Week of Events
Amp’d Robotics
Founded in 2005, FIRST Team 1708, known as Amp'd Robotics, emerged as a pioneering force in the Greater Pittsburgh area's competitive robotics landscape. Established with the vision of inspiring a passion for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) among local students, Amp'd Robotics has consistently demonstrated a commitment to fostering innovation and collaboration. Over the years, the team has actively participated in the FIRST Robotics Competition, FIRST Tech Challenge and FIRST Lego League, engaging students in hands-on robotics challenges that not only enhance technical skills but also instill crucial values such as teamwork, leadership, and gracious professionalism. Amp'd Robotics has become synonymous with excellence, achieving success both on and off the competition field, and leaving an indelible mark on the local STEM education community. Team 1708, Amp'd Robotics, has been on an inspiring journey with the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) programs, marking over a decade of impactful participation. Since its inception, the team has become a dynamic force, not only in robotics competitions but also in fostering a deep-seated commitment to STEM education, community engagement, and inclusivity. This meeting will discuss the metrics of the program; from the schools we encompass to the three different levels of programs we offer along with the skills we are able to teach the students that go through the program. https://www.facebook.com/Team1708AmpdRobotics/ Co-sponsored by: Pittsburrgh Section Computer Society Speaker(s): Derek Price, Jason Mols, Agenda: 6:00 PM Light dinner 6:30 PM Presentation and Tour 8:00 PM Adjourn 1960 Eden Park Blvd, McKeesport, Pennsylvania, United States, 15132
INDUSTRIAL LECTURE – THREE DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGIES COMING SOON TO MANUFACTURING AND PROCESS CONTROL
In this presentation we highlight three emerging technologies that appear to be truly disruptive; that is, they are likely to have such a large impact that they will change the way theoreticians and practitioners think about and accomplish manufacturing and process control. These technologies are Economic Model Predictive Control (EMPC), Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL), and Open Process Automation (OPA). Economic MPC (EMPC) is a relatively new technology that combines economic optimization with Model Predictive Control. This unification of closed-loop scheduling, economic optimization, and dynamic control provides a new platform for viewing and analyzing manufacturing problems. Reinforcement Learning (RL) is a Machine Learning (ML) technology in which a computer agent learns, through trial and error, the best way to accomplish a particular task. It is likely that DRL will take over some of the more mundane tasks involved in managing manufacturing systems, such as tuning of PID controllers, mitigating disturbances, and recovering from process upsets. Open Process Automation (OPA) will allow manufacturers, whose innovations have been constrained for decades by the limitations of closed, proprietary systems, to experience the benefits of open, interoperable, resilient, secure-by-design automation systems. This will be made possible by the development of the consensus-based Open Process Automation Standard (O-PAS) by the Open Process Automation Forum (OPAF). Speaker(s): Dr. Badgwell, Virtual: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/402236
IEEE NOVA Section EXCOM May Meeting
This is the May meeting of the IEEE Northern Virginia Section Executive Committee. Room: Longfellow Room, Bldg: Suite 3, Westover Library, 1644 North McKinley Road, Arlington, Virginia, United States, 22203, Virtual: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/418789
Young Professionals Networking Session at World Forum on Public Safety Technology Conference
Connect with like-minded professionals and broaden your network! Join us at the World Forum on Public Safety Technology (https://ieee-wfpst.org) to mingle with fellow Young Professionals from Northern Virginia and beyond. Enjoy delicious hors d'oeuvres and your first drink is complimentary! Don't miss out on this opportunity to expand both your professional and social circles. Co-sponsored by: World Forum on Public Safety Technology Conference Room: Follow signage in the hotel lobby to WF-PST, Bldg: Hyatt Regency Dulles, 2300 Dulles Corner Blvd, Herndon, Virginia, United States
Administrative Committee Meeting via Zoom
Meetings of the Administrative Committee are held virtually. Members are welcome to attend. Reserve your place by registering online or calling the office by the Monday before. Agenda: AdCom Meeting: 7:00 P.M. - 9:00 P.M Virtual: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/409212
