Prochain événements

Are you interested in shaping the future of radio and media? Registration to Radio Hack Europe is now open and is FREE for EPFL / UNIL employees, researchers, and students using the discount code HKSPO19LS.

Register here

Radio Hack Europe by Radiodays Europe is a 48-hour hackathon around the theme “Radio and media of tomorrow”, which will take place at EPFL from Friday evening 29 March 2019 (warm-up and team building) to Sunday afternoon 31 March 2019 (pitching and jury voting), right before the main Radiodays Europe conference. Participation is open to media professionals, entrepreneurs, researchers, students, and anyone with a keen interest in audio, media, and technology.

Participants are invited to work in multidisciplinary teams and prototype new concepts, products, or services, in an effort to re-think the way people access and consume media content. At the end of the hackathon, the best projects will be awarded and the winners will have the opportunity to present their work during the main Radiodays Europe conference (1-2 April, STCC).

Further information on the registration, program, accommodation (including reduced rates on hotels), venue, and a discounted rate for the main Radiodays Europe conference can be found on the Radio Hack Europe website.
 

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Thomas C.T. Michaels, Ph.D., Harvard University (USA) and University of Cambridge (UK)

BIOENGINEERING SEMINAR
 
Abstract:
Over 50 medical disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and Type-II diabetes, are intimately connected with the aggregation of precursor peptides and proteins into pathological fibrillar structures known as amyloids. To design rational therapeutic strategies against these protein aggregation diseases it is thus imperative to quantify the fundamental principles that control pathological aggregation into amyloid fibrils. The fundamental challenge in establishing such an understanding in a rigorous manner is the disparate nature of the spatial and temporal scales involved. In this talk, I will demonstrate how we can address this challenge by bringing the power of quantitative methods rooted in statistical physics and applied mathematics to protein aggregation. I will first discuss a unified theory of protein aggregation kinetics and show how it provides the basis for interpreting experimental aggregation kinetics data in terms of specific microscopic mechanisms controlling the proliferation of fibrils. I will then apply the resulting methods to shed light on the fundamental molecular mechanisms of the dynamics of toxic oligomers of the Amyloid-β peptide Aβ42 of Alzheimer’s disease. I will also discuss how theory can guide us in the development of rational strategies for controlling aberrant protein aggregation in time and space. In particular, I will bring together protein aggregation kinetics with optimal control theory to determine explicit optimal administration protocols for drugs that inhibit specific molecular events during the aggregation process. I will finally introduce modern ideas from liquid-liquid phase separation to investigate how liquid cellular compartments could be implicated in spatially regulating protein aggregation.

Bio:
Employment History:
07/2016 - Present:  Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
Swiss National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow in Applied Mathematics
10/2016 - Present:  Peterhouse, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
Junior Research Fellow in Physics.

Eduation:
10/2012 - 06/2016:  PhD in Physical Chemistry, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
09/2010 - 06/2012:  Master of Science ETH in Mathematics, ETH Zürich, Switzerland
09/2010 - 06/2012:  Master of Science ETH in Physics, ETH Zürich, Switzerland
09/2007 - 06/2010:  Bachelor of Science ETH in Physics, ETH Zürich, Switzerland.


Zoom link for attending remotely:  https://epfl.zoom.us/j/246384287

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David van Dijk, Ph.D., Yale University, New Haven, CT (USA)

BIOENGINEERING SEMINAR
 
Abstract:
In the era of big biological data, there is a pressing need for methods that visualize, integrate and interpret high-throughput high-dimensional data to enable biological discovery. There are several major challenges in analyzing high-throughput biological data. These include the curse of (high) dimensionality, noise, sparsity, missing values, bias, and collection artifacts. In my work, I try to solve these problems using computational methods that are based on manifold learning. A manifold is a smoothly varying low-dimensional structure embedded within high-dimensional ambient measurement space. In my talk, I will present a number of recently completed and ongoing projects that utilize the manifold, implemented using graph signal processing and deep learning, to understand large biomedical datasets. First, I will present MAGIC, a data denoising and imputation method designed to ‘fix’ single-cell RNA-sequencing data. MAGIC uses data diffusion to learn the data manifold and at the same time fill in and smooth the data, thereby revealing the underlying structure of the data. I will show how MAGIC reveals a continuous phenotypic state-space in an epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition system. I will then talk about PHATE, a dimensionality reduction and visualization method specifically designed to reveal continuous progression structure. I will demonstrate how PHATE can give profound insight into a newly measured human embryonic stem cell system. Finally, I will talk about two deep learning methods that use specially designed constraints to allow for deep interpretable representations of heterogeneous systems such as gut microbiome data and single cell-data of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes.

Bio:
David van Dijk is an Associate Research Scientist in the lab of Smita Krishnaswamy at Yale University, departments of Genetics and Computer Science. His current research focuses on machine learning, and in specific manifold learning, applied to big biological data.
Previously, Dr. van Dijk worked with Eran Segal at the Weizmann Institute of Science, where he developed methods for predicting gene expression from DNA sequence.
He did his Ph.D. with Jaap Kaandorp in the Computational Science group at the University of Amsterdam, and with Eran Segal at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel.


Zoom link for attending remotely:  https://epfl.zoom.us/j/943730674

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Victor Berdichevsky, College of Engineering, Wayne State University

Abstract At the dawn of dislocation theory there was a hope that plasticity can be understood in terms of dislocation interactions similarly to what is done by statistical mechanics of colliding particles in gas dynamics. There was a fascinating challenge to learn how to deal with interactions of lines instead of points, but that seemed to be a pure technical issue. It turned out, however, that the major difficulty lies in a different place. One of the aims of this talk is to explain what the difficulty is and to make an attempt to treat it. It will be argued that the core problem is the drastic difference in geometries of dislocation phase space and phase space of classical statistical mechanics. Due to that thermodynamics of plasticity is quite different from classical thermodynamics of solids. Briefly, the major differences are as follows. First of all, several additional thermodynamic parameters come into play – dislocation polarization tensor, stress resistance tensor, entropy and temperature of microstructure. In a sense, polarization is similar to density in gas dynamics while stress resistance bears some properties of pressure. In contrast to gases where molecules keep moving when mass density is constant, in crystals the dislocation ensemble becomes frozen as soon as polarization tensor is fixed. Polarization tensor is the collective kinematic characteristic of dislocation ensembles on which external stresses work. Fixing polarization tensor makes the work zero. In order to deform a crystal, the applied stress must exceed the resistance stress. The resistance stress tensor and polarization tensor are linked to entropy and temperature of microstructure by some constitutive equations. Entropy and temperature of microstructure have simple physical meaning: temperature of microstructure is associated with average energy drop in slip avalanches, while rate of microstructure entropy is linked to the number of slip avalanches per unit time. An unusual peculiarity of dislocation-mediated plasticity is the decay of microstructure entropy in monotonic loading.
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Daniela Saderi

Discover PREreview, an open platform that facilitates the collaborative writing of preprints reviews by a growing community of contributors.

Everyone welcome, whether early career researcher or not, from the Life Sciences or from any other discipline!

The presentation will be followed by drinks!

Register here!

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Because of its fundamental role in research evaluation, scientific peer-review should be an important component in the training of early-career researchers. The vision behind PREreview is that there is a potential for every scientist to post, read, and engage with preprints.

With the phenomenal growth in their adoption in the biological science, preprints evaluation in the open is likely to become standard practice of scholarly publishing in the future. In order to maximize the positive impact of such practice, it is important to help researchers see the benefits of sharing their work openly and exchanging feedback at a point in time when it’s most useful, and in a way that is constructive, inclusive, and rewarding to them.

Started in September 2017 by Daniela Saderi, Samantha Hindle, and Monica Granados, the PREreview project is funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and the Wellcome Trust, as well as sponsored by the non-profit organization Code for Science and Society.

Through the lens of her personal experience, Daniela Saderi will share with the audience the principles that are driving this project forward, as well as the challenges that are often coupled with working  at the intersection of academia and a global movement promoting open scholarship.

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Speaker's bio
Daniela Saderi has recently defended a Ph.D. thesis in neuroscience at Oregon Health & Science University, USA. She previously earned a Master’s degree in Neuroscience from the University of Trieste/SISSA and a Bachelor’s degree in molecular biology from the University of Milan. She currently is a Mozilla Fellow for Science, working on the growth and sustainability of PREreview. As the co-founder of this project, she wants to promote open practices in academia, with the goal of improving reproducibility and collaboration. You can find Daniela on Twitter, LinkedIn and Github.  

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Brainhack is a 2-day hackathon on brain technologies, mostly brain imaging but not only. To participate, you don’t need to know anything about the brain, just to bring yours! We welcome anyone from coders to doctors.

Contrarily to traditional hackathons during which teams compete, brainhacks are collaborative: all teams work on different projects and we’ll have more than a half-dozen for you to choose from, from using virtual reality to visualize and draw inside the brain, to machine learning to predict disease prediction, via creating a 3D printed brain model to show live brain activity.

All these projects we will take place at campus Biotech on March Friday 22^nd and Saturday 23^rd, and if you cannot attend at these dates, we will have another edition in autumn of this year.

If you want to join we’ll take care of you with free breakfast, free lunch and unlimited coffee. There will be also social drinks and dinner planned for Friday night.

For more information and to join the Brainhack, just check our website at www.brainhack.ch.

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Dr. Laurent Brochard, researcher in Civil Engineering at Laboratoire Navier (ENPC, CNRS, IFSTTAR)

Abstract
Brittle failure is ubiquitous in civil engineering materials from concrete to rocks and faults. And yet, how brittle failure initiates is still debated. While the failure of pre-cracked bodies is predicted by an energy criterion (fracture mechanics), that of flawless materials is usually given by a stress criterion, and no clear scientific consensus exists about intermediate cases (e.g., notch). In this work, we use atomistic simulation techniques to investigate the elementary mechanisms behind brittle failure. A difficulty, though, is that the process zone size of the studied material must be nanometric to comply with the computational limits of molecular simulations. Very few materials exhibit such a small process zone (e.g., the process zone of rocks is typically 10-100 mm) and the candidate material we study is graphene. We also investigate a fictitious material (2D triangular lattice with harmonic interactions between closest neighbours).
Investigating the failure behaviour of graphene in various configurations, we characterize the transition from the energy criterion of fracture mechanics to the stress criterion. Interestingly, one particular situation exhibits an unexpected result: when the distance between two crack tips approaches the process zone size, the average stress in-between the tips exceeds the strength. While most macroscopic theories of initiation would not expect this behaviour, Leguillon’s criterion does [1]. Leguillon’s criterion is a finite fracture mechanics approach requiring both energy and stress criteria to be fulfilled over an initiation length. The peculiarity of our situation is that energy is the limiting factor since stress is highly concentrated between the tip while only little mechanical energy is available in the material [2].
To further investigate the atomic processes of failure, we consider the athermal limit (0K). Since atomic interactions are conservatives, failure can be viewed as an instability arising when one of the eigenvalues of the hessian matrix becomes negative. And the associated eigenvectors provides a description of the elementary mechanism of failure. Interestingly, failure of flawless materials exhibits infinite failure bands the width of which recalls the process zone size, i.e., a property that one usually gets from a cracked material. The corresponding eigenvalue are highly degenerated, whereas for flawed materials, the eigenvalues have little or no degeneracy and failure involves localized atom moves only.
At non-zero temperature, failure is no more deterministic because of thermal agitation. We conduct an extensive study over many time and length scales and identify a temperature-time-size equivalence that can be formalized by a universal scaling law of strength and toughness which extends Zhurkov’s theory [3] to size effects [4]. Interestingly, the scaling of strength and toughness differ only regarding the scaling in size, and therefore was not previously identified in Zhurkov’s work. One can formally relate this difference to the degeneracy of the negative eigenvalues in the athermal limit. Such scaling law is also of very practical interest to relate failure properties at different length and time scales.
 
[1] Leguillon, D. (2002). Strength or toughness? A criterion for crack onset at a notch. European Journal of Mechanics, A/Solids, 21(1), 61–72.
[2] Brochard, L., Tejada, I. G., & Sab, K. (2016). From yield to fracture, failure initiation captured by molecular simulation. Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, 95, 632–646.
[3] Zhurkov, S. N. (1984). Kinetic concept of the strength of solids. International Journal of Fracture, 26(4), 295–307.
[4] Brochard, L., Souguir, S., & Sab, K. (2018). Scaling of brittle failure: strength versus toughness. International Journal of Fracture, 210(1-2), 153–166.

Bio
Laurent Brochard is a researcher in Civil Engineering at Laboratoire Navier (ENPC, CNRS, IFSTTAR) since 2012. He received his M.S. and Ph.D. from Ecole des Ponts ParisTech in 2008 and 2011. He is also engineer from Ecole Polytechnique (France) and from École des Ponts ParisTech (France). His research focuses on multi scale approaches for the study of the physics and mechanics of materials with emphasis on phenomena that have their origin at the molecular scale: adsorption and poromechanics, fracture mechanics and failure initiation, thermo-mechanical couplings. Targeted applications are mostly in geomechanics (CO2 sequestration, nuclear waste storage, unconventional oil and gas, cementitious materials).
 
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Andras Kis, Professor in Electrical Engineering at EPFL, Lausanne. Andras Kis started research on 2D semiconductors in 2008, after joining EPFL and has made fundamental contributions to the study of the electronic properties of atomically thin TMDCs. His pioneering work on MoS2 transistors was the first demonstration of high-quality device on a 2D semiconductor. Andras Kis is also serving as the editor in chief of the Nature partner journal 2D materials and applications.

Abstract: The discovery of graphene marked the start of research in 2D electronic materials which was expanded in new directions with MoS2 and other layered semiconducting materials. They have a wide range of interesting fundamental properties and potential applications. New opportunities are enabled by the band structure of transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) in which we could harness the valley degree of freedom for valleytronics and next-generation photonics. Long-lived interlayer excitons in van der Waals heterostructures based on TMDCs have recently emerged as a promising platform for this, allowing control over exciton diffusion length, energy and polarisation. I will show here how by using MoS2/WSe2 van der Waals heterostructures, we can realize excitonic transistors with switching action, confinement and control over diffusion length at room temperature in a reconfigurable potential landscape. Heterostructures with a long-range moiré potential such as in MoSe2/WSe2, on the other hand, offer the way to control polarization, emission and wavelength emitted by different optically active regions in the moiré. 
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Prof. William E. Bentley, Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, USA

We are developing tools of “biofabrication” that enable facile assembly of biological components within devices, including microelectronic devices, that preserve their native biological function. By recognizing that biological redox active molecules are a biological equivalent of an electron-carrying wire, we have developed biological surrogates for electronic devices, including a biological redox capacitor that enable bi-directional “electron” flow. We have also turned to synthetic biology to provide a means to sample, interpret and report on biological information contained in molecular communications circuitry. Finally, we have developed synthetic genetic circuits that enable electronic actuation of gene expression. That is, using simple reconstructions, one can apply voltage on an electrode and directly actuate genetic responses and associated phenotypes. Cells are stimulated to swim, make other signal molecules, and fluoresce. This presentation will introduce the concepts of molecular communication that are enabled by integrating relatively simple concepts in synthetic biology with biofabrication. Our presentation will show how engineered cells represent a versatile means for mediating the molecular “signatures” commonly found in complex environments, or in other words, they are conveyors of molecular communication.

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Prof Mahsa Shoaran, Cornell University, USA.

Implantable and wearable medical devices are increasingly being developed as alternative therapies for intractable diseases. In particular, undertreated neurological disorders such as epilepsy, migraine, and Alzheimer’s disease are of major public health concern around the world, driving the need to explore such new approaches. Despite significant advances in neural interface systems, the small number of recording channels in existing technology remains a barrier to their therapeutic potential. This is mainly due to the fact that simultaneous recording from a large number of electrodes imposes stringent energy and area constraints on the integrated circuits that interface with these electrodes. In this talk, I will first discuss an efficient compressive sensing framework for multichannel cortical implants. Next, I will present the design of our sub-microwatt per channel closed-loop seizure control device and both its in-vivo and offline performance. I will then discuss our latest work on the integration of machine learning algorithms for on-chip classification of neural data. Finally, I will give examples of how these results may be used towards designing new devices, to enhance the lives of millions of people suffering from disabling neurological conditions in future.

Bio
Mahsa Shoaran is currently an Assistant Professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Cornell University. Prior to joining Cornell, she was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Mixed-mode Integrated Circuits Lab at Caltech. She received her PhD from EPFL in 2015 and her B.Sc. and M.Sc. from Sharif University of Technology. Her research interests broadly include circuit, system, and algorithm design for diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Mahsa is a recipient of the 2019 Google Faculty Research Award in Machine Learning, the Early and Advanced Swiss National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowships, and the NSF Award for Young Professionals Contributing to Smart and Connected Health. She was named a Rising Star in EECS by MIT in 2015.

Video transmission using zoom : https://epfl.zoom.us/j/9946495775

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Prof. Ivan Martin, University Hospital Basel (CH)

WEEKLY BIOENGINEERING COLLOQUIA SERIES
(sandwiches served)

Abstract:
Biological processes leading to tissue formation during embryonic development are characterized by a large stability and reproducibility of events, typically referred to as ‘robustness’. Would regenerative medicine approaches be more repeatable and effective if they targeted the recapitulation of molecular pathways typical of tissue development? Within the exemplifying context of cartilage and bone repair, this lecture will introduce and discuss the challenges and opportunities of regenerative concepts based on mimicking developmental processes. Rather than engineering a tissue, the strategy would target the use of cells (e.g., mesenchymal stromal cells) to engineer temporally staged processes, recapitulating events of development (e.g., endochondral ossification for bone or joint cavitation for articular cartilage). The product would be a construct containing the necessary and sufficient cues to autonomously remodel into the target repair tissue upon grafting.
In this perspective, however, cells in adults may strongly differ from multipotent embryonic cells, and typically reside in an environment, which is tightly regulated by post-natal mechanical conditioning or immune/inflammatory processes. Thus, shouldn’t tissue regeneration strategies be inspired by development but adapted to be effective in a context, which is different from the embryo? This would require to re-design the developmental machinery for regenerative purposes by establishing artificial events or conditions. Will the resulting approach of ‘developmental re-engineering’ offer a chance for enhanced regeneration to those tissues with limited capacity to recover from injuries or within pathological settings reducing the potential for endogenous repair?

