016 at 12:00 p.m. Gaetano Valenza, M.Eng., Ph.D., will be presenting “Time-varying Nonlinear Models of Human Heartbeat Dynamics”.
Speaker: Dr. Gaetano Valenza
Assistant Professor, University of Pisa
Harvard Medical School/MGH, Boston, USA
Day & Time: Friday, August 12, 2016
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Location: UC-Lecture Theater (Basement)
Toronto Rehab – University Centre
550 University Ave., Toronto, M5G 2A2
Contact: Azadeh Yadollahi
For Registration: https://meetings.vtools.ieee.org/m/40511
Abstract: The application of nonlinear and time-variant systems theory to physiology and medicine has provided meaningful information for a wide range of biological processes and their disease-related aberrations. However, focusing on the cardiovascular system, information that can be extracted by quantifying second-order moments of time-varying heartbeat dynamics are often neglected. To this extent, we introduce a mathematical framework including instantaneous estimates defined in the time and frequency domains, as well as instantaneous complexity and higher-order statistics. Results from exemplary studies involving healthy subjects, as well as patients with Congestive Heart Failure, Major Depression Disorder, Parkinson’s Disease, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder will be presented. Multivariate analysis involving brain dynamics during visual affective elicitation will also be presented.
Biography: Gaetano Valenza, M.Eng., Ph.D., is currently an Assistant Professor of Bioengineering at the University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy. In 2009, He started working at the Bioengineering and Robotics Research Centre “E. Piaggio” in Pisa and, in 2011, He joined the Neuro-Cardiovascular Signal Processing unit within the Neuroscience Statistics Research Laboratory at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, USA. In 2013, He received the Ph.D. degree in Automation, Robotics, and Bioengineering from the University of Pisa and, in the same year, was appointed as a Research Fellow at Harvard Medical School/ Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA.
His research interests include statistical and nonlinear biomedical signal and image processing, cardiovascular and neural modeling, and wearable systems for physiological monitoring. Application of his research include the assessment of autonomic nervous system activity on cardiovascular control, brain-heart interactions, affective computing, assessment of mood and mental disorders, and disorder of consciousness.
He is author of more than 100 international scientific contributions in these fields published in peer-reviewed international journals, conference proceedings, books and book chapters, and is official reviewer of more than fifty international scientific journals. He has been involved in several international research projects, and currently is the scientific co-coordinator of the European collaborative project H2020-PHC-2015-689691-NEVERMIND. Dr. Valenza has been guest editor of several international scientific journals, and is currently member of the editorial board of the Nature’s journal “Scientific Reports”.

OMICRON Canada Protection Symposium
2016-09-07 - 2016-09-08 | Hilton Toronto/Markham Suites Conference Centre & Spa
The OMICRON Canada Protection Symposium (CPS) 2016 will take place at Hilton Toronto/Markham Suites Conference Centre on September 7-8, 2016 in the Greater Toronto Area.
Day & Time: September 7-8, 2016
Location: Hilton Toronto/Markham Suites Conference Centre & Spa
Markham Ballroom
8500 Warden Ave, Markham, ON L6G 1A5
Register: http://www.registration123.com/OMICRON/2016CPS/
Interesting presentations on protection, control and automation shall be presented by 15 Industry Experts. Two of the presenters are IEEE Fellows—Wanda Reder who is Chief Strategy Officer of S&C Electric and past President of IEEE PES, and Alex Apostolov who is Editor in Chief of PAC World Magazine and an industry expert on Protection, Automation, and Control. The symposium also aims to provide a platform so participants can share their knowledge and experiences on the latest developments and trends of the power industry. One of the highlights of the conference will be a tour of GE Energy’s Grid IQTM Global Innovation Center in Markham.
Schedule at a Glance:
Wednesday, September 7th
8:00 – 8:30 Registration
8:30 – 5:00 Canada Protection Symposium
5:30 – 8:00 Welcome reception in the hotel
Thursday, September 8th
8:30 – 12:15 Canada Protection Symposium
1:30 – 4:30 Tour of GE Energy’s Grid IQTM Global Innovation Center in Markham*
* Competitors of GE are restricted from tour

PowerStream Smart Grid Tour
2016-09-08 13:00 - 15:00 | PowerStream Main Office, 161 Cityview Boulevard, Vaughan, ON L4H 0A9
September 8, 2016 at 1:00 p.m. IEEE Toronto Section Industry Relations will be hosting a tour visit to PowerStream’s Microgrid.
Day & Time: Thursday, September 8, 2016
1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Location: PowerStream Main Office
161 Cityview Boulevard, Vaughan, ON L4H 0A9
Contact: Hugo Sanchez-Reategui
More Information: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/40692
For Registration: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/powerstream-smart-grid-tour-tickets-26990945645
PowerSteam is a community-owned energy company providing power and related services to more than 380,000 customers residing or owning a business in communities located immediately north of Toronto and in Central Ontario.
The communities we serve include Alliston, Aurora, Barrie, Beeton, Bradford West Gwillimbury, Markham, Penetanguishene, Richmond Hill, Thornton, Tottenham and Vaughan as well as Collingwood, Stayner, Creemore and Thornbury through a partnership with the Town of Collingwood in the ownership of Collus PowerStream.
Learn more about PowerStream at https://www.powerstream.ca/innovation/micro-grid/micro-grid-101.html
This tour will provide a very good overview of the current support of Smart Grid development at the provincial level and raising awareness for the need to leverage innovative smart technologies in Ontario’s electricity sector.
Do not miss the opportunity to join us and visit a microgrid implemented within our IEEE Toronto Section area.
The number of participants is limited and will be closed a week before the event.

Teaching and Learning Methods
2016-09-12 11:20 - 12:20 | Room KHE 225, Ryerson University
Monday September 12, 2016 at 11:20 a.m. Dr. John Paul Fox, will be presenting “Teaching and Learning Methods”.
Speaker: Dr. John Paul Fox
Director of the Academic Integrity Office, Ryerson
Day & Time: Monday, September 12, 2016
11:20 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Location: Ryerson, KHE 225
Contact: Maryam Davoudpour
Organizer: WIE
Abstract: Lesson planning can be a time consuming and needlessly stressful process. In this talk I will discuss strategies for efficiently preparing lesson plans. You will be presented with a framework for lesson planning which can be used to structure any type of lesson, from a 10 minute pre-lab talk to a 3-hour lecture. Attendees are encouraged to think about an upcoming lesson that they will be teaching so that this framework can be applied.
Biography: John Paul Fox is the Director of the Academic Integrity Office here at Ryerson. Prior to accepting this position, John Paul worked in the Learning and Teaching Office (LTO) for six years, as an educational developer and as its manager. During this time John Paul was responsible for offering professional development in teaching to Ryerson’s faculty, TAs and GAs. He has an undergraduate degree in genetics from Trinity College Dublin, an MSc in molecular evolution and a PhD in population genetics, both from York University as well as a Masters in Public Police and Administration from Ryerson University. Finally,John Paul is a fellow of SEDA UK.