Administrative Committee Meeting via Zoom
Meetings of the Administrative Committee are held virtually. Members are welcome to attend. Reserve your place by registering online or calling the office by the Monday before. Agenda: AdCom Meeting: 7:00 P.M. - 9:00 P.M Virtual: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/409212
Pittsburgh Section Executive and Administrative Committee – MAY (HYBRID)
You may use the following link to write a summary of any monthly updates from your committee, chapter or affinity group. Information received by 8 AM on WEDNESDAY the week of the event will be incorporated into the meeting agenda. (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SCkxelZFDqP0RxAluxxrSY2zPS9NT2MpGuQfDA5H87Q/edit#heading=h.g4g9tck0hski) IEEE members can access prior meeting minutes hosted on the Pittsburgh Section's (https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1_UTt5t_dxNP1M5dO87OOeR25t8P7qQHp?usp=sharing). Access to the shared drive is restricted to the (https://www.ieee.org/membership/products/google-apps.html). Location for this event is DLC Woods Run Building 3 - 2841 Beaver Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15233. MEETING IS HYBRID. Meeting link and call-in information will be emailed one hour before the event. --------------------------------------------------------------- New to IEEE Pittsburgh? For those new to the Pittsburgh Section Executive and Administrative Meeting, we welcome all IEEE members in the area to attend! This is a standing meeting held on the 3rd Thursday of every month. We review our upcoming activities relevant to engineers in our section. Feel free to use the report link above to ask any questions you may have, join us on Slack, or read through our welcome guide for more information about how you can get involved with IEEE Pittsburgh. (https://ieeepittsburgh.slack.com/) (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lyWneXlANAQAiJN2p6Bi9kAatooxIQ-YzlGpWRmRGBw/edit?usp=sharing) (https://webinabox.vtools.ieee.org/wibp_calendar/index/R20037) Agenda: First 30 minutes of the event are reserved for socializing. The meeting portion starts at 7 pm (eastern time zone). The meeting agenda will be emailed on Monday the week of the event for early registrants. 2841 Beaver Ave., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, 15233, Virtual: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/419898
LEHIGH VALLEY EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING – May
Executive Committee planning meeting for upcoming events. All ExCom's are Virtual. These are open to all members including students. At this time the meeting will be remote. Connection information will be sent out at 3:00pm on the day of the meeting to those who have registered. Please register for the meeting by noon of the day of, even if you are an Officer. We meet on the 3rd Thursday of each month We do not meet July, August, and December. With that in mind the 2024 dates are: Jan 18, Feb 15, Mar 21, Apr 18, May 16, Jun 20, Sep 19, Oct 17, Nov 21 Virtual: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/416331
The Ethereum Blockchain Game Theory
The Ethereum Blockchain Game Theory Author: Dr. Nancy M Landreville Friday, May 17, 2024 at 7 PM - 9:30 PM - Virtual Co-sponsored by: Power Energy Speaker(s): Nancy Landreville, Virtual: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/419167
Towards Programmable Smart Buildings
Towards Programmable Smart Buildings
Abstract: The built environment has a data problem. The buildings, cities, water treatment plants, and other human-made systems produce more data now than ever before, opening new possibilities of using data to optimize operation, reduce energy consumption, predict performance, and identify faults. However, the complexity, heterogeneity, and high degree of churn of these systems makes it expensive and difficult to develop software for them. Models, control sequences, data analytics, and other software-based solutions must often be rewritten from scratch for each environment in which they will be deployed. The process of discovering and accessing data is further exacerbated by the lack of standardized structured representations of built environment systems. These challenges significantly impede the adoption of data-driven sustainable practices at societal scale. This talk will explore the use of semantic knowledge graphs to normalize descriptions of the built environment, specifically smart buildings, and reduce the cost of developing and deploying data-driven software in these settings. First, I will describe how ontologies can constrain knowledge graphs to produce useful abstractions of complex cyber-physical systems, as typified by the