Zoom link for attending remotely: https://epfl.zoom.us/j/133566960
 
 
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Prof. Costantin Creton, Soft Matter Science and Engineering Laboratory, ESPCI ParisTech

Fracture of soft materials is a complex process coupling non linear mechanics and statistical physics^[1]. Because of the large deformations involved before a crack propagates, molecular damage typically occurs in the bulk of the material and not only in the fracture plane^[2]. This is particularly true for tough soft materials where bulk energy dissipation mechanisms such as sacrificial bonds are introduced by design. Until recently the detection of damage ahead of a crack was limited to the detection of crystallization or cavitation, detectable by wide or small angle X-ray scattering or optical visualisation, but molecular bond scission was not directly detectable. However organic chemists have now developed several molecules that respond to applied forces or bond scission by changing their light absorption or emission properties^[3] providing novel opportunities for materials scientists to gain insight in molecular processes occurring during mechanical loading.
We have incorporated mechanosensitive molecules as crosslinkers in model transparent soft polymer networks containing sacrificial bonds and used them to detect and map stresses and molecular damages before and during crack propagation. Spyropyran can be used to detect stresses in real time and to distinguish loaded regions from unloaded ones. Dioxetane based molecules emit light when they break and can be used to obtain time resolved information on the bond scission process and pi-extended anthracene can be used to obtain high resolution spatial information. A combination of several techniques is needed to investigate the temporal and spatial process of damage in soft and tough materials in order to develop proper molecular models and guide the design of novel materials. We will focus on the mechanisms occurring during crack propagation and necking of multiple network elastomers where a stiff and highly stretched network is embedded in a more extensible matrix{Millereau, 2018 #5305} .
References
[1]        C. Creton, M. Ciccotti, Rep Prog Phys 2016, 79, 046601; C. Creton, Macromolecules 2017, 50, 8297.
[2]        E. Ducrot, Y. Chen, M. Bulters, R. P. Sijbesma, C. Creton, Science 2014, 344, 186.
[3]        R. Gostl, R. P. Sijbesma, Chemical Science 2016, 7, 370; Y. Chen, A. J. H. Spiering, KarthikeyanS, G. W. M. Peters, E. W. Meijer, R. P. Sijbesma, Nature Chemistry 2012, 4, 559; D. A. Davis, A. Hamilton, J. Yang, L. D. Cremar, D. Van Gough, S. L. Potisek, M. T. Ong, P. V. Braun, T. J. Martinez, S. R. White, J. S. Moore, N. R. Sottos, Nature 2009, 459, 68.

Bio: 1985 : BS, Materials Science & Engineering, EPFL , Switzerland
1991 : Ph. D. Cornell University, USA
1992-1993 : Research Fellow, IBM Almaden, USA
1994-2001:  CNRS Researcher (Assistant Professor) at the ESPCI, Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Polymers, Paris, France
2001-  :  CNRS Research Director (Professor) at the ESPCI, Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Polymers, Paris, France
 
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Dr Kristen Kozielski, Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, GE.

Neural implants are devices that can enable doctors and engineers to electrically sense or modulate neural behavior. A nano- or microscale neuroprosthetic that operates wirelessly could be implanted using minimally-invasive routes, potentially avoiding surgical intervention. Magnetoelectric materials, those that couple magnetic fields to electric fields, allow us to wirelessly generate electric signals using input magnetic signals, but also allow us to sense electric signals via output magnetic signals. Herein, I will introduce the capability to wirelessly interface with neurons using magnetoelectric materials. As these materials directly create an electric field, they can modulate neuronal activity without any biochemical or genetic cell manipulation. I will describe their chemical synthesis and characterization, and demonstrate that they generate electric signals in response to the application of a magnetic field. Finally, I will show their ability to both positively and negatively modulate neuronal behavior in vitro, and will conclude with a discussion on potential future applications of these materials for wireless medical intervention.

Bio
Kristen Kozielski completed her Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University in the fall of 2016. Her thesis work focused on polymeric nanoparticles for DNA and RNA delivery, primarily with applications in brain cancer. She is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, working in multiferroic nano- and micromaterials for applications in wireless medical technologies. Kristen’s research is published in twenty-one peer-reviewed journal articles, and her work has been highlighted by Science Translational Medicine and the US NIH National Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering. Over the course of her career, she has received funding to support her work from the US NIH, the Whitaker Foundation, and the ARCS Foundation.

Video transmission using zoom : https://epfl.zoom.us/j/9946495775

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Dr Sabine Krabbe, Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, CH.

Learning and memory are fundamental neuronal processes that are essential for behavioural adaptations in an ever-changing environment. Mechanisms of memory formation are critically shaped by dynamic changes in the balance of excitatory and inhibitory neuronal circuit elements. Although local inhibitory interneurons only represent a minority of the cells in most brain areas, they can tightly regulate the activity and plasticity of excitatory projection neurons in a spatially and temporally precise manner. Using fear conditioning as a model system for associative learning, we dissect the functional role of distinct interneuron subtypes in amygdala circuits for sensory processing and memory formation. In this talk, I will demonstrate how we combine deep-brain imaging and optogenetics in freely behaving mice with neural circuit tracing approaches and electrophysiology to address interactions of distinct amygdala inhibitory interneurons, and how this disinhibitory interplay affects plastic changes of neighbouring excitatory neurons and thus gates learning.

Bio
Sabine Krabbe studied Human Biology at the University of Marburg and received her PhD in Neurophysiology in 2012. For her postdoctoral work, Sabine joined the laboratory of Andreas Lüthi at the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research in Basel, where she focussed her research on the dissection of inhibitory amygdala microcircuits in fear learning and anxiety using a combination of deep-brain imaging, electrophysiology and optogenetic approaches. In February 2018, Sabine became a visiting scientist at HHMI Janelia Research Campus. Hosted by Scott Sternson’s laboratory, she addresses how genetically-defined amygdala neurons encode information during different behavioural and metabolic states by employing a novel spatial transcriptomic approach.

Video transmission using zoom : https://epfl.zoom.us/j/9946495775

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Prof. Yonggang Huang, Northwestern University

Abstract:
Complex three-dimensional (3D) structures in biology (e.g., cytoskeletal webs, neural circuits, and vasculature networks) form naturally to provide essential functions in even the most basic forms of life.  Compelling opportunities exist for analogous 3D architectures in human-made devices, but design options are constrained by existing capabilities in materials growth and assembly.  We report routes to previously inaccessible classes of 3D constructs in advanced materials, including device-grade silicon [1].  The schemes involve geometric transformation of 2D micro/nanostructures into extended 3D layouts by compressive buckling.  Designs inspired by kirigami/origami [2,3] and/or releasable multilayers [4] enable the formation of mesostructures with a broad variety of 3D geometries, either with hollow or dense distributions.  Demonstrations include experimental and theoretical studies of more than 100 representative geometries, from single and multiple helices, toroids, and conical spirals to structures that resemble spherical baskets, cars, houses, cuboid cages, starbursts, flowers, scaffolds, each with single- and/or multiple-level configurations.  Morphable 3D mesostructures whoese geometries can be elastically altered can be further achieved via nonlinear mechanical buckling, by deforming the elastomer platforms in different time sequences [5].  We further introduce concepts in physical transfer, patterned photopolymerization and non-linear plasticity to enable integration of 3D mesostructures onto nearly any class of substrate, with additional capabilities in access to fully or partially free-standing forms, all via mechanisms quantitatively described by theoretical modeling [6].  Compatibility with the well-established technologies available in semiconductor industries suggests a broad range of application opportunities [7].  Illustrations of these ideas include their use in building 3D structures as radio frequency devices for adaptive electromagnetic properties [5], as open-architecture electronic scaffolds for formation of dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neural networks [6], as ultra-stretchable interconnects for soft electronics [8] and as catalyst supports for propulsive systems in 3D micro-swimmers with geometrically controlled dynamics [6].

References
[1]          Xu S et al., 2015. Assembly of micro/nanomaterials into complex, three-dimensional architectures by compressive buckling. Science, 347, pp.154-159.
[2]          Zhang Y et al., 2015. A mechanically driven form of Kirigami as a route to 3D mesostructures in micro/nanomembranes. PNAS, 112, pp.11757-11764.
[3]          Yan Z et al., 2016. Controlled mechanical buckling for origami-inspired construction of 3D micro/nanostructures in advanced materials. Advanced Functional Materials, 26, pp.2629-2639.
[4]          Yan Z et al., 2016. Mechanically guided assembly of complex, 3D mesostructures from releasable multilayers of advanced materials. Science Advances, 2, pp.e1601014.
[5]          Fu H et al., 2018. Morphable 3D Mesostructures and Microelectronic Devices by Multistable Buckling Mechanics. Nature Materials, 17, pp. 268-276.
[6]          Yan Z et al., 2017. Mechanically guided assembly of complex, 3D mesostructures from releasable multilayers of advanced materials. PNAS, 114, pp. E9455-E9464.
[7]          Zhang Y et al., 2017. Printing, Folding and assembly methods for forming 3D mesostructures in advanced materials. Nature Reviews Materials, 2, pp. 17019.
[8]          Jang KI et al., 2017. Self-Assembled, Three Dimensional Network Designs of Soft Electronics. Nature Communications, 8, 15894.

Bio:
Yonggang Huang is the Murphy Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Materials Science and Engineering at Northwestern University.  He is interested in mechanics of stretchable and flexible electronics, and mechanically guided deterministic 3D assembly.  He has published >500 journal papers, including 10 in Science and 4 in Nature.  He is a member of the US National Academy of Engineering, a member of European Academy of Sciences and Arts, a foreign member of Academia Europaea, and a foreign member of Chinese Academy of Sciences.  His recent research awards include the Larson Award (2003), Melville Medal (2004), Richards Award (2010), Drucker Medal (2013), and Nadai Medal (2016) from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME); Young Investigator Medal (2006) and Prager Medal (2017) from the Society of Engineering Sciences; International Journal of Plasticity Medal (2007); Guggenheim Fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation (2008); Highly Cited Researcher in Engineering  (2009), Materials Science (since 2014) and Physics (since 2018), and Bazant Medal from the American Society of Civil Engineers (2018).  He has received awards for teaching and undergraduate advising from University of Arizona (1993); University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007); and Northwestern University (2016, 2018).
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Dr. Nicolas Abelé

Abstract: MEMS mirror have been developed since the early 90’s, originally for telecom-switching application, but also in parallel for scanning-based laser projection systems with the great benefit of providing a projected image with very large color gamut, always-in-focus, ultra-small and low power. Originally Lemoptix was a spin-off from the EPFL Micro-Systems laboratory was one of the pioneers in this field and has develop in-house MEMS-based laser projection system for multiple markets, ranging from Head-Up Display in car, AR wearable glass, 3D sensing and pico-projector. The company has successfully been acquired by Intel in 2015 and developed the smallest AR glasses to date, then the team moved to MAGIC LEAP the leader in immersive AR glasses.

Bio: Nicolas Abelé, Director of HW at MAGIC LEAP, and former co-founder and CTO of Lemoptix, acquired in 2015 by Intel Corporation 8 years after its incorporation. Nicolas leads the hardware technology development from invention, to prototyping and up to production-ready at manufacturing partner lines. He holds 60 patents in the field of MEMS display and AR glass.

This seminar is part of the course 'MICRO-534 - Advanced MEMS and Microsystems'. The seminar is open to the interested public.

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Dr Ileana Jelescu, EPFL, CH.

Can we obtain sub-millimeter information about tissue structure in vivo and non-invasively? In a diffusion MRI experiment, the signal encodes information about length scales of a few microns – much smaller than the actual MR image resolution of millimeters – and thus about features of the underlying tissue microstructure that lie in the mesoscale and that we otherwise cannot spatially resolve in vivo. The main challenge of the field is to decode this information and output specific and reliable biophysical parameters of tissue microstructure. In this talk, I will introduce the standard biophysical model for diffusion in white matter and explain its added value compared to e.g. Diffusion Tensor Imaging. I will then discuss its challenges, related to the topology of the fitting landscape which revealed multiple biologically plausible mathematical solutions, and I will show how this degeneracy was lifted and parameter specificity validated using clever experimental design in animal models. Finally, I will present applications of this tool to characterize white matter degeneration in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease.
 
Bio
Ileana Jelescu is a research scientist within the EPFL core of the Center for Biomedical Imaging (CIBM). She received her PhD in Physics from Université Paris-Sud under the guidance of Denis Le Bihan and a double MSc in Engineering from Ecole Polytechnique and in Medical Physics from McGill University. She completed postdoctoral work at New York University School of Medicine on microstructural MRI of white matter using diffusion MRI and biophysical modeling. Her work now focuses on developing and validating evermore specific tools to characterize brain microstructure and function using diffusion and functional MRI, and understanding the interplay between microstructure and function in neurodegenerative diseases. She is the recipient of Jeanne Timmins Costello and Irtelis fellowships, and her original work as well as educational lectures have received multiple excellence awards from the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, for which she currently serves as elected committee member.

Video transmission using zoom : https://epfl.zoom.us/j/9946495775

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Prof. James Ferrell, Prof. of Chemical and Systems Biology, Professor of Biochemistry, Stanford University. US. 

The Ferrell lab studies signal transduction and cell cycle regulation, mainly focusing the spatial and temporal regulation of mitotic entry and exit. They explore how the individual proteins that regulate these processes work together in circuits, generating reliable systems-level behaviors, by using quantitative experimental approaches, modeling, and theory. Much of their work make use of Xenopus laevis oocytes, eggs, embryos, and extracts, as well as mammalian cell lines.

About the talk

Ferrell’s group has been exploring the question of how regulatory signals spread through cells. By using as model system Xenopus egg extracts, the lab demonstrated that Cdk1 activity - which makes mitosis happen - and caspase-3/7 - which makes apoptosis happen - spread through the cytoplasm via what are termed trigger waves. There is good evidence that they do also in intact Xenopus eggs. Trigger waves require only three basic ingredients (positive feedback in the biochemical reactions, a mechanism for local spatial coupling, and a localized initiation point). The Ferrell lab suspects that they will prove to be widespread in the coordination of signaling in large cells and tissues.

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Dr. Mackenzie Mathis, Harvard University, USA.

Our motor outputs are constantly re-calibrated to adapt to systematic perturbations – we can learn to use new tools and often improve upon already learned motor skills. In this talk, I will first discuss my development of the first mouse model of forelimb motor adaptation and experiments to probe the role of sensory and reward prediction errors in driving the adaptive behavior that was observed. Then, by systematically varying the task parameters, I will show that reward feedback defines the global incentive for a particular motor output (i.e. the goal), but does not provide trial-by-trial feedback that alters performance. To causally test which proprioceptive feedback pathways were required to adapt, I perturbed regions that receive feedback, namely cerebellar and cortical circuits. It was found that a closed-loop optogenetic photoinhibition of somatosensory cortex (S1) applied concurrently with the force field abolished adaptation (yet did not impair basic motor patterns or reward-based learning), which suggests that S1 is required to learn to adapt to forelimb perturbations. Next, to explore the neural circuits required for adaptation, we first built a deep learning toolbox for pose estimation (DeepLabCut) that allows us to perform high fidelity tracking of the mouse, and we now use this suite of behavioral and computational tools to study neural population dynamics across multiple regions of the brain during adaptation.

Bio
Dr. Mackenzie Mathis is a Rowland Fellow at Harvard University, where she runs a laboratory since Sept 2017 (www.mackenziemathislab.org). The lab studies adaptive motor behavior in mice, performs large-scale recordings of neural populations, builds new robotic tools for neural circuit interrogation & behavioral studies, as well as machine learning tools for behavioral analysis. Previously, she was a Postdoctoral Fellow with Prof. Matthias Bethge (University of Tübingen), and completed her PhD studies in March 2017 at Harvard University under the direction of Prof. Naoshige Uchida. Her thesis work was focused on uncovering the neural circuits and mechanisms underlying sensorimotor learning.

Video transmission using zoom : https://epfl.zoom.us/j/9946495775

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Dr Marco Capogrosso, University of Fribourg, CH.

Traumatic injuries and diseases of the motor system affect millions of people worldwide. Only in Europe approximately 3 million people are affected by the consequences of spinal cord injury, stroke and multiple sclerosis, for a total estimated healthcare cost of 45 billion euros per year. Treatments for these conditions are needed to ease both their growing economic and societal impact. Recent advances in neurotechnologies and brain machine interfaces have prompted promising results in laboratory settings. However, none of these approaches translated into actual clinical solutions to motor paralysis. Specifically, the scarce knowledge on the mechanisms of neural control of movement hinder the design of effective neurotechnologies thus limiting their usability for people with severe disabilities. Here present a computational and technological framework to understand how damaged neural circuits can use electrical stimulation inputs for correcting aberrant motor behaviors. I will then show how to use this knowledge to design and test novel neurotechnologies enhancing motor recovery after paralysis.
 
Bio
My main interest is the understanding of the neural control of movement with a focus on translational applications in motor disorders. I have a background in applied physics and PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, in Pisa. Since my PhD under the supervision of Prof. Silvestro Micera, and during my Post-Doc at EPFL hosted by Prof. Gregoire Courtine I have worked towards the definition of a computational framework for the design of neuroprosthetics. My models revealed the neural targets of epidural electrical stimulation of the spinal cord (Journal of Neuroscience., Neuron) and currently represent the generally accepted model of epidural stimulation by the international community. I have then translated the concepts that my models outlined in rats to Rhesus monkeys and developed a technology that linked motor related signals from the brain to stimulation protocols applied at the lumbar spinal cord. These protocols and technologies restored locomotion in monkeys with spinal cord injury as early as 6 days after lesion (Nature). In 2016 I obtained a SNSF Ambizione grant at the University of Fribourg where I established an advanced experimental platform for motor neuroscience in nonhuman primates. I am currently developing Brain Computer Interfaces and electrical stimulation strategies for the recovery of arm and hand movements after spinal cord injury. Ultimately, I love science.

Video transmission using zoom : https://epfl.zoom.us/j/9946495775

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Dr. Gianpietro Moras is deputy head of the “Multiscale Modelling and Tribosimulation” group at the Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials IWM in Freiburg (Germany). He uses atomic-scale computer simulations to understand how the structure and chemistry of materials transform under tribological load and the effect of these transformations on friction and wear. Gianpietro received a master’s degree in Materials Engineering from the University of Trieste (Italy) and a PhD in Physics from King’s College London (UK). He held postdoctoral research positions at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and at Fraunhofer IWM (Germany).   

Abstract: Materials interfaces under tribological load undergo chemical and structural transformations that tend to minimize their shear resistance. In spite of their crucial role in determining friction and wear, these material transformations are often not understood as they occur at buried interfaces that are hardly accessible by in situ experiments. In this seminar, I will show how computer simulations can be used to complement experiments and gain insights into the atomic-scale details of tribological processes. In particular, I will focus on tribological interfaces in silicon, diamond, diamond-like carbon (DLC). I will first present results on dry silicon and diamond systems in which covalent bonds form across the tribological interface. In order to minimize the shear resistance of the interface, the material undergoes plastic deformation and shear induces amorphization and recrystallization processes. Interestingly, despite the structural similarity between silicon and diamond, these non-equilibrium processes are different in the two materials. I will discuss these differences and relate them to the equilibrium properties of the two crystals. Next, I will move to lubricated tribological interfaces, where chemical surface passivation prevents the formation of covalent bonds across the interface, thus leading to lower friction.  In particular, I will present results on how superlow friction coefficients can be achieved when diamond and DLC are lubricated by water or organic friction modifiers. Besides the commonly reported surface chemical passivation by dissociative chemisorption of the lubricant molecules, our simulations show a mechanochemical passivation process based on the formation of aromatic surface structures. Finally, I will talk about the role played by surface chemical terminations in friction. Specifically, both hydrogen and fluorine can be used as monoatomic chemical terminations for dangling bonds on carbon surfaces. It is often reported that the two different chemical terminations lead to different friction coefficients because of electrostatic effects.  At odds with this explanation, I will show simulations results suggesting that differences in friction between hydrogen- and fluorine-terminated diamond/DLC depend on the different size of the two atoms rather than on the different polarity of the C-H and C-F bonds. 
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Pavel Tomancak - Pavel Tomancak studied Molecular Biology and Genetics at the Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic. He then did his PhD at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in the field of Drosophila developmental genetics. During his post-doctoral time at the University of California in Berkeley at the laboratory of Gerald M. Rubin, he established image-based genome scale resources for patterns of gene expression in Drosophila embryos. Since 2005 he leads an independent research group at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG) in Dresden where he became senior research group leader in 2013. His laboratory continues to study patterns of gene expression during development by combining molecular, imaging and image analysis techniques. The group has lead a significant technological development aiming towards more complete quantitative description of gene expression patterns using light sheet microscopy. The emphasis on open access resulted in establishment of major resources such as OpenSPIM (http://openspim.org) and Fiji (http://fiji.sc). The Tomancak lab is expanding the systematic analysis of gene expression patterns to other Drosophila tissues and employing the comparative approach in other Drosophilids and invertebrate species.