Advanced Antenna Systems for 21st Century Satellite Communication Payloads
2016-09-12 16:00 - 17:00 | Room BA 1220, 40 St. George Street, Toronto, M5S 2E4
September 12, 2016 at 4:00 p.m. Dr. Sudhakar Rao, IEEE Fellow and Technical Fellow of Northrop Grumman, will be presenting “Advanced Antenna Systems for 21st Century Satellite Communication Payloads”.
Speaker: Dr. Sudhakar Rao
IEEE Fellow
Technical Fellow, Engineering & Global Products Division
Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems
Day & Time: Monday, September 12, 2016
4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Location: Room BA 1220
40 St. George Street, Toronto, M5S 2E4
Abstract: 21st century has so far seen several new satellite services such as local-channel broadcast for direct broadcast satellite service (DBS), high capacity K/Ka-band personal communication satellite (PCS) service, hosted payloads, mobile satellite services using very large deployable reflectors, high power hybrid satellites etc. All these satellite services are driven by the operators need to reduce the cost of satellite and pack more capability into the satellite. Antenna sub-system design, mechanical packaging on the spacecraft, and RF performance become very critical for these satellites. This talk will cover recent developments in the areas of antenna systems for FSS, BSS, PCS, & MSS satellite communications. System requirements that drive the antenna designs will be presented initially with brief introduction to satellite communications. Reflector and array antenna designs will be covered in this talk.
Advanced antenna system designs for contoured beams, multiple beams, and reconfigurable beams will be presented. Contoured beam antennas using dual-gridded reflectors, shaped single reflectors, and shaped Gregorian reflectors will discussed. Multiple beam antenna (MBA) concepts and their advantages compared to conventional contoured beams will be introduced.
Various designs of the MBA for DBS, PCS, and MSS services will be discussed along with practical examples. Recent advances in feed technology and reflector technology will be addressed and few examples. Advances in multi-band antennas covering multiple bands will be presented. Topics such as antenna designs for high capacity satellites, large deployable mesh reflector designs, low PIM designs, and power handling issues will be included. Advanced high power test methods for the satellite payloads will be addressed. Brief introductions to TT&C antennas, passive inter modulation products (PIM) and multipaction for satellite payloads will be given. Future trends in the satellite antennas will be discussed. At the end of this talk, engineers will be exposed to typical requirements, designs, hardware, software, and test methods for various satellite antennas.
Biography: Sudhakar K. Rao received B.Tech, M.Tech, and Ph.D degrees in electronics & communications engineering from REC Warangal, IIT Kharagpur, and IIT Madras in 1974, 1976, and 1979 respectively. During the period 1976-1977 he worked as a Technical officer at ECIL Hyderabad and then as a Senior Scientist at the Electronics and Radar development Establishment, Bangalore on phased array antennas for airborne applications during 1980-1981. He worked as a post-doctoral fellow at University of Trondheim, Norway and then as a research associate at University of Manitoba during 1981-1983. During1983-1996, he worked at Spar Aerospace Limited (now MDA), Montreal, Canada, as a Staff Scientist and developed advanced antennas for several satellite communications. From 1996-2003 he worked as Chief Scientist/Technical Fellow at Hughes/Boeing Satellite Systems and developed multiple beam antennas and reconfigurable beam payloads for commercial and military applications. During the period 2003-2010, he worked as a Corporate Senior Fellow at Lockheed Martin Space Systems and developed antenna payloads for fixed satellite, broadcast satellite, and personal communication satellite services. He invented novel high power TVAC test methods for satellite payloads using “pick-up horn absorber loads” that have about 8 times cost and schedule savings which has become a standard method at Lockheed Martin and used successfully on more than 10 satellite payloads. He is currently a Technical Fellow at Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems, Redondo Beach, CA working on advanced antenna systems for space & aircraft applications.
Dr. Rao developed antenna payloads for more than 70 satellites including first mobile satellite M-Sat, first Direct Broadcast Satellite with local channels (DirecTV-4S), and first multiple beam antenna at Ka-band for personal communications satellites. His work on development of radiation templates for complex radiation patterns of satellite antennas for interference analysis was adopted and recommended by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)/CCIR in 1992 as the world-wide standard for satellite manufacturers and operators. He authored over 170 technical papers and has 44 U.S patents. He authored and co-edited three text book volumes on “Handbook of Reflector Antennas and Feed Systems” that are published in June 2013 by the Artech House.
Dr. Rao became an IEEE Fellow in 2006 and a Fellow of IETE in 2009. He received several awards and recognitions that include 2002 Boeing’s Special Invention Award for series of patents on satellite antenna payloads, 2003 Boeings’ technical achievement award, Lockheed Martin’s Inventor of Technology award in 2005 & 2007, IEEE Benjamin Franklin Key Award in 2006, Delaware Valley Engineer of the Year in 2008, and Asian American Engineer of the year award in 2008. He received IEEE Judith Resnik Technical Field Award in 2009 for pioneering work in aerospace engineering. He is the recipient of the IETE’s 2015 Prof. S.N. Mitra Memorial award. He received best reviewer recognition by the IEEE Transactions on Antennas & Propagation Journal for the years 2014 and 2015. Dr. Rao is appointed as the Distinguished Lecturer by the IEEE APS for a three year period (2014-2016). He was the Chair for the IEEE APS “Industry Initiatives Committee” during 2010-2015, Associate Editor for the IEEE Antennas & Propagation Magazine’s “Antenna Applications Corner”, Associate Editor for the IEEE Transactions on Antennas & Propagation, Special Session Organizer/Chair for the last six IEEE APS/URSI Symposia, Technical Program Committee member for IEEE APS/URSI Symposia from last 10 years, and reviewer for the IEEE AP Transactions, WPL, IEE etc. Dr. Rao mentored more than 50 engineers in his career who are now in key technical and management positions throughout the aerospace industry.

Disaster Scene Reconstruction - Emergency Management Tool
2016-09-19 11:00 - 12:00 | Ryerson, KHE 225
Monday September 19, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. Dr. Alex Ferworn, Associate Chair and Graduate Programs Director at Ryerson University, will be presenting “Disaster Scene Reconstruction – Emergency Management Tool”.
Speaker: Dr. Alex Ferworn
Associate Chair and Graduate Programs Director, Ryerson University
Director, Program in Disaster and Emergency Management
Day & Time: Monday, September 19, 2016
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Location: Ryerson, KHE 225
Contact: Maryam Davoudpour
Organizer: WIE, Magnetics, Measurement/Instrumentation-Robotics, Computer Science Department Ryerson University
Biography: Prof. Ferworn received his PhD in Systems Design Engineering from the University of Waterloo, his MSc in Computing and Information Science from the University of Guelph and his B.Tech in Applied Computer Science from Ryerson University, where he is a faculty member in the Department of Computer Science, Associate Chair and Graduate Programs Director. He is also Director of a number of Certificate programs including the Program in Disaster and Emergency Management. Ferworn is an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Computing and Software, Faculty of Engineering at McMaster University. Prof. Ferworn has been collaborating with the USAR and CBRNe Response Team (UCRT) of the Ontario Provincial Police since 2005. He has worked extensively with USAR teams in Canada and the United States on a broad range of technology issues related to Computational Public Safety. He does not own a dog.

