ECE Newsletter – January 20, 2025

News  |  January 20, 2025

Professor Tabuada Lectures at IEEE CDC Conference

On December 16, Professor Paulo Tabuada delivered a plenary lecture at the IEEE Conference on Decision and Control (CDC) that took place in Milan, Italy. CDC is the flagship conference in the field of control with more than 2,000 attendees. In his plenary, Professor Tabuada explained how techniques from control can be used to solve several problems in machine learning such as determining if residual neural networks have the power of universal approximation, explaining the attention mechanism in large-language models (LLMs) through token consensus, and explaining the collapse of LLMs trained on synthetic data. 

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Ozcan Lab Publishes Paper in Science Advances (AAAS) on the Virtual Staining of Label-free Bacteria Using Deep Learning

A team of researchers led by Professor Aydogan Ozcan at UCLA has introduced a virtual Gram staining technique that could transform how microbiologists stain and classify bacteria. This new technology uses artificial intelligence to convert microscopic images of unstained bacteria into their Gram-stained equivalents, bypassing the traditional chemical staining process. Gram staining has been a cornerstone of microbiology for over a century, and it is a laboratory method used to differentiate bacterial species into two large groups (Gram-positive and Gram-negative) based on the chemical and physical properties of their cell walls.

Please see the full news release and paper.

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Distinguished Professor Rahmat-Samii was the Inaugural Keynote Speaker at 2024 IEEE LACAP Conference, Cartagena, Colombia

Distinguished Professor Yahya Rahmat-Samii delivered a one-hour inaugural keynote address titled “Revolutionizing CubeSat Missions: Cutting-Edge Antenna Designs from Concept to Deployment” at the 2024 1st Latin America Conference on Antennas and Propagation (LACAP), sponsored by the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society. The event took place in Cartagena, Colombia, from December 1–5, 2024. Novel advances in CubeSat technology for communications, remote sensing, and planetary exploration are revolutionizing the satellite industry. These compact, cost-effective systems have enabled missions once deemed impossible with traditional satellites. Among the critical design challenges, antenna systems have emerged as a focal point, driven by the growing demand for higher data rates and improved spatial resolution in future missions. The keynote addressed the challenges and opportunities CubeSats present to antenna engineers, aiming to inspire new concepts and advancements. It highlighted innovative antenna designs, including novel foldable symmetric and offset mesh deployable reflector antennas, 3D-printed lens antennas, and advanced reflectarrays/transmitarrays, all tailored for applications such as remote sensing, deep space exploration, and the Internet of Space. The presentation covered the design principles, key features, numerical simulations, prototyping processes, and measurement validations of these cutting-edge antenna systems. As the vision of affordable space missions and global connectivity becomes a reality, the talk also explored future prospects and the evolving role of antenna engineering in enabling increasingly advanced space missions.

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NSF Highlights Ozcan Lab’s Work on Paper-Based Computational Sensors for Cardiovascular Disease

The National Science Foundation (NSF) highlighted Ozcan Lab’s work on paper-based computational sensors for cardiovascular disease. This innovative project is part of an NSF Engineering Research Center collaboration, led by Texas A&M University, UCLA, Rice University, and Florida International University. This paper-based test measures cardiac troponin I, one of the biomarkers of a heart attack, in just 15 minutes, making testing less expensive and more readily available.

Please see the full news release

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Professor Stanley Osher Reaches 160,000 Citations on Google Scholar

As of January 1, 2025, UCLA Professor Stanley Osher surpassed 160,000 citations on Google Scholar, with 130 cited papers and more than 20,000 citations on two separate papers. These two papers are titled “Fronts propagating with curvature-dependent speed: Algorithms based on Hamilton-Jacobi formulations” and “Nonlinear total variation based noise removal algorithms”. 

Please see the Fronts propagating with curvature-dependent speed and the Nonlinear total variation based noise removal algorithms. 

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Professor Asad Madni Announces the Asad and Taj Madni Young Inventors Fund of the National Inventors Hall of Fame Endowment 

Professor Asad Madni and his wife, Taj Madni, made a major gift to the National Inventors Hall of Fame (NIHF). The Asad and Taj Madni Young Inventors Fund will provide scholarships for children in need. The generous donation by Professor Madni and Mrs Madni will make it possible for children to participate in hands-on invention education programs across the country.

Please see the message from Asad Madni. 

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Awards

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UCLA Team Wins Best Paper in Machine Learning and Compression Workshop at NeurIPS’24

Professor Suhas Diggavi’s postdoctoral student, Ruida Zhou, won the Best Paper award in the Machine Learning and Compression Workshop at NeurIPS’24. The paper, titled “Transformers Learn to Variable-order Markov Chains in-Context,” was written by Ruida, in collaboration with Chao Tian (Texas A&M University) and Professor Diggavi.

Please see the news release and the paper. 