During gastrulation, physical forces reshape the simple embryonic tissue to form a complex body plan of multicellular organisms. These forces often cause large-scale asymmetric movements of the embryonic tissue. In many embryos, the tissue undergoing gastrulation movements is surrounded by a rigid protective shell. While it is well recognized that gastrulation movements depend on forces generated by tissue-intrinsic contractility, it is not known if interactions between the tissue and the protective shell provide additional forces that impact gastrulation. Our recent work has shown that a particular part of the blastoderm tissue of the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum tightly adheres in a temporally coordinated manner to the vitelline envelope surrounding the embryo. This attachment generates an additional force that counteracts the tissue-intrinsic contractile forces to create asymmetric tissue movements. Furthermore, this localized attachment is mediated by a specific integrin, and its knock-down leads to a gastrulation phenotype consistent with complete loss of attachment. Moreover, analysis of another integrin in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster suggests that gastrulation in this organism also relies on adhesion between the blastoderm and the vitelline envelope. Together, our findings reveal a conserved mechanism whereby the spatiotemporal pattern of tissue adhesion to the vitelline envelope provides controllable counter-forces that shape gastrulation movements in insects. It also provides a new perspective on evolution of early gastrulation processes impacted by patterned contacts with the constraining extra-embryonic envelopes.
 

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Maja Kuzmanovic, Nik Gaffney, FoAM

The XGrant and YGrant programs are happy to present a keynote on complexity, uncertainty and possible futures.

Innovation focuses on creating radical change in existing fields. When we intervene in complex systems, our future-shaping actions are hard to predict. The complexity of contemporary global challenges make any futures highly unpredictable. Innovating in such turbulent times brings with it a sense of agency, but also responsibility.

How can engineers, entrepreneurs and technopreneurs embrace complexity and uncertainty, in order to act in meaningful ways, whatever the future may bring?

Maja Kuzmanovic & Nik Gaffney, from FoAM, are recognized by the MIT Review amongst the Top 100 Young Innovators, and by the World Economic Forum amongst the Young Global Leaders.

The keynote (18:15-19:15) will be followed by an apero and a short playful workshop (19:15-21:15).

Event is free, registration is mandatory here.

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Dr. André-Pierre Blanchard-Dionne

The EPFL Photonics Chapter (EPC) is very pleased to announce and cordially invite you to our monthly ‘Pizza-Optics-Beer’ (POB) seminar on Wednesday, 27th March at 18:15 in the room  CM1 106. 

This month we will have the pleasure to host Dr. André-Pierre Blanchard-Dionne from the Nanophotonics and Metrology Laboratory (NAM) with the presentation entitled:

"Optical Biosensors”


For organizational purposes (if you want to eat pizza!), please confirm your participation using this Doodle.
Don’t hesitate to extend the invitation to any postdoc and colleague!

Hope to see you there,
The team of the EPFL Photonics Chapter
 
 
Abstract:
Biosensing has become in the last 50 years an important theme in the health or chemical industry. Having the ability to detect or monitor biomolecules is at the center of many important applications such as healthcare monitoring, screening for diseases, environmental control etc. In this talk, I will be discussing optical biosensors (meaning sensors who use light as the transducing mechanism of molecular binding), their principles, setups and applications. I will also introduce a new generation of optical sensors based on plasmonic nanohole arrays.

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Dr Alexander Mathis, Harvard University, USA.

Quantifying behavior is crucial for many applications across the life sciences and engineering. Videography provides easy methods for the observation and recording of animal behavior in diverse settings, yet extracting particular aspects of a behavior for further analysis can be highly time consuming. I will present an efficient method for markerless pose estimation based on transfer learning with deep neural networks that achieves excellent results with minimal training data. I will demonstrate the versatility of this framework by tracking various body parts in multiple species across a broad collection of behaviors from egg-laying fruits flies to hunting cheetahs. Furthermore, I will discuss new work for identifying fine-scale behaviors with deep neural networks. Lastly, I will discuss computational modeling approaches I have developed that link behavior to neural circuits.

Bio
Alexander Mathis is a Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard University. He is interested in elucidating how the brain gives rise to adaptive behavior. For those purposes, he develops deep learning methods to analyze animal behavior, neural data, as well as creates experimentally testable computational models. His PhD thesis with Prof. Andreas Herz focused on deriving properties of grid cells from optimal coding assumptions, and figuring out how the distributed population activity can be decoded by biophysically plausible models. He was awarded a Marie Curie-Sklodowska fellowship, Human Frontiers Science Program postdoctoral fellowship, and postdoctoral fellowship by the DFG. His work was recently covered by The Atlantic & NVIDIA AI.

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Come prepared with your laptop and questions and make sure that your business idea does not infringe on someone else's intellectual property ("freedom to operate"). Hosted by the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property, this interactive half-day event will take you through a deep-dive of topics from the previous IP seminar and will conclude with a workshop where you conduct your own patent search.
 
Please feel free to contact us at office@venture.ch should you have any questions.
 

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Dr Marcelo G. Mattar, University of Cambridge, UK.

To make decisions, we must evaluate candidate choices by accessing records of relevant experiences. Yet little is known about which experiences the brain considers or ignore during planning, which ultimately affects choice. In this talk, I will describe my research revealing principles by which we use our memories to plan and decide. First, I will describe a normative theory predicting which memories would be ideally accessed at each moment to optimize future decisions. Using nonlocal “replay” of spatial locations in hippocampus as a window into memory access, I will show simulations of a spatial navigation task where an ideal agent accesses memories of locations sequentially, ordered by utility: how much extra reward would be earned due to better choices. This prioritization balances two desiderata: the need to evaluate imminent choices, vs. the gain from propagating newly encountered information to preceding locations. In addition to explaining the role of memory in planning, this theory offers a simple explanation for numerous findings about place cells and unifies seemingly disparate proposed functions of replay including planning, learning, and consolidation. I will then present an experimental framework using neuroimaging in humans to predict and measure memory reactivation during planning and its effect on choice, including techniques from machine learning and network science. Finally, I will describe a broader research program for understanding the neural mechanisms of how we plan and decide and the implications for related psychiatric disorders such as rumination and craving.
 
Bio
Marcelo Mattar is a Newton International Postdoctoral Fellow working at University of Cambridge and Princeton University with Máté Lengyel and Nathaniel Daw. He studies learning and decision-making using a combination of theoretical and human behavioral/imaging approaches, with a particular interest in reinforcement learning and Bayesian inference. He completed his PhD in Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied network theory with Danielle Bassett and visual adaptation with Geoffrey Aguirre.

Video transmission using zoom : https://epfl.zoom.us/j/9946495775

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Dr. Camille PETIT
Department of Chemical Engineering,
Barrer Centre, Imperial College London

ChE-605 - Highlights in Energy Research seminar series
Access to clean water along with sustainable energy and the protection of the environment are probably the greatest challenges of our society but also a unique opportunity to reshape our technology landscape. Major molecular separation issues underpin these areas. Take for instance CO₂ capture: here, one wishes to separate CO₂ from other flue gas (or ambient air) components. Notably, existing separation processes account for 10 to 15% of the world energy consumption. Researchers must propose transformative approaches to molecular separations possibly exploiting the increasing complexity and sophistication of materials available to perform such separations.
This seminar will provide an overview of our research – past and current – in that direction. I will discuss selected examples of our work on the design, synthesis, characterisation and testing of porous materials (i.e. sorbents) to address separation challenges related to environmental, water and energy sustainability. I will focus specifically on our study of metal-organic frameworks and porous boron nitride for applications in carbon management and solar energy conversion. I will describe how our approach to material design, which combines aspects of chemistry, materials science and chemical engineering, enables us to identify key materials structure-property relationships while also accelerating the identification of the ‘best’ material for a given application.
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Dr. Rebecca Janisch is Research Group Leader in the field of Mechanical Properties of Interfaces, at the Department of Micromechanical and Macroscopic Modeling at ICAMS, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Germany. Her work mostly focuses on understanding mechanical properties of interfaces using both Ab-initio electronic structure calculations, and classical molecular dynamics simulations. Dr. Janisch obtained her PhD at the department “Gefüge und Grenzflächen”, Max PlanckInstitut für Metallforschung Stuttgart. She held  postdoctoral research positions at the Technische Universität Chemnitz in Germany, and at the University of California Santa Barbara, USA. Prior to joining  Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Dr. Janisch was Member of academic staff at the Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg in Germany.  

Abstract: Continuum mechanics provides an efficient way to model fracture at the engineering scale, based on stresses, stress intensity factors, and energy release rates. Additionally, material-specific information and failure criteria are required to describe fracture at this scale. At the atomic scale, in contrast, the breaking of atomic bonds is caused by critical forces acting on individual atoms. Approaches to bridge the two scales so far suffer from the impossibility to directly convert the atomic forces at which bonds are breaking into meaningful continuum mechanical failure stresses.
Challenges on the way are the environment-dependency of the critical forces, which are needed to separate pairs of atoms, as well as the quantitative difference between critical stresses on the atomistic respectively mesoscopic length scale by several orders of magnitude. In this presentation existing approaches to overcome these problems will be reviewed. Our ongoing efforts to develop a fracture mechanical model will be presented, which scales the atomic forces occurring during bond breaking into meaningful continuum mechanical quantities in form of scale-sensitive traction separation laws. The model is established for fracture in brittle, single crystalline tungsten. Possible extensions to systems including defects such as grain boundaries, will be discussed.
 
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Martin Coux, Engineering Mechanics of Soft lnterfaces EMSI, EPFL

Abstract  On hard solids, roughness increases wetting properties: hydrophilic substrates become more hydrophilic, hydrophobic become more hydrophobic. Above a critical roughness, poorly wetting substrates become almost non-wetting: deposited liquids remain at the top of the textures that cover the solid so that they are actually sitting on a cushion of air trapped inside the textures. The substrates are in this case called «superhydrophobic», they exhibit very interesting properties such as water-repellency, drag reduction, self-cleaning. In this presentation, we will discuss how the softness of a superhydrophobic substrate can modify its non (poor) wetting properties through three examples.
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Professor Dong Sub Kim 김 동섭 (金 東燮), Dean School of Management Engineering, UNIST & Head, Institute for the 4th Industrial Revolution. 

Abstract
Korea has been one of the fastest growing countries in the world. Main driving force has been manufacturing but now we are facing trilemma. We need to turn it around by utilizing I4.0. To overcome these challenges we should transform by innovation starting from R&D and technology, and with product innovation followed by process and business model innovation. A few cases will be presented utilizing big data/AI and IIOT.
 
While companies recognize opportunities of I4.0, many do not know where and how to start. Understanding and pace of digital transformation is uneven across industries/individuals. Therefore, we are developing an evaluation tool to provide a common level of understanding and where to start and how to implement.
 
Predictive maintenance is one of the enablers for the future of production. Oil industries have been looking into improving safety and plant availability. A few initiatives on predictive maintenance, risk-based inspection (RBI) and reliability of refinery and petrochemical plant will be discussed.
 
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Giuseppe Iannaccone is Professor of electronics at the University of Pisa, Italy, Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and Fellow of the American Physical Society.  His interests include the fundamentals of transport and noise in nanoelectronic and mesoscopic devices, the development of device modeling and TCAD tools, and the design of extremely low-power circuits and systems for RFID and ambient intelligence scenarios. He has published more than 200 papers in peer-reviewed journals and more than 130 papers in proceedings of international conferences. Giuseppe Iannaccone has coordinated a few European and National Projects involving multiple partners and has acted as the Principal Investigator in several research projects funded by European and National public agencies and by private organizations. He is presently coordinating the QUEFORMAL FET h2020 project, Quantum Engineering for Machine Learning. Find more on him on www.iannaccone.org

Abstract: In this talk we will discuss the challenges, opportunities, and the performance potential of atomistic engineering of electron devices exploiting the fundamental properties of 2D material heterostructures, with a particular attention to computer architectures for machine learning applications.
The “materials-on-demand paradigm” based on the 2D materials is a modern evolution of what in the 1980s was called “band-gap engineering” or “band-structure engineering”, i.e., the artificial modification of band edge profiles using heterostructures made possible by epitaxial growth of III-V and II-VI material systems.
Lateral and vertical heterostructures of 2D materials could represent a revolutionary and enabling technology to device engineering providing the possibility to engineer transistors and memory at the atomistic scale, which we like to call “quantum engineering”.
We will show that the challenge of equipping devices at the edge of the cloud with cognitive capabilities requires dedicated machine learning chips and innovation in architectures, circuits and technology, for which heterostructures of 2D materials appear to be particularly well suited.
 
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Professor Alex de Marco, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia http://www.demarco-lab.com/research

Focused Ion Beam (FIB) milling is a key technology for nano-scale cellular imaging. The utility of FIB ranges from large volume imaging of resin embedded samples to cryo-lamella preparation of frozen-hydrated samples, which make this technology indispensable for modern imaging requirements. Our work demonstrates the advantages of working with non-conventional plasma FIB sources (especially the use of reactive species such as oxygen) for fast FIB/SEM tomography and cryo-lamella preparation, demonstrating a throughput increase up to 30% and superior sample compatibility. In association with the use of optimised beams we developed an integrated correlative light and FIB/SEM setup which removes the need of cryo-transfers between cryo-light microscopy and cryo-lamella preparation. This setup simplifies the procedure for correlative imaging, it allows better targeted cryo-lamella preparation and reduces the ice contamination which typically curses cryo-samples.

Bio :
I obtained my PhD at EMBL working in the group of John Briggs. Here, I contributed to the development of image processing for high resolution sub-tomogram averaging while investigating the structural changes occurring during the viral maturation of HIV-1. After my PhD I moved to FEI Company (now part of ThermoFisher Scientific) where I worked as product manager for FIB/SEM microscopes and correlative microscopy. At the end of 2015 I established my laboratory at Monash University. Here, our main focus is on methods and hardware development for cryo-EM and correlative FIB/SEM microscopy.

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Raffael Tschui from Octanis Instruments.
Electrical Engineer MSc EPFL

Learn how to properly draw an electronic circuit onto a physical board. We will use the free and open-source software KiCAD.
Some basics in electronics are required.

Bring your own laptop (Win/Mac/Linux)!

Learning Objectives
- Create PCB footprints from device datasheets
- Best practices for component placement and power/signal routing
- Export PCB fabrication files
 

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Raffael Tschui from Octanis Instruments.
Electrical Engineer MSc EPFL

It is now possible to get a WiFi - enabled *CE + FCC certified* microcontroller module for just above 2 Francs. Documentation might be quirky at times and getting started difficult, however - together with the maker community - the vendor, Chinese silicon company Espressif systems, is working to provide example code and help out on the forums. This introductory course will show you how to write C code, compile and flash it to the ESP8266 module using Arduino IDE.
Bring your own laptop (Win/Mac/Linux)!

Learning Objectives
- Using the Arduino IDE for the ESP8266
- Write a basic C program
- Write a simple web interface to fetch sensor data from the ESP8266

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Prof. Dr. Christoph Keplinger
University of Colorado Boulder

Institute of Microengineering - Distinguished Lecture

Campus Lausanne SV 1717 (live)
Campus Microcity MC B0 302 (video)
Zoom Live Stream: https://epfl.zoom.us/j/805358547

Abstract: Robots today rely on rigid components and electric motors based on metal and magnets, making them heavy, unsafe near humans, expensive and ill-suited for unpredictable environments. Nature, in contrast, makes extensive use of soft materials and has produced organisms that drastically outperform robots in terms of agility, dexterity, and adaptability. The Keplinger Lab aims to fundamentally challenge current limitations of robotic hardware, using an interdisciplinary approach that synergizes concepts from soft matter physics and chemistry with advanced engineering technologies to introduce intelligent materials systems for a new generation of life-like robots. One major theme of research is the development of new classes of actuators – a key component of all robotic systems – that replicate the sweeping success of biological muscle, a masterpiece of evolution featuring astonishing all-around actuation performance, the ability to self-heal after damage, and seamless integration with sensing.

This talk is focused on the labs' recently introduced HASEL artificial muscle technology. Hydraulically Amplified Self-healing ELectrostatic (HASEL) transducers are a new class of self-sensing, high-performance muscle-mimetic actuators, which are electrically driven and harness a mechanism that couples electrostatic and hydraulic forces to achieve a wide variety of actuation modes. Current designs of HASEL are capable of exceeding actuation stress of 0.3 MPa, linear strain of 100%, specific power of 600W/kg, full-cycle electromechanical efficiency of 30% and bandwidth of over 100Hz; all these metrics match or exceed the capabilities of biological muscle. Additionally, HASEL actuators can repeatedly and autonomously self-heal after electric breakdown, thereby enabling robust performance. Further, this talk introduces a facile fabrication technique that uses an inexpensive CNC heat sealing device to rapidly prototype HASELs. New designs of HASEL incorporate mechanisms to greatly reduce operating voltages, enabling the use of lightweight and portable electronics packages to drive untethered soft robotic devices powered by HASELs. Modeling results predict the impact of material parameters and scaling laws of these actuators, laying out a roadmap towards future HASEL actuators with drastically improved performance. These results highlight opportunities to further develop HASEL artificial muscles for wide use in next-generation robots that replicate the vast capabilities of biological systems.

Bio: Christoph Keplinger is an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering and a Fellow of the Materials Science and Engineering Program at the University of Colorado Boulder, where he also holds an endowed appointment serving as Mollenkopf Faculty Fellow. Building upon his background in soft matter physics (PhD, JKU Linz), mechanics and chemistry (Postdoc, Harvard University), he leads a highly interdisciplinary research group at Boulder, with a current focus on (I) soft, muscle-mimetic actuators and sensors, (II) energy harvesting and (III) functional polymers. His work has been published in top journals including Science, Science Robotics, PNAS, Advanced Materials and Nature Chemistry, as well as highlighted in popular outlets such as National Geographic. He has received prestigious US awards such as a 2017 Packard Fellowship for Science and Engineering, and international awards such as the 2013 EAPromising European Researcher Award from the European Scientific Network for Artificial Muscles. He is the principal inventor of HASEL artificial muscles, a new technology that will help enable a next generation of life-like robotic hardware; in 2018 he co-founded Artimus Robotics to commercialize the HASEL technology.