Wireless Power Transfer Systems: Current Issues and Future Opportunities
2016-09-26 11:00 - 12:00 | Room KHE 225, Ryerson University
Monday September 26, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. Sheldon S. Williamson, Senior Member at IEEE, will be presenting “Wireless Power Transfer Systems: Current Issues and Future Opportunities”.
Speaker: Sheldon S. Williamson
Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in Electric Energy Storage Systems for Transportation Electrification
Director, Smart Transportation Electrification and Energy Research (STEER) Group Advanced Storage Systems and Electric Transportation (ASSET) Laboratory
UOIT – Automotive Center of Excellence (UOIT-ACE)
Department of Electrical, Computer, and Software Engineering
Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science
University of Ontario – Institute of Technology
Day & Time: Monday, September 26, 2016
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Location: Ryerson, KHE 225
Contact: Maryam Davoudpour
Organizer: WIE, Magnetics, Measurement/Instrumentation-Robotics, Computer Science Department Ryerson University
Abstract: More recently, with the automotive market getting introduced to several EV models (Tesla, Leaf, Mitsubishi – for example), the need for charging them within cities, suburbs, and highways, has driven power electronics engineers towards innovative ideas to solve the future charging infrastructure problem. Plugged charging topologies have been investigated thoroughly in recent years, based on existing SAE J1772 standards for AC and DC charging, ranging from 1.5 kW to 50 kW. On the other hand, in the last five years or so, power supply and charger manufacturing companies have been seriously started looking at wireless charging as an attractive solution, to avoid physical drawbacks of wired or plugged versions of charging EVs. The high-level goals of this seminar is to focus on introducing advanced power electronics solutions for charging traction batteries and ultracapacitors using wireless technologies. Both inductive power transfer (IPT) as well as capacitive power transfer (CPT, electrostatic) techniques of wireless charging will be introduced. The major market for IPT-based wireless charging is the mass transit industry, such as electric trains, buses, and trams, in the range of 10-50 kW, while both IPT and CPT could be used for charging small utility- grade EVs (golf carts/security vehicles), in smaller sizes of 1.0 kW.
Critical issues, such as IPT transfer coil design, CPT capacitor dielectric medium/transfer plate designs, and converter topologies, will be discussed. Detailed results of finite element analysis (FEA) designs for energizer and pick-up coils will be presented. Specific emphasis is placed on reducing the effect of skin effect and proximity effect for both in-motion and static charging (for varied switching frequencies and air-gap lengths). An important aspect that will also be covered is the design of charger topologies on the secondary side of the IPT or CPT system. The challenge is to come up with 1-stage power conversion techniques, including high-frequency (HF) AC/DC rectification and DC/DC charger functionalities, with conversion efficiencies of 95% or larger.
This seminar will be particularly useful for engineers with entry-level and medium-level knowledge of power electronics and energy storage systems for electric transportation.
Biography: Sheldon S. Williamson (S’01–M’06–SM’13) received his Bachelors of Engineering (B.E.) degree in Electrical Engineering with high distinction from University of Mumbai, India, in 1999. He received the Masters of Science (M.S.) degree in 2002, and the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree (with Honors) in 2006, both in Electrical Engineering, from the Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL. From June 2006 to June 2014, Dr. Williamson held a tenure-track Assistant Professor position, followed by a tenured Associate Professor position in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, at Concordia University, in Montreal, Canada. Dr. Williamson currently holds an Associate Professor position in the Department of Electrical, Computer, and Software Engineering, at the University of Ontario-Institute of Technology (UOIT), in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. Since July 2015, Dr. Williamson also holds the prestigious title of NSERC Canada Research Chair in Electric Energy Storage Systems for Transportation Electrification. Dr. Williamson’s research interests include transportation electrification, electric energy storage systems, automotive power electronics, and motor drives. Dr. Williamson is a Senior Member of the IEEE and a Distinguished Lecturer of the IEEE Vehicular Technology Society.

Tour to “Centre for Urban Energy” Smart Grid Lab
2016-10-07 14:00 - 15:00 | 147 Dalhousie Street, Toronto, ON M5B 2R2
October 7, 2016 at 2:00 p.m. IEEE Toronto Section Industry Relations will be hosting a tour visit to the “Centre for Urban Energy” Smart Grid Lab.
Day & Time: Friday, October 7, 2016
2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Location: 147 Dalhousie Street, Toronto, ON M5B 2R2
Contact: Hugo Sanchez-Reategui
The Schneider Electric Smart Grid Laboratory physically had replicated a feeder attached to one of PowerStream (https://www.powerstream.ca/), a Local Distribution Company in Ontario and added a battery solar power, and both AC and DC power loads.
CUE’s researchers had designed, built, operated and analyzed the microgrid within Schneider Smart Grid Lab.
For more information please read page 19 of the following attachment: http://www.ryerson.ca/content/dam/cue/pdfs/CUE_2015%20Annual%20Report_web.pdf
For Registration: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/tour-to-centre-for-urban-energy-smart-grid-lab-tickets-27548432102
This tour will provide a very good overview of the current work implemented by the CEU in terms of microgrid on a major urban infrastructure.
In addition, please see the CEU’s website: http://www.ryerson.ca/cue/index.html
Do not miss the opportunity to join us and visit a microgrid implemented within our IEEE Toronto Section area.
The number of participants is very limited and will be closed a week before the event.

Using and Evaluating Gamification as a Strategy of Engagement in the Classroom
2016-10-17 11:00 - 12:00 | KHE 225, 340 Church Street, Ryerson University
Monday October 17, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. Dr. Sergio A. A. Freitas, Associate Professor in the Gama Engineering College at the University of Brasilia, will be presenting “Using and Evaluating Gamification as a Strategy of Engagement in the Classroom”.
Speaker: Dr. Sergio A. A. Freitas
Associate Professor, Gama Engineering College, University of Brasilia
Coordinator of Research, FGA Software Factory Laboratory
Day & Time: Monday, October 17, 2016
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Location: KHE 225, 340 Church Street, Ryerson
Contact: Maryam Davoudpour
Organizer: WIE, Magnetics, Measurement/Instrumentation-Robotics, Computer Science Department Ryerson University
Abstract: The gamification of activities other than games has become one of the main goals of a new research topic. In the education area the proposal could not be different: the new generations entering the higher education has a lot of experience in the virtual information environment and games. So, nothing more natural than checking the adherence of gamification to teaching this new student profile. In this scenario, this talk presents a case study of a gamification for a discipline of an undergraduate course. The gamification space was built based on a framework that stands on basic human motivations. Finally, I present some statistical evaluations of the students’ engagement after the introduction of gamification in the classroom.
Biography: Sergio A. A. Freitas is currently an Associate Professor in the Gama Engineering College (FGA) at the University of Brasilia (UnB), Brazil. He is also the coordinator of research in the FGA Software Factory Laboratory. His current research projects focus on interdisciplinary studies and applications of learning methodologies on engineering undergraduate courses, and software engineering methodologies. Prof. Freitas areas of expertise include gamification, PBL, virtual learning environments in education and training, and software engineering methodologies. Dr. Freitas has coauthored journal publications, conference articles and book chapters in the aforementioned topics, and has coordinated and participated on many projects from various funding agencies CNPq, FAP-ES, FAP-DF, Cebraspe, and some Brazilian Federal Ministries.

Blackberry’s Platform for True End-to-End Mobile Security for Healthcare
2016-10-19 10:30 - 11:30 | Centennial College Progress Campus, Room A3-17
Wednesday October 19, 2016 at 10:30 a.m. Sara Jost, Registered Nurse working at Blackberry as a Global Healthcare Industry Lead, will be presenting “Blackberry’s Platform for True End-to-End Mobile Security for Healthcare”.
Speaker: Sara Jost
Registered Nurse
Global Healthcare Industry Lead, Blackberry
Day & Time: Wednesday, October 19, 2016
10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Location: Centennial College Progress Campus, Room A3-17
Contact: Maryam Davoudpour, Nicoleta Zouri
Organizer: WIE, Magnetics, Measurement/Instrumentation-Robotics
Abstract: Blackberry is the one platform for true end-to-end mobile security. Together with our partners, Blackberry has developed secure mobile solutions for healthcare organizations across the continuum of care. From clinics, to hospitals, to first responders, home care workers and the home, we offer tried and true solutions that maximize patient outcomes and improve the patient experience, reduce costs and are fully secure to protect PHI.
1. We have helped hospitals reduce their emergency room wait times by 50% and meet their code STEM window 100% of the time.
2. In home care, we have shown drastic reductions in missed visits and savings of more than $7,000 per home care worker per year.
3. Blackberry secure messaging has improved efficiency so much that hospitals staff have saved 2 hours per day just by eliminating the need to track down other team members.
Biography: Sara Jost is a Registered Nurse working at Blackberry as a Global Healthcare Industry Lead where she leads the promotion of digital devices for use in medicine. Previously Sara worked as a Registered Nurse at Sunnybrook Hospital.