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Organizations

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Art.Ificial @ UCLA Hosts Winter Panel

Art.Ificial at UCLA is a student organization dedicated to serving students interested in industries at the intersection of art and technology. If you’re interested in technology for music, graphic art, film, or anything else you can imagine, this club is for you. We’re hosting our Winter Panel on Wednesday, January 22nd from 6-7:30pm, where we’ll host speakers from 4 different companies and learn about their experience in roles that fuse art and tech. This event is free and open to all students; please join us by filling out the brief RSVP form linked on the flyer! You’ll also have a chance to submit your own questions on a first come, first serve basis.

The speakers:

Chelsey Fleming, UX Researcher at Google

Greg Chin, Director of Creative Enablement and Content Relations at Dolby

Candice Lu, Executive Vice President at QVEST (media and entertainment consulting)

Kareem Hammad, EVP/Head of Operations and Development at AV Squad (Film advertising and consulting)

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Events/Seminars

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Job Opportunities

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Research Opportunity: Geothermal Technology Development (UCLA)

The research group of Professor Sergio Carbajo at UCLA is seeking a highly motivated

graduate engineering student to contribute to an exciting geothermal technology research project for 1-2 months during Winter Quarter. This is an excellent opportunity to gain hands-on research experience and earn university research credit.

Project Overview:

This project, under the direction of Professor Carbajo, focuses on developing innovative technologies to enhance geothermal energy extraction and super deep drilling. The selected student will play a key role in the design and modeling of novel technology.

Responsibilities:

• Utilize CAD software to design and refine components for direct energy drilling and geothermal rigging systems.
• Contribute to the modeling and analysis of hydrodynamic and electromagnetic phenomena within the system.
• Collaborate with the research team to interpret simulation results and contribute to project discussions.
• Document research findings and contribute to technical reports or presentations.

Qualifications:

• Currently enrolled graduate student in Electrical Engineering (EE) or Mechanical Engineering at UCLA.
• Experience with CAD design software (e.g., SolidWorks, AutoCAD, Fusion 360).
• Interest or experience in hydrodynamics and electromagnetism.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Expertise with Field-Effect Transistors (FETs) or Metal-Oxide Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistors (MOSFETs).

Benefits:

• Earn university research credit.
• Gain valuable research experience in a cutting-edge field.
• Opportunity to contribute to a real-world energy solution for climate change.
• Work alongside experienced researchers and faculty at UCLA, including Professor Sergio Carbajo.

Time Commitment:

1-2 months during Winter Quarter, with flexible scheduling to accommodate academic

commitments.

To Apply:

Interested students should submit their resume/CV and a brief statement of interest (one paragraph) outlining their relevant skills and experience to johnfstrike@gmail.com. Please include “Geothermal Research Application” in the subject line. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.

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Electronics/PCB Development Undergraduate Internship Opportunity

Employment Period: Year-round

Location: On-campus

Approximate hours per week: 5+ hours

Duration: 6-24 months

Salary / Pay rate / Stipend: $20/hour

Relevant Website: https://www.edroplets.org/

Job description

Digital microfluidics is a technology that enables programmable control over individual droplets using electrical signals on a chip, which has been transforming wet labs towards the era of lab-on-a-chip. You will develop electronic control circuits for operating digital microfluidics chips. This is a highly engineering-oriented project, which requires independent schematic design, PCB layout design, PCB manufacturing, and assembly outsourcing for various circuits and electronic systems. You will also work with the mechanical design and software development team guided by graduate students to create multiple products. These products will be used by numerous digital microfluidics researchers and startups around the world through an open-source platform (edroplets.org).

For domestic students (US Citizen or Permanent Resident), the payment may be a stipend from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program. 

For international students, the payment will be through a regular research fund.

For those who prefer research credits over stipends, SRP 99 or MAE 199 is also possible.

What you will get:

(1) You will experience creating a real-world electronic product for a transformative technology, which will be used by lots of real users!

(2) You will get hands-on experience and training in schematic/PCB/electronics design and development

(3) You will learn the basic knowledge and industry status of digital microfluidics, and participate in translating ground-breaking research into real-world products

(4) You may become a co-author of resulting journal and conference publications

Quality & skill desired:

(1) A strong and genuine interest in electronics is essential. If you are a DIYer who loves working with electronics and wants to build something impactful, this is a perfect project for you.

(2) Enjoy working in a team with different expertise is essential. The ability to articulate your work to non-technical team members is essential.

(3) Experience with Altium Designer, KiCAD or other PCB design software is a plus. Experience with LabView is a plus. Experience in making a PCB from design to manufacturing is a huge plus.

(4) No experience or knowledge of digital microfluidics is required

Interested? Please send your resume to Professor CJ Kim (cjkim@ucla.edu) and Leo Wang (wangqining265@gmail.com). If there’s a good match, you will be invited to an interview.

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Newsletter Submissions

To be included in future newsletters, please send the latest news, awards, publications and any upcoming PhD oral defenses to the Chair’s assistant, Winda Mak, at wmak@seas.ucla.edu. Please include “newsletter submission” in the subject line. The ECE newsletters will be sent bimonthly on the first and third Mondays of the month. Please ensure all submissions are received by the Wednesday before distribution to be included in the newsletter.