Note: The Seminar Series is eligible for ECTS credits in the EDMI doctoral program.

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Dr Etienne Meylan

Abstract:
With approximately 1.8 million deaths each year, lung cancer has become the leading cause of cancer mortality in women and men worldwide. In the last fifteen years, great clinical progress has been made that offers new hope for patients, as exemplified by the advent of targeted therapies and more recently immunotherapies. Yet, current treatments only benefit a fraction of patients and rarely lead to a cure. To address the molecular and cellular mechanisms driving lung cancer growth and treatment resistance, my laboratory combines human tumor material, genetically-engineered mouse models, bioinformatics, and new research tools that we develop to manipulate both tumor cells and host cells. In this seminar, I will summarize our recent investigations and technology development in two intersecting major research areas: tumor immunology and cancer metabolism. First, in exploring tumor-infiltrating immune cells, we identified a population of neutrophils that promotes lung tumor progression as well as their resistance to immunotherapy. Second, in studying lung cancer metabolism, we found that tumor-associated neutrophils, similarly to lung tumor cells, upregulate the expression of high-affinity glucose transporters; this change rewires metabolic activity and fosters tumor growth. We are currently making use of the above findings to identify new pathways and vulnerabilities that could be exploited for simultaneously targeting tumor cells and non-cancerous, tumor-supporting neutrophils, with the ultimate goal to impact cancer growth and sensitize refractory tumors to immunotherapy.

Short bio:
Etienne Meylan received a PhD in Life Sciences from the University of Lausanne in 2006, for his work on innate immunity performed in the laboratory of Jürg Tschopp. From 2007 to 2010, he worked as a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Tyler Jacks at MIT, Cambridge USA. In 2011, he established his research laboratory at ISREC, as a Swiss National Science Foundation Professor and since 2013 as a Tenure-track Assistant Professor. His laboratory studies the molecular and cellular mechanisms that contribute to the development of lung cancer, with a particular focus on alterations of tumor immunology and metabolism. Understanding these crucial perturbations of tumors may lead to a better comprehension of this devastating disease and to new perspectives of treatment.
 
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Prof. Fritz Bircher, HES-SO Fribourg, Switzerland

Inkjet is known for decades to be used in graphical applications. In recent time, the use of inkjet technology for functional applications as printed electronics, additive manufacturing and bio printing started to evolve into emerging markets of digital production. Alone or in hybrid combination with other digital manufacturing processes, it will play an important role in advanced manufacturing and digital production. Inkjet is digital by its nature offering the deposition of tiny droplets as single material units. With several print heads jetting different materials each, inkjet technology represents a digital 3D construction kit with very versatile potential. With the increasing offer of new materials, especially when they are developed for the use with inkjet, the technology becomes even more relevant for advanced manufacturing. One of the major challenges is the solidifying of the deposited multi material structures, where post-treatment is a key part of it and has to become digital as well.
Bio: Fritz Bircher studied electrical engineering at ETH Zurich. After graduating he worked as an R&D engineer for different companies developing mechatronic system solutions. In 1993 he was appointed professor at Berne University of Applied Sciences, where he started his research in inkjet printing, studying and exploring all possible jetting and dispensing principles with all kinds of materials in a wide range of applications. In 2012 he joined the School of Engineering and Architecture Fribourg, member of the University of Applied Sciences of Western Switzerland, where he founded the iPrint Institute for Printing located on the Marly Innovation Center. Fritz’s main research interests based on inkjet printing include packaging printing, direct-to-shape printing, material printing including 3D printing and bio printing.

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Prof. Andy Ruina, Mechanical Engineering, Cornell University

Abstract:
Many airplanes can, or nearly can, glide stably without control. So, it seems natural that the first successful powered flight followed from mastery of gliding. Many bicycles can, or nearly can, balance themselves when in motion. Bicycle design seems to have evolved to gain this feature. Also, we can make toys and ‘robots’ that, like a stable glider or coasting bicycle, stably walk without motors or control in a remarkably human-like way. Again, it seems to make sense to use `passive-dynamics’ as a core for developing the control of walking robots and to gain understanding of the control of walking people. That's what I used to think. But, so far, this passive approach has not led to robust walking robots. What about human evolution? We didn’t evolve dynamic bodies and then learn to control them. Rather, people had elaborate control systems way back when we were fish and even worms. However: if control is paramount, why is it that uncontrolled passive-dynamic walkers walk so much like humans? It seems that energy optimal, yet robust, control, perhaps a proxy for evolutionary development, arrives at solutions that have some features in common with passive-dynamics. Instead of thinking of good powered walking as passive walking with a small amount of control added, I now think of good powered walking, human or robotic, as highly controlled, while optimized mostly for avoiding falls and, secondarily, for minimal actuator use. When well done, much of the motor effort, always at the ready, is usually titrated out. Thus, deceptively looking, “passive”.

Bio:
Andy Ruina has 3 Engineering degrees, essentially in engineering mechanics, from Brown University. He was a recipient of the National Science Foundation's Presidential Young Investigator Award (similar to the more recent NSF Career Award). He has been a Professor at Cornell since 1980, initially in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (TAM) and now in Mechanical Engineering (ME). He has taught about 7,000 students and got the Engineering College's biggest teaching prize in 2015), had about 200 students do projects in his lab,  had 14 completed PhDs, about 10 short-term foreign visitors and a few post-docs. His Ph.D. training was in solid mechanics (stress and strain). His research has gone from friction and earthquakes to collisions, bicycles (e.g., stability eigenvalues), biomechanics and robotics (mostly balance and energetics). I knows some dynamics and dynamical system. Most of his teaching has been in solid mechanics, dynamics, engineering math and robotics. His academic value is more related to mechanical intuition than to mathematical formalism. I has written a 1000-page undergraduate textbook and about 60, peer-reviewed papers. These are cited about 1000 times per year. Twenty six of the papers have been cited over 100 times, and three papers have been cited over 1,000 times.
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Eduardo Rocha, Department of Genomes and Genetics, Institut Pasteur, Paris

Evolutionary processes are typically described as the result of mutation, descent and selection. Many microbes lack sexual reproduction but have the ability to  acquire genetic information from very distantly related organisms. Horizontal gene transfer allows the instantaneous acquisition of new complex adaptive traits and their transmission to subsequent generations. This speeds up evolutionary processes as exemplified by the acquisition of virulence traits in emerging infectious agents and by antibiotic resistance in many human bacterial pathogens. In this talk, I'll describe how bacteria control and organize the influx of novel genetic information, and how this results not only in the spread of adaptive functions, but also on radical functional innovation.
 

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Fransesco De Rubertis

Learn how a Venture Capital can fund and support high potential scientists and early translational technologies, on their path towards development.

The seminar by Dr. Francesco de Rubertis will be followed by 1-on-1 workshop with Francesco, and probably other Industry experts, where EPFL  members can pitch their translational project (on Doodle registration until  25.03.2019 at https://epfl.doodle.com/poll/k2pyewrz4q9p74md)

This seminar is in the frame of  the 1st C4L Translational Innovation Evening; A bi-monthly series of informal events where researchers of the EPFL School of Life Sciences can pitch and discuss their early stage translational project with senior industry experts.

MedicXi is a Venture Capital firm,  equally comfortable to invest at a very early-stage of drug development, when candidate drugs have just been discovered and are entering preclinical stage, as at later stages of clinical development.

Francesco is a co-founder and Partner at Medicxi. Prior to Medicxi, Francesco was a partner at Index Ventures for 19 years, having joined the firm in 1997 to launch its life sciences practice. Under his leadership, the asset-centric approach to life sciences investing was conceived and adopted. Francesco currently serves on the boards of a number of portfolio companies, including Janpix and Critical Pressure.   Francesco’s prior investments include CellZome (acquired by GlaxoSmithKline), GenMab (Copenhagen: GEN.CO), GenSight Biologics (Euronext: SIGHT), Micromet (acquired by Amgen), Minerva Neurosciences (NASDAQ:NERV), Molecular Partners (Swiss:MOLN.SW), PanGenetics (acquired by Abbott), Parallele Biosciences (acquired by Affymetrix), Profibrix (acquired by The Medicines Company), Versartis (NASDAQ:VSAR). Francesco received a BA in Genetics and Microbiology from the University of Pavia and a PhD Molecular Biology from the University of Geneva. He conducted postdoctoral research at the Whitehead Institute at MIT and is a CFA Charterholder. Francesco also serves on the strategic advisory board of the University of Geneva.
 

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Prof. Anpan Han
Technical University of Denmark

Abstract: The journey starts with making nanopatterns in water ice, and using this technology to build nanopore DNA sequencing devices. Today, it has evolved into cutting-edge additive manufacturing technology. The finest features are just 3 nm, and the largest patterns are 1 mm. The starting materials are organic ices, and they are cross-linked or polymerized by a focused electron beam into organic network materials. Research application examples are neurotechnologies, quantum technologies, sustainable plastic production, and telecommunications.
 
Bio: Associate Prof. Anpan Han studied theoretical and biophysics at the Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. He joined the IMT, University of Neuchâtel, in 2002 and received his PhD in 2006. From 2008 until 2011 he worked as a postdoc in the Harvard Nanopore Group. From 2011 – 2014, he was in charge of setting up cleanroom facilities at Aarhus University, Denmark. In 2018 he was appointed associate professor at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark.  His research focusses on additive manufacturing and MEMS technologies for medical applications. He is co-responsible for additive manufacturing courses.
 

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Keynote - Margaret J. Wheatley: The essential role played by women leaders: past, present, and future

Panel: The need for women’s leadership is more acute than ever. How can we make this happen?

Last year, the SNSF launched PRIMA, its new funding scheme for outstanding women researchers. PRIMA grantees benefit from a first-rate leadership programme, which we are launching at a special event in Bern. Don't miss the opportunity to hear a thought-provoking keynote speech by the renowned leadership expert Margaret J. Wheatley and participate in discussions on leadership and gender in science. By attending the event, you will also be contributing to the visibility and networking of women scientists.

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Prof. Hubert GIRAULT, Laboratoire d'électrochimie phyisque et analytique // Dr. Philippe CHARLEZ, Ing. des Mines, Dr. en physique, conseiller technique auprès du directeur de la communication d'un grand groupe pétrolier // Modération: William HEINZER    

L’avenir de l’énergie se joue maintenant !
 
Pas un jour ne s’écoule sans nouvelles alarmantes sur le front du réchauffement climatique. Les appels à l’action s’amplifient. Où cela nous mène-t-il ? Quelles sont les voies de la transition énergétique scientifiquement, technologiquement et économiquement vraisemblables ? Quelles sources d’énergie ? Quels vecteurs ? Quels stockages ? Quels moyens de distribution ? Les décisions prises aujourd’hui nous engageront sur les voies optimales ou dans le mur.
 
L’Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne et l’Institut Sapiens vous invitent mercredi 3 avril à 18h30 à un débat public entre deux experts de haut niveau :
 
Philippe Charlez, ingénieur des mines de l’Ecole Polytechnique de Mons, docteur en physique de l’Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, professeur à Science Po Paris, à l’INSEAD, à Mines Paris Tech et au Centre International de Formation Européenne, expert énergie à l’Institut Sapiens et conseiller technique auprès du directeur de la communication d’un grand groupe pétrolier. Auteur notamment de : « Croissance, énergie, climat, dépasser la quadrature du cercle » aux éditions De Boek Supérieur.
 
Hubert Girault, directeur du laboratoire d’électrochimie physique et analytique à Sion (VS) où il mène des recherches fondamentales sur les fuels solaires. Hubert Girault dirige aussi le centre de recherche Electromobilis à Martigny (VS) spécialisé dans le stockage par mégabatteries de l’énergie et dans la distribution d’hydrogène pour véhicules.

--> Inscription recommandée: go.epfl.ch/DebatEnergie2019
 
Pour Philippe Charlez, le mix énergétique mondial sera encore composé de 50% d’énergies fossiles en 2050, contre 84% aujourd’hui. Les énergies renouvelables, par nature intermittentes, ne sont envisageables que localement. Elles doivent être étroitement couplées au gaz - afin de sortir définitivement du charbon - ou à l’énergie nucléaire. Mais la transition énergétique n’est pas seulement électrique. Sur les grandes distances, on sera en mesure de conserver des véhicules thermiques qui consommeront trois fois moins d’essence. A terme, pour préserver la croissance, seule la fusion nucléaire pourra prendre le relais des énergies fossiles. La pensée unique véhiculée par l’écologie politique et militante nous détourne malheureusement aujourd’hui des décisions optimales.
 
Pour Hubert Girault, il est juste de parler de mix énergétique encore à long terme, cependant l’énergie solaire est en train de s’imposer ainsi que l’énergie éolienne marine. L’hydrogène, en tant que vecteur des énergies renouvelables, est en mesure de progressivement se substituer aux énergies fossiles. Des camions et des trains rouleront à l’hydrogène. Des bateaux navigueront à l’hydrogène. Des drones voleront à l’hydrogène. Les batteries ou l’hydrogène alimenteront les voitures électriques, majoritaires sur les routes. L’Europe, qui a déjà perdu la bataille des batteries pour voitures, peut et doit s’investir dans l’avenir de l’hydrogène.
 
Le débat sera animé par William Heinzer, ex-journaliste à la RTS et ambassadeur de l’Institut Sapiens en Suisse Romande. Son objectif : le taux 0 jargon. Sa conviction : les thèmes de cette importance doivent être mis à la portée du grand public, hors de tout dogmatisme politique, grâce à la confrontation des meilleurs scientifiques.
 
Ce sera la première apparition publique en Suisse Romande de l’Institut Sapiens.

--> Inscription recommandée: go.epfl.ch/DebatEnergie2019


 
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Dr. Nenad Bijelić, postdoctoral scholar at the Unit of Applied Mechanics, University of Innsbruck, Austria

Limited data on strong earthquakes and their effects on structures poses one of the main challenges of making reliable risk assessments of tall buildings. For instance, while the collapse safety of tall buildings is likely controlled by large magnitude earthquakes with long durations and high low-frequency content, there are few available recorded ground motions to evaluate these issues. The influence of geologic basins on amplifying ground motion effects raises additional questions. Absent recorded motions from past large magnitude earthquakes, physics-based ground motion simulations provide an attractive alternative. This talk will focus on utilization of simulated ground motions for performance assessment of tall buildings with the following overall goals: (1) developing confidence in the use of simulated ground motions through comparative assessments of recorded and simulated motions; (2) identifying important characteristics of extreme ground motions for collapse safety of tall buildings; (3) exploring areas where simulated ground motions provide significant advantages over recorded motions for performance-based engineering. First, we will examine an effort to validate the use of physics-based simulations in engineering applications by using ground motions simulated with Southern California Earthquake Center’s (SCEC) Broadband Platform (BBP). Next, collapse risk of tall buildings in the Los Angeles basin will be investigated by contrasting conventional risk assessments with assessments obtained utilizing the SCEC CyberShake simulations. Finally, we will quantify the influence of basin effects on seismic collapse risk and present machine learning approaches for identification of efficient intensity measures and development of reliable collapse classification algorithms. Opportunities for future work will be discussed.

Bio
Nenad Bijelić is currently a postdoctoral scholar at the Unit of Applied Mechanics, University of Innsbruck, Austria. He obtained his Ph.D. (2018) and M.S. (2014) from Stanford University, USA, and B.S. (2010) from University of Zagreb, Croatia all in civil engineering. In 2012 he received the Fulbright Science and Technology award to study earthquake engineering in the USA. His research is in the area of structural and earthquake engineering focusing on dynamics of nonlinear systems and application of statistical and machine learning tools. Focus of his recent research was on reliable risk assessment of tall buildings located in sedimentary basins through high-performance computing and utilization of emergent technologies in earthquake simulations. He is a reviewer for Natural Hazards Review and served as a reviewer for the 11^th U.S. National Conference on Earthquake Engineering. 

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Lukas Novotny, Professor of Photonics at ETH Zurich and Professor of Optics and Physics at the University of Rochester, NY. L. Novotny did his diploma and doctoral degree ETH Zurich. His doctoral work was in collaboration with the IBM Research Laboratories and dealt with theoretical problems in near-field optics, for which he was awarded the ETH Medal. From 1996-99 he was a postdoctoral fellow at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, working on new schemes of single molecule detection and nonlinear spectroscopy. In 1999 he joined the faculty of the Institute of Optics where he started one of the first research programs with focus on nano-optics. Novotny is the author of the textbook 'Principles of Nano-Optics', which is currently in its second edition.  He is a Fellow of the Optical Society of America and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Abstract: I discuss our experiments with optically levitated nanoparticles in ultrahigh vacuum. Using both active and passive feedback techniques we cool the particle’s center-of-mass temperature to T ∼ 100µK and reach mean quantum occupation numbers of n ∼ 15. I show that mechanical quality factors of Q = 10⁹can be reached and that damping is dominated by photon recoil heating. The vacuum-trapped nanoparticle forms an ideal model system for studying non-equilibrium processes, nonlinear interactions, and ultrasmall forces. 
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Luc Patiny and Raffael Tschui from Octanis

This workshop shows you the fastest way of creating a simple box that can be cut out on a laser cutter. No prior knowledge required!

Bring your own laptop (Win/Mac/Linux)!

Learning Objectives
- Parametrically design a PCB enclosure with OpenSCAD
- Export the design file to the laser cutter
- Safety procedures and control of the laser cutter

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Beat Geissmann from Rovenso / Octanis Instruments.

In this workshop, you will learn to go beyond simple Arduino applications. We will teach you the basic set of skills to develop complex embedded systems with a lot of practical examples and hands-on training.

Some C programming knowledge required.

Learning Objectives:
- Use hardware interrupts to react to external signals
- Interpret the information in a microcontroller datasheet to understand its core functionality
- Modify register values to configure peripherals of the microcontroller
- Use timers to program periodic events or to measure time intervals
- Establish a communication link with external sensors or modules via a serial protocol

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Prof. Chad Mirkin, Northwestern University, Evanston. IL (USA)

WEEKLY BIOENGINEERING COLLOQUIA SERIES
(sandwiches served)

Abstract:
To be provided.