Smart Pricing for Ontario Electricity
2016-10-19 18:00 - 19:00 | BA 4287, 40 St George Street, Toronto, Ontario
Wednesday October 19, 2016 at 6:00 p.m. Paul Acchione, Management Consultant at Market Intelligence & Data Analysis Corporation, will be presenting “Smart Pricing for Ontario Electricity”.
Speaker: Paul Acchione
Management Consultant, Market Intelligence & Data Analysis Corporation
Past President & Chair Of the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers (OSPE)
Member of ASME, ANS, IEEE, ISA, Fellow of Canadian Academy of Engineering
Day & Time: Wednesday, October 19, 2016
6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Location: BA 4287
40 St George Street, Toronto, Ontario
Register: https://meetings.vtools.ieee.org/m/39746#13
Abstract: Join us in listening to Paul Acchione speak on smart pricing for Ontario electricity. Paul will discuss how Ontario’s clean electricity can be priced in a smarter way to make Ontario businesses more competitive and help them to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by displacing their fossil fuel consumption. Some of the discussion topics include:
What is the Problem
What Can We Do About It?
What Does a Smart Pricing Plan Need to Do?
OSPE’s Smart Electricity Price Plan
Why Should the Smart Pricing Plan be Voluntary?
Biography: Paul has a B.A.Sc. and M.Eng. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Toronto. Paul is a licensed professional engineer in Ontario and is a member of ASME, ANS, IEEE and ISA and a fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering. Paul has over 44 years of engineering and management experience in the power generation industry. He worked for 31 years with Ontario Power Generation (OPG) and its predecessor companies. Paul was the 2013-14 President and Chair of the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers (OSPE) and is a volunteer with OSPE’s Energy Task Force. Paul is a Management Consultant at Market Intelligence & Data Analysis Corporation.

Exosite Pivot IoT Seminar – Executive Forum on Business Transformation Through IoT
2016-10-20 18:30 - 20:30 | Room L1-02 (Library & Academic Building), Centennial College, Progress Campus, 941 Progress Ave, Toronto, ON M1K 5E9
Thursday October 20, 2016 at 6:30 p.m. Steve Wright, Solutions Architect at Exosite Inc. and Alumni of IEEE Society, will be presenting “Exosite Pivot IoT Seminar – Executive Forum on Business Transformation Through IoT”.
Speaker: Steve Wright
Solutions Architect, Exosite Inc.
Day & Time: Thursday, October 20, 2016
6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Location: Room L1-02 (Library & Academic Building)
Centennial College, Progress Campus
941 Progress Ave
Toronto, ON M1K 5E9
Canada
Room Map: https://p.widencdn.net/l4raeq
Campus Map: https://www.google.com/maps/place/941+Progress+Ave,+Scarborough,+ON+M1G+3T8,+Canada/@43.7851523,-79.2292043,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x89d4d0f2145b3791:0x3da1359f5640d4 7f!8m2!3d43.7851523!4d-79.2270156
RSVP Required: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/41285
Abstract: The internet of things (IoT) is giving rise to previously undiscovered revenue opportunities that can transform existing business models through connected devices and innovative insights. Because of this potential, many companies are racing to get involved. But what exactly is IoT and what does it mean to the future of your organization?
Join us for a forum that demystifies IoT by providing a realistic understanding of what it is, what it requires, and how organizations can use it to kick-start their business transformation.
Biography: Steve Wright is a Solutions Architect at Exosite, where he helps clients close the gap between a successful engineering project and a profitable connected products business. Steve excels at working with companies to define the right tool set of hardware, software, and business strategy to succeed in their IoT deployments. He started his career as a software engineer in data acquisition systems before moving into project management and sales. Steve’s experience includes turbine engine testing, semiconductor manufacture, and custom software development. He has an MS in Software Engineering from University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN and is an Alumni of the IEEE Society.

Perspectives of Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) Technology
2016-10-27 13:00 - 14:00 | TRS 1129, Ryerson University, Toronto
Thursday October 27, 2016 at 1:00 p.m. Prof. Sadaoki Furui, IEEE Fellow and President of Toyota Technological Institute at Chicago, will be presenting “Perspectives of Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) Technology”.
Speaker: Prof. Sadaoki Furui
IEEE Fellow
President of Toyota Technological Institute at Chicago
Day & Time: Thursday, October 27, 2016
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Location: TRS 1129
Ryerson University
Toronto
Abstract: DNNs (Deep Neural Networks) based on “deep learning” have significantly raised the automatic speech recognition (ASR) performance as of several years ago. This talk gives an overview of major DNN-based techniques successfully used in acoustic and language modeling for ASR. However, what we can do with ASR technology is still very limited, and we still have many challenges that cannot be solved simply by relying on the capability of DNNs. Data sparseness is one of the most difficult problems in constructing ASR systems, since speech is highly variable and it is too costly to construct annotated “big speech data” covering all possible variations. We need to focus on how to collect rich and effective speech databases covering a wide range of variations, active learning for automatically selecting data for annotation, cheap, fast and good-enough transcription, and efficient supervised, semi-supervised, or unsupervised training/adaptation, based on advanced machine learning techniques. We also need to extend current efforts and think deeply about and analyze how human beings are recognizing/understanding speech, and implement various knowledge sources in ASR systems using machine learning techniques to achieve innovations. This talk focuses on my personal perspectives for the future of speech recognition research.
Biography: Sadaoki Furui Received the B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Tokyo, Japan in 1968, 1970, and 1978, respectively. After joining the Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT) Labs in 1970, he has worked on speech analysis, speech recognition, speaker recognition, speech synthesis, speech perception, and multimodal human-computer interaction. From 1978 to 1979, he was a visiting researcher at AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, New Jersey. He was a Research Fellow and the Director of Furui Research Laboratory at NTT Labs. He became a Professor at Tokyo Institute of Technology in 1997. He was Dean of Graduate School of Information Science and Engineering, and Director of University Library. He was given the title of Professor Emeritus and became Professor at Academy for Global Leadership in 2011. He is now serving as President of Toyota Technological Institute at Chicago (TTI-C). He has authored or coauthored around 1,000 published papers and books. He was elected a Fellow of the IEEE, the Acoustical Society of America (ASA), the Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers of Japan (IEICE) and the International Speech Communication Association (ISCA). He received the Paper Award and the Achievement Award from the IEEE SP Society, the IEICE, and the Acoustical Society of Japan (ASJ). He received the ISCA Medal for Scientific Achievement, and the IEEE James L. Flanagan Speech and Audio Processing Award. He received the NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) Broadcast Cultural Award and the Okawa Prize. He also received the Achievement Award from the Minister of Science and Technology and the Minister of Education, Japan, and the Purple Ribbon Medal from Japanese Emperor.

