Please join us on Wednesday, April 16, 2025 for the Pierce Seminar at 4 PM in Room 1-131 with Prof. Yinhai Wang.Abstract Title: Transforming the Future of Transportation Safety and Mobility with Customized AI and Edge ComputingAbstract:We are facing severe challenges in both transportation safety and mobility despite decades of conventional solutions and substantial investments. There is a pressing demand for more effective and deployment-ready solutions, leveraging emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT). In response to this need, the University of Washington’s Smart Transportation Applications and Research Laboratory (STAR Lab) has dedicated itself to developing customized AI methods and edge computing tools to best serve the transportation needs. The award-winning Mobile Unit for Sensing Traffic (MUST) system, along with its machine learning-powered traffic sensing algorithms, exemplifies these efforts. In this presentation, the speaker will share his thoughts on the transformative potential of using customized AI and edge computing in enhancing transportation safety and mobility. Strategies for customizing edge systems to transportation tasks, including resource allocation, scenario-based customization, and the implementation of lightweight models, etc., and challenges associated with the development and implementation process will also be discussed.Bio:Dr. Yinhai Wang is a professor in transportation engineering at Civil and Environmental Engineering and adjunct professor at Electrical and Computer Engineering of the University of Washington (UW). He has served as director for Pacific Northwest Transportation Consortium (PacTrans), USDOT University Transportation Center for Federal Region 10, since 2012 and for Northwestern Tribal Technical Assistance Program Center since 2022, and Washington State Transportation Center (TRAC) since 2023. Dr. Wang was an elected governor for the IEEE Intelligent Transportation Systems Society (ITSS) from 2011 through 2013 and served as the 2018-2019 president of the Transportation & Development Institute (T&DI) for American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). He is currently chair for the Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Advanced Computing Applications Committee of the Transportation Research Board (TRB), vice president for Council of University Transportation Centers (CUTC), chair for the ASCE Center on Technical Advancement, co-editor-in-chief for the AI for Transportation Journal, and the Connected and Automated Transportation Special Section Editor for ASCE Journal of Transportation Engineering Part A: Systems. His active research fields include traffic sensing, transportation safety, transportation data science, edge computing, traffic operations and simulation, smart urban mobility, and AI methods and applications. He is a professional engineer registered in Washington, a member of the Washington State Academy of Sciences, a Distinguished Member of ASCE, and a fellow of both IEEE and ITE. He has been recognized by numerous awards, such as the 2023 ASCE Francis C. Turner award and the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Innovation in Education Award for 2018.

Silicon photonics: The Making Of and The Road AheadROEL BAETS, Ghent UniversityRoel Baets is an emeritus professor at Ghent University (UGent) where he has led the Photonics Research Group, a mixed UGent – imec team. For more than 40 years Roel Baets has worked in the field of integrated photonics, in multiple material platforms (silicon, silicon nitride, III-V). He has made diverse scientific contributions to this field, as well as to its applications and spin-off creation in telecom, datacom and sensing. He has led major research projects in silicon photonics in Europe and founded ePIXfab, the globally first Multi-Project-Wafer service for silicon photonics and now the European Silicon Photonics Alliance. In recent years his research has focused on medical and environmental sensing applications of silicon photonics. He is a Fellow of the IEEE, of the European Optical Society (EOS) and of Optica. He has been a recipient of the 2018 PIC-International Lifetime Achievement Award, of the 2020 Optica-IEEE John Tyndall Award and of the 2023 IEEE Photonics Award. As an emeritus professor Roel Baets continues a variety of advisory roles within UGent and imec, within ePIXfab and in the integrated photonics community at large.Reception to follow: R&D Commons, Bldg 32 – 4th floor

Speaker: Fan Qin (Beijing Normal University)Title: Surface cluster algebras and their basesAbstract: In this talk, we first provide a gentle introduction to (quantum) cluster algebras and skein algebras associated with surfaces. Then we focus on three most important classes of bases—bangles, bands, and bracelets—presenting their combinatorial structures and algebraic properties. We demonstrate how surface cutting techniques significantly simplify the study of these bases. Finally, we present some recent progress on the basis elements.