Bio:
Chad A. Mirkin, Ph.D., is the Director of the International Institute for Nanotechnology and the George B. Rathmann Professor of Chemistry. Mirkin also is a professor of chemical and biological engineering, biomedical engineering, materials science & engineering, and medicine at Northwestern University.
Mirkin is a chemist and world-renowned nanoscience expert who is known for his discovery and development of spherical nucleic acids (SNAs), and the many medical diagnostic, therapeutic, and materials applications that have derived from them: Dip-Pen Naolithography (recognized by National Geographic as one of the "top 100 scientific discoveries that changed the world"); and numerous other contributions to supramolecular chemistry.
He is one of very few scientists elected into all three branches of the US National Academies (Medicine, Science, and Engineering). He served for eight years a member of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology under President Barack Obama. He has been recognized for his accomplishments with several national and international awards, including: the Raymond and Beverly Sackler Prize in Convergence Research, the Dan David Prize, the Wilhelm Exner Medal, the RUSNANOPRIZE, the Dickson Prize in Science, the American Institute of Chemists Gold Medal, and the $500,000 Lemelson-MIT Prize.
Mirkin holds a B.S. degree from Dickinson College (1986, elected into Phi Beta Kappa) and a Ph.D.in chemistry from The Pennsylvania State University (1989). He was an NSF Postdoctoral Fellow at MIT prior to becoming a professor at Northwestern University in 1991.
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Prof. Gero Decher, Charles Sadron Institute, Strasbourg France

Most of the current materials are isotropic, materials with anisotropic properties are in general much more difficult to prepare and much more difficult to characterize. In the past our team has introduced the so-called Layer-by-Layer (LbL) assembly method1,2) which has the largest choice of deployable components among all existing techniques for surface functionalization. It allows to design and prepare nanoscale materials composed of hundreds of different components with adjustable multifunctionality, a task close to impossible for most other self-assembly methods.
For the preparation of highly anisotropic nanocomposites we have recently introduced grazing incidence spraying3,4) (Fig. 1) for aligning nano-wires, nano-rods and nano-fibers in-plane during the deposition of individual layers when building up LbL-assemblies. With unidirectionally oriented multilayers one can for example fabricate multilayer films containing ultrathin polarizers4). Grazing incidence spraying is, however, capable of producing more complex anisotropies even over large surface areas by changing the direction of alignment in each individual layer of a multilayer films.

References:
1) See for example: Layer-by-Layer Assembly of Multifunctional Hybrid Materials and Nanoscale Devices, Seyrek E and Decher G
(2012). In: Polymer Science: A Comprehensive Reference, Vol 7, (2012) pp. 159–185, Matyjaszewski K. and Möller M. (eds.),
Amsterdam: Elsevier BV
2) G. Decher, Science 277 (5330), 1232-1237 (1997)
3) R. Blell, X.F. Lin, T. Lindstrøm, M. Ankerfors, M. Pauly, O. Felix and Gero Decher, ACS Nano 11(1), 84-94 (2016).
4) H. Hu, M. Pauly, O. Felix and G. Decher, Nanoscale 9(3), 1307-1314 (2016).
Bio: • 2004-2007 Membre nommé du Comité National (C.N.R.S., Section 11)
• since 2005 Co-Editor “Biointerphases” (American Institute of Physics)
• 2005 Chair Gordon Research Conference on "Ion-Containing Polymers", May 1-6,
2005, Il Ciocco, Barga, Italy, (Chairs: Gero Decher & Robert B. Moore)
• 2003 Chair Gordon Research Conference on "Organic Thin Films", May 18-23, 2003,
Il Ciocco, Barga, Italy
• 2001-2009 Deputy Director of the Institut Charles Sadron (CNRS, UPR 22)
• 2000-2005 Editorial Advisory Board "Nano Letters" (American Chemical Society)

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Jean-Pierre Luminet, astrophysicien, conférencier, écrivain et poète français, spécialiste de réputation mondiale des trous noirs et de la cosmologie. Il est directeur de recherche au CNRS, membre du Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille (LAM). Marc Atallah, directeur de la Maison d’ailleurs à Yverdon-Les-Bains, physicien et maître d'enseignement et de recherche à l'Université de Lausanne, spécialiste de science-fiction. George Meylan, professeur émérite d’Astrophysique et de Cosmologie à l’EPFL.

Après avoir accueilli Alain Damasio en 2017 et Eduardo Kac en 2018, la Bibliothèque de l’EPFL a le plaisir d’annoncer la venue de Jean-Pierre Luminet dans la cadre de l’édition 2019 du Printemps de la Poésie.

Inscription nécessaire

Sa carrière n’étant plus à tracer, le voyage qu’il nous invite à faire le lundi 8 avril prochain dès 18h sera sans conteste d’une ampleur inégalée. Jean-Pierre Luminet a largement contribué à la connaissance de l’univers par ses travaux sur les trous noirs, la cosmologie et l’histoire des sciences. A ses activités de scientifique, il ajoute celles d'un auteur tour à tour poète, essayiste et romancier dans une œuvre protéiforme où science, histoire, musique et art sont liés. Ainsi, ses romans gravitent autour des grands noms de l’astronomie et constituent la saga des « Bâtisseurs du ciel » en sept volumes. Son essai intitulé « Illuminations : Cosmos et Esthétique » résume bien l’ensemble de ses champs d’intérêt.

Dans cette rencontre, Jean-Pierre Luminet relatera son parcours à travers science, littérature et art, en choisissant librement de développer tel ou tel thème, le fil conducteur restant la poésie qui, selon lui, tente d’explorer le double abîme du cosmos et de l’âme humaine. La conférence sera suivie d’une table ronde assurée par des orateurs éminents dans le domaine : Marc Atallah, directeur de la Maison d’ailleurs à Yverdon-Les-Bains, physicien et maître d'enseignement et de recherche à l'Université de Lausanne, spécialiste de science-fiction ; et George Meylan, professeur émérite d’Astrophysique et de Cosmologie à l’EPFL.

Programme
17h30 - 18h00 : Accueil des participants
18h00 - 18h10 : Mot de bienvenue par le Printemps de la Poésie et la Bibliothèque de l'EPFL
18h10 - 19h00 : Conférence de Jean-Pierre Luminet
19h00 - 19h30 : Table ronde
19h30 - 19h45 : Questions du public
19h45 - 20h30 : Apéritif
 
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Prof. Marie-Laure Bocquet, CNRS, Chemistry Laboratory, ENS Paris

Abstract:
Graphene is an attractive candidate for carbon-based electronic devices. However the absence of band gap is a major hindrance for this promising application. There is a need to develop facile routes for engineering the band gap via molecular functionalizations. The challenge resides in the fact that graphene is assumed to be chemically inert. [1]
In this talk I will mitigate this assumption and show using state-of-the-art quantum chemistry how graphene can properly react with molecules under mild conditions, first in UHV on a specific UHV graphene/metal interface [2] and seconds in alkaline water solvent .[3-4]
 
References:
[1] A. Eftekhari, H. Garcia, Materials Today Chemistry 4, 1 (2017).
[2] S. J. Altenburg, M. Lattelais, B. Wang, M.−L. Bocquet, and R. Berndt, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 137, 9452 (2015)
[3] B. Grosjean B, C. Péan, A. Siria, L. Bocquet, R. Vuilleumier, M.-L. Bocquet, J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 7, 4695 (2016)
[4] B. Grosjean, M.-L. Bocquet, L. Bocquet, Nature Com. in revision.
 
Bio:
Marie-Laure Bocquet (born 1968) graduated from the Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon in 1993, performed her phD about the simulation of STM images under the supervision of Philippe Sautet in the Chemistry Laboratory of ENS Lyon. She is now a Director of Research at the CNRS in the Chemistry Laboratory of ENS Paris, where her research interests are focused on the elucidation of chemical processes occuring at metallic, oxide or graphenic surfaces either in vacuum or in water media . They are mainly driven by high-resolution data acquired with a Scanning Tunneling Microscope STM or nanofluidic measurements in collaborative experimental groups.
In 2007 she held an one-year Humboldt Fellowship to study (in collaboration with Munich) the STM & theory of epitaxial graphene on metal surfaces. In 2013 she took a year sabbatical stay in the CNRS-MIT joint lab, Cambridge USA in 2013 working on atomistic models of shale gas.
Her scientific production consists of 79 publications in peer-reviewed journals (including Nature Chemistry, PRL, JACS and Angewandte), 26 Invited Talks in international conferences and 27 Invited Seminars in international institutions.
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Prof. Lydéric Bocquet, CNRS, ENS Paris

Abstract:
It is an exciting period for nanofluidics, the field exploring the transport of fluids at the nanoscales. Routes now exist to fabricate individual channels with nanometric and even sub-nanometric dimensions, while new instruments have also been invented to probe transport across these channels. And indeed, a number of quite exotic properties for water and ion transport have emerged since. This presentation will highlight several such phenomena.
 
Bio:
Lydéric Bocquet is director of research at CNRS and joint professor at the physics department of ENS Paris. He received his Ph.D. in theoretical physics in Lyon in 1994. His research interests extend to domains at the interface of soft condensed matter, fluid dynamics and nanoscience. He combines experiments, theory and simulations to explore the intimate mechanisms of fluid interfaces from the macroscopic down to the molecular level. His recent interests aimed at taking benefit of the unexpected fluid transport behavior occurring at the nanoscales to propose new routes for energy harvesting and desalination. Beyond academically oriented topics, he also has a strong interest in every-day life science. He obtained several awards, including two advanced grants of the ERC in 2010 and 2018. He is cofounder of the startup Sweetch Energy.
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Roland Tormey

Comment évaluer les étudiants de façon valide et objective en mesurant notamment s'ils ont atteint les acquis de formation visées.

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EPFL Tech4Impact and Ingénieurs du Monde cordially invite you to the 1st Showcase 2030 event at the Forum Rolex Learning Center on April 10!
The first EPFL Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) report provides impressive evidence of the University’s potential to advance the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. From tackling essential technology needs in emerging countries to addressing the global energy needs of tomorrow, these disruptive research projects provide innovative technological solutions to the most pressing global challenges of our time. Join us for an exciting evening with leading scientists and innovative start-ups who present break-through solutions that address a variety of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals!
The event is free of charge and is open to everyone. Please note that the event will be in English.
 

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Jean-Patrice Keka et Nestor Wembo

Depuis 2008, Jean-Patrice Keka et son équipe conçoivent et construisent des fusées en République Démocratique du Congo. Les moyens sur place étant dérisoires, Ils rivalisent d’ingéniosité : fuselage en boîtes de lait en poudre, composants électroniques récupérés dans de vieilles télévisions, logiciels maison, caméras de smartphone, propergol fabriqué à base de produits se trouvant dans le commerce. Afin de diminuer les coûts au maximum tout en restant dans les objectifs visés, ils s’appuient sur une méthode de calcul de appelée approximations multiples. Leur fusée Troposphère 4 a atteint 15 km d’altitude, ils visent 200 km pour leur prochain lancement, Troposphère 6. S’ils visent l’espace, ils ont surtout pour objectif de projeter les habitants du Congo dans l’avenir, de faire rêver, et d’inciter les jeunes à étudier la science.

Jean-Patrice Keka: Ingénieur né à Lubumbashi en 1968, formé à l’Institut Supérieur de techniques Appliquées, à Kinshasa. Marié, 4 enfants. A 12 ans, il étonne ses professeurs par sa curiosité et son esprit d’analyse et d’observation. Après ses études, il est nommé directeur technique du Centre de recherche CRPD, avant de créer la société Développement tous Azimuts (DTA) en 2002, avec laquelle il débutera notamment son programme spatial. Il créé en 2017 Keka Aerospace, qui lui est complètement dédié.

Nestor Wembo: Ingénieur né en 1970 à Lubumbashi, formé à l’institut Supérieur des techniques appliquées, à Kinshasa, où il a été conseiller du directeur général. Impliqué également dans la protection et la sensibilisation au VIH. Il travaille avec jean-Patrice Keka depuis 2008 comme ingénieur et est le directeur général de Keka Aerospace.
 

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Prof. Wilson A. SMITH
Department of Chemical Engineering,
Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands

ChE-605 - Highlights in Energy Research seminar series
Electrocatalytic CO₂ reduction has the dual-promise of neutralizing carbon emissions in the near future, while providing a long-term pathway to create energy-dense chemicals and fuels from atmospheric CO₂. The field has advanced immensely in recent years, taking significant strides towards commercial realization. While catalyst innovations have played a pivotal role in increasing the product selectivity and activity of both C1 and C2 products, slowing advancements indicate that electrocatalytic performance may be approaching a hard cap. Meanwhile, innovations at the systems level have resulted in the intensification of CO₂ reduction processes to industrially‑relevant current densities by using pressurized electrolytes, gas-diffusion electrodes and membrane-electrode assemblies to provide ample CO₂ to the catalyst. The immediate gains in performance metrics offered by operating under excess CO₂ conditions goes beyond a reduction of system losses and high current densities, however, with even simple catalysts outperforming many of their H-cell counterparts. This talk will focus on some of the underlying reasons for the observed changes in catalytic activity, and propose that further advances can be made by shifting additional efforts in catalyst discovery and fundamental studies to system-integrated testing platforms.  Recent results will be shown that highlight the use of computational modeling, in-situ/operando spectroelectrochemistry, and reactor engineering to understand and optimize electrochemical systems across many scales.
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This introduction workshop will show you how to:
- power on your Raspberry Pi with an SD card,
- remotely connect to your Raspberry Pi with SSH,
- connect to the internet using Wifi/Ethernet,
- run Python programs (and keeping them running forever),
- for advanced participants: connect external sensors

After the "theoretical part" of the workshop ends, you can stay and work on your Raspberry Pi project (16h -20h). We'll be there to help you.

If you don't have your own hardware, we can offer from our stock:
- Raspberry Pi 3: 35 CHF
- There is an open stock in the space so you can get what you need there.

Learning Objectives
- power on your Raspberry Pi with an SD card,
- remotely connect to your Raspberry Pi with SSH,
- connect to the internet using Wifi/Ethernet,
- run Python programs (and keeping them running forever),
- for advanced participants: connect external sensors

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Prof. Wilson Wong, Boston University, Boston, MA (USA)

WEEKLY BIOENGINEERING COLLOQUIA SERIES
(sandwiches served)

Abstract:
To be provided.
 
 
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Prof. Helmut Cölfen, University of Konstanz, Physical Chemistry

Nanoparticles have interesting analogies to molecules. Recent research has revealed that nanocrystals can align and fuse to larger single crystalline units (Oriented Attachment) or build self-assembled superstructures with mutual crystallographic order (Mesocrystals). These examples suggest that it should be possible to establish chemistry with nanocrystals as chemical building blocks. Nanocrystals are similar to molecules concerning active reaction sites and ability for directed interactions. Oriented attachment is analogous to chemical bond formation, while mesocrystal formation is analogous to non-covalent bonds in complexes between molecules. Key for the defined nanocrystal activation as chemical building unit is the selective adsorption/desorption of specially designed molecules on pre-defined crystal faces. Examples for this concept will be given for gold nanoparticles.
Alternatively, interaction of the nanocrystal surface adsorbed molecules can be induced, leading to mesocrystal formation. Examples will be given for magnetite mesocrystals and their analogies to classical crystals will be discussed. Also, first results on the formation of binary mesocrystals will be given, combining the properties of chemically different nanocrystals.

Bio: HELMUT CÖLFEN is full professor for physical chemistry at the university of Konstanz. His research interests are in the area of nucleation, classical and non-classical crystallization, Biomineralization, synthesis of functional polymers, directed self assembly of nanoparticles and fractionating methods of polymer and nanoparticle analysis. He has published more than 350 papers and was listed among the top 100 chemists 2000 – 2010 by Thomson Reuters.

 

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Prof. Peter Childs, Faculty of Engineering, Dyson School of Design Engineering, Imperial College London

Abstract:
Universities fulfil two principal goals, knowledge development and knowledge transfer. The activities of research and teaching are well-rehearsed and developed. But are there many forms of knowledge? After all new knowledge is a treasured sought-after commodity. A new design shows that something is possible, and the whole world can see this on the shelf or through a browser. A new business also acts as a beacon showing that a particular approach to enterprise is viable. As such both represent new knowledge. We have been doing enterprise by design through a long-standing collaboration between the Royal College of Art (RCA) and Imperial College London. This collaboration commenced in 1980 with the establishment of the Innovation Design Engineering (IDE) double masters programme. The programme has resulted in many spinouts and we remain in touch with over 500 of the 600 alumni. Examples of enterprises arising from alumni include Bare Conductive, Omlet, Concrete Canvas and Doppel. Alumni are also in eminent positions across the globe from IDEO and SmartDesign to Microsoft, Apple and Google.  This talk will explore the world of design of products, services and systems, experiences and artefacts and the associated culture of enterprise by design.
 
Bio:
Peter Childs is Head of the Dyson School of Design Engineering and the Professorial Lead in Engineering Design at Imperial College London. His general interests include: creativity tools and innovation; design process and design rationale; fluid flow and heat transfer, particularly rotating flow; sustainable energy component, concept and system design; robotics. Prior to his current post at Imperial he was director of the Rolls-Royce supported University Technology Centre for Aero-Thermal Systems, director of InQbate and professor at the University of Sussex. He has contributed to over 200 refereed journal and conference papers, and several books including the Handbook on Mechanical Design Engineering (Elsevier, 2013, 2019) as well as co-authoring books on rural urban migration, inclusive sports and sports technology. He has been principal or co-investigator on contracts totalling over £80 million. He is the joint course director for the Innovation Design Engineering double master degree run jointly by Imperial and the Royal College of Art, and Founder Director and Chief Scientific Officer at QBot Ltd.
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Raffael Tschui from Octanis Instruments, Electrical Engineer MSc EPFL.

This is a hands-on workshop teaching you everything you need to know to perform professional PCB assembly.

Optional: Bring your own PCB, components and stencil, if you already have one!

After the official part, you can stay here and continue working on your own board. We will be here to help you (20:00 - 22:00)

Learning Objectives
- Tools and material needed for SMD assembly
- Applying solder paste
- Manual placement of components
- Automatic pick and place machine
- Reflow soldering
- PCB rework and debugging.

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Prof. David Sabatini, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA (USA)

WEEKLY BIOENGINEERING COLLOQUIA SERIES
(sandwiches served)

Abstract:
Our lab is interested in the regulation of growth and metabolism by nutrients and for some time we have focused on the mTOR pathway, particularly the nutrient-sensing network anchored by mTOR Complex 1 (mTORC1). I will discuss our latest work on how mTORC1 senses cytosolic and lysosomal amino acids and the role selective autophagy plays. I will highlight our use of a method we developed to profile the metabolite and protein content of organelles to identify proteins that move on and off lysosomes in response to nutrient conditions. I also may present our use of somatic cell genetics to identify new components of metabolic pathways, particularly in mitochondrial one-carbon metabolism.

 
Bio:
David M. Sabatini is an American scientist and Professor of Biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as well as a member of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research. He has been an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute since 2008 and was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2016. He is known for his important contributions in the areas of cell signaling and cancer metabolism, most notably the discovery and study of mTOR, a protein kinase that is an important regulator of cell and organismal growth that is deregulated in cancer, diabetes, as well as the aging process.