IEEE Toronto Section Annual General Meeting 2016
2016-10-29 18:30 - 22:00 | 21 Old Mill Rd, Etobicoke, ON M8X 1G5, Canada
All members, along with their guest, are invited to attend the IEEE Toronto Section Annual General Meeting (AGM). The AGM is an occasion to celebrate the achievements of the Toronto Section, made possible by its dedicated volunteers and members. We are pleased to announce that Sandro Perruzza, CEO of the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers will deliver the keynote address, discussing ways to strengthen the engineering profession in Ontario.
Date: Saturday, October 29, 2016
Time: 6:30 pm — 10 pm
Cost: Life members and their guest: $50 per person. Other members and their guest: $70 per person. Contact our section secretary, Ali Nabavi for details.
Location: 21 Old Mill Rd, Toronto, ON, Canada
Program:
6:30 PM: Reception and Cash bar
7:00 PM: Formal program:
– Dinner
– Section report by Dr. Thamir Murad, section chair
– Keynote address by Sandro Perruzza, CEO of OSPE
– Section awards
Please notice the following:
• Dress code is Elegant Casual.
• Seats are limited; RSVP is mandatory.
We look forward to seeing you all on October 29, 2016!
Biography for Sandro Perruzza:
Sandro Perruzza is the Chief Executive Officer of the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers (OSPE). Sandro is also on the Board of Directors of Minerva Canada, whose mandate is to embed Health and Safety curriculum into University Engineering and Business Programs across Canada. He has been recognized for the ability to translate complex concepts and situations into unique and practical solutions through a balance of strong business acumen supported by excellent analytical and communication skills. This has allowed him to develop solutions that have been implemented in fortune 500 companies, as well as in small and medium sized enterprises. He has a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from McMaster University, as well as a Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety from McMaster.
Prior to joining OSPE, Sandro was the President of Focus on Results Consulting and Chief of Client Services at Workplace Safety & Prevention Services, the largest Health and Safety Association in Canada, where he was a sitting member of the Ontario Ministry of Labour’s Prevention Operations Forum. Sandro lives in Oakville, with his wife and four children, and is actively involved in the community and volunteer’s his time, including coaching a competitive boy’s soccer team.

Algorithms and Ethics
2016-10-31 11:00 - 12:00 | KHE 225, 340 Church Street, Ryerson
Monday October 31, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. Dr. Richard Lachman, Associate Professor, will be presenting “Algorithms and Ethics”.
Speaker: Dr. Richard Lachman
Associate Professor, Digital Media in RTA School of Media
Day & Time: Monday, October 31, 2016
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Location: KHE 225, 340 Church Street, Ryerson
Contact: Maryam Davoudpour
Organizer: WIE, Magnetics, Measurement/Instrumentation-Robotics, Computer Science Department of Ryerson University
Abstract: Software algorithms are becoming more and more influential on the daily lives of citizens. Netflix, Spotify, Facebook, and Google openly discuss their use of algorithms as part of their operations, and mainstream critics have discussed the effects of filter-bubbles and echo-chambers on our points of view. However, algorithms are increasingly embedded in governmental and legal systems – with mathematical models influencing everything from teacher evaluations to police dispatch locations, and even parole board hearings. Algorithms exert their influence over our social, political, legal, financial, and educational systems, with average citizens and politicians having little understanding of how computation affects the conventions, laws, and assumptions that underlay our society . What are the responsibilities of computer scientists and software engineers towards an ethical practice as algorithmic decision-making becomes integrated into policy?
Biography: Dr. Richard Lachman directs Zone Learning for Ryerson University, Research Development for the Faculty of Communication and Design, and the Experiential Media Institute (formerly the Transmedia Research Centre). He is an Associate Professor, Digital Media in the RTA School of Media, and also serves as a Technology and Creative Consultant for entertainment and software-development projects. Dr Lachman completed his doctorate at UNE (Australia) studying software recommendation-engines, did his undergraduate work in Computer Science at MIT, and holds a masters degree from the MIT Media Lab’s “Interactive Cinema” group. His work with the Petz artificial-life software has over 3 million units shipped worldwide, his later transmedia projects have garnered a Gemini, CNMA and Webby Honouree awards, and he has lead projects with UNICEF, TIFF, Penguin UK, Kobo, CTV, the Discovery Channel Canada, the Banff Centre for the Arts, and the CRTC. His areas of research include virtual reality, transmedia storytelling, digital documentaries, augmented/locative experiences, mixed realities, and collaborative design thinking.

Advanced Manufacturing Canada: Conference & Exhibition 2016
2016-11-02 - 2016-11-03 | Toronto Congress Centre (South Building)
Advanced Manufacturing Canada: Conference & Exhibition will take place at Toronto Congress Centre (South Building) on November 2-3, 2016.
Day & Time: November 2-3, 2016
Location: Toronto Congress Centre (South Building)
Toronto, Ontario
Teaser Video: https://youtu.be/A5ZRyXC00kg
Advanced Manufacturing Canada (AMC) is bringing industry, government and academia together for a two-day conference and exhibition focused on fostering a national dialogue about how the manufacturing community can leverage Advanced Manufacturing to stimulate innovation, increase productivity, and compete in the global marketplace now and into the future.
AMC is bringing the brightest minds, the latest technologies, and the businesses that need them together to continue the conversations and provide the solutions focused on the topics and technologies – automation and robotics, automation economics, additive manufacturing, and workforce development – that will shape the future of manufacturing.

IEEE Signal Processing Society (SPS) Winter School on Distributed Signal Processing for Secure Cyber Physical Systems
2016-11-02 - 2016-11-04 | Concordia
November 2-4, IEEE Signal Processing Society (SPS) is hosting a Winter School on Distributed Signal Processing for Secure Cyber Physical Systems at Concordia.
Speakers: This event consists of presentations given by internationally well-known Distinguished Speakers including members of IEEE Signal Processing Society Board of Governors, 6 IEEE Fellows, and a Notable Industry-based Presentation form PwC’s Cybersecurity & Privacy Practice in Canada as follows:
Prof. Ali Sayed (UCLA, President-Elect of IEEE SPS);
Prof. Georgios Giannakis (IEEE Fellow, University of Minnesota);
Prof. Pramod Varshney (IEEE Fellow, Syracuse University);
Prof. Deepa Kundur (IEEE Fellow, University of Toronto);
Prof. Anna Scaglione (IEEE Fellow, Arizona State University);
Prof. Tongwen Chen (IEEE Fellow, University of Alberta);
Prof. Mark Coates (McGill University), and;
Mr. Sajith Nair, Partner in PwC’s Cybersecurity & Privacy in Canada.
About The Event: This is a unique opportunity for Concordia’s students/researchers, working/interested in security and signal processing, to learn more about the state-of-the-art research, get the chance to talk in person with elite and internationally well-known researchers, and to start/build the bases for future research collaborations.
Register: ​Please check the School’s Homepage (below) for the call for participation (CPF), Biography of the invited speakers, and Registration details:
https://users.encs.concordia.ca/~i-sip/s3pcps2016/