Join us to hear Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski, co-authors of this semester's MIT Reads selection, in dialogue with Dr. Karen Singleton, Deputy Chief Health Officer of MIT Health.Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle is a New York Times bestseller and must-read for anyone who has ever felt overwhelmed by endless responsibilities yet still worried they weren’t doing “enough.” This groundbreaking book explores the science behind burnout, examining how factors like gender shape our experiences and offering a practical roadmap for reducing stress, managing emotions, and cultivating joy.Sisters Emily Nagoski, PhD, and Amelia Nagoski, DMA, are here to help break the relentless cycle of burnout. With a deep compassion that guided their research, the Nagoski sisters illuminate the societal pressures that fuel exhaustion—and provide actionable strategies to reclaim balance and well-being.Emily and Amelia's TED Talk, the Burnout introduction video, and the video course trailer provide additional insights into their fascinating research.You can also follow them on Instagram at @enagoski for updates and more.--This event is free and open to all, but pre-registration is required. Please join us for refreshments after the discussion.For virtual registrants: a URL will be emailed closer to the event.Accessibility: ASL and CART Services will be available. Our events are enriched by your presence and we are committed to making them accessible. Please email ce-lib@mit.edu by Wednesday, April 9th for further accommodation requests.--Speaker information:Emily Nagoski is also the New York Times bestselling, award-winning author of Come As You Are: The Surprising New Science That Will Transform Your Sex Life and Come Together: The Science (and Art!) of Creating Lasting Sexual Connections. She earned an MS in counseling and a PhD in health behavior, both from Indiana University, with clinical and research training at the Kinsey Institute. Now she combines sex education and stress education to teach women to live with confidence and joy inside their bodies. She lives in Massachusetts with two dogs, a cat, and a cartoonist.Amelia Nagoski was an Associate Professor and Coordinator of Music at Western New England University. She specializes in educating others on the application of communications science and psychological research for audiences of other professional musicians, including embodied wellness for conductors. She has a DMA (Doctorate of Musical Arts) in conducting from the University of Connecticut. She lives in New England with her spouse and pets.Yes, Emily and Amelia are twins. Yes, they’re identical. Yes, one time they pretended to be each other; it did not go well.Karen Singleton, PhD, is the Deputy Chief Health Officer at MIT Health. She is a clinical psychologist who specializes in trauma, psychoanalytic psychotherapy, and crisis response. She enjoys presenting, writing, and consulting on a variety of mental health topics, particularly collegiate mental health and leadership. Dr. Singleton currently serves on advisory boards of the Health Systems Initiative (HSI) at MIT Sloan, the Princeton Review and the Ruderman Foundation, and has formerly served on mental health advisory boards for Harvard, Princeton, and Cornell Universities.

The 21st Annual Operations Simulation Competition (OpsSimCom) 2025 is a student-led event where you can compete with students from around the country to see who can run the most profitable factory.Play for a prize pool totaling $2,500 - no travel required!Play an online simulation against teams from around the world to manage a factory: make investments, cut costs, borrow money, forecast demand, find bottlenecks, fulfill orders and satisfy customers! We've witnessed the best teams from around the world pit their wits against each other in what the game creator has called "possibly the most challenging assignment I've ever created." OpsSimCom will use a simulator specially designed for the competition, and no prior experience with the simulation is required. Even if you have played this game in class, this will not be a repeat of what you have seen before.Competition begins at 5PM EST on Wednesday April 16th and runs till Friday April 18th 5pm ETWebsite: OpsSimCom 2025 - Operations Management Club | MIT Sloan School of ManagementFAQ: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MT9Hdx-jIP002QK_0J2aDX6MGG02lB0uQg8MGGp335U/editWebinar: April 14th @ 12PM ESThttps://mit.zoom.us/j/91412776156Registration Deadline: April 15th @ 11:59PM ESTTeam Prizes:First: $ 1,500Second: $750Third: $250Important Note: Prize money is awarded to people individually, not as a group, and is considered taxable income.Rules:All participants must be currently enrolled university studentsThe competition is entirely online, no travel is required.There is a limit of up to 4 students per team (and as low as 1 person per team)No limits on the number of teams per schoolNo help can be taken from professors or others outside of the teamEach person can only be on one teamTwo teams are not allowed to interact/help each otherRegistration:Each team must purchase 1 ticket on the eventbrite page to be confirmedQuestions?Reach out to opssimcom@mit.edu