Education:
MD/PhD 1997, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine

Research Summary:
We probe the basic mechanisms that regulate growth — the process whereby cells and organisms accumulate mass and increase in size. The pathways that control growth are often hindered in human diseases like diabetes and cancer. Our long-term goals are to identify and characterize these mechanisms, and to understand their roles in normal and diseased mammals.
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Prof. Erwin Thomas, Thomas Research Group, Rice University Houston USA

The double gyroid (DG) microdomain structure is a complex 3D tubular network structure found in block copolymers as well as in butterfly wings and amphiphilic phases.   We employ a slice and view electron microscopy technique to directly generate a 3D tomogram of the DG nanoscale structure.  The material studied is a polystyrene (PS) – polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) diblock copolymer that exhibits the DG network morphology with a lattice parameter of ~ 130nm, with feature sizes on the 20 nm scale, typical of many soft matter assemblies.   By alternating between a thin ion beam slice and a secondary electron image using a low voltage incident electron beam, the voxel size is approximately 3 x 3 x 3 nm³ allowing analysis of a comprehensive set of sub-unit cell morphological descriptors and enabling critical comparison to theoretical models of the structure.  We find that the PS-PDMS material does not exhibit cubic symmetry, but rather a range of triclinic shapes, most likely due to distortions of the structure from solvent induced shrinkage during film preparation.  Analysis of the triclinic unit cell determines the magnitudes and directions of the shear and tensile deformations that can be re-expressed as an eigen-matrix of principal compressive/tensile strains (average compressive strain of ~ -20% and tensile strain about + 20%).  Morphological characteristics are analyzed including direct measures of the distributions of the distances between the interface between the two blocks and the skeletal graph and the distance between the interface and the triply periodic gyroid minimal surface, the mean and Gaussian curvatures of the interface, the dihedral angle between adjacent nodes, as well as the node-node strut lengths and directions. These very detailed experimental measures are compared with self consistent field theory calculations of a PS-PDMS melt undergoing the ODT under boundary conditions that are matched to the deformed cubic (i.e. triclinic) unit cell.
 
References:
 
Prasad, I., Jinnai, H., Ho, R-M., Thomas, E. L. and Grason, G. “Anatomy of triply-periodic network assemblies:  Characterizing skeletal and inter-domain surface geometry of block copolymer gyroids,” Soft Matter, 14, 3612-3623 (2018).
 
X. Feng, H. Guo and E. L. Thomas, “Topological Defects in Tubular Network Block Copolymers,” Polymer, (2019) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymer.2019.01.085

Bio: Edwin L. “Ned” Thomas served as William and Stephanie Sick Dean of the George R. Brown School of Engineering at Rice from 2011 to 2017. He holds joint appointments in the Departments of Materials Science and NanoEngineering and Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and collaborates with scientists and engineers in the Richard E. Smalley Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology at Rice.
 
Thomas is a materials scientist and mechanical engineer and is passionate about promoting engineering leadership and student design competitions. His research is currently focused on using 2D and 3D lithography, direct-write and self-assembly techniques for creating metamaterials with unprecedented mechanical and thermal properties.
 
Thomas is the former head of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a position he held from 2006 until his appointment at Rice in July 2011. He was named Morris Cohen Professor of Materials Science and Engineering in 1989 and is the founder and former director of the MIT Institute for Soldier Nanotechnology (2002-2006).
 
Before joining MIT in 1988, Thomas founded and served as co-director of the Institute for Interface Science and was head of the Department of Polymer Science and Engineering at the University of Massachusetts. He is a recipient of the 1991 High Polymer Physics Prize of the American Physical Society and the 1985 American Chemical Society Creative Polymer Chemist award. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2009, Inaugural Fellow of the Materials Society in 2008, Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2003 and Fellow of the American Physical Society in 1986. He wrote the undergraduate textbook, The Structure of Materials, and has coauthored more than 450 papers and holds 20 patents.
 
Thomas received a B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Massachusetts and his Ph.D. in materials science and engineering from Cornell University.

 

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Prof. Björn Hof, IST Austria


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Eric Colinet, R&D manager, APIX analytics, Grenoble, France

Abstract: Apix-Analytics, the leader in Nano-Sensor (NEMS) based gas chromatography (GC) system is a start-up company from CEA-LETI and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) founded in December 2011. The presentation will present why NEMS resonators offer a unique breakthrough technology in the GC field and will discuss how the key challenges such as industrialization, multi scale system integration combining mechanical, chemical and electronic sub-systems are addressed.

Bio: Eric Colinet graduated from INSA-Lyon France in 2002 and received a PhD from SUPELEC PARIS in 2005 and a HDR from INP- GRENOBLE in 2010. In 2011, he cofounded Apix-Analytics, a start-up company from CEA-LETI/CALTECH specialized in Nano-Sensor based gas analysis systems, where he is now managing the research and development activities. His field of expertise covers micro & nano electromechanical systems (MEMS-NEMS), sensors & actuators, control theory & signal processing, solid-state electronics & IC, MEMS-CMOS Integration. He is the author of more than 100 scientific papers and holds over 20 patents.

This seminar is part of the Master's class MICRO534, Advanced MEMS and Microsystems, and is open to the informed public.

Apix Analytics - Company Website

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Prof. Marcel Mongeau, Professor in Operations Research at ENAC (École Nationale de l'Aviation Civile) in Toulouse, France

Abstract:
We propose two approaches to address a challenging problem arising in Air Traffic Management, that of keeping at all times a distance between any pair of aircraft throughout their flight trajectory above a threshold value. We address the problem by adjusting both aircraft speeds and heading angles simultaneously. Both the mixed-integer nonlinear programming model and the penalty continuous optimization model we are introducing deal with the complex aircraft separation constraints through reformulations. Numerical results validate the proposed approaches.

Bio:
Marcel Mongeau received his BSc (1985) and MSc (1987) degrees in Mathematics from Universite de Montreal, and his PhD (1991) in Combinatorics & Optimization from the University of Waterloo (Canada). He was then a post-doctoral researcher at CRM (Universite de Montreal), at INRIA (France) and at the University of Edinburgh. From 1994 to 2011, he was at IMT, Universite Paul Sabatier (France), where he received a Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches in 2003. He is currently Professor in Operations Research at ENAC in Toulouse (France). His research interests include Global Optimization, Numerical Optimization, and Operations Research with applications to aeronautics.

 
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Prof. Dr. Paul Chao
National Chiao Tung University Taiwan

Institute of Microengineering - Distinguished Lecture

Campus Lausanne SV 1717 (live)
Campus Microcity MC B0 302 (video)
Zoom Live Stream: https://epfl.zoom.us/j/997034286

Abstract: A new flexible hotoplethysmography (PPG) sensor patch measuring blood-flow volume (BFV) and blood pressure (BP) based on AI algorithms is successfully designed and prototyped. With this patch, the measurement on BFV and BP is non-invasively, and can be continuously collected over more than 24 hours, resulting in valuable long-time monitoring data for medical diagnosis. These long-time, continuous BVF measurements are particularly important for monitoring the quality of an arteriovenous fistula of a hemodialysis patient for prognosis. As opposed to the developed patch, an expensive and bulky BFV monitor is commonly adopted in clinic practice as a gold standard for BFV measurement once per months. The instrument needs to be operated by professional, well-trained medical personnel. The PPG sensor patch developed is instead a low-cost, small-sized, wearable, and easy-to-use sensor that is capable of continuously measuring BFV and BP via AI algorithm. New designs of front-end analog circuit, signal processing, and an intelligent neural network calibration method are employed to achieve high correlations of R2 = 0.88 for BFV and R2 = 0.85 for BP, as opposed to their gold standard counterpart monitors.

Bio: Dr. Paul C.-P. Chao received his Ph.D. degree from Michigan State University, USA, and then with Chrysler Corp in Auburn Hill, Detroit, USA before joined National Chiao Tung University (NCTU), Taiwan. He is currently University Distinguished Professor of the electrical engineering department at NCTU, and Distinguished Lecturer for IEEE Sensors Council, 2018 – 2010. His research interests focus on sensors, actuators and their interface circuitry. Dr. Chao has published more than 280 peer-reviewed papers (books, journal papers, conferences, reports) and 38 patents.
Dr. Chao was the recipient of the 1999 Arch T. Colwell Merit Award from Society of Automotive Engineering, Detroit, USA; the 2004 Long-Wen Tsai Best Paper Award from National Society of Machine Theory and Mechanism, Taiwan; the 2005 Best Paper Award from National Society of Engineers, Taiwan; the 2007 Acer Long-Term Award; the 2009 Best Paper Award from the Symposium on Nano-Device Technology; the 2010/2014 Best Paper Award from the Annual ASME Conference on Information Storage and Processing Systems (ISPS); the second most downloaded paper in IEEE Sensors Journal in 2011; the Best Poster Paper award of IDMC 2015; the prestigious Outstanding Research Award from National Association of Automatic Control in Taiwan in 2015; the prestigious National Innovation Award of Taiwan government 2016; The 2017 Best Industrial Project Award by Ministry of Science and technology, Taiwan government; The 2017 Presidential Outstanding Professor of Engineering in Nation (Taiwan) (awarded by the president of the nation in the Presidential House of Taiwan, ROC); Two 2017 Future Technology Awards (Taiwan Oscar Invention Award) from Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), Taiwan Government; The 2018 Outstanding Professor of Electrical Engineering in Nation (Taiwan), National Association of Electrical Engineering, Taiwan; The second National Innovation Award of Taiwan Government in 2018.
Dr. Chao has served as University Associate Vice Presidents of NCTU for academic affairs (2009-2010) and research and development (2015); the Secretary General, IEEE Taipei Section, 2009-2010; the founding chair of Taipei chapter for the IEEE Sensor Council; Member-at-Large for IEEE Sensors Council, 2012-2014. Dr. Chao received major IEEE awards for this service: The IEEE Large Section Award from IEEE Head Quarter for the outstanding service as the Secretary for 2009-2010, and The IEEE MGA Award from IEEE Region 10 for outstanding service as the Secretary for IEEE Taipei Section, 2009-2010. He was the General Chair of the 2016 ASME ISPS and IoT conference in Santa Clara, CA, USA; chairs and co-chairs of major conferences. For editorial services, he is currently Topical Editors of IEEE Sensors Journal and IEEE IoT Journal. He was the Associate Editors of ASME Journal of Vibration and Acoustics and Journal of Circuit, System and Computer; guest editors of special journal issues. Dr. Chao received the award of the 2017 Best Topical Editor, Runner up, IEEE Sensors Journal. He is a senior member of IEEE and ASME Fellow.


Note: The Seminar Series is eligible for ECTS credits in the EDMI doctoral program.

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Prof. Cheng Zhu, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA (USA)

WEEKLY BIOENGINEERING COLLOQUIA SERIES
(sandwiches served)

Abstract:
To be provided.
 
 
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Prof. Roland Logé, Laboratory of Thermomechanical Metallurgy, EPFL

A new hybrid additive manufacturing process is introduced, combining Laser Shock Peening (LSP) with Selective Laser Melting (SLM), and called 3D LSP. LSP is a well-known surface treatment introducing plastic deformation and Compressive Residual Stresses (CRS) over a certain penetration depth into the material. By repeatedly applying LSP during the part fabrication, 3D LSP can efficiently strain harden a metal and convert SLM induced Tensile Residual Stresses (TRS) into CRS, in the bulk of the part. This strategy opens a range of new possibilities such as increased fatigue life or geometrical accuracy, 3D design of grain structures, and improved processability. Examples are provided for each of these effects, looking at fatigue life and grain structure design of 316L steel samples, geometrical accuracy of Ti-6Al-4V samples, and processability of a Ni-based superalloy. In the latter case, 3D LSP brings a new efficient crack healing mechanism.   ·        References :   -        N. Kalentics, E. Boillat, P. Peyre, S. Ćirić-Kostić, N. Bogojević, R.E. Logé (2017), “Tailoring residual stress profile of Selective Laser Melted parts by Laser Shock Peening”, Additive Manufacturing 16, 90-97. -        N. Kalentics, E. Boillat, P. Peyre, C. Gorny, C. Kenel, C. Leinenbach, J. Jhabvala, R. E. Logé (2017), 3D Laser Shock Peening – a new method for the 3D control of residual stresses in Selective Laser Melting, Materials & Design 130, 350–356. -        N. Kalentics, A. Burn, M. Cloots and R.E. Logé (2018), “3D laser shock peening as a way to improve geometrical accuracy in selective laser melting“, Int. J. Advanced Manufacturing Technology, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-018-3033-3. -        N. Kalentics, K. Huang, M. Ortega Varela de Seijas, A. Burn, V. Romano and R.E. Logé (2019), “Laser shock peening: A promising tool for tailoring metallic microstructures in selective laser melting”, J. Materials Processing Tech. 266, 612–618.

Bio: Roland Logé is an associate professor at EPFL, with a primary affiliation to the Materials Institute, and a secondary affiliation to the Microengineering Institute. He is the head of the Laboratory of Thermomechanical Metallurgy, and active in the field of processing of metals and alloys in the solid state, focusing on the ability to tailor microstructures, and the associated material properties. Thermal and mechanical paths and the resulting microstructures are analyzed and simulated both experimentally and numerically. While most of the activities were so far related to recrystallization, precipitation, grain growth, textures and grain boundary engineering,  extensions of the microstructure design approach progressively include phase transformations, internal stresses and cracking phenomena, with applications to bulk metal forming and additive manufacturing.

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Prof. Michael Jewett, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL (USA)

BIOENGINEERING SEMINAR

Abstract:
Imagine a world in which we could adapt biology to manufacture any therapeutic, material, or chemical from renewable resources, both quickly and on demand. Industrial biotechnology is one of the most attractive approaches for addressing this need, particularly when large-scale chemical synthesis is untenable. Unfortunately, current approaches to engineering organisms remain costly and slow. This is because cells themselves impose limitations on biobased product synthesis. It is difficult to balance intracellular fluxes to optimally satisfy a very active synthetic pathway while the machinery of the cell is functioning to maintain reproductive viability. Further, chemical reactions take place behind a selective barrier, the cell wall, which limits sample acquisition, monitoring, and direct control. In addition, cells are adapted to a relatively simple chemical operating system (i.e., a few common sugars, 20 amino acids), which presents researchers a limited set of accessible molecules with which to work. In this presentation, I will discuss my group's efforts to overcome these limitations and widen the aperture of the traditional model of biotechnology.  In one direction, we seek to create a new paradigm for engineering biocatalytic systems using cell-free biology. In another area, we are catalyzing new directions to repurpose the translation apparatus for synthetic biology. Our new paradigms for biochemical engineering are enabling a deeper understanding of why nature’s designs work the way they do, as well as opening the way to novel biobased products that have been impractical, if not impossible, to produce by other means. 

Bio:
Michael Jewett is the Charles Deering McCormick Professor of Teaching Excellence, a Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering, and co-director of the Center for Synthetic Biology at Northwestern University. He is also an Institute Fellow at the Northwestern Argonne Institute for Science & Engineering. Dr. Jewett’s lab seeks to re-conceptualize the way we engineer complex biological systems for compelling applications in medicine, materials, and energy by transforming biochemical engineering with synthetic biology. Dr. Jewett is the recipient of the NIH Pathway to Independence Award in 2009, David and Lucile Packard Fellowship in Science and Engineering in 2011, the DARPA Young Faculty Award in 2011, the Agilent Early Career Professor Award in 2011, the 3M non-tenured faculty grant in 2012, the Camille-Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award in 2015, the ACS Biochemical Technologies Division Young Investigator Award in 2017, and the Biochemical Engineering Young Investigator Award in 2018. He received his PhD in 2005 at Stanford University and completed postdoctoral studies at the Center for Microbial Biotechnology in Denmark and the Harvard Medical School.
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Prof. Christophe Müller, ETH Zurich


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EPFL Library Research Data team

"Introduction" workshop
In this course, you will get an introduction to the main concepts of Research Data Management to apply them to your specific situation. Learning outcomes:

• Know the stakes around Research Data Management
• Discover how a Data Management Plan (DMP) can help you be more efficient in your research
• Get an overview of good practices to work with your data at the different stages of your project

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Sam Sulaimanov from Octanis

Heard of 3d printing but don't know how to make parts to print? We've all been there. Let us show you how to use Fusion360, a popular CAD tool in the maker community, to make 3d-printable parts. Whether you want to make a replacement part for your broken vacuum cleaner or design advanced hyperloop parts, we'll show you where to get started!

Bring your laptop if you want to install Fusion 360.

Learning Objectives
- Making 2d sketches
- Taking sketches to the third dimension
- Exporting to 3d printable STL files
- Using a slicer tool (with presets) to start a 3d print

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Prof. Dimitris Pitilakis, Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece

Abstract
Earthquake vulnerability is a major contributor to seismic risk, while vulnerability assessment is an essential tool for the identification and mitigation of earthquake losses. Over the last years, significant research work has been made towards the development of a comprehensive methodology regarding the estimation of the expected earthquake losses and the resilience of man-made structures, while researchers have developed analytical, empirical, judgment-based and hybrid fragility curves covering a wide variety of structural typologies. To date, fragility curves are derived assuming fixed-base conditions, ignoring soil-structure interaction (SSI) and local site effects, yet these effects may play either a beneficial or a detrimental role to the seismic response of the structures. In this context, the influence of (i) SSI and (ii) nonlinear soil behavior on earthquake vulnerability assessment of structures needs further investigation. This lecture is built upon this scientific shortage, discussing efficient approaches to tackle the ever-emerging problem of the earthquake vulnerability assessment of civil engineering soil - foundation - structure systems.

Bio
Dimitris Pitilakis is Associate Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece (M.Sc. University of California, Berkeley, Ph.D. in earthquake engineering from Ecole Centrale Paris, France). He is an expert in geotechnical earthquake engineering, with emphasis on soil – foundation – structure interaction, dynamics of foundations and performance-based design. Lately, he has been working on the earthquake vulnerability assessment of soil-foundation-structure systems, in local and in city scale. He is a member of national and international scientific societies on Earthquake Engineering and reviewer of international scientific journals. He has developed software for the simulation of the soil- foundation- structure interaction, with emphasis on nonlinear soil behavior, as well as software for foundation design and analysis. He has significant experience in experimental soil-foundation-structure interaction in small-scale (shaking table and centrifuge) and full-scale (EuroProteas in Euroseistest http://euroseisdb.civil.auth.gr/sfsis) facilities. He is currently in charge of the shaking table facility of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, and of the full-scale EuroProteas facility.
 
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The future of biomedical research will most certainly consist of the integration of molecular biology, bioengineering, and computational biology into healthcare in a coherent and seamless effort to generate new technologies and therapies for patients. PhD and MD-PhD students involved in research oriented towards translational applications will play an essential role not only in increasing knowledge and developing new technologies but also in coordinating highly collaborative and interconnected initiatives.
In this summer school, we will explore a number of topics that we believe will provide a broad overview of the challenges that life science research and its translational opportunities are and will be facing in the next decades. Furthermore, by promoting and encouraging interdisciplinary discussions we hope to emphasize how impelling is the need for collaboration among different fields to make the bridge between research and its application to healthcare.

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Prof. Gilad Haran, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot (IL)

WEEKLY BIOENGINEERING COLLOQUIA SERIES
(sandwiches served)

Abstract:
To be provided.
 
 
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Prof. Yoel Fink, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, MIT USA

Fibers and fabrics are among the earliest forms of human expression, and yet they haven’t changed much from a functional standpoint over the entire course of human experience. Recently, a new family of fibers composed of conductors, semiconductors and insulators has emerged. These fibers can achieve device attributes, yet are fabricated using scalable preform-based fiber-processing methods, yielding kilometers of functional fiber devices. Moreover, it is expected that the functions of fibers will increase dramatically over the next years creating a fiber equivalent of the “Moore’s law”. In this talk I will describe the underlying context for this “law” and discuss paths to achieving system level behavior on the fabric level. I will also outline progress to date in AFFOA, a US based advanced fabric non-profit dedicated to transforming traditional fibers, yarns, and fabrics into highly sophisticated, integrated and networked devices and systems that will see, hear, sense and communicate, store and convert energy, and change color heralding the transition of fabrics from a goods based industry to one that provides value added services.
 