Acute, Sub-acute and chronic Therapeutic Strategies Post-SCI
2016-11-03 12:00 - 13:00 | Lecture Theatre (Basement), University Health Network-Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, 550 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5G 2A2
Thursday November 3, 2016 at 12:00 p.m. Prof. Angelo All, Division of Neuroscience and Neuroengineering at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, will be presenting “Acute, Sub-acute and chronic Therapeutic Strategies Post-SCI”.
Speaker: Prof. Angelo All
Division of Neuroscience and Neuroengineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Neurology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine (JHU)
Research Director at the Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Department of Biomedical Engineering, SiNAPSE Institute at the National University of Singapore (NUS)
Director Spinal Cord Injury and Repair Research Laboratory at the JHU and NUS
Day & Time: Thursday, November 3, 2016
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Location: Lecture Theatre (Basement), University Health Network-Toronto Rehabilitation Institute
550 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5G 2A2
Co-sponsored by University Health Network-Toronto Rehabilitation Institute
No Admission Charge
Abstract: Among neurological disorders, the cost of spinal cord injury (SCI) to society ranks second only after mental retardation. Acute SCI can manifest as ‘anatomically intact’ with spared demyelinated and electrically defunct axons showing physiological discontinuity across the site of lesion. Even if only a small number of spared fibers remain after SCI, with immediate treatment, the quality of life of patients can be greatly improved. Early knowledge of the extent of spared fibers will help rehabilitation therapists and scientists as well as neurologists to plan time-sensitive strategic treatment options. The therapeutic strategies would be tailored in order to ensure the survival of neurons post-primary injury and limit secondary phase of injury. Scientists and physicians would also need to devise ways to prevent progression of the injury and improve the microenvironment around the injury for treatment by using, for example, stem cell that aims to produce therapeutically-induced functional recovery. We have developed in vivo rodent models and quantitative assessment techniques and methods that can reliably quantify the repair and regeneration post-injury and demonstrate objective neuro-electro-physiological assessments of SCI recovery and rehabilitation. First, I will present experimental methods to create calibrated contusive SCI model and the neuroelectrophysiological function monitoring using Evoked Potentials (EP). The second part of my presentation involves the investigation of the effects of therapeutic hypothermia (acute), application of conjugated polymers for drug delivery within intraparenchymal of spinal cord and limiting the secondary phase of injury (sub-acute) and third, human stem cell replacement (chronic) therapy postcontusive SCI. I will present preliminary results on the effects of temperature manipulation on EP signals and a novel design of biodegradable polymers for drug delivery as well as the results of transplanting human stem cell derived oligodendrocyte progenitors to aid recovery of spinal cord function. Our expectation is that these techniques would be applicable in basic research as well as be able to translatable for future clinical studies.
Biography: Angelo H. ALL, M.D., MBA, started his higher education in Pharmacy School, graduated from Medical School, continued his career as a surgery fellow and obtained a MBA degree from the Johns Hopkins University. Since 2000, his Biomedical and Neuro-Engineering research at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institute has shaped his career. Dr. ALL is an Assistant Professor at the Division of Neuroscience and Neuroengineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering and Department of Neurology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine (JHU), Baltimore, USA. He also holds faculty position of Assistant Professor and is the Research Director at the Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Department of Biomedical Engineering as well as SiNAPSE Institute at the National University of Singapore (NUS). He is the director of the Spinal Cord Injury and Repair Research Laboratory at the JHU and NUS. Dr. ALL has established a very productive multidisciplinary translational research project through collaborations with scientists in both Medical and Engineering fields. The focus of his research is Central Nervous System (CNS) injury, repair and regeneration. His translational research projects involve cell replacement therapy using oligodendrocyte precursor cells derived from embryonic, iPSC and Directly Converted stem cells, as well as hypothermia treatment in the contusive model of Spinal Cord Injury (SCI). In addition, part of his laboratory team is also investigating the application of nanoparticles to limit the secondary phase of SCI. Recently, his laboratory is developing the “Optomedicine” – we adopt Optogenetics-based approaches for rehabilitative treatment post-SCI. Optomedicine allows us to regulate the electrical activity of neuronal population cells with millisecond spatiotemporal precision. We are also testing the hypothesis of delivering genes into neurons of the CNS in a pioneering method that would translate “Optomedicine” into clinical settings. Dr. ALL Lab pioneered the monitoring and quantitative analysis of somatosensory and motor evoked potentials for assessment of long-term electrical integrity at various stages of pre- and post-injury. He and his team of researchers studied plasticity and adaptive changes in CNS, which enable reorganization of spared neuropathways following neurotrauma. He also uses different imaging techniques to monitor anatomical changes in the CNS architectures at various time points. These images allow the identification of spared fibers and the tracking of the extent of secondary injury to determine the therapeutic benefits of the various treatment strategies.

Digital Health Initiatives at eHealth Ontario
2016-11-11 11:30 - 12:30 | Room A3-21, Centennial College, Progress Campus, 941 Progress Ave., Toronto, Ontario, M1G 3T8
Friday November 11, 2016 at 11:30 a.m. Hosna Sedghi, Project Manager at eHealth Ontario, will be presenting “Digital Health Initiatives at eHealth Ontario”.
Speaker: Hosna Sedghi, MSc, PMP
Project Manager, eHealth Ontario
Day & Time: Friday, November 11, 2016
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Location: Room A3-21, Centennial College, Progress Campus
941 Progress Ave., Toronto, Ontario, M1G 3T8
Map: http://www.centennialcollege.ca/about-centennial/contact-us/campus-locations/
Organizers: IEEE Toronto WIE, Nicoleta Zouri
IEEE Toronto WIE, Magnetics, Measurement/Instrumentation-Robotics, Maryam Davoudpour
Registration: Registration is free, but space is limited. Please register via email to Nicoleta Zouri
Abstract: eHealth Ontario was established by the provincial government in September 2008 as an independent agency of the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. eHealth Ontario is enabling physicians and health care providers to establish and maintain electronic health records (EHRs) for all of Ontario’s 13 million residents.
Biography: With a background in software engineering Hosna Sedghi has worked as a project manager at eHealth Ontario for the past 3 years and as a project lead previous to that. Hosna has extensive experience with HL7 standards, business analysis, system analysis, integration, and health information.

Will 2020 witness a significant impact empowered by IoT, 5G and virtualization?
2016-11-14 12:00 - 13:00 | BA 2179 Bahen Centre for Information Technology University of Toronto 40 St George St, Toronto, ON M5S 2E4
Monday November 14, 2016 at 12:00 p.m. Fawzi Behmann, President, TelNet Management Consulting, Inc., will be presenting “Will 2020 witness a significant impact empowered by IoT, 5G and virtualization?”.
Speaker: Fawzi Behmann
President, TelNet Management Consulting, Inc.
IEEE NA ComSoc Vice Chair
Day & Time: Monday, November 14, 2016
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Location: BA 2179
Bahen Centre for Information Technology
University of Toronto
40 St George St, Toronto, ON M5S 2E4
Contact: Eman Hammad
Abstract: Several technologies are converging empowering IoT and delivering a greater impact and advance services to multiple markets by 2020’s.This presentation will introduce the concept of IoT and architectural evolution from a pre-IoT to Collaborative IoT impacting many markets such as home, health, automotive, enterprise, transportation and infrastructure. This will be enriched by several examples.
Advancement in computing processing power, cloud based services and virtualization have resulted in an environment and platform for convergence some of the key technologies for development and deployment of new products, applications and services that will have a great impact on improving business processes and quality of life.
The talk will provide various examples and scenarios at different areas such as home, health & wellness, car, building, infrastructure and city.
Solution building blocks include sensing, aggregation, and data analytics. Examples of some of the adjacent technologies such as 3D, Robot, Drone and Wearables will be highlighted. Finally the talk will conclude with some of the factors and challenges to deliver scalable solutions, delivering better quality of services and experience. These include development platforms, 5G, virtualization, collaborative applications and security.
Takeaway points:
· Understanding of rapid evolution of IoT & and other related technologies.
· Emerging of ecosystem cloud based big data/analytics – use cases.
· Considerations for scalable and secure networks.
Biography: Fawzi is a visionary, thought leader, author and contributor in advancing adoption of technology in serving humanity. Fawzi spent over 30 years in industry and held various executive and leadership positions with Tier 1 companies in the areas of communications and networks spanning Semiconductor, communication systems and service provider. Fawzi was a principle architect and championed the definition and the developing of integrated pre-IoT telecom alert system and networking management solution at Teleglobe Canada. He was a senior product manager with Nortel Networks for product release for enterprise, broadband edge and core nodes. Fawzi also served as the Director of Strategic Marketing with Motorola/Freescale for SoC networking & Communications product line in Austin, Texas.
Fawzi is passionate about technology automation and has founded TelNet Management Consulting Inc. in 2009 offering consulting services in the areas of technology trends and positioning for smart networking and IoT/GIS solutions. Examples included Solar Energy, Public Safety – emergency response systems. He organized and chaired workshops, tutorials and was a distinguished speaker on key topics such as IoT, 5G, virtualization and Big Data/Analytics. Fawzi is a board member with several companies and had several publication including a recent book on the subject of future IoT “Collaborative Internet of Things for Future Smart Connected Life and Business” published by Wiley, June 2015 http://eu.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-1118913744,subjectCd-EEJ0.html
Fawzi is active in international forums and standards activities with ITU, ITRS and IEEE Fawzi is a senior member of IEEE, and is currently the ComSoc NA vice chair, CTS Conference & PACE Chair, and ComSoc/SP/CS Austin chapter chair. He was the recipient of several awards from Industry and IEEE including CEO Freescale Diamond Chip Award in 2008, and IEEE ComSoc Chapter of the year award in 2015 and Outstanding R5 member award for 2013, 2014 and 2015. He is currently serving as Conference chair for IEEE Central and organized sessions and workshops at BHI, Himss, Smart Tech on IoT and healthcare.
Fawzi holds a Bachelor of Science with honors and distinction from Concordia University, Montreal; Masters in Computer Science from the University of Waterloo, Ontario and Executive MBA from Queen’s University, Ontario Canada.