Brick ontology for smart buildings. Elements of this work are being adapted into new knowledge graph standards for buildings. Next, I will show how knowledge graphs enable novel programming models for "portable software" where programs can adapt their own operation to individual environments, based on queries against the knowledge graph. The talk will also show how these emerging use cases for knowledge graphs contrast with prevailing approaches towards knowledge graph maintenance and management and give rise to new methods for specifying and repairing knowledge graphs. Finally, I will show how these new technologies enable novel applications for smart buildings. Speaker(s): , Dr. Fierro Virtual: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/418393
Towards Programmable Smart Buildings
Towards Programmable Smart Buildings
Abstract: The built environment has a data problem. The buildings, cities, water treatment plants, and other human-made systems produce more data now than ever before, opening new possibilities of using data to optimize operation, reduce energy consumption, predict performance, and identify faults. However, the complexity, heterogeneity, and high degree of churn of these systems makes it expensive and difficult to develop software for them. Models, control sequences, data analytics, and other software-based solutions must often be rewritten from scratch for each environment in which they will be deployed. The process of discovering and accessing data is further exacerbated by the lack of standardized structured representations of built environment systems. These challenges significantly impede the adoption of data-driven sustainable practices at societal scale. This talk will explore the use of semantic knowledge graphs to normalize descriptions of the built environment, specifically smart buildings, and reduce the cost of developing and deploying data-driven software in these settings. First, I will describe how ontologies can constrain knowledge graphs to produce useful abstractions of complex cyber-physical systems, as typified by the Brick ontology for smart buildings. Elements of this work are being adapted into new knowledge graph standards for buildings. Next, I will show how knowledge graphs enable novel programming models for "portable software" where programs can adapt their own operation to individual environments, based on queries against the knowledge graph. The talk will also show how these emerging use cases for knowledge graphs contrast with prevailing approaches towards knowledge graph maintenance and management and give rise to new methods for specifying and repairing knowledge graphs. Finally, I will show how these new technologies enable novel applications for smart buildings. Speaker(s): , Dr. Fierro Virtual: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/418393
IEEE SSIT Lecture: Prof Clint Andrews – Implications of Robotics for Public Policy
IEEE SSIT Lecture: Prof Clint Andrews – Implications of Robotics for Public Policy
[]Prof Clinton Andrews (Center for Urban Policy Research, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, Rutgers University, USA) will present “Implications of Robotics for Public Policy” at 6pm (UTC+1) / 1pm EDT on 15 May ’24. Click (https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?msg=IEEE+SSIT+Lecture%3A+Implications+of+Robotics+for+Public+Policy&iso=20250515T18&p1=78&ah=1). (https://www.ieee-ukandireland.org/chapters/society-on-social-implications-of-technology/) and SSIT IST-Africa SIGHT are cooperating with a number of IEEE OUs including: North Jersey Section SSIT Chapter; Northern Virginia/Baltimore/Washington SSIT Chapter; Bahrain Section SSIT Chapter; Vancouver Section Jt. Chapter,TEM14/PC26/E25/SIT30; New Jersey Coast Section SIGHT; New Jersey Coast Section Jt. IM/Computer Society Chapter; Southeastern Michigan Section Computer Chapter; North Jersey Section: TEMS Chapter, Computer Chapter, Jt APS/MTT Chapter, WIE AG and SIGHT and (https://www.ieee-ukandireland.org/chapters/computer-society/) to organise this SSIT Lecture as a joint Webinar on 15 May ‘24. Registration IEEE and SSIT Members as well as non-IEEE Members are invited to (https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/415611) and participate. IEEE Members should include their IEEE Membership Number when registering. Access to online Meeting (https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/415611) will be provided with the link prior to the event. Guest Lecture Focus Innovations in robotics are now present in many aspects of human endeavour, from robotic vacuum cleaners to autonomous battlefield drone swarms. Alongside the intended effects of these innovations are some emerging, unintended adverse consequences. Legal and