Bio: Yoel Fink is Professor of Materials Science and Electrical Engineering at MIT. His research group has pioneered the field of multimaterial multifunctional fiber devices, and is focused on extending the frontiers of fiber materials to encompass electronic, optoelectronic and even acoustic properties for textile and composite applications.
 
Yoel is also the CEO of AFFOA (Advanced Functional Fabrics of America) and former Director of the Research Laboratory of Electronics (RLE) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). RLE is MIT’s first interdisciplinary lab, with over 700 researchers and $60M a year budget.
 
Professor Fink holds a B.A. in Physics and a B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering from the Technion, and a PhD from MIT’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering. He is the recipient of multiple awards, among them the National Academies Initiatives in Research (2004), the MacVicar Fellowship (2007) for outstanding teaching and the Collier Medal (2016). Professor Fink is a co-founder of OmniGuide Inc. (2000) and served as its chief executive officer from 2007–2010. He presided over its commercial launch, established an 80% gross margin business and grew it to $20M. He is the coauthor of over ninety scientific journal articles and holds over fifty issued U.S. patents on multimaterial fibers and devices. As RLE Director, he initiated the Translational Fellows Program, a postdoc initiative that facilitates research-derived ventures, and the Low Cost Renovation effort.
 

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Prof. Xavier Trepat, Institute of Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC)

Abstract:
Biological processes such as morphogenesis, tissue regeneration, and cancer invasion are driven by collective migration, division, and folding of epithelial tissues. Each of these functions is tightly regulated by mechanochemical networks and ultimately driven by physical forces. I will present maps of cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) forces during cell migration and division in a variety of epithelial models, from the expanding MDCK cluster to the regenerating zebrafish epicardium. These maps revealed that migration and division in growing tissues are jointly regulated. I will also present direct measurements of epithelial traction, tension, and luminal pressure in three-dimensional epithelia of controlled size and shape. By examining epithelial tension over time-scales of hours and for nominal strains reaching 1000%, we establish a remarkable degree of tensional homeostasis mediated by superelastic behavior.

Bio:
Xavier Trepat received a BSc in Physics in 2000 and a BSc in Engineering in 2001. In 2004 he obtained his PhD from the Medical School at the University of Barcelona. He then joined the Program in Molecular and Integrative Physiological Sciences at Harvard University as a postdoctoral researcher. In 2008 he became a "Ramón y Cajal" researcher at the University of Barcelona and in January 2011 an ICREA Research Professor at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC). He is Group Leader of the Integrative Cell and Tissue Dynamics research line at IBEC. In 2015 he won the Banc de Sabadell Award for Biomedical Research.
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Dr. Michel Despont

Abstract: The integration of microsystems and, in particular, of MEMS devices continues to be a key element of many high technology application areas. If the devices themselves are crucial elements for innovation, their integration in a complete microsystem are essential for their successful commercialization. Hence development of 3D integration and packaging technologies are of the upmost importance. At CSEM we develop new solutions for wafer level hybridization and packaging solutions to respond to the demand of the industry active in microsystem technology. An overview of the packaging and hybridization technology will be presented along with some concrete examples such are biocompatible hermetic packaging for active implant, wafer level gas cell for atomic clock, wafer level hybridization for complex micromechanical components, heterogeneous integration of microdevices at wafer level, MEMS integration on soft micromodule.

Bio: Dr. Michel Despont received a Ph.D. in physics from the Institute of Microtechnology, University of Neuchatel, Switzerland, in 1996. After a postdoctoral fellowship at the IBM Research - Zurich laboratory in 1996, he spent one year as a visiting scientist at the Seiko Instrument Research Laboratory in Japan. In 2005, he was appointed manager and led the nanofabrication group at IBM Research – Zurich Laboratory. Since 2013, Dr Despont is currently employed by the Swiss Centre of Electronics and Microtechnology (CSEM) as Vice-President of the MEMS program and manager of the Emerging Micro&Nano Technologies section in the Micro&Nano Systems division.

CSEM Website.

This seminar is part of the Master's class MICRO534, Advanced MEMS and Microsystems, and is open to the informed public.

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Siara Isaac & Cécile Hardebolle

Explore ways to design lab experiments that help students develop a scientific approach which is transferable to real world complexity.
 

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Keynote and Invited Speakers on www.diamondphotonics.org

The Latsis Symposium 2019 on Diamond Photonics at EPFL will be a unique event bringing together for the first time the worldwide leaders in diamond photonics. It will gather on EPFL campus the key international players of academic research in physics and photonics, in growth and fabrication technologies, together with companies engaged in bringing the applications of diamond photonics to the market. As a meeting point for physicists, engineers, materials scientists, and entrepreneurs, the symposium will decisively contribute to the emergence of novel quantum technologies in photonics, such as quantum-enhanced sensors and secure communication devices, and of novel industrial photonic components such as cavities for high power lasers.
 

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Prof. Dr. Marko Lončar,
Harvard University

Public Lecture as part of the Latsis Symposium 2019 on Diamond Photonics

The lecture is open to the large public and introduces the topic of Diamond Photonics in general terms. We welcome in particular also young participants with an interest in science and engineering to join. The event is free of charge, but registration is required. A link for registration will be announced on this event page shortly. The lecture will be followed by an apéro. The event receives generous financial support by by the Latsis Foundation. The event is supported by the International Day of Light and has received endorsment by the Optical Society of America.

Abstract: Diamond possesses remarkable physical properties, and in many ways is the ultimate engineering material! For example, diamond is transparent in ultra-violet, visible and infra-red wavelength range, and has a high refractive index, nearly twice that of water. As a result, light that enters diamond crystal is bent, twisted and reflected in exciting ways, resulting in sparklines of the diamond gemstones. Diamond is also the best thermal conductor and therefore can survive exposures to high power laser beams, even. Finally, diamond can be a host to wide variety of atomic impurities that in turn can change its color: from transparent to yellow, pink, even blue. Importantly, these impurities can also emit light, which makes them precious to scientists and engineers.  One particularly exciting application of diamond’s impurities is in the field of quantum information science and technology, which promises realization of powerful quantum computers capable of tackling problems that cannot be solved using classical approaches, as well as realization of secure communication channels. Other applications include detection of weak magnetic fields which is of importance in bio-medicine, navigation and timing, and so on.
I will first review advances in nanotechnology that have enabled fabrication of nanoscale optical devices in diamond – the hardest material on earth. I will then discuss how these devices can be used to generate, manipulate, and store quantum information, one photon at the time, and thus enable realization of secure communication networks. Finally, I will show how nanostructuring of diamond surface can be used to make it completely transparent (a perfect window) or completely reflective (a perfect mirror) to optical beams. Importantly, these windows and mirrors can withstand MegaWatts of laser power.

Biography: Marko Lončar is Tiantsai Lin Professor of Electrical Engineering at Harvard's John A Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), as well as Harvard College Professor. Loncar received his Diploma from University of Belgrade (R. Serbia) in 1997, and his PhD from Caltech in 2003 (with Axel Scherer), both in Electrical Engineering. After completing his postdoctoral studies at Harvard (with Federico Capasso), he joined SEAS faculty in 2006. Loncar is expert in nanophotonics and nanofabrication, and his current research interests include quantum and nonlinear nanophotonics, quantum optomechanics, high-power optics, and nanofabrication. He has received NSF CAREER Award in 2009 and Sloan Fellowship in 2010. In recognition of his teaching activities, Loncar has been awarded Levenson Prize for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching (2012), and has been named Harvard College Professor in 2017. Loncar is fellow of Optical Society of America, and Senior Member of IEEE and SPIE.
 
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Prof. Claire Hivroz, Institut Curie, Paris (F)

WEEKLY BIOENGINEERING COLLOQUIA SERIES
(sandwiches served)

Abstract:
To be provided.
 
 
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Prof. Milo Shaffer, Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London

Individual perfect nanocarbon structures have exceptional properties; the challenge is often how to exploit their potential in real macroscopic systems. Chemical functionalisation is critical to a wide range of nanocarbon technologies, but needs to be versatile and applicable at scale. Existing approaches tend to rely on liquid phase reactions, often requiring damaging sonication or lengthy work up through filtration or centrifugation. The formation of individualized functionalised single wall nanotubes (SWNTs) and graphenes is a particular challenge.
One approach is to shift the modification reaction into the gas phase. We have developed a generic, scalable furnace treatment, based on the thermochemical activation of CNTs, followed by reaction with functional organic monomers. This approach allows the introduction of a wide variety of functional groups onto the CNT surface whilst maintaining the excellent properties of the untreated materials. The reaction is extremely versatile and can be carried out with a variety of monomers and carbon-based materials, and follows an unusual radical-based mechanism. 
A different approach to nanotube processing, relies on reductive charging to form pure nanotubides (nanotube anions) which can be redissolved, purified, or optionally functionalised, whist avoiding the damage typically associated with sonication and oxidation based processing. This simple system is effective for a host of nanocarbon materials including MWCNTs, ultralong SWCNTs, carbon blacks, and graphenes. The resulting nanocarbon ions can be readily chemically grafted for a variety of applications. Dispersed nanocarbon related materials can be assembled, by electrophoresis, cryogel formation, or direct cross-linking to form Joule heatable networks, protein nucleants, supercapacitor electrodes, and catalyst supports, particularly suited to combination with other 2d materials, such as layered double hydroxides. Comparative studies allow the response of nanocarbons with different dimensionalities to be assessed to identify fundamental trends and the most appropriate form for specific situations.   Charged Carbon Nanomaterials: Redox Chemistries of Fullerenes, Carbon Nanotubes, and Graphenes, CHEMICAL REVIEWS, Vol: 118, Pages: 7363-7408, 2018   Fast Exfoliation and Functionalisation of Two-Dimensional Crystalline Carbon Nitride by Framework Charging, ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION, Vol: 57, Pages: 12656-12660, 2018   Thermochemical functionalisation of graphenes with minimal framework damage, CHEMICAL SCIENCE, Vol: 8, Pages: 6149-6154, 2017
Bio: Milo Shaffer is Professor of Materials Chemistry at Imperial College London, and co-Director of the London Centre for Nanotechnology. He has extensive experience of carbon and inorganic nanomaterials synthesis, modification, characterization, and application, particularly for nanocomposite and hierarchical systems. Key applications are structural composites, electrochemical electrodes, and functional thin films. MS completed his PhD and a Research Fellowship at the University of Cambridge, and has previously worked as a materials technology consultant in the areas of new technology development and exploitation, and has filed around 30 patents/applications, eight of which have been licensed commercially. He has published well nearly 200 peer-reviewed papers with a total of over 15,000 citations, h-Index 57. He was awarded the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) Meldola medal in 2005, a prestigious EPSRC Leadership Fellowship in 2008, and RSC Corday-Morgan medal in 2014. He sits editorial boards of Nanocomposites & International Materials Reviews, and has helped to organise a number of international nano-related meetings, including several of the Nanotube series, CNP-COMP, and a Faraday Discussion on Advanced Carbon.

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Prof. Ramiro Godoy-Diana, ESPCI


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The Blue Brain Project is delighted to announce that it will be hosting the second Neuromodulation of Neural Microcircuits NM² conference led by Srikanth Ramaswamy and Henry Markram. It will take place on May 24 – 26, in Champéry, Valais.

The overarching goal of the second NM² Conference is to provide a unifying and mechanistic view by which an ever-increasing number of neuromodulators, including monoamines, and peptides – the master switches – control genes, proteins, neurons and glia, dendrites, synapses, and emergent states in neural microcircuits across different brain regions in health and disease.
 
Building such a mechanistic view of neuromodulation encounters several fundamental challenges to consider:

1. How do sensory signals, internal brain states, and computations in microcircuits, trigger the release of specific neuromodulators?
2. How do neuronal assemblies and larger brain circuits respond to neuromodulators?
3. How do neuromodulators shape synaptic plasticity and brain states?

To this end, the NM² Conference will bring together researchers to bridge a variety of disciplines using state-of-the-art techniques in different brain regions, towards the common goal of understanding the mechanisms and principles of neuromodulation and addressing the challenges above.
 
Our fundamental objective is to organize a dynamic conference that will highlight an up-to-date view of the neuromodulation of brain states, establish future directions, and attract new talent to drive forward this important field.
 
REGISTRATION
 
To register for the Conference, please click here
 
Please register as soon as possible; only a limited number of seats are available.
 
POSTER ABSTRACTS
 
When submitting an abstract PhD students and Postdocs are encouraged to apply for Blue Brain travel awards to participate in the NM2 Conference. Awards, which are only open to those who submit abstracts, include registration for the Conference (including accommodation and full board), and travel support. Some of the submitted abstracts will be selected for flash talks.
 
 
Please feel free to contact Dace Stiebrina should you have any questions concerning the conference.
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Prof. Fabian Theis, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Munich (D)

BIOENGINEERING COLLOQUIA SERIES
(sandwiches served)

Abstract:
To be provided.
 
 
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Prof Sergei Kalinin, Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences (CNMS), Oak Ridge National Laboratory USA

Atomically-resolved imaging of materials has become the mainstay of modern materials science, as enabled by advent of aberration corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). However, the wealth of quantitative information contained in the fine details of atomic structure or spectra remains largely unexplored. In this talk, I will present the new opportunities enabled by physics-informed big data and machine learning technologies to extract physical information from static and dynamic STEM images. The deep learning models trained on theoretically simulated images or labeled library data demonstrate extremely high efficiency in extracting atomic coordinates and trajectories, converting massive volumes of statistical and dynamic data into structural descriptors. I further present a method to take advantage of atomic-scale observations of chemical and structural fluctuations and use them to build a generative model (including near-neighbor interactions) that can be used to predict the phase diagram of the system in a finite temperature and composition space. Similar approach is applied to probe the kinetics of solid-state reactions on a single defect level and defect formation in solids via atomic-scale observations. Finally, synergy of deep learning image analytics and real-time feedback further allows harnessing beam-induced atomic and bond dynamics to enable direct atom-by-atom fabrication. Examples of direct atomic motion over mesoscopic distances, engineered doping at selected lattice site, and assembly of multiatomic structures will be demonstrated. These advances position STEM towards transition from purely imaging tool for atomic-scale laboratory of electronic, phonon, and quantum phenomena in atomically-engineered structures.
This research was sponsored by the Division of Basic Energy Sciences, BES, DOE, and was conducted at the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, sponsored at Oak Ridge National Laboratory by the Scientific User Facilities Division.
Bio: Sergei V. Kalinin is the director of the ORNL Institute for Functional Imaging of Materials and distinguished research staff member at the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences (CNMS) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, as well as a theme leader for Electronic and Ionic Functionality on the Nanoscale (at ORNL since 2002). He also holds a Joint Associate Professor position at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, and an Adjunct Faculty position at Pennsylvania State University. His research interests include application of big data, deep data, and smart data approaches in atomically resolved and mesoscopic imaging to guide the development of advanced materials for energy and information technologies, as well as coupling between electromechanical, electrical, and transport phenomena on the nanoscale. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 2002, followed by a Wigner fellowship at ORNL (2002-2004). He is a recipient of the Blavatnik National Awards for Young Scientists (2018); RMS medal for Scanning Probe Microscopy (2015); Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) (2009); IEEE-UFFC Ferroelectrics Young Investigator Award (2010); Burton medal of Microscopy Society of America (2010); ISIF Young Investigator Award (2009); American Vacuum Society Peter Mark Memorial Award (2008); R&D100 Awards (2008 and 2010); Ross Coffin Award (2003); Robert L. Coble Award of American Ceramics Society (2009); and a number of other distinctions. He has published more than 500 peer-reviewed journal papers, edited 3 books, and holds more than 10 patents. He has organized numerous symposia (including symposia on Scanning Probe Microscopy on Materials Research Society Fall meeting in 2004, 2007, and 2009) and workshops (including International workshop series on PFM and Nanoferroelectrics), and acted as consultant for companies such as Intel and several Scanning Probe Microscopy manufacturers. He is also a member of editorial boards for several international journals, including Nanotechnology, Journal of Applied Physics/Applied Physics Letters, and recently established Nature Partner Journal Computational Materials.

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Prof. David Quere, ESPCI


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Dr. Kimberley Bonger, Radboud University, Netherlands

The Bonger lab combines organic chemistry with molecular biology and biochemistry to target and answer biological questions related to autoimmune- and protein misfolding diseases. Active projects include Coordination-Assisted Bioorthogonal Chemistry, Selective targeting of autoreactive B-cells and Chemoenzymatic subcellular protein labeling.

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Prof. Dr. Martin Booth
University of Oxford

Institute of Microengineering - Distinguished Lecture

Campus Lausanne SV 1717 (live)
Campus Microcity MC B0 302 (video)
Zoom Live Stream: https://epfl.zoom.us/j/351365168

Abstract: I will review recent work on using dynamic optical elements, such as deformable mirrors and spatial light modulators, to increase the capabilities of laser micro fabrication and optical microscopy.  In particular, I will show how adaptive aberration correction and dynamic parallelisation can improve precision and reliability and increase the accessible volume and speed of these systems. Applications of our laser writing technology range from quantum optics, through radiation sensing to security marking of diamond gemstones. Our imaging methods include applications in cell biology, neuroscience and super-resolution microscopy. 

Bio: Prof Booth is Professor of Engineering Science at the University of Oxford. His research group is based in the Department of Engineering Science and has many collaborations in other departments across Oxford. His research involves the development and application of adaptive optical methods in microscopy, laser-based materials processing and biomedical science.  In 2012 Prof Booth was awarded the “Young Researcher Award in Optical Technologies” from the Erlangen School of Advanced Optical Technologies at the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany, and a visiting professorship at the university. In 2014 he was awarded the International Commission for Optics Prize. He was appointed Professor of Engineering Science in 2014. He has over one hundred publications in peer-reviewed journals, over fifteen patents, and has co-founded two spin-off companies, Aurox Ltd and Opsydia Ltd

Note: The Seminar Series is eligible for ECTS credits in the EDMI doctoral program.

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The International Conference on Fluctuation Phenomena started in 1968 and moved all over the world.  For the first time the conference will take place in Switzerland: the 25th edition (ICNF 2019) will be held at EPFL Microcity in Neuchâtel, from June 18 to June 21, 2019.

The International Conference on Noise and Fluctuations (ICNF) is a biennial event that brings together researchers interested in theoretical and experimental aspects of fluctuations across a wide spectrum of scientific and technological fields.
 

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Michael L. Roukes (Caltech), Andrew Cleland (U. Chicago), Scott Manalis (MIT), John E. Sader (U. Melbourne), Beth Pruitt (UCSB), Javier Tamayo (CSIC), Adrian Bachtold (ICFO), Chris Degen (ETHZ), Johannes Fink (IST Austria), Silvan Schmid (TUW), Junchul Lee (KAIST), Cindy Regal (JILA), Anja Boisen (DTU), Paola Cappellaro (MIT), Rachel McKendry (UCL), Eva Weig (U. Konstanz), Armin Knoll (IBM), Matt Matheny (Caltech), Annalisa De Pastina (EPFL), ...

