IEEE North Jersey Section

IEEE Distinguished Lecture Improved reinforcement learning with applications in robotics, games, and quantum engineering Daoyi Dong, Ph.D. ARC Future Fellow and Professor, IEEE Fellow School of Engineering, Australian National University Place: Room ECE 202, NJIT, Newark, NJ ZOOM (for online attendees): https://montclair.zoom.us/j/2423669227 Time: 10:30 am -12:00 pm, Monday, April 22, 2024 (Eastern Time) Host: MengChu Zhou, Ph.D. & Dist. Professor, NJIT and Weitian Wang, Ph.D. & Associate Professor, Montclair State University ABSTRACT Reinforcement learning (RL) addresses the problem of how an autonomous active agent can learn to approximate an optimal behavioral strategy while interacting with its environment. It has been widely applied in various areas including artificial intelligence, control engineering, operations research, and robotics. In this lecture, I will introduce several improved reinforcement learning algorithms including incremental reinforcement learning, quantum reinforcement learning, and quantum-inspired deep reinforcement learning. I will also demonstrate several applications of these improved reinforcement learning algorithms in robotics, games, and quantum engineering. Dr. Daoyi Dong (S’05-M’06-SM’11-F’23) is currently a Professor at the Australian National University. Before moving to the Australian National University, he had worked at the University of New South Wales, Australia for 15 years. He was with the Academy of Mathematics and Systems Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Zhejiang University. He had/has visiting positions at Princeton University, USA, RIKEN, Japan, the University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany, the University of Sydney, and the University of Melbourne, Australia. He received a B.E. degree in automatic control and a Ph.D. degree in engineering from the University of Science and Technology of China, in 2001 and 2006, respectively. His research interests include machine learning, quantum control, system identification, and renewable energy. He has published over 120 journal papers in leading journals including IEEE Transactions (40+), Nature Human Behaviour, Physical Review Letters, and Automatica, and more than 60 conference papers. He was awarded an ACA Temasek Young Educator Award by the Asian Control Association and is a recipient of a Future Fellowship, an International Collaboration Award, a Discovery International Award and an Australian Post-Doctoral Fellowship from the Australian Research Council, a Humboldt Research Fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in Germany, and a Scientia Fellowship from the University of New South Wales. Prof Dong was elevated as an IEEE Fellow for contributions to quantum systems control and reinforcement learning. He currently serves as an Associate Editor of IEEE Transactions on Cybernetics and IEEE/CAA Journal of Automatica Sinica. He was an Associate Editor of IEEE Transactions on Neural Networks and Learning Systems, a Technical Editor of IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics and a Guest Editor of Annual Reviews in Control. He is a Member-at-Large of Board of Governors, and was the Associate Vice President for Conferences & Meetings, IEEE Systems, Man and Cybernetics Society. He was the founding chair of IEEE Control Systems Society ACT/NSW Joint Chapter, the founding chair of IEEE Systems, Man and Cybernetics Society ACT Chapter, the founding chair of Technical Committee on Quantum Computing, Systems and Control, IEEE Control Systems Society, and the founding chair of Technical Committee on Quantum Cybernetics, IEEE Systems, Man and Cybernetics Society. He has also served as General Chair or Program Chair for several international conferences, and as a member of Fellow Evaluating Committee of IEEE Technology and Engineering Management Society. Room ECE 202, NJIT, Newark, New Jersey, United States, 07102, Virtual: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/413238

Complex manipulation tasks combine low-level sensorimotor primitives, such as grasping, pushing, and simple arm movements, with high-level reasoning skills, such as deciding which object to grasp next and where to place it. While low-level sensorimotor primitives have been extensively studied in robotics, learning how to perform high-level task planning is relatively less explored. In this talk, I will present a unified framework for learning both low and high-level skills in an end-to-end manner from visual demonstrations of tasks performed by humans. The focus is on tasks that require manipulating several objects in sequence. The presented new techniques not only enhance current robotic capabilities but also set the stage for future advancements where robots can autonomously perform complex tasks in dynamic environments, further closing the gap between human and robotic task execution. Speaker(s): Abdeslam Boularias Room: 202, Bldg: ECE, ECE Building @NJIT, Newark, New Jersey, United States, 07102

Bill Ochs will talk about how he went from being an undergraduate student at Fairleigh Dickinson University to managing the design, construction, launch, and the on-orbit operations of the largest observatory to ever be launched into space, the James Webb Space Telescope. Bill will also discuss some of the challenges which had to be overcome on the road to mission success and show some of the latest space images. Failure was simply not an option for the James Webb Telescope! Co-sponsored by: Fairleigh Dickinson University Speaker(s): Mr. Bill Ochs, Agenda: Bill Ochs will talk about how he went from being an undergraduate student at Fairleigh Dickinson University to managing the design, construction, launch, and the on-orbit operations of the largest observatory to ever be launched into space, the James Webb Space Telescope. Bill will also discuss some of the challenges which had to be overcome on the road to mission success and show some of the latest space images. Failure was simply not an option for the James Webb Telescope! Room: BEC208, Bldg: Becton Hall, 1000 River Rd., Teaneck, New Jersey, United States, 07666, Virtual: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/415921