IoT Advancement and impact on the future of Health and Wellness
2016-11-14 16:00 - 17:00 | BA B026 Bahen Centre for Information Technology University of Toronto 40 St George St, Toronto, ON M5S 2E4
Monday November 14, 2016 at 4:00 p.m. Fawzi Behmann, President, TelNet Management Consulting, Inc., will be presenting “IoT Advancement and impact on the future of Health and Wellness”.
Speaker: Fawzi Behmann
President, TelNet Management Consulting, Inc.
IEEE NA ComSoc Vice Chair
Day & Time: Monday, November 14, 2016
4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Location: BA B026
Bahen Centre for Information Technology
University of Toronto
40 St George St, Toronto, ON M5S 2E4
Contact: Eman Hammad
Abstract: The acceleration in communications technology has impacted our work, home, transportation, commerce, education and with no exception has increased adoption in healthcare.
This presentation will introduce the concept of IoT and architectural evolution from a pre-IoT to Collaborative IoT impacting many markets such as home, health, automotive, enterprise, transportation and infrastructure. This will be enriched by several examples.
The talk will then focus on healthcare and wellness exploring current and emerging solutions at hospitals, clinics, care centers and homes. Solution building blocks include sensing, aggregation, and data analytics.
Examples of some of the adjacent technologies such as Drone, Wearables, 3D, and Robot will be highlighted.
Finally the talk will conclude with some of the factors and challenges to deliver scalable solutions, delivering better quality of services and experience. These include development platforms, 5G, virtualization, collaborative applications and security.
Takeaway Points:
· Understanding of rapid evolution of technology and impact in critical healthcare areas
· Examples of use cases in healthcare & nutrition.
· Considerations for scalable and secure networks.
Biography: Fawzi is a visionary, thought leader, author and contributor in advancing adoption of technology in serving humanity. Fawzi spent over 30 years in industry and held various executive and leadership positions with Tier 1 companies in the areas of communications and networks spanning Semiconductor, communication systems and service provider. Fawzi was a principle architect and championed the definition and the developing of integrated pre-IoT telecom alert system and networking management solution at Teleglobe Canada. He was a senior product manager with Nortel Networks for product release for enterprise, broadband edge and core nodes. Fawzi also served as the Director of Strategic Marketing with Motorola/Freescale for SoC networking & Communications product line in Austin, Texas.
Fawzi is passionate about technology automation and has founded TelNet Management Consulting Inc. in 2009 offering consulting services in the areas of technology trends and positioning for smart networking and IoT/GIS solutions. Examples included Solar Energy, Public Safety – emergency response systems. He organized and chaired workshops, tutorials and was a distinguished speaker on key topics such as IoT, 5G, virtualization and Big Data/Analytics. Fawzi is a board member with several companies and had several publication including a recent book on the subject of future IoT “Collaborative Internet of Things for Future Smart Connected Life and Business” published by Wiley, June 2015 http://eu.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-1118913744,subjectCd-EEJ0.html
Fawzi is active in international forums and standards activities with ITU, ITRS and IEEE Fawzi is a senior member of IEEE, and is currently the ComSoc NA vice chair, CTS Conference & PACE Chair, and ComSoc/SP/CS Austin chapter chair. He was the recipient of several awards from Industry and IEEE including CEO Freescale Diamond Chip Award in 2008, and IEEE ComSoc Chapter of the year award in 2015 and Outstanding R5 member award for 2013, 2014 and 2015. He is currently serving as Conference chair for IEEE Central and organized sessions and workshops at BHI, Himss, Smart Tech on IoT and healthcare.
Fawzi holds a Bachelor of Science with honors and distinction from Concordia University, Montreal; Masters in Computer Science from the University of Waterloo, Ontario and Executive MBA from Queen’s University, Ontario Canada.

Health Informatics Evening at Centennial College
2016-11-16 17:30 - 20:30 | Room L1-02, Centennial College, Progress Campus 941 Progress Ave., Toronto
Wednesday November 16, 2016 at 5:30 p.m. Igor Sirkovich, Vikki Leung, Karim Keshavjee and Jimmy Poulin, will be presenting “Health Informatics Evening at Centennial College”.
Speakers & Agenda: 5:15 to 5:30 Event Registration
1. Igor Sirkovich from 5:30 PM to 6:00 PM
Founder and CEO of Xpertera
HL7 FHIR and eHealth Architecture Consultant at Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care
Presentation title: Current initiatives at the Ministry of Health and eHealth Ontario, pan-Canadian standards collaborative, and health informatics standards (HL7 FHIR), Xpertera introduction.
2. Vikki Leung from 6:00 PM to 6:30 PM
Full Stack Developer at Interdev Technologies Inc.
Presentation title: Technology used for Community Paramedic Services, Interdev Technologies
3. Karim Keshavjee, MD from 6:30 PM to 7:00 PM
CEO of InfoClin Inc.
Adjunct Professor at University of Toronto, University of Victoria
Visiting Scholar at Ryerson University
Associate Member at Centre for Evaluation of Medicine, McMaster University
Numerous publications on Health Informatics studies and medicine
Presentation title: Health Apps by Design: A reference architecture for mobile apps for health
4. Jimmy Poulin from 7:00 PM to 7:30 PM
Director of Operations at m-Health Solutions
Presentation title: ECG signal remote collection via mobile wireless external recorder and smartphone.
5. NSERC speaker (name will be announced later) from 7:30 PM to 8:00 PM
Presentation: Funding opportunities for College Students in Science and Technologies programs.
8:00 to 8:30 PM Networking
Day & Time: Wednesday, November 16, 2016
5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Location: Room L1-02, Centennial College, Progress Campus
941 Progress Ave., Toronto, Ontario, M1G 3T8
Map: http://www.centennialcollege.ca/about-centennial/contact-us/campus-locations/
Organizers: IEEE Toronto WIE, Nicoleta Zouri
IEEE Toronto WIE, Magnetics, Measurement/Instrumentation-Robotics, Maryam Davoudpour
Registration: Registration is free, but space is limited. Please register via email to Nicoleta Zouri
Abstract: Offered as part of the Experiential Learning process for students in Health Informatics Program at Centennial College, this event facilitate skills and knowledge transfer between audience and speakers through an interactive session. Digital health solutions will be discussed and software demos will be presented.