Nanomechanics was born around 35 years ago with the invention of the STM and AFM. It was in the mid-90s when the first nanoelectromechanical devices were fabricated. Since then, nanomechanical systems have been slowly gaining track in the research community and now have become very important in many different applications. The nanomechanical sensors workshop exists since 2003 and has been organized every year gathering the most prominent figures in the nanomechanical sensing community. In the 2019 edition we want to focus our workshop in two of the most promising fields: quantum and bio-sensing. We are putting together an exciting program with 8 keynote speakers and more than 10 invited speakers of the top international tier. We expect to attract around 150-200 people from all over the world. Very importantly, in our even we will put in contact two apparently very separate communities as are quantum and bio-sensing communities. The main objective during the workshop will be to explore the synergies between them. The School of Engineering of EPFL supports the organization of scientific workshops on the EPFL campus on topics of heightened interest at the forefront of research. These workshops attract highly visible and internationally recognizable speakers.
 

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The 11th World Conference of Science Journalists will be held from July 1st to July 5th, 2019, in Lausanne.

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Prof. Dr. Pantelis Georgiou
Imperial College London

Institute of Microengineering - Distinguished Lecture

Campus Lausanne SV 1717 (live)
Campus Microcity MC B0 302 (video)
Zoom Live Stream: https://epfl.zoom.us/j/983964754

Abstract: In the last decade, we have seen a convergence of microelectronics into the world of healthcare providing novel solutions for early detection, diagnosis and therapy of disease. This has been made possible due to the emergence of CMOS technology, allowing fabrication of advanced systems with complete integration of sensors, instrumentation and processing, enabling design of miniaturised medical devices which operate with low-power. This has been specifically beneficial for the application areas of DNA based diagnostics and full genome sequencing, where the implementation of chemical sensors known as Ion-Sensitive Field Effect Transistors (ISFETs) directly in CMOS has enabled the design of large-scale arrays of millions of sensors that can conduct in-parallel detection of DNA. Furthermore, the scaling of CMOS with Moore’s law and the integration capability with microfluidics has enabled commercial efforts to make full genome sequencing affordable and therefore deployable in hospitals and research labs.
 
In this talk, I present how my lab is advancing the areas of DNA detection and rapid diagnostics through the design of CMOS based Lab-on-Chip systems using ISFETs. I will first introduce the fundamentals and physical properties of DNA as a target molecule and how it can be detected using different modalities through the use of CMOS technology. I will then present methods of design of ISFET sensors and instrumentation in CMOS, in addition to the challenges and limitations that exist for fabrication, providing solutions to allow design of large-scale ISFET arrays for real-time DNA amplification and detection systems. I will conclude with the presentation of state-of-the-art CMOS systems that are currently being used for genomics and point-of-care diagnostics, and the results of our latest fabricated multi-sensor CMOS platform for rapid screening of infectious disease and management of antimicrobial resistance.

Bio: Pantelis Georgiou currently holds the position of Reader (Associate Professor) at Imperial College London within the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. He is the head of the Bio-inspired Metabolic Technology Laboratory in the Centre for Bio-Inspired Technology; a multi-disciplinary group that invents, develops and demonstrates advanced micro-devices to meet global challenges in biomedical science and healthcare. His research includes ultra-low power micro-electronics, bio-inspired circuits and systems, lab-on-chip technology and application of micro-electronic technology to create novel medical devices. Application areas of his research include new technologies for treatment of diabetes such as the artificial pancreas, novel Lab-on-Chip technology for genomics and diagnostics targeted towards infectious disease and antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and wearable technologies for rehabilitation of chronic conditions.
 
Dr. Georgiou graduated with a 1^st Class Honours MEng Degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering in 2004 and Ph.D. degree in 2008 both from Imperial College London. He then joined the Institute of Biomedical Engineering as Research Associate until 2010, when he was appointed Head of the Bio-inspired Metabolic Technology Laboratory. In 2011, he joined the Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering, where he currently holds an academic faculty position. He conducted pioneering work on the silicon beta cell and is now leading the project forward to the development of the first bio-inspired artificial pancreas for treatment of Type I diabetes. In addition to this, he made significant contributions to the development of integrated chemical-sensing systems in CMOS. He has pioneered the development of the Ion-Sensitive Field Effect Transistor, an integrated pH sensor which is currently being used in next generation DNA sequencing machines, demonstrating for the first time its use in low-power weak-inversion, and its capability in a multimodal sensing array for Lab-on-Chip applications. Dr. Georgiou is a senior member of the IEEE and IET and serves on the BioCAS and Sensory Systems technical committees of the IEEE CAS Society. He is an associate editor of the IEEE Sensors and TBioCAS journals. He is also the CAS representative on the IEEE sensors council. In 2013 he was awarded the IET Mike Sergeant Achievement Medal for his outstanding contributions to engineering and development of the bio-inspired artificial pancreas. In 2017, he was also awarded the IEEE Sensors Council Technical Achievement award. He is an IEEE Distinguished Lecturer in Circuits and Systems.

Note: The Seminar Series is eligible for ECTS credits in the EDMI doctoral program.

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PRIME has been established over the recent years as an important conference where PhD students and post-docs with less than one year post-PhD experience can present their research results and network with experts from industry, academia and research. PRIME 2019 will feature conference program reflecting the wide spectrum of research topics in Microelectronics and Electronics, building bridges between various research fields. In addition to the technical sessions, opportunities for the conference attendees will be the keynote talks, workshops and social events.

PRIME 2019 is Technically Co-sponsored by IEEE and IEEE CAS. and will be co-located with the International Conference on Synthesis, Modeling, Analysis and Simulation Methods and Applications to Circuit Design (SMACD 2019) https://www.smacd2019.com The conference proceedings will be submitted for inclusion in IEEE Xplore.

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Prof. Dr. Debbie Senesky
Stanford University

Institute of Microengineering - Distinguished Lecture

Campus Lausanne SV 1717 (live)
Campus Microcity MC B0 302 (video)
Zoom Live Stream: https://epfl.zoom.us/j/165147980

Abstract: There has been a tremendous amount of research and industrial investment in gallium nitride (GaN) as it is positioned to replace silicon in the billion-dollar (USD) power electronics industry, as well as the post-Moore microelectronics universe. In addition, the 2014 Nobel Prize in physics was awarded for pioneering research in GaN that led to the realization of the energy-efficient blue light-emitting diode (LED). Furthermore, GaN electronics have operated at temperatures as high as 1000°C making it a viable platform for robust space-grade electronics and nano-satellites.  Even with these major technological breakthroughs, we have just begun the “GaN revolution.” New communities are adopting this platform for a multitude of emerging device applications including the following: sensing, energy harvesting, actuation, communication, and photonics.  In this talk, we will review and discuss the benefits of GaN’s two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) over silicon’s p-n junction for these new and emerging applications.  In addition, we will discuss opportunities for transformational development of this semiconductor device platform (e.g., interface engineering, thermal metrology, selective-area doping) to realize future GaN-based electronic systems.
 
Bio: Debbie G. Senesky is an Assistant Professor at Stanford University in the Aeronautics and Astronautics Department and by courtesy, the Electrical Engineering Department. In addition, she is the Principal Investigator of the EXtreme Environment Microsystems Laboratory (XLab).  Her research interests include the development of micro- and nano-scale sensors, high-temperature wide bandgap (GaN, SiC) electronics, and robust interface materials for operation within extreme harsh environments.   She received the B.S. degree (2001) in mechanical engineering from the University of Southern California. She received the M.S. degree (2004) and Ph.D. degree (2007) in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. In addition, she has held positions at GE Sensing (formerly known as NovaSensor), GE Global Research Center, and Hewlett Packard.  She has served on the program committee of the IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM), International Conference on Solid-State Sensors, Actuators and Microsystems (Transducers), and International Symposium on Sensor Science (I3S).  She is currently co-editor for IEEE Electron Device Letters, Sensors (journal), and Micromachines (journal).   In recognition of her work, she is a recipient of the Emerging Leader Abie Award from AnitaB.org, NASA Early Faculty Career Award, and Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Ph.D. Fellowship Award. More information about Prof. Senesky can be found at xlab.stanford.edu or on Instagram/Twitter: @debbiesenesky.

Note: The Seminar Series is eligible for ECTS credits in the EDMI doctoral program.

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Programme en cours / Programme coming soon.

Les journées de la recherche, ce sont des rencontres entre les personnalités politiques clés de la région, les partenaires industriels locaux ainsi que les partenaires académiques des campus EPFL (Sion, Neuchâtel, Genève, Fribourg, Lausanne) autour des thèmes phares de chaque site.
L’objectif est de démontrer ce que la recherche apporte ou peut apporter à la société, à la fois avec un soutien politique et à travers une collaboration avec l’industrie.
La thématique de l'événement à EPFL Valais Wallis à Sion est l'Energie.

 

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Programme en cours

Les journées de la recherche, ce sont des rencontres entre les personnalités politiques clés de la région, les partenaires industriels locaux ainsi que les partenaires académiques des campus EPFL (Sion, Neuchâtel, Genève, Fribourg, Lausanne) autour des thèmes phares de chaque site.
L’objectif est de démontrer ce que la recherche apporte ou peut apporter à la société, à la fois avec un soutien politique et à travers une collaboration avec l’industrie.

La thématique de l'événement à Microcity Neuchâtel est la Microtechnique.
 

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Programme en cours

Les journées de la recherche, ce sont des rencontres entre les personnalités politiques clés de la région, les partenaires industriels locaux ainsi que les partenaires académiques des campus EPFL (Sion, Neuchâtel, Genève, Fribourg, Lausanne) autour des thèmes phares de chaque site.
L’objectif est de démontrer ce que la recherche apporte ou peut apporter à la société, à la fois avec un soutien politique et à travers une collaboration avec l’industrie.
La thématique de l'événement au Campus Biotech est la Recherche en neuro et sur le cerveau.
 

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Programme en cours

Les journées de la recherche, ce sont des rencontres entre les personnalités politiques clés de la région, les partenaires industriels locaux ainsi que les partenaires académiques des campus EPFL (Sion, Neuchâtel, Genève, Fribourg, Lausanne) autour des thèmes phares de chaque site.
L’objectif est de démontrer ce que la recherche apporte ou peut apporter à la société, à la fois avec un soutien politique et à travers une collaboration avec l’industrie.
La thématique de l'événement au BlueFactory à Fribourg est l'Eco-bâtiment et écologie.
 

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Programme en cours

Les journées de la recherche, ce sont des rencontres entre les personnalités politiques clés de la région, les partenaires industriels locaux ainsi que les partenaires académiques des campus EPFL (Sion, Neuchâtel, Genève, Fribourg, Lausanne) autour des thèmes phares de chaque site.
L’objectif est de démontrer ce que la recherche apporte ou peut apporter à la société, à la fois avec un soutien politique et à travers une collaboration avec l’industrie.
L'événement sur le Campus lausannois de l'EPFL se déclinera autour des projets phares et aura lieu durant les Portes ouvertes de l'EPFL (14 et 15 septembre 2019, https://www.epfl.ch/campus/events/fr/celebration/portes-ouvertes/).
 

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Prof. Richard E. Lenski, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI (USA)

BIOENGINEERING COLLOQUIA SERIES
(sandwiches served)

Abstract:
To be provided.

Bio:
Education:
1973-76    B.A., Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH (USA)
1977-82    Ph.D., University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

Positions:
1982-85    Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA (USA)
1984        Visiting Assistant Professor, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH (USA)
1985-88    Assistant Professor, University of California, Irvine, CA (USA)
1988-91    Associate Professor, University of California, Irvine, CA (USA)
1991-        Hannah Professor of Microbial Ecology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI (USA)
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Prof. Dr. Alyssa B. Apsel,
Cornell University

Institute of Microengineering - Distinguished Lecture

Campus Lausanne SV 1717 (live)
Campus Microcity MC B0 302 (video)
Zoom Live Stream: https://epfl.zoom.us/j/637254875

Abstract: Over the past decades the world has become increasingly connected, with communications driving both markets and social movements.  Low power electronics, efficient communications, and better battery technology have all contributed to this revolution, but the cost and power required for these systems must be pushed further to make cheap, ubiquitous, seamless communication accessible to a wider community.   In this talk I will discuss two engineering approaches to this problem.  I will look at various approaches to drive the power down in radio networks that span across circuits and systems.  I will also look at creative biologically inspired approaches to enabling very low power networks and IoT.  Finally, I will discuss how by adding flexibility and building reconfigurable hardware, we can likewise build lower power and less costly consumer systems that can adapt across protocols and networks and work under changing device technologies.

Bio: Alyssa Apsel received the B.S. from Swarthmore College in 1995 and the Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, in 2002.  She joined Cornell University in 2002, where she is currently Director of Electrical and Computer Engineering.  She was a Visiting Professor at Imperial College, London from 2016-2018.  The focus of her research is on power-aware mixed signal circuits and design for highly scaled CMOS and modern electronic systems.  Her current research is on the leading edge of ultra-low power and flexible RF interfaces for IoT.  She has authored or coauthored over 100 refereed publications including one book in related fields of RF mixed signal circuit design, ultra-low power radio, interconnect design and planning, photonic integration, and process invariant circuit design techniques resulting in ten patents.  She received best paper awards at ASYNC 2006 and IEEE SiRF 2012, had a MICRO “Top Picks” paper in 2006, received a college teaching award in 2007, received the National Science Foundation CAREER Award in 2004, and was selected by Technology Review Magazine as one of the Top Young Innovators in 2004.  She is a Distinguished Lecturer of IEEE CAS for 2018-2019, and has also served on the Board of Governors of IEEE CAS (2014-2016) and as an Associate Editor of various journals including IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems I and II, and Transactions on VLSI.  She has also served as the chair of the Analog and Signal Processing Technical committee of ISCAS 2011, is on the Senior Editorial Board of JETCAS, as Deputy Editor in Chief of Circuits and Systems Magazine, and as the co-founder and Chair of ISCAS Late Breaking News.  In 2016, Dr. Apsel co-founded AlphaWave IP Corporation, a multi-national Silicon IP provider focused on multi-standard analog Silicon IP solutions for the world of IOT.  As Chief Technology Officer of AlphaWave, Dr. Apsel led the company’s global research capability with offices in Silicon Valley, Toronto, and London. 

Note: The Seminar Series is eligible for ECTS credits in the EDMI doctoral program.

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Prof. Hari Shroff, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, Bethesda, MD (USA)

WEEKLY BIOENGINEERING COLLOQUIA SERIES
(sandwiches served)

Abstract:
To be provided.

Bio:
Dr. Hari Shroff received a B.S.E. in bioengineering from the University of Washington in 2001, and under the supervision of Dr. Jan Liphardt, completed his Ph.D. in biophysics at the University of California at Berkeley in 2006 . He spent the next three years performing postdoctoral research under the mentorship of Eric Betzig at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Janelia Farm Research Campus where his research focused on development of photactivated localization microscopy (PALM), an optical superresolution technique. Dr. Shroff is now chief of NIBIB's Section on High Resolution Optical Imaging laboratory, where he and his staff are developing new imaging tools for application in biological and clinical research.
 
 
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To celebrate the 50th anniversary of EPFL, its President Martin Vetterli invites you to explore what is Open Science with world-class researchers and influential policy makers. How can we successfully transition to digital scholarship? What will knowledge production and dissemination resemble in the future? This day will be dedicated to discussing the promises and challenges of open and reproducible science in various disciplines present at EPFL, from the life sciences to particle physics.
 
The event will take place in the main auditorium of the landmark Rolex Learning Center on EPFL Campus. It is free of charge and is open to everyone. However, registration is required.
 
MORE INFORMATION HERE
 
Open science is a complex and transversal topic that can only be understood when a variety of point of views collide. We are honored to confirm that the following people have accepted our invitation to share their expertise with the participants:
 
Sir Philip Campbell, Editor-in-Chief Springer Nature
Ingrid Daubechies, Duke University
Fabiola Gianotti, CERN Director-General
Maria Leptin, EMBO Director
José Moura, IEEE President Elect
Fernando Perez, University of California Berkeley
Robert-Ian Smits, TU/e Executive Board President
Marcel Salathé, EPFL
Bruno Strasser, University of Geneva
Jeannette Wing, Columbia University

 

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Prof. Dr. Xuanhe Zhao,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology MIT

Institute of Microengineering - Distinguished Lecture

Campus Lausanne SV 1717 (live)
Campus Microcity MC B0 302 (video)
Zoom Live Stream: https://epfl.zoom.us/j/385971995

Abstract: While human tissues and organs are mostly soft, wet and bioactive; machines are commonly hard, dry and biologically inert. Bridging human-machine interfaces is of imminent importance in addressing grand societal challenges in healthcare, security, sustainability, education and joy of living. However, interfacing human and machines is extremely challenging due to their fundamentally contradictory properties. At MIT SAMs Lab, we propose to harness “hydrogel technology” to form long-term, high-efficacy, compatible and seamless interfaces between humans and machines. On one side, hydrogels with similar mechanical and physiological properties as tissues and organs can naturally integrate with human body over the long term, greatly alleviating the foreign body response and mechanical mismatches. On the other side, the hydrogels with intrinsic or integrated electrodes, optical fibers, sensors, actuators and circuits can effectively bridge external machines and human bodies via electrical, optical, chemical and mechanical interactions. In this talk, I will first discuss the mechanisms to design extreme properties for hydrogels, including tough, resilient, adhesive, strong and antifatigue, for long-term robust human-machine interfaces.  Then I will discuss a set of novel hydrogel devices that interface with the human body, including i). hydrogel neural probes capable of electro-opto-fluidic interrogation of single neurons in mice over life time; ii). ingestible hydrogel pills capable of continuously monitoring core-body physiological conditions over a month;  and iii). untethered fast and forceful hydrogel robots controlled by magnetic fields for minimal invasive operations. I will conclude the talk by proposing a systematic approach to design next-generation human-machine interfaces based on hydrogel technology.

Bio: Xuanhe Zhao is an associate professor in mechanical engineering at MIT. His research group designs soft materials that possess unprecedented properties to address grant societal challenges. Dr. Zhao is the recipient of the early career award and young investigator award from National Science Foundation, Office of Naval Research, Society of Engineering Science, American Vacuum Society, Adhesion Society, Materials Today, Journal of Applied Mechanics, and Extreme Mechanics Letters. He held the Hunt Faculty Scholar at Duke, and the d'Arbeloff Career Development Chair and Noyce Career Development Professor at MIT. He was selected as a highly cited researcher by Web of Science in 2018.

Note: The Seminar Series is eligible for ECTS credits in the EDMI doctoral program.

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Dr. Silvano De Franceschi
CEA-INAC

Institute of Microengineering - Distinguished Lecture

Campus Lausanne SV 1717 (live)
Campus Microcity MC B0 302 (video)
Zoom Live Stream: https://epfl.zoom.us/j/982557518

Abstract and Bio to follow.

Note: The Seminar Series is eligible for ECTS credits in the EDMI doctoral program

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Prof. Jussi Taipale, Cambridge University (UK)

BIOENGINEERING COLLOQUIA SERIES
(sandwiches served)

Abstract:
To be provided.
 
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