- Means of converting AC to DC - Brief history of switch-mode power - Basic switch-mode power circuit - SCR vs. SMR - Advantages to using SMR technology for battery charging - - Size and Weight - Modularity - Redundancy - Efficiency - Hot-swappable components Speaker(s): Mark Agenda: The seminar fee includes lunch, refreshments and handouts. Non-members joining IEEE within 30 days of the seminar will be rebated 50% of the IEEE registration charge. Four hours of instruction will be provided. If desired, IEEE Continuing Education Units (0.4 CEUs) will be offered for this course - a small fee of $55 will be required for processing. Please pay attention to the “Registration Fee” and choose the appropriate choice either with or without CEUs. CEU Evaluation Form can be found at: (https://innovationatwork.ieee.org/ieee-pes-northjersey-certificates/) At this time, our attendance is being limited to fifty (50). Please only register if you know you are going to attend, and you must be registered to participate. Room: Greenbrook Conference Room, Bldg: PSE&G - Cragwood Road Facility, 40 Cragwood Road, South Plainfield, New Jersey, United States, 07080

[]Srinivasa Ramanujan FRS 22 December 1887 – 26 April 1920) was an Indian mathematician. Though he had almost no formal training in pure mathematics, he made substantial contributions to mathematical analysis, number theory, infinite series, and continued fractions, including solutions to mathematical problems then considered unsolvable. Ramanujan initially developed his own mathematical research in isolation: according to Hans Eysenck: "He tried to interest the leading professional mathematicians in his work, but failed for the most part. What he had to show them was too novel, too unfamiliar, and additionally presented in unusual ways; they could not be bothered". Seeking mathematicians who could better understand his work, in 1913 he began a postal correspondence with the English mathematician G. H. Hardy at the University of Cambridge, England. Recognising Ramanujan's work as extraordinary, Hardy arranged for him to travel to Cambridge. In his notes, Hardy commented that Ramanujan had produced groundbreaking new theorems, including some that "defeated me completely; I had never seen anything in the least like them before", and some recently proven. During his short life, Ramanujan independently compiled nearly 3,900 results (mostly identities and equations). Many were completely novel; his original and highly unconventional results, such as the Ramanujan prime, the Ramanujan theta function, partition formulae and mock theta functions, have opened entire new areas of work and inspired a vast amount of further research. Of his thousands of results, all but a dozen or two have now been proven correct. The Ramanujan Journal, a scientific journal, was established to publish work in all areas of mathematics influenced by Ramanujan, and his notebooks—containing summaries of his published and unpublished results—have been analysed and studied for decades since his death as a source of new mathematical ideas. As late as 2012, researchers continued to discover that mere comments in his writings about "simple properties" and "similar outputs" for certain findings were themselves profound and subtle number theory results that remained unsuspected until nearly a century after his death. He became one of the youngest Fellows of the Royal Society and only the second Indian member, and the first Indian to be elected a Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge. Of his original letters, Hardy stated that a single look was enough to show they could have been written only by a mathematician of the highest calibre, comparing Ramanujan to mathematical geniuses such as Euler and Jacobi. In 1919, ill health compelled Ramanujan's return to India, where he died in 1920 at the age of 32. His last letters to Hardy, written in January 1920, show that he was still continuing to produce new mathematical ideas and theorems. His "lost notebook", containing discoveries from the last year of his life, caused great excitement among mathematicians when it was rediscovered in 1976. A deeply religious Hindu,Ramanujan credited his substantial mathematical capacities to divinity, and said his family goddess, Namagiri Thayar, revealed his mathematical knowledge to him. He once said, "An equation for me has no meaning unless it expresses a thought of God." Speaker(s): , Discussion Moderator: Sharan Kalwani Agenda: 6:00 PM - Welcome and Introductions, Chapter business update; break 6:05 PM - Movie Start/Presentation 7:20 PM - Q & A; group Discussion 7:30 PM - Wrap Up Virtual: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/416631

GALLOIS AUTONOMOUS ROBOT COMPETITION, scheduled to take place on Friday April 26, 2024 at Stevens Institute of Technology. This event is taking place as part of the (https://www.stevens.edu/stevens-innovation-expo) This event promises to be an enriching experience, offering students the chance to witness cutting-edge advancements in robotics, engage with University students, and gain insights into the latest trends and technologies. It aligns perfectly with academic goals and will provide valuable exposure to real-world applications of robotics. Registration: Is below. We ask that the teacher that is bringing the students register and include the number of students that will be attending. This event is for High School (9-12 grade) students. A teach must accompany the students Here are a few key points regarding the activity: Educational Value: The event can include a talk from one of IEEE speakers at Hoboken High School focused on providing students a deeper understanding of robotics technology. Inspiration for Future Careers & Education: Experiencing the event firsthand can inspire our students and ignite their passion for robotics or a STEM field, encouraging them to consider related fields for further studies and careers. Logistics: - IEEE speaker present at Morton 203 on Friday, April 26 10:00-noon - Opportunity to see University STEM students apply their education and skills in multiple areas including: a robotics competition, a music concert, and senior design projects - Flexible schedule. Since the Expo activities take place from 11am-3pm, we can tailor the day's schedule to what works best for your school and students. See (https://www.stevens.edu/stevens-innovation-expo) for schedule. Date: Friday, April 26th Time: 10:00am-3:00pm Location: Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ, USA More information about: (https://futurenetworks.ieee.org/) (https://stevens.edu/) Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, New York, United States

The Ethereum Blockchain Game Theory Author: Dr. Nancy M Landreville Sunay, April 28, 2024 at 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM - Virtual Co-sponsored by: Power Energy Speaker(s): Nancy Landreville, Agenda: Virtual: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/418236