political processes exist in part to prevent and mitigate such harms. This presentation offers a systematic analysis of the emerging routes by which applications of embodied artificial intelligence—robotics—elicit public policy responses. It develops a typology that classifies robotics applications according to how they interact with individual humans, large-scale human populations, and specific physical settings; and whether the robots operate alone, in swarms, or in integrated cyberenvironments. Each case interacts with public policymaking processes in different ways, spanning tort liability law, regulatory codes and standards, and policies for assessing and managing risk. Clear roles emerge for voluntary standards, international collaboration among governance bodies, professionals cross-trained in robotics and public policy, and institutions that effectively anticipate emerging problems. Speaker(s): Prof. Clinton Andrews, Agenda: 18:00 (UTC+1) / 13:00 (EDT) Welcome and Introduction to Guest Speaker 18:05 Lecture 18:45 Questions and Discussions Virtual: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/415611
Utility Scale Solar Generation at Colorado Springs Utilities
Utility Scale Solar Generation at Colorado Springs Utilities
Pike Solar is the largest solar facility in the Coloado Springs Utilities electric system, consisting of 400,000 photovoltaic panels. Through our Power Purchase Agreement with Juwi, we are able to use the 175-megawatts generated by the solar plant to power approximately 46,300 homes a year. Steve Schaarschmidt, PE. Transmission Operations engineer with Colorado Spring Utilities, will describe this system and distribution systems needed to support this new renewable resource. This presentation will begin with an introduction to the grid-following inverter, then explore the medium-voltage collection system and the interconnection to the high-voltage transmission system. It will cover the operating characteristics of utility-scale solar generation, experience to date between the array owner and the hosting utility, as well as some problems that come along with these installations. Presentation will be both in-person and virtual. Attendees can attend both in-person or virtually. The virtual presentation will be via zoom. The zoom link to join the presentation will be sent to all registrants who have indicated on the registration form that they are attending the meeting virtually. The link will be sent out shortly before the meeting. Parking for In-Person Presentation: When arriving at the Mesa Rd. facility please park in the back (east side) of the building and enter through the doors labelled “Mesa Conference Room Refreshments: Pizza, soda and water will be provided for the in-person presentation. Solar Field Site Visit: Colorado Springs Utilities is in the process of arranging an on-site visit to the solar field for the day after the presentation, May 16, at 6:30PM. A separate event notice will be sent out to all registered attendees (or given out at the presentation) if the on-site visit can be successfully arranged. Speaker(s): Steve Schaarschmidt, Agenda: Pizza and Drink Introductions Presentation Room: Mesa Conference Room, Bldg: Please park in the back (east side) of the building and enter through the doors labelled “Mesa Conference Room, Colorado Springs Utilities Conservation & Environmental Center, 2855 Mesa Rd., Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States, Virtual: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/419587
Electrical Utility Substation Design Principles
Electrical Utility Substation Design Principles
Megan Lynskey is an expert in electric utility substation design, who has been working for 8 years in the industry at Duquesne Light Company. Megan received her B.S. in EE from Grove City in 2016. Megan will be presenting on a variety of topics including HPFF, GIS, and other general substation design principles and design challenges, opportunities, and lessons learned. Date and Time: Thursday, 5/16/2024, 5pm-7pm. Location: 2841 New Beaver Ave, Woods Run, BLDG 6 (Contact Martin London at 860 983 8383 for direction assistance, as needed). Registration: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/420226 Requirements: Must register and provide full legal name, and contact information by 5/13/2024 at 11:55pm. Please wear pants (no shorts) and closed-toe shoes. Bring a valid form of real ID (valid driver's license or passport). Directions: Continue West down the road at New Beaver Ave until you see the sign saying Woods Run Complex at the corner on the left. Turn left. Check in with the guard at the gate. Food will be provided.[] Speaker(s): , Megan Bldg: 6, 2841 New Beaver Ave, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States