Operational-Log Analysis for Big Data Systems: Challenges and Solutions
2016-11-18 12:00 - 13:00 | Room: ENG 288, 245 Church Street, Toronto, Ontario M5B 2K3
Friday November 18, 2016 at 12:00 p.m. Dr. Andriy Miranskyy, Assistant Professor at the Department of Computer Science, Ryerson University, will be presenting “Operational-Log Analysis for Big Data Systems: Challenges and Solutions”.
Speaker: Dr. Andriy Miranskyy
Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science, Ryerson University
Day & Time: Friday, November 18, 2016
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Location: George Vari Centre for Computing and Engineering
Ryerson University
Room: ENG 288
245 Church Street, Toronto, Ontario M5B 2K3
Map – http://www.ryerson.ca/maps – Look for ENG
Registration: Registration is free, but space is limited. Please register via this link: http://tinyurl.com/systemsEvent
Organizers: IEEE Toronto Systems Chapter, Alexei Botchkarev albot@ieee.org
IEEE Toronto WIE, Magnetics, Measurement/Instrumentation-Robotics and Computer Science Department of Ryerson University
IEEE Toronto WIE Chair: Maryam Davoudpour maryam.davoudpour@ieee.org
Abstract: Big data systems (BDSs) are complex, consisting of multiple interacting hardware software components, such as distributed compute nodes, networking, databases, middleware, business intelligence layer, and high availability infrastructure. Any of these components can fail. Finding the failures’ root causes is extremely laborious. Analysis of BDS-generated logs can speed up this process. The logs can also help improve testing processes, detect security breaches, customize operational profiles, and aid with any other tasks requiring runtime-data analysis.
However, practical challenges hamper log analysis tools’ adoption. The logs emitted by a BDS can be thought of as big data themselves. When working with large logs, practitioners face seven main issues: scarce storage, unscalable log analysis, inaccurate capture and replay of logs, inadequate log-processing tools, incorrect log classification, a variety of log formats, and inadequate privacy of sensitive data. This talk describes the challenges and practical solutions faced while building and institutionalizing dynamic analysis tools in the industry.
Biography: Andriy Miranskyy is an assistant professor at the Department of Computer Science, Ryerson University. His research interests are in the area of mitigating risk in software engineering, focusing on software quality assurance, program comprehension, software requirements, project risk management, Big Data, and Green IT. Andriy received his Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics at the University of Western Ontario. He has 17 years of software engineering experience in information management and pharmaceutical industries. Prior to joining Ryerson, Andriy worked as a software engineer in the IBM Information Management division at the IBM Toronto Software Laboratory; currently, he is the Faculty Fellow of the IBM Centre for Advanced Studies. He has served as Guest Editor for a special edition of IEEE Software as well as organizer, committee member, and reviewer for several software engineering workshops and conferences.

AI-Based Software Defect Predictors: Applications and Benefits and Lessons Learned
2016-11-21 11:00 - 12:00 | KHE 225, Ryerson University, 340 Church Street, Toronto
Monday November 21, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. Dr. Ayse Basar Bener, professor and director of Data Science Laboratory at Ryerson University, will be presenting “AI-Based Software Defect Predictors: Applications and Benefits and Lessons Learned”.
Speaker: Dr. Ayse Basar Bener
Professor, Director of Data Science Laboratory, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
Director of Big Data, Office of Provost and Vice President Academic
Ryerson University
Day & Time: Monday, November 21, 2016
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Location: KHE 225, Ryerson University, 340 Church Street, Toronto
Contact: Maryam Davoudpour
Organizer: WIE, Magnetics, Measurement/Instrumentation-Robotics, Computer Science Department of Ryerson University
Abstract: Software analytics guide practitioners in decision making throughout the software development process. In this context, prediction models can help managers efficiently organize their resources and identify problems by analyzing patterns on existing project data in an intelligent and meaningful manner. In this talk I will share my experiences building and deploying AI (machine learning) models in software organizations over 15 years. We have encountered similar data analytics patterns in diverse organizations and in different problem cases. I will give examples from deployed projects and discuss these patterns following a “software analytics” framework: problem identification, data collection, descriptive statistics, and decision making.
Biography: Dr. Ayse Basar Bener is a professor and the director of Data Science Laboratory (DSL) in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Ryerson University. She is the director of Big Data in the Office of Provost and Vice President Academic at Ryerson University. She is a faculty research fellow of IBM Toronto Labs Centre for Advance Studies, and affiliate research scientist in St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto. Her current research focus is big data applications to tackle the problem of decision-making under uncertainty by using machine learning methods and graph theory to analyze complex structures in big data to build recommender systems and predictive models. She is a member of AAAI, INFORMS, AIS, and senior member of IEEE.

Phase Noise in LC Oscillators: From Basic Concepts to Advanced Topologies
2016-11-23 14:00 - 15:00 | BA 1240, 40 St George Street, University of Toronto
Wednesday November 23, 2016 at 2:10 p.m. Dr. Carlo Samori, Professor at Politecnico di Milano, Italy, will be presenting “Phase Noise in LC Oscillators: From Basic Concepts to Advanced Topologies”.
Speaker: Dr. Carlo Samori
Professor, Politecnico di Milano, Italy
Day & Time: Wednesday, November 23, 2016
2:10 p.m. – 3:10 p.m.
Location: BA 1240
Bahen Centre for Information Technology
University of Toronto
Contact: Dustin Dunwell
Organizer: Solid State Circuit Society
Abstract: Despite having been the subject of extensive study in last 20 years for the solid-state IC community, the phase noise in voltage-controlled oscillators (VCOs) is still today an important research subject. The main reason is that phase noise is one of the main issues encountered during the design of a transceiver whose understanding is an essential know-how for an RF designer. A second reason is that the intrinsic time-variant nature of VCOs makes these circuits difficult to analyze, therefore new topologies are often proposed, claiming advantages in term of phase noise and/or dissipation that in several cases are hard both to understand and verify without a direct implementation.
This lecture will start from the basics of LC VCOs and of phase noise. The phase noise will be calculated in basic topologies and the fundamental trade-off with power dissipation and tuning range will be highlighted. The lecture then will continue by presenting advance VCO topologies, showing how these circuits typically aim to enhance either the current or the voltage efficiency, in order to improve the phase noise vs. power dissipation trade-off.
Biography: Carlo Samori received the Ph.D. in electrical engineering in 1995, at the Politecnico di Milano, Italy, where he is now a professor. His research interests are in the area of RF circuits, in particular of design and analysis of VCOs and high performance frequency synthesizers. He has collaborated with several semiconductor companies. He is a co-author of more than 100 papers and of the book Integrated Frequency Synthesizers for Wireless Systems (Cambridge University Press, 2007). Prof. Samori has been a member of the Technical Program Committee of the IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference and he is a member of the European Solid-State Circuits Conference. He has been Guest Editor for the December 2014 issue of the Journal of Solid-State Circuits.
